Terracotta Hard Floor Cleaners And Sealers In Lutterworth Leicestershire!

Terracotta clay Tiles have been around in certain parts of the world for hundreds of years, in fact the word Terracotta means baked earth. The ancient Romans used a variety of terracotta tiles in their villas/palaces for centuries. Terracotta tiles are thicker than most modern natural stones giving them their famous durability. The one big downside to Terracotta tile is the fact that it has no glaze on the surface (like ceramic) and can pick up and store dirt very quickly if not sealed. If you have ever owned a Terracotta floor, you will be able to relate to this problem however the answer is to ensure you have the correct sealer in place by calling a local specialist like us in Lutterworth.

The photographs taken (before & after) at the top of this page were taken from a job we did at a domestic property in Lutterworth, where the tiles were ingrained with heavy black dirt and efflorescence. The terracotta tiles proved most difficult to clean; but with our knowledge and machinery we got the job done quickly and efficiently.

Deep Cleaning Terracotta

Use Tile Doctor Pro-Clean Tile & Grout cleaner to effectively clean tiles, highly effective agains0t wax and topical acrylic sealers, Grease, Grime and general dirt build up (Mix with 3 parts warm water). This product is especially formulated to strip off synthetic and acrylic waxes and floor finishes. Pro-Clean can be applied using a deck brush or a buffing machine fitted with a black pad.  For stubborn areas of heavy build-up of dirt or sealer we would recommend following up with NanoTech HBU (please ensure the tile is wetted before applying

Tile Doctor Remove and Go is very effective at removing impregnating sealers and can be applied undiluted and used in the same way as Pro-Clean. It’s worth noting that Pro-Clean is better with the removal of topical sealers however if you are unable to determine which sealer has been used previously then you may need to utilise both products.

After cleaning it is important to remove any trace of cleaning solution and effectively neutralise the floor before sealing by rinsing with water and extracting with a wet vacuum; any cleaning product left on the surface may impact the sealer during curing.

Sealing Terracotta Tiles

The best sealant we find for Terracotta is a topical sealer called Seal and Go that generally leaves a satin finish that coats the tiles to stop dirt and grime penetrating into the clay. An impregnating sealer (that generally leaves a matt finish) does not work particularly well with a soft clay such as Mexican Terracotta due to the high porosity of the clay. Tile Doctor recommends that Terracotta in particular requires a regular top up of sealer in high traffic areas once or twice a year.

Maintenance Cleaning
Sealers will break down after 2-3 years (depending on usage and cleaning products used) so for regular cleaning use a sealer friendly cleaning product such as Neutral Tile Cleaner which has been especially formulated for the regular cleaning of Sealed Stone and Tile surfaces keeping them fresh with a pleasant lemon scent.

Efflorescence
Efflorescence problems usually occur when salts are in contact with the tile from an outside source. This is most evident in porous tiles such as Terracotta where the efflorescence can rise through. For example we have come across a number of jobs where the contractor has used a sand and cement mix with terracotta tiles and over a short period of time the salts that are evident in the sand and cement crystallise into the tile and a whitish bloom develops on the surface of the tile often cracking the sealer. If a cement based adhesive was used from a reputable tile shop this problem would never have occurred.
A solution of Grout Clean-up diluted with 3 parts water will ease the problem temporarily, but you will find in most cases the efflorescence will repeat itself until all the salt crystals have evaporated on the surface, and this can take several weeks in some instances. In worst case scenarios Tile Doctor has developed a new product called Acid Gel to combat efflorescence issues which is applied neat.