Quarry Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Quarry tiles carried out in Suffolk

Cleaning and Renovating Quarry Tiles

Quarry tiles are a classic hard wearing tile often utilised in high traffic areas such as reception areas, toilets and outdoor patio areas and porches. Although hard wearing Quarry tiles are often neglected and end up hidden under years of grime. If the tiles are structurally sound then often it’s just a question of deep cleaning to extract the dirt and then applying a sealer to enhance their appearance and protect them going forward.

For sealing we usually recommend Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works well on clay tiles such as Quarry and is also water based so doesn’t give off a smell as it dries. When applying a sealer always make sure the floors are dry first as applying a sealer to a damp floor can lead to inconsistent results. Because of this we usually clean and seal floors of this type over two days.

Other problems we face when restoring Quarry tiles usually relate to the removal of surface such as Tile Paint and Carpet Adhesive, for this we have a number of products and methods we can apply to remove coatings and restore the tile to its original appearance.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.


Quarry Tiled Floor Before After Cleaning Levington

Restorative Clean of an Old Quarry Floor in a Levington Gamekeepers Cottage

The Quarry Tiled Floor pictured below was located in a wood on the outskirts of the pretty coastal village of Levington, just East of Ipswich. The client had recently purchased this old Gamekeepers cottage and they were looking to redecorate and refurbish the property including the floors.

Quarry Tiled Floor Gamekeepers Cottage Before Cleaning Levington Quarry Tiled Floor Gamekeepers Cottage Before Cleaning Levington

The floors in the house were all very dirty and the new owners wanted them cleaned in time for Christmas. I visited site and conducted a demonstration on a small section of Quarry tiles which covered the whole of the ground floor. The demonstration went well, and the client was very pleased to see the kind of result they could expect. We agreed a price for the work and arranged a suitable time to return.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Floor

I knew from the age of the cottage it very unlikely to have a damp-proof membrane present under the floor so I had to consider damp and efflorescence issues could become factors during cleaning. Efflorescence occurs when salts trapped in water from the ground rise through the porous Quarry tiles and are left on the surface of the tile as white deposits when the moisture evaporates.

Before starting with the cleaning process, we set about taping up the wooden skirting and doorways to protect them. Then because of the lack of a DPM I decided to clean the floor with Tile Doctor Acid Gel which would require less water and counter any alkaline salts trapped in the floor. It was applied to the floor and then worked in using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The grout was then scrubbed by hand using a wire brush and the resultant slurry vacuumed using our wet vacuum.

Once I was satisfied the floor was as clean as possible the floor was rinsed with warm water using the least amount of water possible. This removed any trace of cleaning product and the floor then dried using the wet vacuum and microfibre cloths. The floor was then inspected, and any stubborn areas were spot treated before leaving the floor to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

The following morning, I conducted a damp test with a moisture meter to ensure the floor was dry enough to take a sealer. Sure enough, due to the cleaning method used, the floor was dry, and I was able to move on to applying the sealer which for this floor I used Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra.

I selected Seal & Go Extra as it has a special acrylic-based formula which allows moisture vapour transmission making it partially breathable and well suited for floors without a damp-proof membrane. This is important as to use non-breathable sealer can result in damp building up in the tiles and under the floor where it can cause damage and spread out to the walls resulting in rising damp. Six coats of sealer were applied to the Quarry tiles to ensure the floor was fully sealed and this left a nice low sheen finish.

Quarry Tiled Floor Gamekeepers Cottage After Cleaning Levington Quarry Tiled Floor Gamekeepers Cottage After Cleaning Levington

The clients were extremely happy with the result, as you can see from the the pictures the floor looked in much better condition.

For aftercare I recommended the use of the Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to keep the floor in the best condition and make maintenance easy for them. This would ensure the newly applied seal stayed put.

 

Professional Renovation of Quarry Tiled Flooring in Suffolk

Restorative Clean of an Old Quarry Floor in a Levington Gamekeepers Cottage Read More »

Victorian Floor Before After Cleaning

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration

This original Victorian quarry tiled floor was laid in the hallway of an old 1897 cottage dating back to built in the Norwich village of Great Melton. The owner was able to show me pictures from the early 1900s showing the then owner and the floor. It had been covered by carpet for several years and was covered in paint and other debris from the renovation work being carried out.

Victorian Floor Before Cleaning

Cleaning the Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor

You can see from the pictures above that the floor was in quite a state and it took a day to whole day to clean. The floor area was only around 6m2 but consumed two litres of Tile Doctor Remove & Go which is a very strong tiled floor stripper that will just about shift anything and a further 2 litres of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean getting it clean. Once that was done we washed down the floor to neutralise the floor and left it to dry so it could be sealed the next day

Victorian Floor Before Cleaning

Sealing the Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor

We returned the next day to seal the floor, for this we used four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which gives a nice low sheen finish and is recommended for these types of floor, one litre of sealer was sufficient to do the job. You can see a huge improvement from the photographs which clearly show a stunning transformation.

Victorian Floor After Cleaning and Sealing Victorian Floor After Cleaning and Sealing

 

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration Read More »

Quarry Tiled Floor Before After Restoration

Quarry tiled floor restoration in Ipswich

This old quarry tiled floor was in the dining room of a Victorian terrace house in central Ipswich, Suffolk. The tiled floor had been covered by carpet for the previous 12 years and the owner wanted it restoring back to its original condition.

Quarry Tile Cleaning

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration

The carpet backing had been glued to the quarry tiled floor and it took two days of hard graft using 2 litres of Remove & Go to remove the backing followed by 2 litres of Pro-Clean to clean up the tile. Once we had finished cleaning we washed down the floor to remove any remaining cleaning products and left it to dry overnight. We find a Wet and Dry Vacuum helps a lot when doing this; it’s a great tool for removing liquids from floors.

Quarry Tile Sealing

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration
We came back the next day and sealed the floor with five coats of Seal & Go, about 1 litre, which brought out the beauty in the floor, you can see the remarkable difference in the photographs.

Quarry Tile Floor Restoration in Ipswich

Quarry tiled floor restoration in Ipswich Read More »

Quarry Tile Flooring before after cleaning

Quarry Tile Flooring in Friston

Quarry Tile Floor in Friston

Details below of An 8m2 Quarry Tiled Floor in the kitchen of an old 18th century farm cottage in the village of Friston, which over time had lost its shine and become dull. This floor like a lot of floors we get asked to maintain had lost it’s sealer over the years and was in need of some Tile Doctor TLC.

Quarry Tile Flooring Before Cleaning Quarry Tile Flooring Before Cleaning
Quarry Tile Flooring Before Restoration

Quarry Tile Cleaning

The floor was thoroughly cleaned using 1 litre of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, a multi-purpose high-alkaline cleaner, degreaser and stripper created for use on most stone and ceramic tiles in use today. The tiled floor was left to dry overnight ready for sealing the next morning.

Quarry Tile Flooring After Cleaning Quarry Tile Flooring After Cleaning
Quarry Tile Flooring After Restoration

Quarry Tile Floor Sealing

The following day, the tiles were sealed with four coats of Seal & Go, a Tile Doctor product that provides a long lasting stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish. You can see the difference in the photographs.

Restoration of Quarry Tile Flooring in Friston, Suffolk

Quarry Tile Flooring in Friston Read More »

Quarry tiled floor before after

Diamond Laid Quary Tile Floor Restoration

Quarry Tile Floor in Bury St Edmunds

This 10m2 old quarry tiled floor laid in diamond pattern was in the hallway of a lovely thatched cottage, once part of the Hengrave Hall estate, had not been sealed for several years and was in need of restoration. Hengrave Hall itself is a Tudor mansion, located just north of Bury St Edmunds and in the heart of the picturesque village of Hengrave. It’s an imposing country mansion with beautiful gardens and offers a perfect venue for Weddings.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration
Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration

Cleaning the Quarry Tiled Floor

The floor was given a thorough clean using a litre of Tile Doctor Pro-clean which is a concentrated, multi-purpose high-alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser designed for use on Quarry Tiles and then left to dry overnight ready for sealing the next day.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration
Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration

Sealing the Quarry Tiled Floor

The next day we sealed the floor using 5 coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish; we found 1 litre of the product was sufficient for the job.

Quarry Tile Floor Restoration in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Diamond Laid Quary Tile Floor Restoration Read More »

=================================

Suffolk Tile Doctor

================================= Read More »

Scroll to Top