Cleaning Ceramic Tile Floors

Cleaning Ceramic Tile Floors

Cleaning ceramic tile floors can be a frustrating task because of the difference of the material that the glazed tile is made of and the unglazed grout. Ceramic tile floors are a great addition to the home, usually found in bathrooms, hallways and kitchens. But like all floors they require periodic cleaning and cleaning a ceramic tile floor is not the same as cleaning a vinyl or wood floor. What makes it difficult is that the tile is glazed but the grout is unglazed mortar cement between the tiles that gets stained or dirty much easier than the tile. Although the grout may have a sealer applied, it is still not as durable and resistant to stains and dirt as the ceramic tile. If the grout is dirty the entire floor looks dirty. So how do we clean it?

There are many household cleaning products available to do the job however; none of them do a much better job than white vinegar and warm water. Vinegar is a mild mixture of tartaric and citric acids. It makes a great cleaning solvent when mixed with warm water. It rates just as well as the commercial cleaning products for cleaning floor grout and does not cost nearly as much. For grout cleaning, mix a 50/50 % mixture of white vinegar and warm water and apply it to the grout with a sponge. Let its set for a few minutes and scrub the grout using a tooth brush. A second application may be necessary if the grout is heavily stained. Use the sponge to sop up the residue and clean the floor with a mild detergent.

The same vinegar and water solution can be used to clean stains from the ceramic tile. Use a sponge to clean the entire floor and dry. Because vinegar is an acid it will remove any grout sealer that hasn't worn off. After cleaning the grout reapply a grout sealer using a small paint brush. Apply two applications of sealer, let thoroughly dry between the applications. Grout sealer is available in most home improvement supply centers or a tile store.

To protect your hands I recommend that rubber gloves be worn when handling the vinegar solution and applying the grout sealer. It is not necessary to use an electric floor scrubber/polisher to clean a ceramic tile floor. Excessive use of scrubber/polisher may remove the glaze from the tile leaving it with a dull finish. I do not recommend using Clorox bleach to clean ceramic tile floors as it tends to yellow the tile and erode the grout.

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Hand Painted Ceramic Tile

Hand Painted Ceramic Tile

If you want to give your home a creative and artistic touch, then the most suitable option is to use hand painted ceramic tiles. Hand painting is one of the most popular methods for decorating ceramic tiles. Hand painted ceramic tiles not only improve the aesthetic value of your home, but also increase its resale value. They are a perfect choice to beautify children?s bedroom, recreation areas, living room, counter tops, stair risers, fireplaces, patios, fountains, table tops, floor accents, window borders, display windows, and wall coverings.

Hand painted ceramic tiles is specially noted for their unmatched beauty, and they come in a myriad of shades and colors. Everything from abstract and geometric designs to images of historic events and ancient designs such as cave art paintings, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Mayan stone carvings are adopted as themes for hand painting ceramic tiles. Hand painting of ceramic tiles has also now evolved as a hobby, as it gives a skilled artist the full freedom to express his imagination.

Plain, shiny, and white glazed ceramic tiles and thin tiles are most suitable for hand painting. The media used for hand painting ceramic tiles generally depend on the plans and techniques employed. Some of the most commonly used materials and tools for hand painting ceramic tiles are China paints (overglaze colors) made from oxides of several metals, lavender oil, brushes, palette knife, fine calligraphy pen, soft pencil for glass, and turpentine.

The first step in the process of hand painting is to decide the theme of the painting. Then, make rough sketches on a graph paper of the exact size. Before hand painting tiles, clean them thoroughly with soapy water and allow them to dry. Next, mix the paint with oil and turpentine. Brush and palette knife can be used to smear and blend colors. When the hand painting process is complete, it is necessary to heat the glazes between 1350 degrees and 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, inside a kiln.

Mostly, hand painted ceramic tiles are durable and can be used for pool installation and other outdoor purposes. A recent addition to the ceramic tile market is water-proof hand painted tiles. Custom made, hand painted ceramic tiles are also available. At present, there are numerous retailers as well as manufacturers specializing in hand painted ceramic tiles.

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A Brief History of Ceramic Tiles

A Brief History of Ceramic Tiles

The earliest forms of ceramic tile date back to prehistoric times, when the use of clay as a building material was developed independently in several early cultures. The precursors of modern tile were roughly shaped and not nearly as strong as tiles today. The material was dug from river banks, roughly formed into building blocks, and baked dry in the sun. The first tiles were crude, but even 6,000 years ago people were decorating them by adding pigments for color and carving low-relief designs into their surfaces.

Firing Tile

The ancient Egyptians were the first to discover that firing clay tiles at high temperatures in a kiln made them stronger and more water-resistant. Many ancient cultures also used thin squares of fired clay as decorative elements in their architecture.

Buildings in ancient Mesopotamian cities were fronted with unglazed terra-cotta and colorful decorative tiles. Ancient Greeks and Romans used ceramics for the floors, roofs, and even the plumbing in their buildings. The Chinese used a white clay called kaolin to develop the white-colored and durable ceramic known as porcelain.

Tiles in medieval Europe were generally reserved for the floors of churches. Across the continent, the Byzantines excelled in using tile at a small scale; they created expressive mosaic patterns and murals using ceramic tile as well as pieces of glass and stone.

Glazing Tile

Persian ceramicists, inspired by imported Chinese porcelain, created a decorative tradition that spread across South Asia, North Africa, into Spain with the Moors, and eventually throughout Europe. Because their Islamic religion prohibited using human images in art, artisans turned to brightly colored tiles with ornate and intertwined patterns.

Solid-color glazed tiles were cut and assembled into large-scale mosaics with subtle color gradations. The Muslim artisans also developed metal oxide glazes using tin, copper, cobalt, manganese, and antimony, which made tile glazes more brilliant and durable.

By the fifteenth century, metal oxide-glazed tile had become popular in Italy, and their design influence moved northward with Italian craftsmen. Major European trading centers gave their names to local design motifs and types of tile that are still used, including delft tile (from Delft in Holland), and majolica tile (from Majorca in Spain).

Modern Tile

Today, most commercial tile manufacturers use the pressed-dust method of construction. First, a mixture of ingredients is pressed into the desired tile shape. Then the tile is glazed (or left unglazed) and baked in a kiln. Some tile makers may extrude tile shapes by squeezing them through a press into a die or by rolling them out flat and cutting the tile shapes with a form much like a cookie cutter.

Whatever the method, all ceramic tile must be fired to become durable. The purity of the clay, the number of firings, and the temperature of the kiln determine the quality and price. Kiln temperatures vary from about 900° F to 2500° F. Lower firing temperatures produce more porous tile and soft glazes; higher temperatures produce dense, nonporous tile and hard glazes.

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