Expert: Brian Yager - 6/8/2006

Question
I'm trying to decide whether or not to go w/the high-gloss "ivory" porcelain tile which will require a light grout + a sealer, or the less expensive semi-gloss porcelain tile which requires a slightly darker grout & no sealer. My concern is maintenance on the more expensive ivory tile. This one will run me $5,000 & the other a little under $4,000. Needless to say, the $5,000 tile is gorgeous, but I don't want to walk on eggshells the rest of my life, as I do w/the wooden floor we put down.  This wooden floor is so delicate we're afraid to wear shoes.

Also, how do you clean porcelain floors & how often? Is there a high maint. level involved? This is in my kitchen area, so it's very high-traffic. Someone told me the hi-gloss scratches easily. Someone else said not so on this top-of-the-line floor.

Thank you.

Answer
Porcelain tile shouldn't require any sealer except the grout, the main problem is some high gloss porcelain becomes very slippery when wet, like walking on ice. You may want to put a couple of pieces on the floor and put some water on it and see  if it gets slipply when it's wet. The semi-gloss may be less slippery but check it out too, but either way the grout would need to be sealed. But sealing it won't stop it from getting dirty after a time and it will need to be professional cleaned once in a while. For regular cleaning a good neutral floor cleaner used at the lowest dilution ratio will keep your floor in good shape, if it gets a little dirtier go with a higher ratio. Using the proper cleaner will let you keep your tile cleaner longer, no supermarket products