That is a porcelain tile made to look like brick. Looks very similar to Marazzi Urban District, with mixed colors. Use a steam mop if desired to break up the dirt. 50/50 vinegar and water for ever day cleaning.

No machines that I'm aware of other than standard elbow grease. If it's really dirty you could always hire a professional cleaning company to come in and do a deep clean every once in a while.

As Cinar states...this is a porcelain tile. Porcelain does not normal absorb water. In fact it is one of the best materials because it does NOT expand (absorb) in the presence of water. The GROUT might be a completely different animal. There are many grouts out there that need periodic sealing....many many grouts.

I'm sorry to say but you have just discovered the down side of these HEAVILY textured floors. These floors are KNOWN for their "rough" gritty feeling (slip resistance rating) as well as their nightmare cleaning process (just as you have mentioned).

The only thing to be done is what you are doing: clean water every 150sf or so; new mop head changed several times per year; a good "towel dry" scrub once you feel the water has lifted the dirt.

The REMOVAL of the "dirty water" left sitting on the floor is the key (as you have figured out). You may have to set up a system where you work one mop with the soapy water and another mop/bucket with clean "rinse" water followed by a TOWEL DRY.

Water evaporates but dirt does not. That means the dirt is left behind for 'next time'. To really get at the issue, you need to REMOVE the dirt with a towel....or a shop vac.

^ which of course indicates that if you don't like the floor today, you will hate it tomorrow. And if you hate it already, then it is best to remove it now - while you still have a bit of sanity. Dame Edna would approve of such a statement - "Breaker hammer".

These tiles are fire glazed, nothing will penetrate the surface. Porcelain absorbs 0.06-0.5% moisture. If you are to do a drip test it would need to be preformed on the back side of the tile that is not fire glazed. Even then, it will absorb very little moisture.
More than likely this tile is rated for commercial use, pei 4 or 5. Sealing the tile will not reduce the traction and could cause a haze on the tile that is very hard to remove without using harsh chemicals to do so.

We had a similar problem, and the solution was to change the way we used the Hoover Floormate. It sprays water and immediately does the scrub/suction and the dirt was not releasing.

1. Vacuum up the loose dirt
2. apply liberal amount of soapy water with a regular mop
3. Let sit
4. Scrub high traffic areas with a deck brush (with dogs, we needed this, and also when we were first getting the cleanliness level up).
5. Use the Floormate to suck up the dirty water.

That and regular steam mopping, changing the steam mop covers several times during the cleaning session as they get dirty.

ADDING: After we achieved a certain level of cleanliness, this intense cleaning was a twice a year thing, except for the kitchen

I had the same problem. The grout always seemed dirty, the tile porous and dirty and even after I washed it clean. If I had wet feet and walked on it, there would be wet dirt Under my feet. They said my tile had a coating on it but I don’t think so.

I painted all of the grout lines white 2 coats then I found this commercial company in Florida that made coatings for all tiles. I spoke with the president and sent him a photo of my tiles and he recommended one of his products. I put 2 coats of high gloss and it looks absolutely amazing. It’s been 3 years. It washes great. the name of the company is called CoverTec Products in Florida. You will love the results! The solution is water based.

I have the exact same tile and am curious to know what ended up working for you? Thanks!