(Newswire.net — January 31st, 2013) Auckland, NZ — Seton from GroutPro Rodney & North Shore says that, “because of the perception that most of us have that ‘Tile’ is ‘hard wearing’ and maintenance ‘free’, we use Tiles in areas such as showers and bathrooms, heavy traffic areas, and also outdoors on Patios and decks, but this perception is only partly correct”.
With a Tiled Surface Cleaning and Maintenance is ‘easy’ (but sorry not ‘Maintenance Free’) where the right tile is chosen, it is laid correctly, and correct cleaning and sealing is done immediately after laying.
So Seton’s message is: “TILES will reward you with great service if no ‘short cuts’ are taken”. If you are making decisions about Tiling work, it is best to get expert help to choose the right tiles for the situation & ‘best practices’ are used to lay and clean up afterwards, to remove all residues, and haze. An acid product and energetic rubbing will get the best results, then rinse thoroughly.
In larger areas or commercial situations it is best to use an automatic cleaning machine which has an extraction system. This allows for the dirt, cleaning liquids and chemicals to be continuously removed preventing the formation of films. Once thoroughly dry the grout is then ready to be sealed.
Sealing the grout, (and the tile, if it is a natural stone tile rather than a ‘glazed’ tile) will ensure water penetration is avoided or at least minimal, increasing the longevity of the tile and the grout and will also keep maintenance to a minimum and ensure cleaning is ‘easy’.
Often the ‘best practices’ do not happen & the surface becomes is dirty and unsightly looking, in some cases the grout will fail and start to break up.
“BUT”! Seton says, “the good news is, this is not a disaster; it just means inconvenience and more cost.”
Dirty grout can be restored back to its original beauty by a professional. The tiles and grout are thoroughly deep cleaned and then the Grout is Colour Sealed. This Seal prevents any water penetration and therefore stops any further staining. The Colour Seal gives and natural consistent colour to the grout lines and is available in as many colours. Deep cleaning & Re-colouring the grout will totally restore the tiles ‘New Look’.
Unfortunately if the grout is failing, that is breaking up, the only solution is to re-grout the area, patching the broken pieces is an unsatisfactory temporary fix.
You can Contact Seton for more info:
Name: GroutPro Rodney & North Shore
Address: 170 Wade River Road, Whangaparaoa, Auckland 0932
Phone: 09 424 8498 | 021 426 333
Website: http://www.tileandgroutservices.net
Contact Name: Seton Wotherspoon
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