The majority of porcelain tiles are glazed, unless they are polished porcelain in which case they are not glazed.
How can I tell which other floor tiles are glazed? All ceramic tiles, regardless of whether they have a matt, satin or shiny gloss finish will be glazed and of course non-polished porcelain floor tiles.
Are there any other unglazed floor tiles? Yes, all floor tiles made from a natural stone will also be unglazed – such as terracotta floor tiles, granite floor tiles, quarry tiles, limestone, basalt, quartz, slate, travertine and marble floor tiles.
Do I need to do anything different if fitting a non glazed floor tile? Any non-glazed floor tiles and natural stone tiles will most likely require sealing after fitting using an impregnator, such as HG Impregnator or the HG Marble Impregnator .
You can do a quick marker pen test to check whether you need to use an impregnator on the tiles. Simply draw on the floor tile with a marker pen, let it dry and then try and wipe it off.
For a glazed tile the mark will completely wipe off leaving no trace whatsoever, any unglazed tiles will leave a mark below the surface which cannot be removed, these tiles need sealing.
If in doubt, ask your local tile shop – any independent retailer will be able to tell you this information, along with details about aftercare and maintenance of your floor tiles.
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