Learn about the complexities of tile lippage and marble floor polishing challenges, as we explore innovative solutions for achieving impeccable results efficiently.
Table of Contents
What is Lippage in tiled floors
Lippage is caused when a tiler installs tiles in such a way that the edge of one tile is more than 1mm higher than its neighbouring tile.
Although the difference in height might be insignificant to the home owner, it can ruin the materials used during a tile cleaning and polishing service. To see if you have lippage in your tiled floor, try the coin test.
The Coin Test
One of the simplest ways to identify lippage is with the “coin test”.
A coin is gently slid across the surface of adjoining tiles. If the coin catches on the tile edge, this indicates lippage between the tiles.
Even slight lippage that may seem minor visually can become noticeable when walked on daily. The coin test helps demonstrate how uneven the floor surface really is.
Why Lippage Is a Problem
Even minimal lippage can create several issues:
Trip Hazards
Raised tile edges can become a safety concern, particularly in busy areas, commercial properties, kitchens, hallways, or homes with children and elderly residents.
Picture Frame Effect
Lippage often creates what is known as the “picture frame effect”, where the edges of tiles appear outlined or shadowed due to uneven heights. This can make an expensive stone floor look poorly finished.
Difficult Cleaning
Uneven tile edges trap dirt and debris, making cleaning more difficult and allowing grime to build up along grout lines and edges.
Premature Wear
High edges can become vulnerable to chipping and wear over time, especially on softer natural stones.
Poor Overall Appearance
A polished stone floor should look smooth, elegant, and seamless. Lippage interrupts the natural flow of the stone and reduces the visual quality of the installation. Over time, as the floor becomes dull from general footfall, the lippage can create a picture frame effect, where the lower parts of the tiles remain shiny.
The Challenge for Floor Polishing Services
The diamond pads that are used to restore the shine to stone floors are usually stiff discs made of resin that cannot bend when hitting the edge of a tile.
The diamond floor sanding pad could crack, or, if a honing process is successful it’s most likely that the end result would produce an uneven polish.
This is called the picture-framing effect, where the stiff disc was not able to reach the lower portion of the tiles.
Here’s an example of a picture frame effect:
Many suppliers now make softer, sponge-like pads that bend better to clean the lower parts of tiles.
But, these pads don’t give a mirror shine. They leave a shiny but slightly bumpy surface. This is called an orange-peel effect.
It looks good, but it’s not crystal clear.
At Tile Cleaning Agents, we offer a service that completely removes the lippage from your uneven tiles. This will prepare the area for a professional marble floor polishing service that can produce a mirror finish.
If the unevenness between tiles is too great for even our softer diamond pads to handle, we’ll schedule an appointment to level the tiles.
We do this by removing the higher sections of the higher tile to match the lower ones before proceeding with the stone floor polishing service.