The rest of the areas were covered with Terracotta tiles which they had thought were quarry tiles. At first look I thought they were a patterned ceramic tiles as there was a slight sheen on them and the “pattern” appear to be in uniform however upon closer inspection I realized that they were definitely not ceramic so I did a test clean on a small portion and it turned out that the apparent pattern was in actual fact from a build up dirt and grime all over the tile; the owners were also shocked at the discovery.
Restoring Quarry and Terracotta Tiles
I cleansed both floors with a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to soak unto the tiles for quite some time before being scrubbed using a rotary machine fitted with a black pad and the dirty water was removed using a wet vacuum.
The Terracotta tiles needed the extra attention so I did another round of scrub on them once using a brush paying special attention to the tiny holes in the surface of the tiles which had become ingrained with grime. Once I was contented, both floors were given a final rinse to remove any cleaning products and I finished the day repairing the grout line in the lounge area.
Quarry Floor Sealing
I left the floor for a week so it could dry completely and I went back to seal it. The damp meter indicated that the floor was dry enough to take in the sealer. At the same time I did a final inspection of the floors and spot cleaned those areas where it was needed using a heat gun to dry the tiles afterwards. The client had pet dogs and had requested for a matte finish so I sealed the Quarry and Terracotta tiles several coats of Tile Doctor Color Grow which is an infuser-type of sealer that occupies the pores in the tile and also enhances the color of the tile.
Needless to say the customer was really pleased with the result.
