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Tile sealer or varnish: which liquid the floor actually needs

Updated: October 2026

Someone has told you to seal the quarry or the slate, and the tin in front of you on amazon.co.uk says varnish. Tile sealer or varnish is not one product under two names, and shop pages use the word both for a liquid that soaks into open pores and for a film that sits on the face. The three listings in this comparison are films, and none of them is the breathable impregnator HG sells separately. Prices for the three rows are on the [varnish tiles comparison](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/varnish-tiles). We did not run a laboratory test, and a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Someone has told you to seal the quarry or the slate, and the tin in front of you on amazon.co.uk says varnish.

Our top picks

CADENCE Cadence acrylic varnish, 500 ml

Best overall

CADENCE Cadence acrylic varnish, 500 ml
7.4/10about £18.49
View offer
Polyvine Polyvine floor varnish, satin, 2 L

Rank 2

Polyvine Polyvine floor varnish, satin, 2 L
9.1/10about £63.83
View offer
HG HG tile protector, 2 × 1 L

Best value

HG HG tile protector, 2 × 1 L
8.7/10about £25.90
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two meanings of sealer
  2. 2.HG product 14 is the film you can buy here
  3. 3.A closed glaze is a third case
  4. 4.When the film is still the right tin

Two meanings of sealer

An impregnator lines the pores of unglazed tile, quarry or flagstone. On Casdron's Lithofin notes, that soak-in treatment is meant to leave the slip of the stone as it was. A topical film, which is what a floor varnish is, builds a skin. Casdron says that skin adds some sheen, has to be maintained, and reduces slip resistance. These tins print no pendulum value. A film suits a wear layer on a dry interior the sheet names, and it is the wrong default when the floor has to breathe. You either wipe the excess impregnator back, or you accept a coat you can see.

HG product 14 is the film you can buy here

HG tile protector, the kept listing, is product 14. HG describes it as a satin surface film, a polymer emulsion, at about 40 square metres per litre per layer. The title says satin gloss and a bullet says matte, and the liquid is still a film. Product 13 is the other row. HG's impregnating protector is the breathable liquid for unglazed tile and flagstones, with excess wiped off. It is not in this set. The UK tile chart puts 13 under impregnation and 14 under surface protection, and it says they must not be mixed where the chart marks product 13. The wider choice among the films sits in the varnish for tiles buying guide.
CADENCE Cadence acrylic varnish, 500 ml

Testsieger

CADENCE Cadence acrylic varnish, 500 ml
7.4/10about £18.49
View offer

A closed glaze is a third case

Lithofin's UK sheet treats a glazed face as already closed. There is no open pore for product 13 to line, and a varnish will not key the way it can on thirsty quarry. The same sheet says wax or acrylate layers bind dirt. Cement grout is the porous line. If tea or oil marks the joints rather than the glaze, treat the grout, not every tile. LTP sells a separate film for glazed tiles, and that product is kept out of showers. It is not one of the three tins here. On a closed glaze, you should not varnish the face.

When the film is still the right tin

Never varnish a tile is too wide, and it is the right refusal where the floor must breathe or the glaze is closed. Polyvine's sheet names a polyurethane film for interior quarry and unglazed tile. HG product 14 is the surface film in this comparison. Where there is no damp-proof membrane, the finish can whiten or peel. Quarry and slate that drink from below are on the varnish for quarry tiles and slate page. If you want a wear layer on dry interior quarry, the choice between the films is on best varnish for tiles.

Common questions

What is the difference between a sealer and a varnish on a tile?
An impregnating sealer soaks into open pores and is wiped back so it does not form a skin. A varnish is a topical film on the face. It can add sheen, and it has to be maintained. Casdron's notes say an impregnator is meant to leave slip as it was, while a film changes the surface. The bottles in this comparison are films, so the soak-in job is a different product.
Is HG tile protector an impregnating sealer?
No. The kept HG listing is product 14, a polymer emulsion film at about 40 square metres per litre per layer. The title says satin gloss and a bullet says matte. Product 13 is the impregnator, sold separately, and it is not in this comparison. Buying the tile protector because you were told to seal the floor gives you a skin, not a breathable lining of the pores.
Will a film change how slippery the floor is?
A topical film can change the surface. Casdron states that a film reduces slip resistance and adds sheen. None of these tins prints a pendulum value, so that sentence is not a lab result for Polyvine or HG. An impregnator is the liquid described as leaving slip as it was. A workplace slip test is a separate measurement, not a claim on the label.
Can I put product 13 and product 14 on the same floor?
HG's UK tile chart puts them on different rows and says they must not be mixed where the chart marks product 13. Product 13 lines the pores. Product 14 is the surface film. If you want the breathable lining, stop at product 13 and wipe off the excess. If you want the film, use product 14 only on a floor that can take a skin.
What do I buy if none of the three tins is an impregnator?
Buy the impregnator as its own product. For unglazed tile and flagstones, HG's product 13 is the chart's impregnator, indoors or outdoors, with excess wiped off. Another coat of the floor varnish does not fill that gap. On dry interior quarry, when you want a wear layer, stay with the film. On a closed glaze, leave the face bare.

Related pages

Hard wax oil

Varnish tiles

Best varnish for tiles: the top pick and best value

Varnish for tiles: which liquid belongs on your floor

How to varnish floor tiles: coats, cure and rollers

Varnish for quarry tiles and interior slate floors

Sources

Public UK and maker sources used for the substrate, VOC and slip points on this page. Prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk listings in this set.

  1. Polyvine technical data sheet, Heavy Duty Floor Varnish, June 2026 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  2. Polyvine — Heavy Duty Floor Varnish (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  3. HG UK tile chart (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  4. SI 2012/1715 — VOC in paints and varnishes (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  5. HSE GEIS2 — Assessing the slip resistance of flooring (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  6. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 12 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  7. Lithofin — glazed tiles (UK) (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  8. Cadence — Aqua Stone varnish (retrieved 17 October 2026)