Quarry Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Quarry tiles carried out in Nottinghamshire

Cleaning and Renovating Quarry Tiles

Quarry tiles are a classic hard wearing tile often utilised in high traffic areas such as reception areas, toilets and outdoor patio areas and porches. Although hard wearing Quarry tiles are often neglected and end up hidden under years of grime. If the tiles are structurally sound then often it’s just a question of deep cleaning to extract the dirt and then applying a sealer to enhance their appearance and protect them going forward.

For sealing we usually recommend Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works well on clay tiles such as Quarry and is also water based so doesn’t give off a smell as it dries. When applying a sealer always make sure the floors are dry first as applying a sealer to a damp floor can lead to inconsistent results. Because of this we usually clean and seal floors of this type over two days.

Other problems we face when restoring Quarry tiles usually relate to the removal of surface such as Tile Paint and Carpet Adhesive, for this we have a number of products and methods we can apply to remove coatings and restore the tile to its original appearance.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.


Georgian Brick Floor Renovation Ollerton Nottinghamshire

Renovation of Georgian Brick Flooring in Ollerton

We were asked by our client in Ollerton, near Sherwood Forest, to renovate a couple of original brick floors that dated to the Georgian period. The floors were in a recently renovated cloakroom and the utility room and had been left to the end of the works.

Georgian Brick Floor Before Renovation Ollerton Nottinghamshire

Both floors had been painted at some point in their long history hiding some of the original features of the property. We can improve old floors like these, but I do have to set the expectations of the client. We can definitely make big improvements, but floors of this age can rarely not be restored to their original appearance. The other problem of course is its impossible to see what we are dealing with until all the paint is removed, and the floor is uncovered. The client was very keen to try and gave us the go ahead to do the renovation, they agreed to my quote and we booked in a suitable date in to carry out the work.

Georgian Brick Floor Before Renovation Ollerton Nottinghamshire

18th century floors like these do not have damp proof membranes and can be laid directly onto compacted soil, as a result efflorescence where moisture rises through the floor can be a common problem. Normally I use a lot of water to clean a floor but in this case, I didn’t want to exacerbate any damp issues and introduce more moisture into the sub flooring, so I used gel cleaning products.

Removing Paint from Georgian Brick Flooring

To remove the numerous latest of paint from the bricks they were covered in a strong paint stripper and then covered with a plastic sheet, leaving it overnight. The following day with the paint softened the bricks were deep cleaned with Tile Doctors Oxy-Gel and Acid Gel combined and worked in with light diamond abrasive pads. This stripped the paint from the brick flooring along with old worn coatings allowing it to be lightly rinsed with water and the soiling removed with a wet vacuum.

The process had to be repeated in a couple of areas that were particularly stubborn but eventually we got there. The floor we uncovered was quite different and was then to dry out for a few days before we could tackle the sealing.

Georgian Brick Floor During Renovation Ollerton Nottinghamshire

Sealing Georgian Brick Flooring

On our return the day the brick flooring was sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal to saturation point. This is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that forms a protective breathable finish that will cope with the excess moisture and help manage the efflorescence problem.

Georgian Brick Floor After Renovation Ollerton Nottinghamshire

For aftercare I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner and advised them how to maintain. This product is pH neutral so will not damage the newly applied seal unlike some of the household cleaners on the market. It should keep the floor in good condition and ensure that maintenance is minimal moving forward.

Our client was very happy with the work we carried out and delighted with the improvement of the floor particularly the colour!

Georgian Brick Floor After Renovation Ollerton Nottinghamshire

 

Professional Restoration of a Georgian Brick Floor in Nottinghamshire

Renovation of Georgian Brick Flooring in Ollerton Read More »

Quarry Tiled Floor Before and After Restoration Radcliffe on Trent

Hidden Quarry tiled Floor Restored in Radcliffe-on-Trent

I recently completed a floor in the town of Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire where the owner of an old cottage which dated back to 1875 had lifted up a carpet to discover an original Quarry tiled floor from when the property was first constructed.

The underlay had been stuck down with adhesive, and grippers fitted at the wall edges secured with both tacks and resin glue. This had caused a small amount of damage to the tiles and since the floor had been hidden away for so many years there was evidence of efflorescence salt staining present in some parts which is not uncommon for floors of this age where no damp proof course would of been installed.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration Radcliffe-on-Trent

Cleaning an old Quarry tiled floor

My client had, thankfully, done a good job to remove as much of the underlay as possible. However, I still needed to deal with the inert carpet grippers, along with the adhesive contamination which covered more than 80 per cent of the floor.

The first task was to remove the carpet grippers and resin adhesive from the edge of the floor tiles. I then applied a liberal amount of Tile Doctor Remove & Go, a multi-purpose stripper, to the floor, and left it to dwell for an hour. Following the dwelling period, I fitted a special, abrasive scarifying brush to a weighted, low-speed rotary floor machine, and then used it to scrub the tiles, thereby breaking down the adhesive contamination. This time-consuming process was repeated for a second time to ensure a thorough clean.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration Radcliffe-on-Trent
The resulting slurry was vacuumed away using a wet-vac machine, and the inherent efflorescence contamination was treated with a solution of one part Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to five parts clean water. The solution was then scrubbed into the floor using the same scarifying brush. I then rinsed the entire area with clean water to remove any remaining product and soiled residue.

The cleaning process took two days of work to complete; once both my client and I were satisfied with the results, I left the floor to dry for a week before sealing. A whole room dryer was also installed before I left to speed up moisture removal.

Sealing a Quarry tiled floor

Upon my return, I sealed the Quarry tiled floor using four coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating and colour-enhancing sealer. This product was the best fit for the worn and uneven surface of the tiles, and will also help to tackle the floor’s inherent moisture issues; Colour Grow allows the floor to breathe and also protects it against soiling, as well as both water and oil-based spills.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration Radcliffe-on-Trent
My client was very pleased with the result and before leaving the cottage, I made sure to give her some advice as to how to maintain her floor. I recommended that she use Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner, being pH neutral is will not damage the integrity of the sealer, whereas many acidic or strong alkaline everyday household cleaning products will erode the sealer over time.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration Radcliffe-on-Trent
 

Old Quarry tiled floor restoration in Nottinghamshire

Hidden Quarry tiled Floor Restored in Radcliffe-on-Trent Read More »

=================================

Nottinghamshire Tile Doctor

================================= Read More »

Scroll to Top