Building Service Management Writes Great Article on SaniGLAZE

Due to the fact that a tile and grout floor is naturally porous, they are considered the biggest source of complaints for contractors of buildings with food service areas and restrooms. The problems arise immediately after installation by absorbing things like urine in restrooms and dirty mop water in both restrooms and food service areas. This often results in a dingy appearance as well as odors. For many years, all other types of floors have had very effective maintenance systems but until recently, there was nothing available to keep a tile and grout floor with the “just installed” appearance.

Traditionally, tile and grout flooring was sealed immediately after installation but the problem with this is that most of the time they were not sealed properly, which only offered protection for the short term. There are many coatings and sealers on the market specifically for tile and grout flooring most of which only offer a small degree of protection and then mainly the tile was protected leaving the grout still able to absorb contaminants. In the past, tile and grout floors were cleaned with acid washes and then resealed but even this method can not return a contaminated, porous surface to its “just installed” appearance.

Other problems that occur with the traditional sealers is that they break down and wear out over time, which leaves the surface appearing splotchy because the unsealed areas start to absorb contaminants. Because of the fact that neither the building owner nor the contractor rarely monitor the floors condition, contamination usually sets in before it can be resealed. So, even though it is understood that sealing a new floor and having a regular maintenance program of stripping and resealing can be effective, what happens to a tile and grout floor that is contaminated and was never sealed.

The usual techniques of deep cleaning include steam cleaning, tile and grout cleaners, pressure washing and acid washing but these techniques seldom bring the floor back to the “brand new” look. Another method that some contractors are using is staining and painting the grout to give it that “brand new” look but whereas this “looks” great, the grout is still porous and will continue to absorb contaminants. The Vice President of SaniGLAZE International, LLC, Joel Mitchell says that his company has the perfect way to return the worst looking tile and grout floors to their “brand new” look whether they are sealed or unsealed and for the long term.

This method is called “restorative bonding” and is done by chemically extracting any contaminants out of the tile and grout while “etching” the grout to produce a “micro anchoring mechanism”, which will allow a bonding of the non-porous grout replacement “Glazing compound” to the old grout. This “restorative bonding” method is considered the first long term maintenance method for tile and grout floors. Once your tile and grout floor is restored with this new method, the surface is then maintainable over the long term and ensures a continued “like new” appearance.

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