Nevertheless, I thought that most of the floor could be greatly improved but several areas around the washing machine and dishwasher were particularly soiled. Once I spoke of my concerns, the client admitted that both the washing machine and dishwasher had flooded the floor twice and leaked on a regular basis. Washing powder is very caustic and causes permanent damage that cannot be fixed.
Terracotta Tile Cleaning
I stripped off what was left of the previous sealer using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a heavy duty alkaline cleaner/coatings stripper ideal for tiled surfaces. We let the solution dwell on the floor for 10 to 20 minutes before working it into the tiles by hand and deck brush, usually I’d use a rotary buffing machine with a scrubbing pad but it was quite a narrow kitchen. Once I’d washed it down and sucked up any excess water with the wet-vax I left it for two days to dry.
Terracotta Tile Sealing
After 48 hours, I went back and sealed the Terracotta tiles using four coats of Tile Doctor Pro-Seal which is a water based (no smell) penetrating sealer recommended for food preparation areas such as kitchens. Sealers can take some time to apply as you have to wait for the first coat to dry before applying the next, luckily however we were blessed by a warm windy day which blew through the kitchen and increased the drying time. You can notice from the images on this page the amazing conversion that was achieved. Whilst I was waiting for the sealer to dry I noticed their patio was in need of attention so I gave that a blast from my industrial pressure washer.
