Should you seal patio tiles outside?

 

Can anyone advise if it is worth sealing the patio tiles on the terrace outside and if so who offers such a service. I'm sure I have seen a thread or post on this in the past but I cant seem to find it.

Many thanks

Daren

 

Please do not seal your patio tiles as although they look good initally the coating normally weras off over a period of time, they then become patchy and retain water and puddle

The coatings then start to peel off and you can end up with an expensive ongoing maintenance problem

The other problem with some coatings is that when wet the tiles loose their anti-slip properties

If they cannot weather they can then start to lift

Tiles are a natural material, they will weather naturally and it is easy to remove staining using preparitions from your local DIY store

Also avoid chemical cleaners such as Cillit Bang and these strip any outer coatings and stain marble

 Thanks very much for the info

We are getting some white marks from the grout in a couple of areas hence why I asked the question. Any ideas what I should use for this

 

Regards

 

Daren

You can buy a grout cleaner from places like Leroy Merlin, they are normally a mild acid so you normally apply this to the area and almost immediatley wash it off

Normally however a hose and a stiff brush will do this or a pressure washer

Also a common chemical called Agua Fuerte is a milder version of the product that you use to clean concrete & cement off of surfaces such as ceramic tiles, try a test area first

So the tile sealer causes a problem?.

We took advice to seal the tiles and yet some have now lost pieces of the terracota leaving white patches.

It has been queried on EOS as other people have this problem altho not all had yet sealed the tiles. One poster had managed to raise a question about the tiles and their quality with PW and was told the problem lies with the owner as they have not maintained the tiles properly- maybe this suggests PW think tiles should be sealed? However, if this is so it is what we have done and we have this patching problem..

In our case the patches , in the main, are in a line of tiles which could suggest a poor batch..

But, we are none the wiser and any advice is welcomed though I expect that one day we may decide to replace the damaged tiles.

Tiles are a natural material and there were a numbor of organisations offering to seal these using synthetic sealers and the problem is that  they can lock in moisture where the tiles are laid on cement, the tiles them cannot breath and under the sealer you will see white staining and they ca become brittle and break

The old methods are best using a warm wax to seal but this is a lengthy process

Any sealer will require multiple coats, 2-3 at least because it will dry out at different rtaes but agian my advice remains not to seal these tiles

 

Oh my goodness, at last there is a worthwile thread on this forum again

Our roof terrace tiles have been getting steadily worse and worse over the last 2 years. I noticed a few chipped areas at first, which then flake away and left the white/brown interior of the tile exposed. This has gradually happened over about 15 tiles now and I was wondering what to do about it. I was considering the sealant option, but after reading this thread, I'm not sure I want to do that now.

Please don't tell me the only way to cure this permanently is to drill out and replace the old floor tiles.................

ww

I viewed a 2 bed property on Jardine 7 a few months ago and the solarium tiles were very badly pitted,  and so were the ones on the next door property, both were new properties so i doubt they were treated with anything, my guess is a faulty batch or two of tiles were used . Polaris should ( but i doubt they will) sort it out as it appears to be  their defective materials

Since 2008 we have sealed the roof terrace twice  and from 2011 that's where the damaged tiles are. Also initially  did two covers of, and have done again since, tiles  on  terrace at the front door and have no problems with them. Inclined to think there have been bad batches of tiles across the resort. As for those that are damaged the top layer comes off  in varying size patches (small chips or 50pence size chips or a little larger) and I doubt there is any repair to be done, just means replacement when you can't stand it anymore. Have to say the store bought sealant we bought has  just  washed  away over time anyway.

Initially wondered if furniture had damaged the tiles, cracking the top surface of the terracota topping but  the pattern of damage across the roof terrace makes this unlikely although area's where the couches and table/chairs are a pitted with smaller marks.

As I wrote in the earlier post PW was contacted by one poster some time back and PW said it was the owners responsibility to maintain the tiles- so its unlikely they will do anything about this problem.

I thought PW would take that stance. Although arguable whether floor tiles on a purpose built sun terrace should need any "maintanence" other than sweeping and hosing down occasionally. I guess the 10 year buildings guarantee isn't worth the paper it's written on then?

God, I shudder at the thought of having to get all the damaged floor tiles on my terrace drilled/cut out, removed and replaced. Noisy, dusty and probably expensive.

Oh well, at least the weather will be nice to get on with the job ;)

Cup still half full.
ww

Oddly the roof terraces either side of us appear undamaged. One is owned and used and the other unused as the apartment remains empty.

 

All very useful to us newbies. Thanks

Aqua fuerte works well, to clean up the tiles and is great if used carefully. It burns the cement grout if too much is applied.
I've used it successfully (so anyone can do it), I'm no DIY expert. It's also v cheap - less than 2€ a bottle at Camposol ferreteria,
Peter