Cleaning Saltillo Tile Before Sealing

If saltillo tiles are soaked in water you can expect to deal with efflorescence issues throughout the lifespan of your floor.

Cleaning saltillo tile before sealing.

Before photo of saltillo tiles that we installed but it had rained a few days after installation and the tiles had not been grouted yet so the water collected in the grout joints and underneathe the tiles. While the alkaline cleaner does its job and breaks up the grime in the tiles you need to be scrubbing them using a scrub pad or brush these should be safe to use without leaving scratches on the tiles. It s by custom building products and is a concentrate that comes in a 32 oz. Use a broom for a very light sweeping and then use a vacuum.

To preserve the life of the saltillo tile sealer choose a cleaner that is not harsh. Once upon a time installers would soak saltillo tile in water prior to setting it with thinset. This caused the white residue and efflorescence to form. The saltillo tiles are going to soap up a large amount of the cleaning solution especially if they have never been sealed before making it important to keep them saturated during the wait.

Allow to dry 24 hours or more before grouting. After achieving a satisfactory look to the saltillo allow the sealer to dry for 24 hours before walking on the saltillo. The great news is that we sell a product that will clean and strip your saltillo tiles in one step. Use thin even coats.

Deep cleaning the tiles sealing the tiles to bring out the beautiful natural. This is an imperative point. When cleaning saltillo tiles that have been topically sealed a gentle ph neutral cleaning solution is all that it should takes for normal everyday cleaning. Apply two 2 or more coats of glaze n seal ole sealer to tile and grout.

Be sure tile is clean and dry before sealing wait at least 24 hours or more. Clean tiles the first step to sealing your saltillo mexican tile is to clean them of any type of dirt or debris. Also the string mop doesn t deteriorate the way a foam or sponge mop does. It s easier to clean saltillo tile with a string mop because these floors traditionally have wide grout joints.

If the saltillo tiles have never been sealed then they will soak up lots of cleaning solution so keep adding cleaning solution as needed to keep the tiles saturated for the 15 minute dwell time. It is important to make sure that the entire surface of the area you are going to seal is free from any dirt. Most joints range from 1 2 1 inch. Next determine your cleaning agent.

Saltillo tile and grout cleaning for interior or exterior flooring top benefits of cleaning and sealing your saltillo tiles interior and exterior saltillos need to be cleaned the moment they are removed from the box you will find that they have a fine powder and some minor dirt you are going to want to remove. You should scrub the saltillo tiles and grout with an aggressive scrub pad or scrub brush while the alkaline cleaner is breaking down the dirt and grime. Clean as you grout to minimize water contact on tile. Do not soak saltillo tile.

Avoid using harsh alkaline or acidic cleaners on the sealed saltillo.