Terracotta Tile Cleaning

I was contacted to inspect a Terracotta tiled kitchen floor at a property in the small village of Midgham near Thatcham. The floor was laid twelve years earlier and, at the time of installation the customer opted to leave the floor unsealed; this misjudgement had proven to be a bad idea as the floor became dull, stained, and heavily soiled with ingrained dirt. The homeowner attempted to restore the tiles themselves, but quickly realised the process was both difficult and time-consuming. They then decided to seek professional assistance from Tile Doctor.

During the initial visit, I carried out a cleaning test on a small section of the floor to demonstrate the potential results. The improvement was immediately visible, giving the client confidence in the restoration process. The test also allowed me to identify the most suitable cleaning products and methods required for the job, enabling me to prepare a more accurate quotation. This step is particularly important with Terracotta floors, as many are treated with layers of wax or sealers that can be challenging to remove.

I worked out a detailed quotation for the work which included all the products needed and emailed it over to the homeowner. Happy with the quotation a date was scheduled and the products ordered in time for the work to start, which would take two days.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

The Terracotta was badly stained and heavily ingrained with dirt, so I chose to start the cleaning with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This was sprayed across the tiles and then left to soak in for five minutes to give it time to break down the staining and dirt.

Next the grout lines were scrubbed manually using a stiff grout brush before mechanically cleaning the Terracotta tiles using a Black Pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine. Additional water was added throughout the process to aid lubrication and improve the effectiveness of the cleaning.

As the floor was scrubbed, large amounts of embedded dirt and old residue were released into the cleaning fluid turning it black. The dark slurry was then extracted using a low-pressure extraction machine, revealing a significant improvement in the appearance of the tiles. The floor was then inspected and the cleaning process repeated until I was satisfied that the entire floor had been fully stripped back and thoroughly cleaned.

Next the tiles were treated to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. Remove and Go is an alkaline product so the use of an acidic cleaner helps to neutralise the ph level of the floor before cleaning and had other benefits such as removing grout smears and efflorescence salts. The product is diluted with water are applied to the floor using a deck brush before being rinsed off with water and extracted as before.

Once deep cleaned Terracotta is highly porous and so after a final rinse and extraction, the floor was left to dry off over the weekend.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

It’s important that the tiles are dry before sealing, as any moisture in the floor can result in a patchy and un-appealing appearance. So before applying any sealer a damp meter is used to check for moisture and verify the floor is completely dry.

The extended drying time had worked, and I was able to confirm readings were satisfactory and could proceed to seal the floor. Tile Doctor Seal and Go was chosen for this, it works really well on Terracotta and adds a lovely subtle sheen to the tiles whilst adding protection and ensuring dirt remains on the surface.

With Terracotta being so porous a total of eight coats were needed before it was fully sealed. Approximately twenty minutes drying time was allowed between each coat, so the sealing process took most of the day to complete. Air movers were positioned around the room to improve airflow and speed up the curing process.

Seal and Go is a water-based sealer so it dries without leaving a strong odour and provides a subtle, attractive sheen that restored warmth and character to the terracotta floor, leaving the client extremely pleased with the result.

Before leaving I took time to discuss on-going maintenance and left them with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner This as its name implies is pH neutral so won’t impact the newly applied sealed which can be the issue with the stronger household cleaners you find in supermarkets that can strip the sealer with use.

Professional Renovation of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen in Berkshire