Stripping Off Cement Screed from Quarry Tiles using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up in Wallingford Oxfordshire
I went to view this Quarry tiled floor at a property in Wallingford after speaking with the owner on the phone. They were hoping the floor could be restored but were sceptical that anything could be done as it had been covered in vinyl for many years.
The trouble was, before the Vinyl was laid the floor had been covered in a layer of bitumen first which was designed to act as damp proofing, then on top of that was a layer of self-levelling screed. The client had removed the vinyl and had a go at scraping the screed and bitumen off the floor before giving up.
Having come across this sort of thing before, I was confident the floor could indeed be restored although I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I worked out a plan for the restoration and converted this into a detailed quote for the client so they could decide if it was worth doing. Keen to restore the original floor and keep what was a period feature I was given the go-ahead.
Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Hallway
Work started with scraping the the floor to manually remove the layers of bitumen and screed. This is hard manual work, but I had help from Buckinghamshire Tile Doctor Jack Day. When we had removed enough, work switched to using an application of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up worked in with a carbide brush. Going in too early with the carbide brush would have resulted in it clogging so this had to be a second step. These brushes are coarse allowing it to cut into the surface and remove the remaining screed.
To further improve the Quarry tiles the carbide brush was swapped out for a 100-grit milling pad which further scrubbed the tiles to remove the final bits of bitumen. The floor was rinsed and the slurry extracted with a wet vacuum. The pad was then changed for a 200-grit milling pad and the process repeated and then again using 1500 grit. These pads further clean up the quarry tiles and refine the surface creating a slight sheen on the floor.
After a final rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was then left to dry out.
Sealing a Quarry Tiled Hallway
On my return the floor was tested for moisture with a damp meter to confirm it had dried out sufficiently and was now ready for sealing. The results were positive, so work moved onto sealing the quarry tiles using Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an oil-based impregnating sealer.
This sealer works by soaking into the tile, occupying the pores and thereby ensuring dirt cannot become ingrained there. This keeps dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. This product also enhances the appearance of the tiles further bringing out the colours.
Lint free cloths were used to apply the sealer and buff off the excess. When the sealer was dry the floor was buffed with a 3000-grit diamond burnishing pad which left the floor with a mild sheen.
Once complete the floor was transformed and completely unrecognisable. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective floor cleaning product that won’t affect the sealer.
Source: Quarry Tile Cleaning Products and Services near Wallingford Oxfordshire