Cleaning Quarry Tiles Archives - South Kent Tile Doctor

Quarry Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed Dover

Deep Cleaning and Sealing Quarry Floor Tiles in Dover

I was asked to look at Quarry tiled floor in the Kitchen of an old, thatched cottage in rural Dover. The owner was keen to have it deep cleaned and sealed and so I agreed to call in, survey the tiled floor and provide a quote for the work.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Deep Clean and Seal Dover

Kitchens and Hallways are the busiest floors in a house and this floor had clearly been in constant use due to the considerable levels of ingrained dirt, especially in the wide grout lines. I completed my survey and discussed all options open to the customer and I agreed to put together a quote.

The client was happy with my quote, and I was given the go ahead so we scheduled a date for the work to start which would take two days, one day to clean and one to seal.

Deep Cleaning and Restoring a Quarry and Quarry Tiled Floor

I turned up promptly on day 1 and started by protecting any areas susceptible to water damage. Once done, I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the grout lines and set about scrubbing them by hand. I find this is the best way to clean grout as pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout and it certainly paid off as it came up really well. To finish I rinsed the floor with water and extracted the soiling from the grout cleaning process with a wet vacuum.

Next it was time to turn my attention to the quarry tiles this time using a medium dilution of Pro-Clean. The solution was applied to the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes before being worked in with a coarse burnishing pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine fitted with a Black scrubbing pad and plenty of water. This process pulls the dirt out of the tile and the water soon turns into a dark slurry.

The slurry was removed with the wet vacuum as I progressed across the floor and the process repeated on stubborn areas. Finally, the floor was dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and a mop to get rid of the last vestiges. The floor was then left to dry out for two days over the weekend.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Barn Conversion Floor

Returning on Monday I started by taking several readings with a damp meter. It’s not a good idea to apply a sealer to a damp floor as the results can be inconsistent so I always like to check. The readings were within tolerance so I was able to apply the first of what would be three coats of Tile Doctor’s Seal and Go Extra which I felt was the best choice for sealing this floor.

I chose Seal and Go Extra because it’s a fully breathable sealer that adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles which matches the customers’ expectations. It was important to choose a breathable sealer as these old floors don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane and any moisture under the floor will be able to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface un-hindered.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Deep Clean and Seal Dover

Once completed, the floor looked amazing, not only was the Quarry Tile and Grout looking so much cleaner the sealer had enhanced the orange colour in the Quarry tiles. Needless to say, my customer was very happy with the result.

For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is designed for the safe and effective cleaning of sealed floors without impacting the sealer.

Professional Cleaning of a Quarry Tiled Floor in South Kent

Deep Cleaning and Sealing Quarry Floor Tiles in Dover Read More »

Barn Conversion Tiled Kichen Floor Before and After Renovation Hawkinge

Restoring Quarry and Terracotta Floor Tiles at a Barn Conversion in Hawkinge

1 Comment / Folkestone Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / April Davis

I received a request from the owner of an old barn conversion in Hawkinge who was having their kitchen replaced to deal with their expansive terracotta and quarry tiled floor that was installed throughout the ground floor. There were so many issues with the floor my client was planning to have all the tiles ripped out and replaced. Fortunately, she contacted Tile Doctor before doing so and I got a call to pay them a visit first.

Terracotta and Quarry Tiled Floor Before Renovation at Old Barn Conversion Hawkinge

I went over to the property and surveyed the floor compiling a list of the issues as I went round. The main issues being dirty tiles and missing, cracked or very dirty grout. I explained the different steps to getting the floor restored conducted a small demonstration. Impressed with the difference that could be achieved and aware of the expense involved in replacing the floor I was asked to quote for renovating.

The client was happy with my quote, and they decided it made sense to try renovating the tiles and I was given the go ahead.

Deep Cleaning and Restoring a Quarry and Terracotta Tiled Floor

Restoring such a large floor would be very time consuming with many stages, so I recommend spreading the work over the course of a month to allow plenty of time for drying between stages. This is especially important when dealing with old porous tiles like Terracotta.

Working in sections and focusing on the kitchen area first the first task was to perform a deep clean of the floor to remove deep seated soiling and to strip off old coating such as sealers. For this a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a cleaning/stripper that’s designed for use on tile and stone was scrubbed into the tile and grout using a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. This process releases the dirt from the tile, and I then used a van mounted high pressure cleaning system to give the tiles a high pressure clean and extract the dirt.

Terracotta and Quarry Tiled Floor During Renovation at Old Barn Conversion Hawkinge

The loose and cracked grout was raked out and the floor was left for a day to allow it dry out. Once dry the tiles were given their first coat of sealer which was an impregnating Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. Once this was done, I moved onto refixing a couple of loose tiles and regrouting the floor.

When the grout had gone off the floor was given a second clean with a light brush followed by an acid wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This action removes the last remnants of grout haze and cleans up the tile further. This was then rinsed off with the high-pressure cleaning system and the soils extracted.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Barn Conversion Floor

The floor was left to dry out again, and on my return, a further five coats of sealer were applied to give the coarse floor a level of maintainability. On this occasion I chose Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle shine to the tiles and is compatible with Ultra Seal.

Terracotta and Quarry Tiled Floor After Renovation at Old Barn Conversion Hawkinge

It was a tough project, but I rather enjoyed bringing this old and challenging floor back to life, it was very satisfying and even more so when the feedback received greatly justifies the amount of effort expended in producing the result.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Barn Conversion in South Kent

Restoring Quarry and Terracotta Floor Tiles at a Barn Conversion in Hawkinge Read More »