Cleaning,  maintenance and care of porcelain stoneware floors and walls slabs

Cleaning,
maintenance and care
of porcelain stoneware floors and walls slabs

ULTRA TECHNOLOGY

All Ariostea materials are easy to clean and easy to maintain.

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All Ariostea materials are easy to clean and maintain. Regular cleaning highlights the aesthetic features of the material and gives the floor an exceptional shine.

JOINTING AND FINAL CLEANING

When the floor has been laid using normal setting adhesives, joint the slabs after 24/48 hours, in the case of quick setting adhesives, after 4 hours. - Especially with honed and polished materials, use cement-based grout with tone on tone colours (if possible avoid dark coloured grouts like black,blue, red with light coloured materials and viceversa). For jointing these surfaces, do not use epoxy grouts or flexible mortar with a synthetic base (Flexfughe) especially if the colour contrasts with the material and do not add additives/latex to the grout. These products in fact make it extremely difficult to eliminate the residues with normal cleaning products. Should this kind of grout be used anyway, take care of testing it on the material beforehand.

- Spread the grout with a rubber spatula all over the material surface.

- Joint small areas at a time, removing the excess with damp sponges or rags (using only clean water) or with special machines for removing the excess grout while this is still damp.

- Proper initial cleaning is fundamental both for enhancing its aesthetic and shine characteristics and for restoring its original characteristics of easy cleaning and ease of ordinary maintenance. It is therefore very important that initial cleaning is carried out immediately after installation, rubbing hard with acid-based products, followed by abundant rinsing with water. In this way it will be possible to eliminate the residues of grout, adhesive, cement, etc. It is possible to use any of the detergents available on the market, with the exclusion only of products containing hydrofluoric acids (composites and derivates) according to EN standard 14411.

- The floor must be carefully protected. Should it be necessary to carry out other operations such as decorating, plumbing or any other kind of work, once the floor has been installed it is advisable to cover it with PVC or AIRBALLS sheets or cloths.

MAINTENANCE AND CARE

The term “cleanability” means the ability of a material to permit the removal of dirt and dust settled on the surface in order to guarantee the required hygienic conditions. As this feature is tightly linked with the surface compactness and impermeability and with the material’s resistance to chemical agents, Ariostea products o.er outstanding cleanability.

Moreover, Ariostea materials easily withstand the action of solvents and special cleaning products as they are resistant to the action of acids and bases, even in high concentrations (except for products containing hydrofluoric acid). Particularly powerful cleaning treatments, using machines too, can be carried out without problems, thus ensuring hygienic conditions even in spaces subject to high levels of dirtying. As to the daily cleaning of polished materials, it is important to note that floors can simply be washed with common non-greasy detergents. Never use wax or other substances to preserve surface sheen.

Nevertheless, the level of dirt visibility on and the ease of maintenance of an unglazed material can also be affected by the type of colour chosen. In fact, very bright or very dark colours require more thorough maintenance with respect to other colours. Ariostea’s relevant documentation lists the most suitable detergents for regular cleaning operations and for particularly stubborn dirt. Stain resistance test reports on samples of Ariostea materials with natural, textured, and polished finishes are available on request.

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