Seal & Go Archives - North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Old Terracotta Floor Restoration Skirpenbeck

Old Terracotta Tiled Hallway Floor Repaired and Restored in Skirpenbeck York

I was asked to visit a 250-year-old cottage in the old Yorkshire village of Skirpenbeck on the outskirts of York to view a Terracotta hallway floor that was in quite a state. We think the Terracotta tiles were around forty years old but it had clearly seen some history and interior remodelling had left gaps in the flooring.

During my visit I surveyed the terracotta which suffered from ingrained dirt and measured up the areas of missing tiling. The new owner of the property requested that all the tiles were deep cleaned, missing areas of tile replaced in best match possible and then the whole floor sealed to protect it.

Old Terracotta Floor Before Cleaning Skirpenbeck

The problem was always going to be finding matching replacements for the original Terracotta tiles however I did find a supplier who was able to come up with a close match. With the prices for the tiles confirmed I worked out a detailed quote that included all the products and work needed to do the restoration. The quote was accepted and a date set for the work to begin.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Hallway Floor

The first job was to repair the floor which involved cleaning up the gaps in the flooring and applying cement to bring the level of the floor ready for tiling. The replacement Terracotta tiles were then cut to shape and secured in place. Once set the tiles were grouted in using a combination of sand and lime mortars that matched the original pointing.

When the tile and mortar had set, a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up was mopped onto the floor and left to soak in. This product is acidic cleaner that also removes mineral stains such as grout haze and efflorescent salts. For maximum effect the cleaner was then worked in using a coarse 100-grit diamond pad and then a finer 200-grit diamond pad. These pads are applied using a rotary buffer fitted with extra weights and scrubs the dirt out of the floor generating a lot of dark soiling in the process. The soiling is then rinsed off with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Old Terracotta Floor During Restoration Skirpenbeck

The floor was inspected, and any problem areas retreated using the same process until I was happy with the floor. Once done the tiles came up to their original colour and looked new.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Hallway Floor

I left the floor to dry out and returned the next day to seal the floor with Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This product is ideal for Terracotta which is very porous and really drinks the sealer so multiple coats were needed, being a water-based product however it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries.

Seal & Go is a specially formulated water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish. It restored the natural colour of the terracotta and gave the floor the lovely sheen that the customer originally wanted.

Old Terracotta Floor After Restoration Skirpenbeck

Once done the floor looked much healthier and the new tiles weren’t an exact match but blended in well and the difference wasn’t that noticeable. My customer was highly delighted and made us loads of teas throughout the work and a few biscuits too, they also left the following feedback:

“You should be proud to have an excellent employee. He was very professional. From initial enquiry to completion of work, very prompt and was able to answer all my questions. I would certainly recommend him.”

I’m actually self-employed but feedback is always welcome.

For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective cleaning product that won’t affect the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Hallway in Northwest Yorkshire

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Removing Staining from a Terracotta Floor Due to a Leaking Dishwater in Green Hammerton

These photos came from a property in the village of Green Hammerton on the outskirts of York. The terracotta floor tiles were fairly old, we believe around 30 years and had been the victim of a leaking dishwasher which had resulted in staining and efflorescent salt deposits. You can see this next on the tiles next to the kitchen kick boards in the photograph below.

Stained Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Green Hammerton York

The client wanted the staining removed and the tiles restored to their original condition, however they were happy with a large part of the floor and so only wanted the impacted section cleaning. I was happy to do this however, I did raise a concern that the section I would be working on wouldn’t blend in with the rest of the floor.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

I first treated the tiles with Tile Doctor Remove and Go to clean and remove the old sealers. This was applied in the usual way of spraying the affected section with a strong dilution, letting it soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbing it in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. The resultant slurry was then removed using a wet vacuum.

To cure the efflorescent salt problems the tiles was then treated to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. The gel was applied to the floor and scrubbed in with a deck brush before being rinsed off and extracted as before. Being a gel its is very easy to control allowing the acid to dissolve the alkaline salts in the floor and further cleans the Terracotta to remove old grout stains.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

I let the tiles dry out for a few days, then used a handheld polishing machine to remove any residues and prepare the surface for a fresh sealer. I used a few coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow as a base and then a light coat of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra for the finish to match the rest of the floor. This saved the client the expense of having all the floor stripped, deep cleaned and re-sealed. My client was happy with the result which had solved their problem.

Stained Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Green Hammerton York

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to keep the floor in great condition. This is a pH neutral product which means it ill not strip the newly applied sealer like an acidic household cleaner would. It is mild enough to use daily if needed and has a lovely fresh fragrance. It is therefore perfect for a heavy traffic area such as the kitchen.

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