The content discusses the use of sealants on tiles, their application before laying, and their potential impact on grout maintenance and porcelain tile sealing.

Why are porcelain tile sealers used?

Tilers usually apply a thin coat of sealant to the tiles before they lay them and it helps them to remove unwanted grouting haze, which is the messy part of installing tiles and can be very difficult to clean.

Should porcelain tiles be sealed after installation?

While there are exceptions based on the specific type of porcelain tile, the general consensus is that porcelain tiles do not need to be sealed due to their low porosity and resistance to water and staining. 

In our experience, applying sealers do not bond to smooth surfaces very well and may appear patchy as it wears off over a short period. However, it’s always best to check with the supplier or manufacturer for specific recommendations regarding the sealing of porcelain tiles.

How effective is tile sealant?

Sealant is most suitable for rough and porous surfaces. This is because the sealer soaks into the tiny holes of the tile and becomes hard. Whether or not the sealer actually bonds to the porcelain substrate is debateable. 

If the sealer can stick to to porcelain, then it would essentially create a smoother surface for dirt to be mopped off. However, a sealer cannot prevent grout from becoming dirty. 

This is because grout is the deepest part of the tile and dirt often settles in these grooves regardless of whether or not it has sealant.

Can grout be sealed with tile sealer?

Sealant may be used by home owners who struggle to keep their grout lines cleaned, or who have a habit of spilling staining liquids such as wine, coffee, food or even mud that’s brought in from outside. 

Although the sealant does not stick to the smooth porcelain surface, it quite happily solidifies in the porous grout. 

Nevertheless, when grout lines are exceedingly thin, applying sealer solely to the grout can pose a challenge.

In such instances, sealer overlapping onto the tile can result in a glossy surface reflection when viewing the floor in the sunlight.

To mitigate this issue, the application process may become costly in time, as it requires precise application using very fine brushes.

Consequently, we advise against applying sealer to thin grout lines for optimal results.

Is sealing my porcelain floor worth the cost?

Although tile cleaning companies cannot offer any guarantee on the sealants ability to keep tiles clean, impregnating sealant can be very expensive.

The cost of applying these products is usually priced at half of the floor cleaning service.

So you can see there’s no harm in sealing porcelain tiles, it just depends on whether or not the customer would like to invest in something that might, or might not, work.