Hard Surface Floors and Countertops

When your tile and grout start looking or feeling dirty, it’s time to have it cleaned. Not only will a good professional cleaning bring back the beauty in your tile and stone, but did you also know that bacteria can live between your tiles if not cleaned and sealed.

There are several products on the market for cleaning tiles and grouting. But there are also several reasons why steam cleaning tile and grout is the best way to go. It is quicker than most other methods plus the steam is a great way to disinfect and clean deep.

If you are looking at cleaning your tile and grout yourself, be aware that some of the do-it-yourself products actually can cause problems later on as they can work away at the plaster and eventually damage it. If it does get damaged or brittle then it might need to be replaced, which can be very costly.

 Ceramic Tile

Ceramic Tile is clay fired man-made material. Surface in glazed ceramic (single-fired, double-fired, etc.) do not normally require any protective treatment. It is the glaze itself that gives the material its excellent protection against the absorption of dirt, along with its particular aesthetic effect. Many of the new ceramic tiles in today’s market are manufactured to look like real stone.

 VCT-Tile

Vinyl Composition Tile can be found in 9 inches but most commonly in 12 inches. It contains vinyl resins and comes in a wide variety of colors. It is an extremely dense yet porous floor and has a good resistance to acid, alkaline and solvent base spots and spills. It is highly resilient and is installed in light, medium and heavy traffic areas. Of all resilient floor coverings, VCT is the most commonly found in commercial use.

 Quarry Tile and Paver Brick

Quarry Tiles are an unglazed ceramic material that are particularly suitable for exterior paving, due to their low absorption and resistance to freezing (the high baking temperatures and high quality of the clay, with other raw materials make this type of floor, one of the most durable in the market today). There is no particular waiting time before treating these materials as they are not generally affected by blooms, and their absorbency allows for rapid drying. In any case, protection treatment should only be carried out when the floor is completely dry. There are different products and process for these materials according to whether they are laid inside or outside. Two are the most common type: Rustic and Stoneware

 Porcelain Tile

Is a very hard material that is particularly resistant to chemical agents, scratches, freezing and to the absorption of water. It is ideal for paving floors in public places such as restaurants, airports, schools, hospitals and shopping centers. It has also recently begun to be used in residential applications. Porcelain Tile can be given a polished surface industrially. This produces the “polished” version with its mirror-like shine. However, unlike the “natural” or unpolished versions, it is subject to marking. Can be honed and polish, but is very difficult and time consuming

 Terracotta Tile

(Also knows as “SALTILLO TILE”) – One of the oldest ceramic materials made by man, this type of floor is obtained by mixing clay and water, leaving this to dry naturally, then baking it in a kiln. Saltillo Tile has particular characteristics of a physical (absorption), mechanical (special finish), and compositional (for the different types of clay) nature that demand special treatment.