Restoring 90 year old terra cotta floor tile

[tom15143]

Hello, all,

We are working on restoring two 5m square tiled floors, that have years of accumlation of wax put on by cleaning ladies (charwomen). One is on an outdoor covered porch, and one in a sun room.

We are stripping off the old wax with a commercial product, but question whether to use a sealer or some type of wax that does not water-spot.

In our sunroom, a professional tiler cleaned the tile some ten years ago and resealed it. Apparently it was not fully cleaned, since the sealer started peeling off in six months. I do not want to relive that experience.

Are there any tips to make sure the floor is completely clean before applying either a sealer or wax? Is a penetrating sealer the best solution. I remember seeing terra cotta floors in Brazil that were power buffed everyday, and apparently waxed with something like Simonize auto wax. I worry that this might cause slipping problems.

I am a real novice at this, and would appreciate any advice.

Regards,

Tom Allen

 

[enduro]

First of all i would use Aqua Mix sealing and coating remover, mix it per instructions, and apply and wet vac it up after a good scrub, then rinse with water. Then i would apply Aqua mix heavy duty tile & grout cleaner and add a bit of Aqua Mix nano scrub, and apply to the floor, and give it a good scrub and let it dwell on the tiles for about 5-10 mins but don't let it dry, then wet vac it up and give the floor a good rinse with water to remove any of the cleaner, then let dry thoroughly...you could then use either, Aqua mix seal & finish (low Sheen) or floor shine & hardener (high sheen) or High gloss sealer (high sheen) for what ever finish you want.

 

[tom15143]

Thanks. Is there some chemical I can use to make sure that every trace of dirt, oil, and wax is really gone after treatment/

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Floor_Restorer]

Hi There!

You have to be careful with older tiled floors and sealants that produce a shine. Basically, older porous tiles don't have any DPM (damp proof membrane) or any form of damp protection. When a surface sealant is applied, it is like putting clingfilm on a bowl of warm rice - it gets condensation underneath. That's why the previous sealant started peeling off within 6 months.

What we do is to apply heavy coats of an impreganating sealant and then buff over with polisher/buffing machine to acheive a low shine. This is also micro-porous and will let the floor breathe. We use this technique in some listed buildings we look after.

Hope this helps,

(another) Tom

 

[White Room]

I get the impression your've been restoring for a while Tom

 

[tommyzooom]

check out floor restorers homepage, He seems to be your guy.

 

[White Room]

Just check his home page, impressive

 

[tom15143]

Just check his home page, impressive

Hi, and thanks to all. I love the idea and look of restored tile, but haven't had much luck yet. Maybe this will be the!

What is the URL for his homepage.

Best to all,

Tom

 

[Floor_Restorer]

Hi There!

Thanks for all the good comments! My webpage is Floor Restorer.

Thanks,

Tom