Handmade English Terracotta

[hmtiling]

2 top coats with the sealant. There's ufh so is there any reason not to force dry it after stripping if it needs it?
Cheers

 

[Lithofin BOB]

I personally would not , force drying can produce salt trace or discolouration , let it dry naturally, we will not need to leave stripper on long and we will work in small section as not to over wet each section.

 

[hmtiling]

Thanks bob. I'll let you know how it goes with the test tile.
Which product do I need if it comes to stripping it?

 

[Lithofin BOB]

From us would be wax off, give me a call after/ before the test and we can run through If you want.

 

[hmtiling]

That would be great. Many thanks!

 

[hmtiling]

All sorted thanks! A thin coat of sealant on affected tiles then a mop with water and a cup full of sealant a couple of days later.
All's well that ends well! Cheers!

 

[Flintstone]

Would not use the stain stop on terracotta, discussion with Marc , was for a external terrace.

Lithofin modern method is for internal, and a nice light finish ,rather than a darker oil and wax. The ease of water based products and mostly the ease in which the client will maintain and top up the floor after you have installed. Used tons of this stuff restoration wise as clients wanted an easy to look after floor.

Generally, lay the tiles , leave to dry until all moisture released( 7-10 days for me, or until fully dry, yes I'm obsessed with drying times)
Saturate 1-2 coats of the impregnator before leaving overnight to cure.
Point in the terracotta , ideal not slurry ,unless a very closed pore- check grout release on two unlaid tiles you can impregnate- for testing
Once this grouting/ pointing is fully dry , depending on depth and width
Re impregnate one coat of the terracotta impreg.
After this has dried, sponge on 2-4 neat coats (maybe more if a really ruff hand made) of the terracotta sealant with a jumbo car sponge, dries in 40 min -1 hour so you will get these on in one day.
No buffing , self sheening
Clients maintain with easy care , and top up when required.
They can use 1/4 bucket of clean water, add a mug of the sealant, mop through leaving a slight wet look, leave to dry - job done , nice and easy.

What about in the real world?

 

[Lithofin BOB]

What about in the real world?

I know people are up against time restraints these days, i totally apreciate this.the above is how I approach these jobs as a contractor myself, also after 22 years of sorting problem floors out for lithofin , i get to see a picture of what can cause problems with different materials, drying times and moisture retention in stone and tiles are the main issue i get with installations. So extended dry times are required with some products, most will never cause you a problem , some can!
I would never state the above are set guide lines , they are purely my own rules for my jobs,

 

[Perry]

Must admit I have used Lithofin puducts on terracotta. But I wouldent use it unless i had too. Found it takes more labour and about 20 times the cost of what I would normanly use.

 

[Lithofin BOB]

Can appreciate this pjc , when I first started i only used oils and waxes and yes these are far cheaper, from my restoration clients they wanted ease of maintenance , didn't want to hand wax large areas every few months, so the modern products from us or others LTP etc can take this away. Emulsion waxes can be diluted and mopped through by client, self sheening, no buffing . Also the make up of these product far exceeds oil / staining ,so protection is greater against contamination. I suppose if the client is willing to pay from the start to have these products applied / and possible extended labour then this will benefit them long term . for your initial install, the price factor may be greater to you/ them and effect winning the job over others.