Catalan Terracotta

Catalan Terracotta Window Sill Sherburn in Elmet Before and After Cleaning

Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tiles and Terracotta Window Sills Restored in Sherburn-in-Elmet

At Tile Doctor, we have completed a wide variety of restoration jobs, from very large floors in hotels and restaurants to smaller floors in kitchens and bathrooms. We also often work on different surface types, including shower cubicles and stone or tiled window sills. I recently visited the small village of Sherburn-in-Elmet in Leeds to complete two small, but very different, jobs for a customer.

The first was the restoration of a Ceramic tiled kitchen floor that was really looking worse for wear. The grout lines had accumulated a lot of dirt over the years and the tiles themselves had been stained by what appeared to be plaster dust.

Ceramic Floor Tiles Before Cleaning in Sherburn in Elmet Kitchen
The second was the restoration of several window sills made from Catalan-style Terracotta. The stone had originally been covered in four to six coats of Yacht Varnish, which had left an unsightly white crusted covering. Naturally, the customer was keen to see the sills restored to their original, natural look.

Catalan Terracotta Window Sill Sherburn in Elmet Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

After removing the kickboards from underneath the kitchen units, I used a handheld scrapper and a wire brush to manually remove most of the plaster dust. Next, I applied a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a high alkaline tile and grout cleaner, across the floor.

By scrubbing the Pro-Clean into the tiles and grout I removed all the dirt and staining. As the tiles were fully glazed Ceramic, they did not need to be sealed.

Ceramic Floor Tiles After Cleaning in Sherburn in Elmet Kitchen

Cleaning and Sealing Terracotta Window Sills

The white crusted powder covering the Catalan Terracotta window sills was caused by Yacht Varnish, which would need to be removed before I could properly clean the stone below. I removed it using a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which is a heavy-duty stripper, and Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU, a powerful cleaner which uses nano-sized particles penetrates difficult-to-reach areas. Together they make a powerful stripper/cleaning solution.

This solution was left to work its magic for two hours, before I applied a handheld scrapper and wire brush to remove the white coating. Next, I rinsed the sills with water and then deep cleaned them again with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean.

The window sills were subsequently left to dry off completely overnight. I popped back to the property the next day to seal them with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating sealer which intensified the natural shades in the stone and provided a natural-looking matte finish.

Catalan Terracotta Window Sill Sherburn in Elmet After Cleaning
Two quick jobs completed to a high standard and one very satisfied customer.

Professional Tile Cleaning and Sealing for a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor Restoration and Terracotta Window Sill Restoration in Leeds

Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tiles and Terracotta Window Sills Restored in Sherburn-in-Elmet Read More »

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Before and After Cleaning Halifax

Dirty Catalan Terracotta Tiles Restored at a Halifax Farmhouse

Terracotta tiles are made all over the world and not surprisingly are very popular around the Mediterranean which is where these Catalan Terracotta Tiles were imported from.

Catalan Terracotta Before Cleaning Halifax Farmhouse Catalan Terracotta Before Cleaning Halifax Farmhouse

They had been installed in a large former farmhouse outside of Halifax in West Yorkshire about twenty years earlier and had never really been subject to an effective maintenance regime. They were now looking very tired and dirty indeed and well overdue a deep clean and reseal.

Cleaning Spanish Terracotta Tiles

I cleaned the floor using a 1:3 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with water which is an effective alkaline Tile and Grout cleaner that will clean and strip old sealers from tiles when used in a strong dilution such as on this occasion. I left it to soak into the tile for about ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. This process got most of the dirt off but the pad didn’t have good contact with all the tiles as many were convex in shape as Catalan tiles often are. This became apparent after rinsing the soiled cleaning solution off the floor with more water and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum.

To make sure all the missed areas were cleaned I applied more Pro-Clean and scrubbed them by hand with a scrubbing brush. I also took the opportunity to clean the grout as well which was a long job as the tiles were only 6 inches square so there was a lot of grout to do.
The little white tile inserts between the Terracotta tiles are called Tacos and they came up particularly well during cleaning.

Catalan Terracotta During Cleaning Halifax Farmhouse

Sealing Spanish Terracotta Tiles

Once the clean had been completed I left the tiles to dry off for two days before returning to seal them. It’s important that the tiles are bone dry before applying a sealer as any moisture can cause unexpected results.

Upon my return to the property I ran some quick damp tests, which revealed the tiles were ready to be sealed. I then applied four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, our topical sealer which provides a satin finish and really improves the look of Terracotta floor.

Catalan Terracotta After Cleaning Halifax Farmhouse Catalan Terracotta After Cleaning Halifax Farmhouse

My customer was very happy with the finished result and I think you will agree the floor looks so much brighter and healthier.

Professional Terracotta Tile Maintenance in Yorkshire

Dirty Catalan Terracotta Tiles Restored at a Halifax Farmhouse Read More »

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