With their unique cachet, cement tiles illuminate your decoration. It would be a shame to deprive yourself of their shine because of a defect or lack of maintenance. On the first day or on a daily basis, how to maintain your cement tiles?
You have just laid your cement tiles: what 1st treatment?
Your cement tiles have just been laid: be careful. A rise of milt appears on their surface. This phenomenon is quite ordinary, because the cement tile aerates and transpires this laitance, in the form of white traces. Depending on the look you want to give your cement tiles, you can choose to clean this whitened effect either with clean water or by diluting suitable products such as fatty soap or Marseille soap.
Above all, banish bleach-based products, as they promote the appearance of stains on cement tiles.
Equipped with a broom and a wrung-out mop for your floors or a slightly damp sponge for your walls and splashbacks, you can make a first pass to remove excess laitance. Using a fine-grit abrasive, lightly rub the surface of the cement tiles until all traces of laitance are removed.
After this cleaning operation, let the cement tiles dry and repeat this method several times to completely remove this mass of white dust.
Cement tiles: what daily maintenance?
In everyday life, cement tiles clean themselves differently from regular tiles. You can use the same mop as for your classic floor. The choice of products will have to be different. To wash and preserve the beauty of your tiles, we recommend that you use fatty soap such as black soap or Marseille soap, diluted in hot water. In case of traces or stains, use a mild abrasive with the fatty soap, which you can rub gently to remove them.
Recipe for cleaning with Marseille soap
1. Prepare two tablespoons of Marseille soap shavings.
2. Dilute everything with 100 ml of hot water.
3. Mix for a long time to make the liquid homogeneous.
4. Apply to all surfaces to be cleaned.
Like waxed parquet, cement tiles require a specific water and oil repellent treatment to make them waterproof. Immediately after the installation of the still porous cement tiles, it is therefore necessary to apply a pore filler. This product is a primer that helps seal micro-asperities. This treatment will have to be renewed every 4 to 5 years, or even 2 to 3 years for passage rooms such as the kitchen.
Products not to be used especially
● Aggressive detergents: scouring cream
● Acid products: descaling, descaling
● Alkaline products: degreaser, stripper
● Bleach
● Vinegar
● Hydrochloric acid: white spirit, toilet cleaner
Routine maintenance is done with fatty soap (Marseille soap or black soap for example), diluted in hot water.
Be careful never to use aggressive, acidic or alkaline detergents. Bleach or hydrochloric acid are to be banned. Heavier stains can be smoothed out with a mild abrasive and soap. Do not hesitate to wax once or twice a year in places of passage.
