Cleaning porcelain....

[drmarkr]

A buddy (not a member here) put down porcelain in his home shop a couple of months ago, and it now finding out that tires are printing pretty badly. it's been hard to clean off, and he called me today asking what I used to clean mine. Well, I just clean spilled fluids up with paper towels and brake cleaner, and steam clean it once a month or so and that keeps mine looking great.

Anyway, the tile he installed apparently is conducive to tire tracks, and I told him I'd survey the board here for suggestions. His tile is a little unusual (see pics), but it wasn't cheap.

Any ideas/suggestions??

 

[MJK]

Pressure washer keeps mine pretty neat, but if that doesn't do it I find that WD40 works better than anything else I have tried.

 

[Metallitubby]

What about something like the Oreck floor scubbers for long-term care/maintenance?

Orbiter Floor Scrubber & Buffer | Oreck

The Oreck Orbiter floor scrubber makes it easy to sand, refinish, strip, wax, and polish all floor surfaces, as well as deep clean your carpets.

oreck.com

with the blue pad?

Orbiter Blue Scrub Pad | Oreck

Oreck Orbiter Scrub Pad: A light abrasive pad which is ideal for scrubbing tile, unfinished concrete, terrazzo and vinyl. For use with both the Oreck Orbiter and Ultra Orbiter models. Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest

oreck.com

 

[RegeSullivan]

If it's hard to clean it makes me question if it is really porcelain???

 

[duneslider]

Just curious but do you know what grout was used and was a sealer used on it? How rough is the surface. I'm sort of curious if something was put over the tile and the tire marks are on a "coating" and not on the tile itself. Porcelain is basically impervious, like glass, so it doesn't make sense that just driving on the tile would cause this to happen. But If say epoxy grout was used and it wasn't cleaned properly during install there could be a thin layer of epoxy on the tile that would be a nightmare to clean and would cause this sort of issue.

 

[drmarkr]

Just curious but do you know what grout was used and was a sealer used on it? How rough is the surface. I'm sort of curious if something was put over the tile and the tire marks are on a "coating" and not on the tile itself. Porcelain is basically impervious, like glass, so it doesn't make sense that just driving on the tile would cause this to happen. But If say epoxy grout was used and it wasn't cleaned properly during install there could be a thin layer of epoxy on the tile that would be a nightmare to clean and would cause this sort of issue.

This is what I suggested to him as a cause....he was going to check with the installer to see if they used a full surface sealer.

Looking at the tile you can see it's kind of an unusual pattern. Not uniform color, although that shouldn't really matter. I'm pretty sure it's porcelain though...he understood the need for PEI 4-5 and proper install.

Andy, I'll suggest that to him as well. Thanks guys.

 

[duneslider]

It would make zero difference what the PEI rating is on the tile. I would maybe try using AquaMix Nanoscrub on a tile and see what it does. I think Home Depot used to sell that product.

It would be nice to know what grout and any sealers that might have been used. I still am leaning towards something was put over the top of the tile and that is what the tire marks are on. The floor likely needs to be stripped to remedy the issue.

 

[Avemalle]

A good mix of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide works wonders for tough stains, especially on older porcelain. I’ve had luck letting it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing with a soft pad. If you're dealing with a bigger job or just want to skip the hassle, maid service star idaho does a great job with deep cleaning porcelain surfaces without damaging the finish. Their team knows the right cleaners to use.

 

[Shiftless]

I too am thinking an all over sealer was used and that is what is causing the problem.

 

[AC-WC]

Really need to understand how much texture the tile has. At work our bathrooms were redone in a really nice tile but it was 1) nice texture 2) not sealed. After 3 months they could not clean the tile with a pressure washer or other various cleaners and they tried a lot of different methods.
After 8 yrs we still haven't replaced the tile due to the cost. It was the plant managers brother in law that picked the tile and had it installed.....

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Barkeeper's Friend