Different Types of Kitchen Floor Tile and their Characteristics

There is a huge variety of tile for kitchen floors and countertops. While some prefer natural stone tile like marble, slate, travertine or granite, there are others who prefer low-maintenance tile like ceramic and porcelain for their kitchens. Each tile comes with different pros and cons. Here we will discuss in detail about different kitchen floor tile and their maintenance.

Different Types of Kitchen Floor Tile

Natural Stone Tile Characteristics

  • Natural stone tile like marble, slate, granite, travertine and others are porous. They have a tendency to absorb moisture and lead to mold breeding and dense staining at the root level. 
  • When not sealed properly, these tile easily lose their luster and sheen.
  • They also tend to shed dust and get dull over time
  • Natural stone tile get etched because of acidic cleaners.
  • Cracks and chips easily form on the tile because of heavy impact. 
  • Natural stone tile countertops also get scratched easily due to chopping and cutting of vegetables and fruits. 

Natural Stone Tile Maintenance Tips

  • Natural stone tile need to be thoroughly cleaned with penetrative cleaners to remove the deep-rooted stains and mold.
  • In case of a spill, it is best to wipe off and blot the liquid rather than spreading it on the surface with a cloth. If you spread and wipe, the stains will spread everywhere.
  • Never use acidic cleaners as these will cause etching on the surface.
  • Clean your natural stone tile floorings regularly to remove all the dirt, grime and dust accumulating on a daily basis.
  • Use a maintenance cleaner for maintaining your stone tile after it has been sealed.

Cultured Marble Characteristics

  • Cultured marble is a widely used stone for kitchen countertops and flooring. 
  • It is derived after merging resin and marble dust together. 
  • If you have used cultured marble in your kitchen, then you might need little maintenance to preserve its natural beauty as cultured marble is a stain-resistant material.
  • However, this stone does get destroyed by using acidic cleaners. 
  • Acidic products can cause etching on the cultured marble tile.

Cultured Marble Maintenance Tips

  • A cast polymer such as cultured marble needs some proper care and maintenance to prevent scratches. 
  • We recommend you to avoid using abrasive scrubs and acidic stain removers for cleaning the surface.
  • Use a mild soap or a mild detergent for cleaning. Ensure that the PH of your cleaner is very high, i.e., it should be alkaline.
  • After using a cleaner for removing food and beverage stains, wipe the area with a soft cloth to clean the remnants.
  • Engage in weekly cleaning to avoid germ breeding and mold.
  • Keep your counters and floors clean and dry at all times. Mold and mildew love to develop in damp areas.

Ceramic and Porcelain – Non Natural Stone Tile Characteristics

  • Both ceramic and porcelain are non-natural stone tile.
  • These are non-porous and hence better to maintain.
  • When you install them in countertops and kitchen floors, you need to keep in mind the superfluous stains that settle on the surface.
  • A good ceramic tile cleaner can help you maintain the beauty of your tile for long.

Ceramic and Porcelain Maintenance Tips

  • Use a good and strong cleaner to remove the superfluous stains from the surface.
  • Do not use acidic cleaners as they might lead to etching.

pFOkUS Products for Tile Cleaning and Sealing

pFOkUS – one of the leading stone, tile, grout and glass restoration product manufacturing companies in the US makes the best tile cleaning, sealing, repairing and polishing products. If you want to clean, seal or repair your kitchen countertop tile or your kitchen floor tile, you can use pFOkUS products. 

Most companies manufacture different products for different types of surfaces. This causes you to keep a stock of separate marble cleaners, granite cleaners, glass cleaners and so on. But, pFOkUs products are manufactured to reduce your inventory needs.

For tile cleaning, you can use Imperia Deep Clean for cleaning all kinds of natural and non-natural stone surfaces. This one is a deep cleaner and comes with a deep-penetrative action. It is quite gentle on the surface and very tough on the stains.

For Tile sealing, we recommend you to use Celine – a clear topical resin tile grout sealer that not only makes your tile surface water-proof, but also adds a lovely sheen.

For tile maintenance, you can use Imperia Maintenance or Valore Maintenance. Both are combinations of cleaners and sealers and can be used for daily light cleaning. Of the two, Valore Maintenance is infused with  6.97% H2O2 at the molecular level and hence, is stronger.

For cleaning and sealing cultured marble, we recommend you to use Benaz –  our impactful glass cleaner and Valore Sealer – our incredible glass sealer. Cultured marble is best cleaned with these products to give an ideal clarity, cleanliness and sheen.

This way, you can just buy a few pFOkUS products and maintain your kitchen floor tiles impeccably.