Terrazzo Floor Restored in Edinburgh with Tile Doctor Diamond Pads

The photographs below are of what was once a beautiful Terrazzo floor, it was recently uncovered in the hallway of a house in the Morningside area of Edinburgh. The floor had clearly taken a beating over the years, but the owners were eager to have it restored. Restoring period features like this Terrazzo floor is often a great idea, as they are highly sought after and can significantly increase a property’s value.

The Terrazzo floor had spent many years hidden under carpet, with nails hammered through to hold carpet gripper in place. There was also a substantial amount of glue and paint that needed to be removed. However, I was confident it could be successfully restored and I provided the customer with a quotation.

The quote was accepted and eager to have the work done as soon as possible a date was scheduled for my return.

Cleaning and Repairing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

Work started by focusing on the removal of as much of the paint, glue, and other contaminants as possible. To do this a razor-sharp scraper was carefully run over the floor by hand to remove the bulk of the heavy paint and glue.

The remaining stubborn contaminants were then removed using an application of Tile Doctors Remove and Go solution, which is excellent for lifting paint and carpet glue. After leaving the solution to soak in for about ten minutes it was scrubbed into the Terrazzo using a coarse 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary machine. After this initial cleaning, the floor was rinsed with clean water, and the residue extracted with a wet vacuum.

The pad was then changed for the first of four diamond burnishing pads of progressively finer grits. Starting with the coarsest 400-grit pad and moving to increasingly fine pads the pads cut through the top layer of the Terrazzo to remove remaining grime and gradually re-polish the floor to its former glory., I added water at each stage and used a wet vacuum to remove the soiling generated by the burnishing process.

As the original Terrazzo floor began to shine through, the vibrant Silver, White and Black shades became more pronounced, revealing a lovely example of this classic material. After a final rinse to remove any remaining debris, I turned my attention to filling the numerous holes left by the previously removed nails.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in Morningside

The floor was left to dry overnight, and the following morning I returned to seal it with two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This is a modern oil-based, breathable sealer and was chosen because it is fully breathable and will enhance the strong colours in the Terrazzo.

After leaving each coat on for five minutes the surplus sealer was then clothed off and the floor polished with a White buffing pad. It’s important to choose a breathable sealer for old floors like these as they don’t have a damp-proof membrane and it will allow for moisture rising from the foundation to evaporate at the surface. If the moisture were prevented from doing this it would build up under the floor where it would eventually reach out to the walls causing issues like rising damp.

The Terrazzo floor was transformed by the whole process and it was great to see a period feature that was original to the house put back into regular use. Before leaving I tool tile to discuss after care cleaning for which I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a mild yet effective maintenance cleaner that won’t degrade the sealer which can be an issue with many of the products you find in supermarkets which are simply too strong for cleaning a sealed floor.

Source: Terrazzo Floor Cleaning and Restoration Solutions and Services near Morningside Edinburgh