Renovating Dirty Terracotta Floor Tiles in Derbyshire

Terracotta Tileshave been around in certain parts of the world for over two millennia; in fact, the word Terracotta means burned earth. The ancient Romans used a variety of Terracotta tiles in their villas and palaces for many centuries.

Terracotta tiles are thicker than most modern tiles, giving them strength and durability. The one big downside to Terracotta, however, is that it has no glaze on the surface and can pick up and store muck and dirt very quickly. If you have ever owned a Terracotta floor before you will be able to relate to this problem.

Such was the dilemma facing our client in rural Hope Valley in the Peak District National Park of Derbyshire. Her Conservatory had been laid with Terracotta tiles around 25 years ago and over the years had been continuously covered with wax. Now, no matter how many times she mopped the floor it never looked clean because all the dirt over many years had been drawn in and sealed into the wax. She called in Tile Doctor to deep clean the floor and treat it with a gloss finish.

Cleaning a Terracotta conservatory floor

I started by removing the layers of wax with Tile Doctor Nano-Tech HBU (a heavy build-up remover that is designed to work where other cleaners won’t) and Tile Doctor Remove and Go, specially formulated to draw out ingrained stains and remove heavy grease build-up. I combined both products into a powerful cleaning cocktail and left them to soak into the floor for about twenty minutes. The solution was then scrubbed into the tile and grout using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. The resultant soil was rinsed off with water and then extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum.

After cleaning I inspected the floor and could see there was still some wax left in the grout between the Terracotta tiles, so I went over the floor with a hand-held steamer and scrub brush, it took some time, but the process was perfect to remove the last traces of wax. Finally, I washed the floor with clean water twice and left it to thoroughly dry overnight.

Colour Restoring and Sealing a Terracotta tiled floor

The following day I went back to seal the floor but found there were still a few areas with higher levels of damp than I would have liked. My solution was to seal the tiles with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a superb colour intensifying matt sealer that provides durable protection and enhance colour but importantly, it’s fully breathable therefore allowing any damp in the tiles to evaporate. I then left the floor to completely dry out, which took five days.

On my return I finished the sealing of the floor with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This is a specially formulated water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides a stain-resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish that works really well on Terracotta.


The conservatory looked beautiful with its clean Terracotta tiles. The unsightly and grimy orange-brown floor had been restored to its original Terracotta colour with a very attractive sheen. And, of course, the floor was now correctly sealed to prevent the problem happening again and to make mopping easy. I left the house with good feeling!


The customer was delighted and left this positive feedback:

“Henry did a brilliant job, friendly professional polite and efficient. He kept us fully informed of the procedures he was using. We would not hesitate to use him again or to recommend him to others.”




Source: Terracotta Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in Derbyshire

Restoring an Old Quarry Tiled Floor in Derbyshire

This was an unusual Quarry Tiled Floor that I was asked to renovate at a house in Whaley Bridge which is a small town in Derbyshire Peak district. The floor tiles were laid in a diamond pattern using alternating Black & Red quarry tiles. The house was more than 100 years old and recently changed hands. A large rug had previously occupied the middle of the floor and the tiles around the side has been painted over with black paint.


To restore the floor to a consistent appearance I could see the paint would need to be removed and then the whole floor given a deep clean and seal. Additionally, there was an old Fireplace at one end of the room decorated in antique Ceramic tiles that needed cleaning, the Tiles are very old but in good physical condition for their age.

Cleaning Old Black and Red Quarry Tiles

My first task was to remove the black paint and years of ground in dirty by treating the tiles with a poultice made from two Tile Doctor products namely Nano-Tech HBU Remover and Remove and Go. Working in sections the solution was applied to the tiles and left to soak in for a good twenty minutes before scrubbing with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad running at slow speed.

The resulting soil was extracted using a wet vacuum and then the tiles rinsed with water, so I would see where more work was needed. Stubborn stains were then spot treated with the same process before moving onto the next section. The Ceramic tiles in the fireplace hearth was treated in the same way.

After removing all the dirt, stains and paint I gave the floor a final rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product and extracted as much moisture as possible using the wet vacuum. The floor would need to be dry before applying a sealer, so to allow the floor to fully dry off I left the floor for two days.

Sealing Original Quarry Hallway Tiles

On my return I checked the tiles first to ensure they were dry. All was good so I set about applying a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that occupies the pores in the clay. Additionally, Colour Grow is a breathable sealer which is important for these old floors that don’t have a damp proof course. There was no need to apply the sealer to the ceramic tiles in the hearth however as they won’t take a sealer due to the glaze.


Once completed the floor looked completely transformed and the client was more than happy. Work continues in other parts of the house and once they have finished decorating they have asked me to return to restore their beautiful old Victorian tiled hallway.




Source: Quarry Tile Cleaning and Renovation Service in Derbyshire

Restoring Victorian Tiled Lobby in Derby

Victorian tiled floors are timeless - despite first coming into popular use in UK houses during the 19th century, they've remained stylish in the eyes of many homeowners and interior designers. This fantastic black and white patterned example at a property in Derby dates back to 1929. However, Read more...

Restoring Dull Victorian Hallway Tiles in the Derbyshire

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Polishing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in Derbyshire

This customer had some real difficulty in getting their fantastic Travertine tiled kitchen area looking as good as it should. The cleaning methods they had previously employed were unable to prevent the tiles from appearing dull, and the customer was also unable to deal with the displeasing Read more...

Deep Cleaning And Sealing Stained Terracotta Tiles in Derbyshire

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Dull Marble Bar Top Rejuvenated at Manchester Club

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Poorly Maintained Chinese Riven Slate Tiles Restored in Chesterfield

This customer was very happy to find there was a Tile Doctor in Derbyshire, for a long time they had experienced problems with cleaning their fantastic Chinese Riven Slate tiled kitchen floor. The customer had attempted to carry out some amateur maintenance work on a couple of occasions but had never managed to achieve the results they had hoped for. Thus the floor remained dull and afflicted with a large amount of ingrained dirt. I visited the property, located in Chesterfield, to see what Read more...

Fantastic 1920's Victorian Tiled Floor Unearthed and Restored in Derby

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Dull Travertine Kitchen Floor Burnished and Polished in Ashbourne

This customer had some real difficulty in getting their fantastic Travertine tiled kitchen area looking as good as it should. The cleaning methods they had previously employed were unable to prevent the tiles from appearing dull, and the customer was also unable to deal with the displeasing marks and small cracks damaging the stone. Keen to get the floor back to looking its best, the customer called me down to their property, which overlooks the beautiful countryside area of Ashbourne, to Read more...

Putting New Life Into a Yorkstone Floor Near Sheffield

This customer living at a property in Deepcar near Sheffield, experienced problems keeping their twenty year old Yorkstone floor clean and I was asked to take a look and see what could be done to resolve the situation. After inspection I could see that the sealer had worn off and now dirt had become lodged in the pores of the stone, leaving the floor looked grey and dull to the extent even the customer couldn't remember that their stone floor had some colour once! Due to all the problems Read more...

Restoring the Look of Badly Stained Terracotta Kitchen Tiles in Matlock

Having an effective sealer in place is essential for ensuring the long term condition of tiled floors in fact a lack of sealer can make cleaning the tiles exceptionally difficult as the sealer prevents dirt becoming ingrained in the tile. This property owner, living in the former spa town of Matlock in Derbyshire, was experiencing problems with their Terracotta tiled kitchen floor since they had applied some kind of wax to act as a sealer, and this had worn off within a few weeks. After Read more...

Grout Cleaning and Recolouring for a Stained Shower Cubicle in Ramsbottom

Many homeowners will be able to relate to this post about tiled shower cubicles which can become mouldy, grubby, and just plainly unappealing to look at. The reality is that dirt, mould, and stains can be quite easily removed with the right products if addressed on a regular basis. However, many busy homeowners simply don't have the time, and subsequently the mould problems gradually worsen over time. This is what had happened at this property in Ramsbottom (a town known for its annual Read more...

Polishing and Sealing Marble Night Club Bar Top

Revolucion de Cuba is one of the biggest and busiest bars in Manchester. With the sheer amount of customers that visit the bar, the Marble counter top had become very worn and dull. Stains and spillages are inevitable in an environment like this, but this can cause long lasting damage to the sensitive natural stone if proper maintenance is not provided. The bar owners hold very high standards for the appearance of the venue and as such were keen to get the Marble bar top back to looking its Read more...

Victorian Tiled Floor Renovation in Littleover

From The 1860s Victorian tiled floors started to appear in public buildings and by the 1890s they had become an essential feature in the most ordinary Victorian terraced houses. Although these floors fell out of fashion during the 1960s and '70s, when many of them were covered over, they are now being rediscovered by their present owners and this is exactly what happened to my customer in the village of Littleover. The customer had attempted to clean the floor by themselves but they Read more...

Yorkstone Tiles Rejuvenated in Deepcar near Sheffield

This customer living at a property in Deepcar near Sheffield, experienced problems keeping their twenty year old Yorkstone floor clean and I was asked to take a look and see what could be done to resolve the situation. After inspection I could see that the sealer had worn off and now dirt had become lodged in the pores of the stone, leaving the floor looked grey and dull to the extent even the customer couldn't remember that their stone floor had some colour once! Due to all the problems Read more...

Grout Cleaning and Recolouring for a Stained Shower Cubicle in Ramsbottom

Many homeowners will be able to relate to this post about tiled shower cubicles which can become mouldy, grubby, and just plainly unappealing to look at. The reality is that dirt, mould, and stains can be quite easily removed with the right products if addressed on a regular basis. However, many busy homeowners simply don't have the time, and subsequently the mould problems gradually worsen over time. This is what had happened at this property in Ramsbottom (a town known for its annual Read more...

Refreshing the Appearance of a Mouldy Ceramic Tiled Shower Derbyshire

Many homeowners will be able to relate to this post about tiled shower cubicles which can become mouldy, grubby, and just plainly unappealing to look at. The reality is that dirt, mould, and stains can be quite easily removed with the right products if addressed on a regular basis. However, many busy homeowners simply don’t have the time, and subsequently the mould problems gradually worsen over time. This is what had happened at this property in Ramsbottom (a town known for its annual Chocolate Festival) - the customer’s Ceramic tiled shower cubicle had not been adequately cleaned in a long time, resulting in severe staining that would prove impossible to remove entirely.


When the customer contacted me after finding Tile Doctor over the internet, I suggested that I could provide the grout with the best clean possible before re-colouring the grout with a white Grout Colourant to hide the staining and it back to looking similar to its original condition. The customer agreed that this would be the best course of action, and booked me in to complete the work.

Cleaning Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Grout

The first step in the restoration was to get the grout ready for the new Grout Colourant to be applied. This involved cleaning the grout with Tile Doctor Pre-Treat Cleaner, which successfully removed the various dirt, soil, soap scum and hard water deposits that had built up after plenty of exposure to acidic shampoos and soaps. Getting the grout joints clean allows the colourant to form a better bond with the grout. The Pre-Treat Cleaner was sprayed onto the grout and left to dwell for roughly five minutes before being agitated with a grout brush. Next, I rinsed the grout with water and removed the old and mouldy silicone around the shower cubicle.

Colouring Grout and Siliconing for a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

After running tests I discovered a few damp issues, but these were quickly resolved with the help of my heat gun. With the grout now ready to be coloured, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor’s white Grout Colourant, allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second.


The Grout Colourant is an epoxy-based product that seals and rejuvenates the grout, protecting it against future staining and making it easy to clean in the future. After completing the grout colouring I cleaned up the area - including removing any excess product - and then applied fresh silicone in a matching white around the base of the shower cubicle.


As you can see from the photographs, the appearance of the shower cubicle was transformed by the new Colourant. My customer even left the following comment on the Tile Doctor feedback system: “Tony was polite punctual and efficient. We are very happy with his work!”


Source: Shower Tile Cleaning and Grout Colouring Service in Derbyshire

Restoring the Look of Badly Stained Terracotta Kitchen Tiles in Matlock

Having an effective sealer in place is essential for ensuring the long term condition of tiled floors in fact a lack of sealer can make cleaning the tiles exceptionally difficult as the sealer prevents dirt becoming ingrained in the tile. This property owner, living in the former spa town of Matlock in Derbyshire, was experiencing problems with their Terracotta tiled kitchen floor since they had applied some kind of wax to act as a sealer, and this had worn off within a few weeks. After Read more...

Deep Cleaning And Sealing Stained Terracotta Tiles in Derbyshire

Having an effective sealer in place is essential for ensuring the long term condition of tiled floors in fact a lack of sealer can make cleaning the tiles exceptionally difficult as the sealer prevents dirt becoming ingrained in the tile. This property owner, living in the former spa town of Read more...