The Dirt on Cleaning Porcelain Tile

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You bought porcelain tile for many reasons.  One reason is cleaning. Porcelain tile  has an impervious surface that is both easy to clean AND easy to keep clean. But that’s not been your experience. Your tile looked dull and lifeless right after it was initially installed. It not only shows footprints, it seems to actually pull the dirt off the bottom of your shoes.

You’ve tried everything—tile cleaners, deep cleaners, bleach, ammonia, soft scrub…..no change. You’re disappointed in your tile and swear your next floor will be hardwood.

WAIT! Before you convince yourself to install a wood floor with the Good Termite-Keeping Seal of Approval, the problem isn’t your tile floor—it’s what’s ON your tile. Specifically, what’s on the face of your tile that you really CAN’T see…until it gets dirty.

What’s in the face can be one or more of any number of things: ALL are easily remedied. Here they are in order of most common issues regarding issues on NEW installations:

PROBLEM: Grout haze.

WHY: The last cleaning during installation may not have removed all the grout from the face of your tile.

RESOLUTION: clean with acid-based tile cleaner made specifically to remove grout film. All big box home improvement stores and tile distributors will have a specifically formulated cleaner that will have printed right on the label that is will remove grout haze.

IMPORTANT: Follow manufacturers instructions to the letter, after all, this is acid and precautions must be taken. At Villagio, we stock Stone Tech RESTORE ACIDIC CLEANER.

 

PROBLEM: Latex Film/other coatings.

WHY: Latex is in most grout today. It makes your grout dense and hard.However,it can be difficult to remove at installation and the film is virtually invisible. Also, if there was a coating or sealer used on your tile before,mourning or after installation it may still be present.

RESOLUTION: Strip the sealer off using a product specifically made for tile surfaces. Villagio recommends Stone Tech HD COATING STRIPPER.

 

PROBLEM: Nano Sealers applied to the face of the tile at the tile factory.

WHY: Nano Sealers penetrate the small micro-pores of certain types of porcelain tile. They are absolutely invisible to the naked eye.

RESOLUTION: Nano removers are typically abrasive cream cleaners utilizing microscopic particles that penetrate micropores. Certain scrubs are like the nuclear bombs of the tile industry and will also remove sealers, coatings, and haze from the face of tiles and stone. Custom Building Products manufactures both Aqua Mix Nano Scrub and TileLab Nano Clean.

 

CONCLUSION

It’s NOT your tile that is hard to keep clean, it is what is ON your tile that is causing the problem. The solution is both quick AND easy by using the products listed above. It cannot be stressed enough that safety us a legit concern and manufacturer  instructions must be followed. ALWAYS DO A SMALL, OUT OF THE WAY, TEST AREA FIRST.

Your tile is both EASY TO CLEAN AND EASY TO KEEP,CLEAN. Just get that yucky stuff off the face of your tile and your floor will brighter, more beautiful and way easier to keep that way.

That New Tile Smell…

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We recently updated and expanded our showroom. The response from our customers has been nothing short of astounding.

We are now completing our first expansion of 2015. We have built out a portion of our existing warehouse (adjoining our showroom) and installing a contractor order desk.

Check out these photos of the new space. The tile on the floor is our new XXXL size 24″ x 48″ CRETA concrete-look porcelain. CRETA is available in 4 grey-toned colors in both Matte or Semi-Polished finishes.

You really have to come in and see this floor for yourself to really appreciate the depth and realism of CRETA porcelain tile.

Plans are now underway further expand our showroom into the former order desk/offices to accommodate new products.

Stop by soon to see our newest additions!

 

New Addition to the Villagio Showroom

New Addition to the Villagio Showroom

New Addition to the Villagio Showroom

 

To Infinity and Beyond!

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When INFINITY DEVELOPMENT GROUP LLC recently upgraded their new location in the Scottsdale Airpark, Jarrad Pavkov and Kelly Miller selected VILLAGIO as the exclusive supplier of porcelain tile for their office/showroom.

Although their offices are not complete, here is a sneak peak of the tiles supplied by VILLAGIO that truly reflect the INFINITY style they present to their new home and remodel customers.

SPEAKEASY SIDECAR

SPEAKEASY SIDECAR, a “best of 2014″ award winner, made in the USA. Featuring a timeworn, barnwood appearance with the durability of Porcelain. Available in five colors and 3 sizes: 6″x36″, 8″x36″ and 12″ x 36”.

VERTERE

VERTERE Silver 12×24,

Made in Italy. A matte finish porcelain available in five colors in 12″x24″ and 2″x2″ mosaic. In addition three of the colors also available in 16″x32″.

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AVEZZIO Grey polished 24″x24″.

A polished porcelain 24″ x 24″ available in Light Grey and Grey.

VERONA

VERONA Honed Vein Cut, 12×24.

Available in a myriad of sizes and three colors, this super-premium travertine has a three-hone finish and resin-filled holes which results in a travertine with a silky finish that is easy to keep clean.

 

 

 

 

 

The Top 10 Reasons to Use Porcelain Wood Planks

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Wood Look Porcelain Tile Planks | They’ve been around for years but have recently exploded in popularity.

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History:
In years past, tile planks resembled laminate that resembled wood, i.e. a copy of a copy. In a word, they looked really, really fake (they couldn’t even qualify as ‘faux’) and they were expensive. Not a typical marketing angle (sure it looks fake, but it’s overpriced as well).

Enter Manufacturing Technology:
In the same way technology allowed smart phones to outsmart flip phones, modern manufacturing methods create porcelain woods that are far more authentic than their predecessors. The new technology allowed manufacturers to make porcelain woods with no compromise in appearance. Once installed, many porcelain woods can fool even the most experienced wood flooring installers.

The beauty of a today’s porcelain woods cannot be put into words:

  • Rich wood grains.
  • Various lengths and widths.
  • Scraped, weathered & smooth.
  • Vintage, transitional & contemporary.
  • Inexpensive, mid range and high end.

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Here’s the Top 10 Reasons to Use Porcelain Woods:

  1. Surface Damage Resistant. No scratching, denting, scrapes, tears or splinters (ouch!)
  2. Pets. Dogs can’t scratch it. Pet accidents are easily cleaned. Tile can’t be stained or discolored.
  3. No Waxes, Sealers or Finishing. Glazed tile requires only sweeping and mopping… period.
  4. Permanent Finish. Throw away your brushes & sandpaper. Glazed tile looks the same for a lifetime. No refinishing-ever!
  5. Termite Proof. Porcelain tile is a lot of things, but it’s not tasty to termites.
  6. It’s not Kindling. Porcelain tile is fire proof (up to about 2,000°), AND tile doesn’t feed a fire.
  7. Water/Flood Damage. What happens to tile when a pipe bursts? Usually nothing at all.
  8. Hydrostatic Pressure (ground water through your slab to your flooring). No problem for porcelain.
  9. Natural Beauty. Many tiles have a high recycled content. Trees are only used for pallets.
  10. Price. You’ll find porcelain tile planks in all price ranges and they are comparable to wood floors.

Forest_AmazonPorcelain Woods. Beautiful in form, and virtually indestructible in function. A wide variety of colors, lengths and formats available. A price that is cost competitive to real wood.

At Villagio we love tile materials and designing with all colors and textures of tile.  We specialize in unique tile materials from the best manufacturers.  Come for a visit and explore our showroom – we guarantee you’ll be inspired!