This new installation of handmade concrete floor tiles imported from Morocco had surface residue from manufacturing, shipping and installation that made the tiles look dirty. The homeowner con- tacted HartzStone immediately after installation, which is the perfect time to clean the tiles and protect them for the future. The first step with every HartzStone project is to protect the adjacent walls, cabinets and doorways. Cleaning hard surfaces usually involves large quantities of water combined with professional chemi- cals and powerful machines; HartzStone takes every precaution to limit the effects of the cleaning process to the in- tended surfaces. In this case, the interior renovation had not yet been completed, so there was no furniture for the homeowner to remove.

Because HartzStone began cleaning before any oily stains or waxy cleaning products had penetrated the tiles, the professional cleaning by itself was able to reveal the beautiful colors and intricate pattern of the concrete tiles. HartzStone used stiff brushes on powerful ma- chines and cleaners formulated for use by professionals trained
to observe the appropriate safe- ty precautions. The brushes and cleaners lifted the residue with- out altering the surface texture or damaging the colored areas. Wet vacuums removed the dirty slurry before it damaged the concrete. Careful cleaning of the edges and grout lines extended the showroom appearance uni- formly across the floor.

Following the thorough cleaning, the floor tiles were dried completely before applying an appropriate penetrating sealer. The purpose of the sealer is to invisibly provide a barrier be- tween moist spills and the absor- bent concrete, allowing time for the spills to be wiped up before they can stain the tiles. Some sealers require that the tiles be
thoroughly dry so that they are evenly absorbed by the concrete. Of course all sealers require absolutely clean concrete before application; you would not want to seal and protect the dirt.

The finished floor is easy to maintain while expressing the homeowner’s taste and style. If you would like to see more imported concrete and ceramic tiles from Morocco, visit Mosaic House at 62 W. 22 Street, Manhattan or www.mosaichse.com.