Is there any way to fix tile that was never sealed without taking it up?

Question

We are remodeling our house, putting down new carpet and painting etc,. Our kitchen floor has tile in it but it was never sealed. The person who owned it b4 us had someone put it in and they never finished the job. I want to know if there is a way I can sand it or do somthing to clean it and seal it so we don't have to remove the whole floor in the kitchen, hall, and a down stairs bathroom floor. It doesn't have to look perfect just at least kind of nice. Thanks.

Answer 1

You don't say what kind of tile...vinyl,,,ceramic,,terra cotta....etc.???? but regardless I agree with Misty S  ..You're looking at a couple of days no matter what,,clean well,,rinse well and definitely let it dry completely and stay off of it...you might have to do this in sections,,,apply your sealer evenly and dry completely ,,another 24-36 hours....

Answer 2

u can not sand it !!!!

what is the matter with it?

you should be able to clean it normally. if it is that bad get down on your hands and knees with a scrub brush and cleaner. then rinse it/clean wash it. if you end up using a cleaner that is acidic i would recommend that after you clean wash it, clean it again with a vinegar and water solution to neuteralize the acid. let it dry completely (24 -36 hrs). then you can go and get a sealant and seal after that. make sure you don't let the sealer puddle.

update: to answer your question i would go to the local tile store/company in your area they should be able to provide you with the correct cleaner. there are several different kinds for different types tile ie: natural stone, ceramic, ect.

if you are having that much trouble scrubbing it i would say you probably want a heavy duty cleaner usually made with phosphoric acid (be very careful using this, wear gloves, ventalated area.) be ware of this bleaching your grout color as well. but if hands and knees scrubbing isn't working you are gonna need something like this. make sure to rinse very well when done and do a vinegar wash to nuetralize the acid left on tile

oh i forgot to say: if this does happen to bleach your grout then they do have what is called grout colorant that you can apply only to the grout (obviously) make sure you do this in a step by step process: clean,rinse,vinegar wash let dry for 24 -36 hours , grout colorant - let dry 24 hrs - then seal let dry 24 hrs (don't not step on tile  for 24hr after sealing)

i know this sounds like a pain but your time, 15-20 bucks for the cleaner and another 15-20 for sealer (and another 10 at most for colorant - if needed ) is alot cheaper then having it demoed and reinstalled