This project to restore a quarry tiled floor at a property in the Terenure suburb of Dublin was one of our dirtier jobs. It had previously been covered with vinyl which had been secured in place with adhesive and levelled with cement.
The request was to remove the cement and glue and then restore tiles which were original to the property. The floor was heavily stained and I’m no miracle worker however I re-assured the client that it could certainly be done, and I worked out a detailed quote for its restoration which they were happy with.
Cleaning and restoring a Quarry Tiled Floor
The first job was to remove the cement and adhesive which was not the easiest task. Most of it was very stubborn and the largest pieces had to be carefully chipped away by hand and with a handheld hammer drill which tackled the worst of it. After this came some gruelling detail work with a Stanley blade.
The floor was now ready for a chemical clean that would breakdown the remainder. This took another two days of intense cleaning using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to breakdown the cement and Tile Doctor Remove and Go to tackle the glue. I used a strong dilution of each product in turn which was sprayed onto the tiles, left to soak in for about ten minutes (sometimes longer) and then scrubbed in with a rotary machine fitted with a black pad.
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This action loosens the contaminates and brings them into the solution which is then rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. These processes had the added advantage of deep cleaning the tiles so by the time I was happy all the cement and adhesive had been removed; the floor was spotless.
It took some effort, but we got there in the end, and the floor was given a thorough rinse and then dried as much as possible with a wet vacuum.
Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor
Once the floor had dried it was ready for the next step which is the application of a protective sealer. This is necessary as Quarry tiles are made from clay which is porous and to prevent dirt from reaching the pores it needs to be sealed. The sealer also improves the appearance of the tiles and really brings out the colour.
For this job I chose a breathable sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow due to the moisture reading I was getting in the floor, another characteristic of an old period home which has no damp proof membrane. It’s important to choose a breathable sealer for old floors like this to allow moisture to evaporate, otherwise you can lock moisture under the floor where it can build and reach out to the walls causing rising damp.
A few coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow made the world of difference and the floor has been transformed much to the delight of my client who was very keen to preserve the original features in the property.
For aftercare cleaning I supplied the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective product that won’t harm the new sealer.
Source: Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Cleaning and Restoration Service in Terenure Dublin