How To Seal Terracotta – Step By Step

122 Comment(s)

1. Keith Elms | Aug 24, 2009 | Reply

   I recently bought a property which has had terracotta tiles laid on the patio area. They have not been treated and I would like to paint them with masonary paint. Is this feasible?

2. Rosemary | Mar 8, 2010 | Reply

   I am renovating a very old terracotta tile floor in Italy. As I do not want a very shiny finish I was thinking of doing the linseed treatment, but your Seal & Finish Low Sheen sounds very attractive. Don’t suppose there is any chance that I can buy it here in Italy, or in France?

3. Ian Taylor | Mar 11, 2010 | Reply

   Hi Rosemary,

   Seal & Finish Low sheen is a great, low maintenance alternative to oil and wax (I do like oil and wax also, but there is more work involved both initially and ongloing). There are not distributors in either Italy or France at this time but there are several in the UK who can ship to you, and also in Germany. if you send me an email I can put you in touch.

   Ian

4. Marshall Spevak | May 28, 2010 | Reply

   I stripped, sanded and cleaned with a brillo type green scrubby our satillo tile. I also sanded the grout until it was white. It got pretty wet. My wife wanted to seal it within a day and did. I noticed some of the sealer in the grout was wet after everything else was dry and some of the grout was dark like it was still wet under the sealer. How long should I wait for the tile and grout to dry before I seal. Thanks.

5. Ian Taylor | Jun 1, 2010 | Reply

   Hi, drying times can depend on the sealer and a number of other things, he porosity of the grout and the temperature and humidity of the room etc. But the grout wants to be as dry as possible. If you can get a damp meter, you should be looking for the scale to be showing less than 10 to 15% moisture content, or be in the ‘green’ section. If your sealer is a good quality one then it may be breathable and the grout should dry out anyway, it may just take a little longer.

   Hope this helps

   Ian

6. Sona | Jul 14, 2010 | Reply

   Hi, I am from South Africa and do not suppose that I will find your products here, but if you could assist me with some knowledge I’ll appreciate. I recently installed some Mexican terracotta tiles in my kitchen area. When buying the tiles, I was told to seal it with a mixture of raw linseed oil and terpentyne (a paint thinner). When I asked “how much?” I was told “till it is full”. The tiles now have 4 layers of this mixture on and I added 5 more in an area where I want to place the kitchen units just to give the tiles some form of protection underneath the units. I can see that it is not nearly “full” yet, but I also do not know WHEN it will be “full”.
   Unfortunately I only decided this morning to learn a bit about this before continuing.

   My questions:
   1. what will the tiles look like and do when it is “full” so I know when to stop? Currently it looks like I am going to need about a cup full of the mixture per tile?
   2. should it be raw or boiled linseed oil and what is the difference?
   3. Can I switch halfway to a commercial sealant?

7. Sona | Jul 14, 2010 | Reply

   Last question: I like and want the dark colour the oil gives. So can one use the oil and then use a commercial sealer instead of wax?

8. Ian Taylor | Jul 14, 2010 | Reply

   Hi Sona,

   There are a few questions there:

   How do you know when it is ‘full’ ?- basically the tile will stop taking in any more oil. The best thing to do is to apply the oil , allow it to penetrate, then rub it in well and be very careful to remove all excess BEFORE it dries – this is just like using an impregnating sealer.

   Then, leave it for a while, I would suggest at least one hour but preferably longer, this is to allow it to set and harden, if you keep pouring more oil in while the last coat is still wet, all you do is push it deeper into the tile.
   At some point, and I would think you must be very close to that now, the oil will will not soak in any longer, when you pour some on, it will sit on the surface and not darken it any further. If you leave too much oil on the surface it will dry as crystals – a bit like how honey goes wh it gets old – you would need to carefully scrape this syrupy residue off with a plastic scraper.

   Raw or boiled? – not sure I fully appreciate the difference, but typically, in the UK at least we use boiled. From my experience boiled is relatively easy to use and does not normally require any additional thinners. However I would not change halfway though.

   I would not add more in the kitchen areas, if you do it will look darker. I would treat all areas the same, when it is fully sealed, it is fully sealed, period.

   Regarding your last two questions, no, I would not switch, you will not easily remove the oil now that you have started, and as you like the shade it gives why bother?

   We have had some success in using a modern wax alternative as the top coat/polish instead of using natural wax.

   The oil gives the tile its colour and deep stain protection, the wax gives it a surface coat and shine. Normally wax like beeswax is used over the oil. The Oil wax look is very appealing as it adds rich warm tones and can look nicer and nicer with age. However, it is a lot harder to maintain than a synthetic coating. You could finish the oil phase, let it completely set for a day or so, then try something like Aqua Mix Floor Shine & Hardener – a high solids, acrylic polish – easy to apply as it is water based, add as many coats as you like, the more the shinier. As it wears just top it up.

   With wax, you first have to apply the number of coats to give the desired finish, then the wax needs to be buffed, preferably by machine. Then almost immediately, it starts to wear and dulls down. You can top up the wax, just like FS&H but you have to buff each time. After a while (a number of top ups) the wax builds up to a sticky layer which can attract dirt and the floor then starts to deteriorate in appearance, (getting darker and grimy). This necessitates stripping back the wax, (as far as but not including the oil) and starting again.

   There was a supplier for Aqua Mix in SA, but I am not sure he is still operating – I will check and come back to you though.

   Hope that helps

   Ian

9. George | Jul 19, 2010 | Reply

   Hi, about 4 months ago we put terracota on our fence walls but we were reccommended to use a mix of cement and sand as the grout. Well, the cement has make the terracota color very dull. I used a product called LPC-85 and some color is back. I haven’t finnished the whole fence because instructions says that terracota has to stay wet for 5 minutes which is pretty hard since it absorbs the liquid almost right away. I want to know if you have any advice in what I’ve done already or whatever is ahead to bring back the color and to seal them after. I haven’t looked for your Seal & Finish Low Sheen product here in Panama (Central America)but first I would like to read your advice.

10. George | Jul 19, 2010 | Reply

    P.D.
    LPC-85 is an acid solution that acts as a cleaner before using any sealers. Its main ingredients are hydrocloric acid 20%, phosphoric acid, nonionic surfactant.

11. Ian Taylor | Jul 19, 2010 | Reply

    Hi George,

    OK, clearly you have cement bluhm or haze. This has happened because you have grouted the terracotta without sealing (at least that is what I am guessing). That cleaner is pretty aggressive so be careful, anything that contains hydrochloric acid should be used with caution. It will also lighten the colour of the grout, so if it is a dark colour, it will be lighter after you acid clean it.

    Regarding keeping the tile wet for 5 minutes: firstly I would recommend pre-wetting the surface – really saturate the tiles with water (this may kick off some efflorescence but that can’t be avoided at this stage), this will mean that the tiles do not suck the acid cleaner in straight away, and so help keep the cleaner where it is needed, at the surface.

    Also, put the acid in a spray bottle and keep spraying it over the the 5 minutes (where suitable protective clothing of course!). Then scrub or agitate the tile with a scrubbing brush or pad. Rinse down and repeat – maybe a couple more times. This may be a slow process but there is no real alternative.

    Also, I guess it gets pretty hot where you live, so do this early in the morning or late in the evening.

    Regarding the sealers, I am not sure what is available in your region, but there was a distributor for Aqua Mix in Mexico: http://www.aquamix.com.mx/aqua_van.htm

    hope that helps

    Ian

12. Sarita | Jul 31, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,
    thanks for so generously sharing your expertise, I appreciate it.

    I want to find a solution for my elderly parents, who many years ago had a terracotta floor laid in their kitchen with no seal (disaster!). The tiles are large, mid-coloured yellowy-orange, and show EVERY mark of food, oil etc. My 81 year old mother regularly martyrs herself scrubbing these off which kills her back, and it’s a crazy situation, perpetuated by the days and days of drying time that the process of cleaning and sealing the floors would apparently take. On poshfloors’ website they say 3-4 days in one para and 10 days in another. 3-4 days, well, maybe I could arrange to be here while they go away; but 10 days – forget it. My father is too unwell to be away for that long.

    The tiles are currently rather patchy looking s there are big bleached-out marks where my mother has scrubbed them with HG Cleaner; and still some residual oil stains here and there (in the middle of the bleach marks, often! nicely highlighted ).

    Is there any solution other than getting them deep cleaned, with a long drying time, then sealed?
    How long a drying time should I estimate?
    And how long would you guess the seal would take to apply & dry? (its a largish kitchen and there’s a small hallway and small utility room which are also tiled)

    Can the floor be walked on at all while it’s drying? Or is there too big a danger of marks?
    I presume you can’t walk on the seal while it’s drying?

    I ask now as my folks have just gone away for 5-7 days (depending on weather) to Wales… so perhaps I could just get this done while they’re gone!!

    The only thing to mention is that the resulting floor seal mustn’t be slippery (my father is very unsteady on his feet.)

    Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this,

    Sarita

13. Ian Taylor | Aug 2, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Sarita,

    OK, quite a few issues there!

    First of all, I sympathise with your situation as unsealed terracotta is not the easiest thing to live with in a kitchen, for anyone, let alone someone getting a little elderly.

    There is no quick fix I am afraid, but regarding the drying times, there are things that can be done. The issue of drying times really comes form the traditional type of sealing, using oils and or solvents – you simply cannot put a oil based treatment or some of the older solvents onto a floor with any moisture – it won’t let the the oils/solvents into the tile so you get a blotchy look and also other weird effects like the sealers going cloudy etc. Modern water based systems are not immune to these issues but are a bit more forgiving.

    There are other issues such as efflorescence (whitish cloudy effect resulting from wetting the floor and bringing soluble minerals and salts out of the installation). This can take a few days to materialize, if indeed it is going to at all so to seal too soon can cause problems.

    So, you must still aim for as dry a floor as possible but you may not have to wait anything like 10 days. First of all, there are things you can do to minimize the amount of water left to dry out. For example, borrowing/hiring a wet vac during the deep clean will remove much of the water (this is also the most effective way to clean and rinse anyway). Then you can take measures to accelerate the drying out of the floor afterwards, open windows and doors, place a large fan to move the air through the room, even hire a space heater. In this way you may get back to a substantially dry floor within 2 days. You can hire a moisture metre to check it, if it is in the green zone then it would certainly be OK for modern water based systems (less than 10% moisture content)

    Removing the deeper set oil stains may not be as easy, you may need a poultice for that – and that process itself can take 24 to 48 hours. Any tiles where you intensely spot treat with a poultice may be even more wet than the surrounding one, but a decorator’s heat-gun, or even careful use of a hair dryer can quickly dry out one or two tiles.

    Can you walk on them when they are drying? – Sure, as long as your feet/shoes are clean and dry there will be no problem, the vicious circle happens when you clean, then whilst waiting to dry, you walk dirt back into the floor – so take care to be clean whilst it is drying and no problem, just a quick brush or sweep before sealing will be fine. Maybe you have a couple of spots to clean, well a quick wipe with a damp cloth should be OK and that will dry out in minutes.

    So, in your situation now I would first do a thorough deep clean, (not got room to go into that here, but I have posted about this before) using say, Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner.

    Then start the drying process off, however you can, and attend to any remaining spot stains with the poultice (follow instructions on the tub). Check the poultie 24 hours later and repeat if necessary – in the mean time the rest of the floor should now be dry.

    When you are ready to seal I would suggest that you use something like Seal & Finish Low Sheen – it is much easier to maintain than oil and wax, as detailed in the article and also the article from March has a video showing exactly the steps to take.

    Regarding slip resistance – this is a whole other issue. There is no easy answer to this except to say there are a lot of myths – floors are most slippery when they are wet, and or contaminated with slippery liquids like oil and grease. The unsealed terracotta is about as slip resistant as it can be – as long as it is clean and dry. Adding a coating sealer like seal & finish low sheen will actually not affect the dry slip resistance of the floor (in fact in some instances it temporarily improves it) but when it is wet it is a different matter as any coating will keep the water or grease at the surface so it is bound to have an effect, reducing the slip resistance of the floor (again, you are slipping on the water, not the sealer but the sealer has stopped the water from soaking into the tile). However the amount of difference it makes is not huge and may still be more than acceptable – the key is good house keeping and keeping the floor clean and dry. A waxed floor would be worse, so too can any other hard floor surface.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

14. Ian Taylor | Aug 2, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Frank,

    I’m afraid that as I am based in the UK, I have no idea what the quality of porcelain is like at the store you mention. My advice would be to go and ask them for a sample of the one you like and let the contractor see it. Maybe do some testing, see if there is a wax coating that is hard to remove, try a marker pen to see if it leaves a stain etc – do this before making your buying decision.

    Hope that helps

    Ian

15. Phil | Aug 30, 2010 | Reply

    Hi
    I have heard that you can add beeswax to the linseed oil whilst boiling. Is this correct? If so, what mix propostions would you recommend?

16. Ian Taylor | Aug 31, 2010 | Reply

    Hi,

    I have not heard that one! So I cannot tell you what proportions – The thing is, terracotta has been around for so long now, centuries really, so of course there are many many different variations on how to treat it, different Tilers have developed their own methods over the years.

    I would have to ask what benefit there is in adding wax to the oil? Also, most of the Tilers in the UK would buy ready – prepared Boiled Linseed Oil – I do not know of anyone here who would ‘boil their own’ – but I could be wrong. The most popular way seems to be; pre-seal with Boiled Linseed (usually several coats) then after grouting and drying, finish off with beeswax, (or some paste wax) sometimes thinned with a spirit.

    Ian

17. Pat Carey | Aug 31, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,
    Have read your blog with interest and as you seem to be very knowledgeable on the subject of terra cotta tiles we hope that you can help.
    In June of this year we had a large room tiled with 40 cm sq. terra cotta tiles in a house in south west France. The tiler laid the tiles with adhesive rather than mortar. As a result he advised that he could clean the floor with a diluted acid mixture within one week and that we could oil the floor one week later.
    This we did and put on 4 coats of a linseed oil and turpentine mix. After the 3rd coat marks began to develop which were very clearly sponge marks from the cleaning solution and foot prints of the workmen who laid/cleaned the tiles.
    The supplier of the tiles says that the cleaning should not have been done for several weeks after laying to allow an efflorescence of salts to come out of the tiles but also says that the tiles can be cleaned using a machine. They have now been left for 2 months since the 4th coat of oil and the markings remain quite clear. I am concerned that the brush and foot marks are now imprinted in the tiles by the 4 coats of oil/turps.
    Can you advise if you think it is at all possible that the tiles can be cleaned back to their original state?
    We would really appreciate your advice on this as it looks as if it may be a very costly mistake.

    Pat

18. Ian Taylor | Sep 1, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Pat,

    Sorry to hear about this; OK, I would agree that using adhesive in place of mortar would speed up the process as there is far less water involved in the installation, so drying and curing times would be faster. It would also hopefully be slightly less prone to efflorescence. I think I would have left it perhaps a little longer than a week before using a cement remover/acid cleaner – 10 days say to give the cement in the grout enough time to fully cure.

    If efflorescence had come out then you would have seen it as a greyish white couldy or powdery secretion – you may still get some yet. However It does not sound like the problem here.

    Given you can see the foot prints and sponge marks after some coats of oil, it suggests to me that the cleaning of the cement residue was in sufficient. Where there is still some film of cement residue, the foot prints for example, then the oil will not penetrate the tiles so you will see the tile around the print taking-on more colour with each application while the ‘print’ area will remain unchanged – so the print or sponge mark acts like a stencil in negative – hope that made sense.

    If I am right then this could be good news – in that in theory at least, if we can move the remaining cement, then that ought to allow more oil in and although you may not get 100% even colour – you should be able to get a bit more oil in to even it up a bit and reduce the impact of the stains.

    Try some more of your acidic cleaner – just on the marks – I suggest you try to use a cleaner based on phosphoric, not hydrochloric acid. Try a splash neat on the worst footprint if you get no fizzing, then either the oil is covering and protecting the cement, or it is not cement. You may need to use a stripper – a solvent like turpentine or acetone to remove the oil you have put over the stain (I doubt you would be able to remove all the oil you have put into the tile, but where the marks are, the oil will, in theory at least, be on top of the cement residue, so you ought to be able to take that of to expose the cement).

    Then follow the instructions on your cement remover and try to remove as much as possible. If you are successful you should be able to get some more oil into the tile to even out the colour.

    If this does not work then I am not sure what else you could try – hope this helps

    Ian

19. Pat Carey | Sep 1, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    Thank you for your prompt reply – it is extremely kind of you to take the time to give us your advice/suggestions.
    I think you are probably correct about the stencil effect with regard to the sponge marks. It appears as if either the cement residue was not properly cleaned off or possibly the product used for cleaning was not properly rinsed off and is now resisting the oil. (After another consultation this morning with the tiler we now know he did not use acid but some ‘special’ terra cotta cleaner which he bought in a tile shop.) However the reverse seems to be the case with the foot prints. They were there before the cleaning and seem to have absorbed more of the oil than the surrounding surfaces.
    We will try the phosphoric acid and/or stripper suggestion.
    Thank you again, we really do appreciate your help and we now feel more knowledgeable in discussing it with the tiler.

    Pat.

20. julia | Sep 2, 2010 | Reply

    Hi there,

    can you advise us on the best way to restore our terracotta kitchen floor? It was originally sealed with linseed oil and regularly waxed with a very effective product that we bought from a specialist shop some fourteen years ago (sadly, now out of business—can’t remember what the product was called, alas). This served us well for many years, but since we ran out of this particular product, we have been polishing the tiles with beeswax — albeit not as regularly as we used to — but as a result the floor is now showing oils stains and is manifestly vulnerable to accidental splashes of kitchen cleaner at the hands of out somewhat slapdash cleaners! Apart from getting more efficient cleaners, what would you suggest we do to get the lustre and patina back on our floor (i.e. having thoroughly removed the dirt and wax from the floor, do we have to start from scratch with a linseed oil seal? Is beeswax the only polish you would recommend?) Basically, how do we deal with the unsightly oil stains and bleach spots?

    Much obliged,

    Julia Coster-Longman

21. Ian Taylor | Sep 3, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Julia,

    The first thing to say is that whilst oil and wax finishes on terracotta have some benefits – they have a ‘warmth’ that is hard to recreate with synthetic finishes. One of their problems has always been that, no matter how good the maintenance, or the care and love lavished upon them, sooner or later the wax builds up, starts to get a bit sticky attracts dirt etc, or the initially enthusiastic care and maintenance wains and the wax is allowed to diminish and the floor becomes more vulnerable to staining. Either way the floors reach a point where they have to be stripped back. Splashing bleach and other strong cleaners on the floor will also remove the wax in those areas – so tell the cleaners to open their bottles somewhere else.

    However, usually it is only the wax that we are stripping, it is impractical to try to get the oil out. So typically the wax is stripped with either high alkali cleaners or solvent based strippers (depending on the condition and thickness of the wax), in doing so one would hope and expect to remove much if not all of any staining that had got through. The bleach marks should also go as they are really areas where the wax has already been stripped. When rinsed and thoroughly dry (drying may take some days) the wax is reapplied, several coats, and then buffed to the required finish.

    I would try stripping with something like Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner, (at say 1:2 with water) as it does sound as though the wax has been allowed to diminish. If on the other hand the wax is thick, hardened and tough, you would need a stripper like Sealer & Coating Remover – this is a different process (there is a video elsewhere in the blog). Hiring a rotary machine with brush head along with a separate wet-vac would be a great help in this. Once the floor has been well rinsed and allowed to dry out you can reapply your wax. There may be other alternatives to the brand of beeswax you are using, or you could consider going to a synthetic coating – most of these are removable with alkaline cleaners so if you did not like the look you could go back to waxing quite easily.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

22. julia | Sep 6, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    thank you so much for your extremely helpful advice. The floor is already looking tons better and will henceforward receive the TLC that it has been crying out for.

    Much obliged,

    Julia

23. Callum | Sep 8, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    I’ve recently had spanish terracotta fitted in my kitchen and have sealed it with a natural finish floor sealer. Unfortunately it seems to have dulled abit, going from a nice varied red to pink, and I wondered if you had any suggestions on how I could restore some colour back in the stone and increase protection also (especially in areas like around the hob)? I don’t want it to appear glossy however, a more matt finish is preferable. Also, if you were to suggest a product I could possibly use to achieve the above, would I have to strip the existing product off the tiles before applying the new product?

    Thanks for you help!

    Callum.

24. stuart | Sep 20, 2010 | Reply

    Hi There. I have been asked to lay a floor with reclaimed terracotta 180×180 tiles. The customer would also like me to clean them once i have fitted the tiles. I would be grateful if you can tell me if my process is suitable. 1) fix the tiles. 2) clean tiles with turpentine and allow to dry overnight.3)seal tiles with a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine approx 75% linseed 25% turpentine. 4)grout with 2-1 silversand and cement.5)seal with linseed oil again and then finally coat with beeswax. I have been taught this method from a well experienced tiler. Any comments would be most helpfull. Thanks Stuart

25. Ian Taylor | Sep 21, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Stuart,

    Seems like a reasonable plan. If you have been taught this method by an experienced tiler then that speaks volumes – he would not keep doing something that did not work. But it makes me wonder how much of this type of work you have done? Not doubting your abilities for a moment but messing about with spirits and linseed oil is not an ‘easy’ job for the uninitiated.

    I would certainly ask your customer to allow you to do a sample area, see if you can determine how easy the tiles are going to be to clean, and they re-finish using your method, BEFORE you commit to the entire job. This way they get to see what the tiles are going to look like and you both know what to expect – you set the standard that both parties agree to before commencing. This way, they are happy and you get paid.

    Will the turps clean the old tiles? – don’t know, I used turps one (or turpentine substitute) and it removed a top coat no problem – but it also stained the stone itself, due to its oily nature, and that was harder to remove than the coating. Again, all the more reason to do a test, you may find you have to use a mixture of strippers and or alkaline cleaners.

    I doubt you will remove all the linseed oil, if in-deed that is what is in them. I can’t say for sure how much new linseed you will get into the tile, this will depend on what was in them to begin with – Again, the test will help here.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

26. stuart | Sep 21, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian thanks for the advice,i have done about six floors but never a reclaimed floor. I have brought a tile back and have just coated it with turpentine and agitated it with a an emulsifing pad. It has brought some of the old wax off but not a huge amount. It also soaked in to the tile which makes me think that it has not had much sealing in the past. I am going to try and seal it with linseed oil and turpentine and then wax it and show the customer. Thanks

27. Elizabeth Camera | Sep 24, 2010 | Reply

    I have a reclaimed french terra cotta tile floor that is 150 years old. It was installed 2 years ago & hired a terra cotta floor pro in my area to finish it. He used varathane 350 vos floor strength, 2 coats to seal it. The tiles are now peeling in about 25% of the floor and the raw tile underneath is exposed. The contractor that laid the floor used Bellinzoni Super Seal to seal the floor, but it was still porous. The terra cotta floor pro used the varathane on top & now after 2 years, the peeling is getting worse.

    Is it possible to buff/sand the varathane off the top of the floor, re-seal with the Bellinzoni & apply beeswax without damaging the tile? Or is there another method?

    Thank you for your help.

28. Ian Taylor | Sep 24, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Elizabeth,

    I am not familiar with those two products but a quick check online tells me something. First of all, the Bellinzoni appears to be a mixture of waxes and oils dispersed in a solvent – so it kind of does the job that linseed oil does, acts as a pre sealer and stains/darkens the terracotta to give it its warmth and depth of colour. The varathane on the other hand I am less sure about but seems to be a polyurethane coating.

    If this is the case then it is totally the wrong product to put on terracotta – so much for your terracotta pro. This type of product is more suited to wood like a varnish, for sports floors etc – at least, as far as I can tell – I stand to be corrected. This type of product will peel, exactly as you have described, it would have peeled anyway in my opinion, but given it was applied over the Bellinzoni, which would naturally want to repel it to some degree, it is hardly surprising.

    You will have to strip off the varathane using a solvent, like Sealer and Coating Remover – and, depending on the thickness, number of layers etc, you may need more than one application. Check out our article on “How to remove a coating Sealer”.

    Once you have done this, you may need to reapply a top up coat of the Bellinzoni. Then when that is dry, sure you can use a beeswax type top coat. There are other methods and synthetic products, but as these tiles have the Bellinzoni already – I would stick with that and wax.

    Hope that helps
    Ian.

29. Chrissy | Sep 30, 2010 | Reply

    Dear Ian,

    My husband and I recently bought an old farmhouse and shipped some reclaimed antique french terracotta tiles over to the U.S. from Europe to be installed in our kitchen. They arrived in crates and are/were incredibly dirty. Covered in cement dust, and marked with green moss and dirt. My husband and I spent three days lightly power washing off all the dust and dirt. We laid them out on tarps to dry in the sun. The tile layer has been installing the tile the last two days, I have been sorting the tiles for him by hand. However I have not been there every second having to run in and out for tiles, and he placed a few with dark spots, is it possible to still remove the spots without removing the tile? There appears to be no finish on the tiles at all.
    We would like to use the boiled linseed and turpentine mixture followed by two or three coats of wax (buffed in between). My questions are, how long do we wait till be seal the tiles with the turpentine and boiled linseed oil mixture? I want to make sure all of the moisture is out of the tiles, the have been exposed to a lot of water with the power washing and the mortar mixture is also water based. And do we need to also use 1/3 turpentine to 2/3 boiled linseed oil if the linseed oil is boiled? And lastly, we were told to use butchers wax. It is in a tin and is the consistency of shoe polish, it can be scooped out with a cloth and is medium in hardness. Will this work as well as beeswax as long as we buff it in between each coat?
    Please advise, we want to make sure we don’t make mistakes.

    Thanks much!

    Chrissy

30. Ian Taylor | Sep 30, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Chrissy,

    Regarding cleaning the spots? – It will depend on what the dirt is and how deep it is. You could try deep cleaning with an alkaline cleaner, such as Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner by Aqua Mix – you are in the US so you should be able to get those products easy enough. First pre-wet the tile all around but not on the spots, then mix some HDT&GC with warm water about 1:3. Apply to the spot and leave for about 15 minutes, making sure it does not dry out (keep adding more). Then scrub lightly with a scrub pad and absorb the liquid with a cotton or paper towel. Rinse with cleaner water and absorb again. Let it dry out and see if it made any difference, if it did but not 100% then repeat the procedure.

    If this does not work you could try a poultice (again Aqua Mix have one) – but this works only with stains that are mobile – so general dirt, or oily stains can be retrieved this way, resins that may have ‘set’ usually cannot. I would try these two things first before considering removing the tiles.

    Regarding the oil and wax – I have said many times that there are various thoughts on this, it seems every experienced terracotta installer has his or her own preference but to my knowledge, it is not a given that you need to thin boiled linseed oil with turps. It will depend on the viscosity of the oil and the porosity of the terracotta. So, the thing to do would be to do a test – presumably you have some spare tiles still out side? – Try some without thinning, see if it penetrates and cleans up OK. Try some with the turps and see if it helps, or if it makes it too thin at the end of the day it [turps] is only being used as a ‘thinner’ to facilitate the penetration of the oil. I have used un-thinned boiled linseed oil of some terracotta no problem.

    As for the wax? – if it is soft enough to rub into the tile evenly and be buffed up OK then it should be fine – again, try a test over the oiled samples once they are dry. On big job sites Architects will often demand testing of a specification on sample panels before proceeding with the job for real – it helps to identify problems before doing the job for real and thus you can modify the system for best results.

    Regarding the moisture levels; Oil and water do not mix – the tiles must be near as possible 100% dry. This could take several days or even a couple of weeks in some situations- the best thing to do is hire a moisture meter and take some readings all over the floor.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

31. Philip Godfrey | Oct 2, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    I have read your blogg with interest. I have a slight variation on the cases discussed above. A new terracotta floor laid, grouted, cleaned with acid and then coated with 3 coats of linseed/wax/turps mix as advised by the tiler. Looks OK but 2 problems.

    First is sealing is not very effective and cooking oil/tea etc stains are rapidly accumulating. Is it best to simply clean these and apply more of same treatment or perhaps simply to wax a few times or is a different approach called for. The floor does seem to have a little residual porosity ie water will soak in a bit after 5 mins.

    Second is a bit of white bloom that appeared in low spots during treatment, not a major problem but wondered how to get rid of it.

    Many thanks

    Phil

32. Richard Hicks | Oct 13, 2010 | Reply

    Hi there

    I have just laid unsealed spanish handmade terracotta tile in the kitchen. Do you recommend I go for the aqua mix sealers choice gold or will the seal and finish low sheen suffice. There’s a big price difference. I have two small children and expect a few spills and want the best stain resistance. I want a to finish with the floor shine and hardener for the high gloss finish as you recommend

    Richard

33. Ian Taylor | Oct 14, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Richard,

    Floor Shine & Hardener is really best applied over Seal & Finish Low sheen, they are both topical coatings. If you want this type of high gloss finish that is easier to maintain than the traditional oil and wax then going for this system would be my choice. Make sure you put sufficient coats of Seal & Finish before applying any floor shine & harderner – it may take 4 or more coats, when you think you have done enough, allow it to dry completely and do a water drop test, add another coat if water gets in really quickly.

    Ian

34. Ian Taylor | Oct 14, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Philip,

    The idea is that the oil forms the seal and the wax is the top coat. The top coat will wear, scuff, go dull, get dirty etc- it is wax after all (think of your shoes, you put wax polish on them frequently right? – one initial application of wax won’t stay looking good for weeks on end). If you are getting stains, that is deep stains getting through the wax and into the tile, then you may not have sufficient oil in them – in which case use a high alkaline stripper to remove the wax and top up the oil. If it is just the wax absorbing oily dirt you may still have to strip the wax and re-apply – you will need to do this from time to time.

    Keeping it clean is the key, get the right amount on the tiles to begin with then buff them to a high shine, then use a neutral cleaner as you are. When it dulls, top up the wax, but if it gets really dirty – use a high alkaline cleaner (just not to stripping strength this time)- this will bring some of the wax off, maybe even all of it – so worst case it you have to re wax again.

    Re the white bloom, hard to say without seeing it but sounds like efflorescence, normally acids are used to remove this but remember it has come up through the tile, oil and wax so you would certainly have to remove the wax to be able to do anything about this. You might also have an issue with too much moisture in the tiles before the oil was applied. This would require stripping the oil back with a solvent, then re-applying it when dry.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

35. Chrissy | Oct 26, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    Thank you so much for your advice with cleaning our tiles. We ended up using a muriatic acid/water mixture to clean the tiles- they look great! And they are really dry now and ready to be oiled. I am going to apply the first coat of oil over the next day or so. How long must I wait to apply the second and third coats? Must I wait a day in between or may I just continue the boiled linseed oil application an hour or so after the first coat? And how do I know when the tiles are adequately saturated?

    I am going to do some samples but want to make sure there is enough oil before we apply the wax.

    Please advise.

    Thank you,

    Chrissy

36. Ian Taylor | Oct 27, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Chrissy,

    I am not sure I ever recommended using muriatic acid anywhere! – but glad it worked out.

    If you are happy that the tiles are now ready to oil then ok, I don’t think you need to wait a day between coats, maybe more than an hour though, it will all depend on conditions at the time. The main thing is to let it dry so as the next coat sits on top of the first, not just blend with it. At some point after 2 or more coats the tile will stop take in any more oil in – it will not seem to absorb, but rather sit on the surface much longer. If it is not absorbed after say 15 minutes, wipe it off – you are done. Make sure the surface is left absolutely dry with no lingering wet oil (which will only go tacky and may even crystallize like old honey). Then leave it at least a day before aplying the wax.

    Good luck

    Ian

37. laura | Oct 29, 2010 | Reply

    hello i wonder if you can help me ,what is the best way to strip my terracotta tiles, so i can start again as the tiler messed the finish up

38. Ian Taylor | Oct 29, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Laura,

    Ok well you need a chemical stripper – can be a bit messy but no alternative really. This post should help.

    Ian

39. laura | Oct 29, 2010 | Reply

    what type of chemical cleaner is best

40. Ian Taylor | Nov 4, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Laura,

    Ok, there are several on the market, moslty solvent based. Something like Sealer and Coating Remover would be my choice

41. lisa prior | Nov 25, 2010 | Reply

    Hello .I have recently bought a house with terracotta floors . I am not sure what they were sealed with .I believe it was linseed oil . However there are several oil mark and grubby stains on the floor . Could you please tell me how to refresh them (I have never done terracotta tiles before ) .Do I need to strip them back completely and if so does that mean beginning again with coats of linseed ? I have been told to use turpentine 100% strength but I am concerned that I may damage the floor. I see from your previous comments you recommend wax … can you please suggest a brand that I may purchase in the Uk.Also can one use an invisible sealer like one would use on travertine or not ? Many thanks . Lisa

42. Ian Taylor | Nov 26, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Lisa,

    Terracotta floors can be a nightmare. The oily marks are in the tile because there was either insufficient linseed oil and wax on the floor, or it was fine to begin with but has not been well looked after and the ‘seal’ maintained. You ought to be able to make improvements by conducting a deep clean. I would start with a high alkaline cleaner designed for tiles such as Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner, I have posted extensively on how to do this (plus the instructions are on the bottle). This will take off any thin remaining wax plus the build up of dirt and should make some impact on the oil stains. However it may not remove them altogether, for this you may need to use a poultice, and or a solvent. If you use a solvent such as Sealer and Coating remover then it will cut back the linseed oil a little but not remove it completely.

    If you are successful and remove the stains (or diminish them substantially) you will probably wish to top up the oil (no point switching to a synthetic impregnating sealer now). A thin coat of boiled linseed oil (which can be thinned with say 50:50 white spirit) can be applied using a mini roller. Make sure it all soaks in within about 15 minutes, buff dry any remaining after that time. Let it dry over night and then start to build up your wax layers again for the shine/polish There are various brands some are more liquid, some are in paste form. Just read the label and check they are suitable for terracotta.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

43. Richard Hicks | Nov 27, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian

    Thanks for your initial advice on sealing my new spanish terracotta tiles…however, I’ve come unstuck on the aesthetic! The floor has had 2 coats of aquamix floor sealer and low sheen finish with a top coat of floor hardener and high shine. My problem is that the tiles look too pale and pink, and not the deep warm colours I anticipated. Is there anything I can do to add warmth and depth to the floor at this point. I really don’t want to go to the lengths of sanding, the tiles are all quite individual, some even have handprints! I’m feeling fed up and a little low. It’s taken me much time and money to get to this point and instead of feeling proud pleased and proud, I’m just disappointed

    There’s a lesson here I’m sure for everyone…test, test and test

    Richard

44. Ian Taylor | Nov 27, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Richard,

    OK, that is disappointing, especially as it sounds as if you did a god job as well. Only way to get some colour in is to strip off the sealers you have put on I’m afraid, but this does not mean sanding; you would need to strip using a sealer stripper. I did an article on it with a video demonstration here: http://www.tileandstoneblog.co.uk/stripping/how-to-strip-a-coating-sealer/

    Once you get back to the bare tile you have two options, 1) an enhancing sealer such as Enrich n Seal -but with this approach you won’t be able to out a gloss polish on after, so it will have the depth of colour you are after but zero shine. Or, 2) the traditional oil and wax approach.

    You would have to strip the coatings off, rinse well, allow it to thoroughly dry out (usually several days, keeping it clean in the process). Then apply boiled linseed oil, (may need thinning with spirit), use a mini roller, remove any remaining oil that is still wet on the surface after about 15 minutes (rub it dry and to a mat look with a towel for example), let it dry. Then repeat, may need several coats before no more oil will penetrate the tile. Then leave the oil to dry thoroughly before applying a top wax. This will give you more maintenance than the synthetic route, but it will also give you the colour you are after.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

45. Richard Hicks | Nov 27, 2010 | Reply

    Thanks for the rapid response and reply…sounds a big job. May leave this until after Christmas to avoid upheaval over the festive period. will take the time to look at the video.

    Best wishes and thanks again
    Richard

46. susan gray | Nov 28, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Iain,
    Very interesting reading, laid unsealed italian terracotta floor year ago and sealed with synthetic sealer and now needs renewing, so to be clear you re recommending aquamix seal and finish low sheen and after what do you recommend as a cleaner. Currently using stoneguard and have found only way to really maintain is hands and knees twice a week! Thinking must be an easier way…thanks susan

47. susan gray | Nov 28, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    Forgot to ask how long would I need to give it to dry if used the aquamix seal and finish. Kitchen warm as has a range in it for heating.

    Thanks Susan

48. Ian Taylor | Nov 29, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Susan,

    For what we call routine maintenance, whether it is daily or weekly or whatever, we suggest a neutral, mild detergent. If you have used Seal & Finish Low Sheen, or any brand of topical coating, then any high alkaline detergent is going to have an impact on that coating, certainly dullling it, but possibly even stripping it altogether. The problem with detergents right off the shelf in the supermarkets etc is that they are often very high alkalines. So use something like Concentrated Stone and Tile Cleaner by Aqua Mix, or a similar product from another brand. You should not need to do a hands and knees job on every occasion, get a good mop and bucket, one that is realy good at removing the water.

    If you are topping up Seal & Finish Low Sheen, it could take up to an hour to dry

    Kind regards

    Ian

49. lisa prior | Dec 4, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Ian ,Thanks for your advise.Please can you name a couple of products that are used to build up the wax layer as I am clueless . Just making sure that the advise given applies to mexican terracotta as well (when I posted my question in Nov ,I had no idea there was a difference.Thanks
    Lisa

50. David | Jan 9, 2011 | Reply

    Ian,

    Firstly congrats on creating this meeting place/forum for those of us baffled by terracotta sealing options.

    We had some new terracotta tiles laid in our place in Italy last year. We were told some sort of invisible.. sealant had been used as we requested a matt finish. After using the place in the summer there are a number of marks on the floor (some left by insects we had squashed) and I brought in the geometra who had organised the work who recommended we seal using a wax based sealant.

    Having read all the downsides on using the traditional approach, however, I have purchased around 30 lites of a product made in Italy by Nordcotto called Norcotto (see internihttp://www.nordresine.it/inglese/scheda_prodotto.asp?cat=12 )

    It is solvent-based liquid product designed for terracotta that purports to both impregnate and finish the tiles.

    I tried the product on a couple of spare tiles last summer and even after 4 coats it still appeared to be soaking into the tile.

    Any thoughts you have on this product or our predicament would be much appreciated

    David

51. Ian Taylor | Jan 10, 2011 | Reply

    Hi David,

    I am not familiar with that brand but it looks reasonable enough. Typically, very porous material such as terracotta is one area where actually, water-based products often out perform solvent ones (in basic terms, solvents are thin, so they go deep into porous materials- hence more coats – takes longer to ‘fill up the tile’). I would persevere – no point switching now but, make sure to leave a good time between coats – maybe overnight so that the coat really cures and allows the subsequent coat to truly sit on top. It may take several more coats, it is not unusual for a terracotta to take 6 or 8 coats of impregnator.

    I would also look at their range, they appear to have a top coat wax – when you are satisfied you have sufficient impregnator in the tile, you may want to look into adding this as a coating on the top (I know their information suggests the product you have used is also a finish – but it may be a bit of a compromise and you may get better results with a combination of impregnator and top coat, then the maintenance becomes a matter of maintaining the top coat only).

    Hope that helps

    Ian

52. David | Jan 10, 2011 | Reply

    Thanks Ian

    Really appreciate the quick response and advice on this.

    Best regards,

    David

53. Jennifer | Mar 24, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian

    First of all, what a fantastic blog! I only wish I’d found it before we laid our terracotta tiles in the conservatory! That said, we didn’t do a bad job of sealing them, as everyday dirt tracked in from the garden washes off with no problem.

    My only problem, which I’m really hoping you’d be kind enough to help with, is that our tiler’s boots have left black scuff marks in a couple of places. The tiles are quite light in colour (Mexican saltillos) so it’s really noticeable, especially as it’s in the shape of a large boot! I have scrubbed them with various detergents and even tried some other remedies such as white pencil eraser (doesn’t work) and toothpaste (actually does work to a certain extent and smells great!) but I was hoping you’d be able to recommend a product which will remove them altogether.

    Many thanks in advance.

54. Ian Taylor | Mar 29, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Jennifer,

    Thanks for the kinds words, we do try!

    I guess the first question I would ask is are the scuff marks on top of the sealer or below?

    if they are on top then:

    Try some nanoscrub if you can get hold of any, it will be like toothpaste, but on steroids – not a great analogy I know but it is a powerful, safe abrasive cleaner – it will not scratch the tiles – it may dull the sealer also but that is not the end of the world as it should be easy to top up.

    Failing that you may need a stripper – like a paint stripper, try a nice safer one like Sealer & Coating Remover, needs to be left on for a while (that could mean 15 minutes up to an our) keep it wet all the time with more solution, then scrub – it should dissolve the boot mark – and the sealer so will necessitate re sealing – but on ly the local area you are working on.

    If the marks are below the stripper, then of course you will need to use the same stripper, remove the sealer first, then work on the boot marks as described above.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

55. Jennifer | Apr 1, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian

    Thanks for the advice – I tracked down some nanoscrub (available on ebay and Amazon), as the scuff marks are on top of the sealant – just waiting for it to arrive & I’ll see how it performs.

    Thanks again, Jennifer

56. candy | May 6, 2011 | Reply

    Need of professional advice….I am helping my Uncle who is very old n still lives on his own. he recently brought a home in hawaii with an estimate of 600 sq ft of terra cotta flooring throughout the home. it was so bad the seal was pealing and had cracks everywhere and the surface was brown. I clean homes for a living and have stripped floors before but never terra cotta. trying to help my uncle with not incurring more cost i stripped and sealed his for. it took FOREVER, there must have been 12 layers on that floor. I stripped with a stripper machine it couldn’t get all the surface so tile by tile hand scrubbed until all seal was removed. it looked so beautiful clean bright and rich. however it was wet, wet , wet from all the scrubbing. I sealed the next day and it pealed. i seeked professional advice n products for sealing terra cotta. long story short I stripped again was told let it completely dry for 2 weeks. i sealed again with a terra cotta water base sealer 4 coats with a day of drying in between coats. my problem is now its been about a week and the floor is tacky….Someone PLEASE HELP ME….I am wiped out…. Aloha N Mahalo, Candy

57. candy | May 6, 2011 | Reply

    PLEASE HELP ME. long story short I am helping a elder for free with his terra cotta floor. it was in very bad shape. stripped and hand scrubbed every floor tile 600 sq ft. let dry for 2 weeks looked bright and beautiful. sealed 5 coats with a day in between seals for drying and now its been almost 2 week later and his floor has a tacky feeling when walking on it. what do i do? I am wiped out……. followed all directions and then some. used a water base sealer satin finish. Help, Candy

58. Ian Taylor | May 10, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Candy, sorry you are having so much trouble. You have done all the right things. So the only thing now wrong, would appear to be the tackiness of the surface coating? In my experience modern acrylic water based coatings do not tend to stay tacky (older oil/solvent/wax based ones can) so I am just wondering if you put too much down, left it to pool on the surface perhaps? – it would then be more likely to skin but stay wet underneath for longer and that could cause it to become sticky or tacky. This means that when you walk in it, it will break up and attract dirt so will not eventually dry out to a nice finish.

    Or, despite all the stripping you did, you only managed to break through the surface coatings but not remove any of whatever was in the tile itself (a pre sealer, linseed oil for example). Most surface coatings require some porosity to get a good bond, if the sealer you used could not ‘soak in’ due to previous sealer/oil/impregnator remnants then it would pool on the surface no matter how careful you were being.

    Can I suggest that you test a small area buy stripping again (should be a walk in the park compared to stripping 12 layers of old sealer and grunge) – just use the stripper you had – in your neck of the woods, something like sealer and coating remover by aqua mix should be readily available – it should take your newly applied sealer off easy and fast.

    Then rinse it down and rub it dry, then allow it to dry out thoroughly. At this point, test the porosity; drop some water on the tile, what happens? – does it soak-in real quick like blotting paper? – does it linger and only slowly make a darker shadow? – does it not soak in at all?

    If the water struggles to go in, then the tile is still pretty full of ‘something’ and this will not help you apply a coating sealer.. If there appears to be some absorbency, (and I would be looking for water getting in after a few minutes, leaving a noticeable dark patch – I would not expect it to behave like a new, unsealed terracotta), then let it dry out fully once again (a day or so should be fine this time).

    Now try re-applying the coating sealer, in very thin layers, using say a paint pad. Hang around and watch it for 10 to 15 minutes or so, if there are pools of whitish looking liquid still hanging around on the surface with no sign of the product soaking in or being absorbed, or drying, then while it is still wet, move it onto another tile, or remove the surplus. You cannot do this much after about 15 minutes as the sealer may start to skin and then you will create streaks.

    If you get this test to work, try a second coat, in the same way – then a third etc. If you are happy with the results, then I’m afraid you will have to scale it up and adopt that whole procedure across the entire floor. Which means stripping again, and yes, allowing the floor to dry thoroughly.

    If it does not work, (the test that is) go back and strip again (to remove your test sealer) then strip again, maybe twice more, possibly using a stronger stripper, to try to open up a bit more porosity in the tile).

    If you have a cleaning machine (rotary scrubber ) with a brush head, and a wet vac, they will help make light work of the job, and the removal of the cleaning/stripping solution and subsequent rinsing water by the wet vac will help to speed the drying time after.

    Hope that was of some help

    Ian

59. peggy | May 31, 2011 | Reply

    I have a beautiful set of dishes from mexico that are partly glazed and then terracotta on the undersides. Is there a way I can glaze or seal them so they can be washed in the dishwasher?

60. Ian Taylor | Jun 1, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Peggy,

    I fear I will not be able to help here. In theory, yes, for sure there are sealers that could help keep the unglazed underside clean, and they would reduce the amount of moisture getting in (so would help with hand washing) any good impregnator, especially the premium-brand water-based ones will help here.

    However, none of them are meant as water-proofers and I can think of none that are designed to withstand the extremes of temperature and the extremely harsh chemical environment inside a typical dishwasher (I have to ask, are such delicate dishes dishwasher safe in any case?).

    I you really want to do this, and you are certain that the existing clay and glaze is OK to be put in a dishwasher ( I have my doubts) then think you would be better off seeking out a pottery crafts person – the type of person who operates out of a craft centre and offers pottery classes, they would have small kiln and would be able to advise if the undersides could be glazed with a clear glaze, they would know what temperature the dishes could cope with and whether it whould affect the existing glaze etc – I think this would be a better way to go.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

61. elaine | Jun 7, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian, I have just finished stripping red tile paint from a reclaimed terra cotta tile floor in a kitchen, working tile-by-tile, using Nitromors (the only substance I found that would do the job). I am proposing to treat the floor with an acid product to remove any efflorescence, then finish. The question is, what next? The linseed oil/wax treatment sounds very hard work to me!
    Years ago, I watched a Spanish house restoration project on tv, where the same unglazed terra cotta tiles were used throughout, both inside and out. The tiles were soaked overnight in a pva solution (to seal inside, and to make them frostproof outside. Have you come across this method? Do you think it would work on my kitchen floor?

    Reading the blog so far, there are many pitfalls to be aware of, so I’d really appreciate some advice,

    Kind regards,

    Elaine

62. Ian Taylor | Jun 8, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Elaine,

    Where are you based? is it France? I am just wondering because of your ip address. If the builing is very old then we do not know what was on the terracotta before the paint. It could have had oils and waxes and who knows what else. So, I also do not know how much you have stipped off. It may be that all you need to do is apply a modern synthetic coating sealer.

    I have not heard of the pva method you describe, I can only assume it was felt necessary as the tiles in question were so porous and were being used outside, but to be honest, the percieved wisdon used to be do not seal atall if going outside – yes, this means dirty tiles of course but that is the view most people used to take. Certainly not necessary for your tiles inside.

    Hope that helps

    Ian

63. elaine | Jun 8, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    Thanks so much for your very prompt reply! – and yes, I am in France. To explain, all the old tiles were lifted, concrete floors laid, and the unbroken tiles reused.

    I have just been to have another look at the kitchen floor and whilst most of the tiles have a ‘raw’ look now and are certainly very porous, a few of them have a slight sheen which could well be linseed oil from the past.

    Would it be safe to apply a modern synthetic coating sealer over the ones with a sheen?

    Thanks again,

    Elaine

64. Ian Taylor | Jun 13, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Elaine,

    I would try a little harder to remove the sheen, a syntheic coat may take over it but it will not give an even finish in my opinion, it is better to start with a uniform as possible surface, so that the layers of coating sealer build up evenly. So try a little additional localized stripping on those sealed bits first.

    Ian

65. elaine | Jun 14, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    I’ve taken you advice, and I’m glad to say, it worked!

    Many thanks,

    elaine

66. Ian Taylor | Jun 14, 2011 | Reply

    Excellent, glad it is being sorted!

67. John | Aug 22, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian
    A costumer has called me to clean his terracotta tiles, they have been sealed with ‘Momar insurance’it’s a blend of acrylic co-polymer resin, non.slip waxes, cleaning and hardening agents!!!(never heard of it before) but it is bobbling and peeling, I have tried HG limex but not strong enough, takes 80-90% off, but not the last layer directly on the surface of the tile.
    Any suggestions please ?
    Thanks
    John

68. Ian Taylor | Aug 25, 2011 | Reply

    Hi John,

    I am familiar with this ‘type’ of product, if not the brand. They are designed really for commercial situations, pirmarily they are formulated for vinyl and resilient floors but they are sold for any hard floor. The reason they are used is some commercial floors are so heavily used, and so frequently cleaned with harsh methods that normal sealers may not last any time at all certain finishes (like polished marble) won’t last 5 minutes either. So the solution is to sacrifice a bit of the natural look by encasing the floor in a tough ‘plastic’ for want of a better word, coating. it does work, but does also not look that great – artificially shiny, if you like. It is horses for courses but for a domestic terracotta floor? – I would not have used this type of product; they do need to be maintained, even though some claim that they don’t. Their tough nature also means that they are not as breathable or not breathable at all and as you have found out they can blister.

    The cleaner you have been using is an acid based product. It is designed for removal of cement and other mineral contaminants, I suspect a large part of the effect you have had so far has been down to the mechanical scrubbing and, there are bound to be other cleaning agents in the product, but it is the wrong type of product for this.

    You need a stripper. This can be (depending on the nature of the coating sealer) either a very high alkaline or a solvent type product. I used to promote a similar product and it was easily removed with a high-strength alkaline degreaser. I did a little research and that sealer is part of a ‘set’ of products which they call their ‘system’ (as is typical for this type of product) and in their system they have a stripper, which I assume is perfectly formulated to strip back their product – a quick google will find it.

    Failing that try to get some Sealer and Coating Remover (click the all for stone link on the blog) apply this to the floor, leave it to dwell for 30 minutes to 1 hour, keeping it wet with more solution, then scrub, extract, rinse (with scrubber action, better if you add a neutral cleaner, to help pick up all the stripper) and extract, rinse again with clean water, extract and allow to dry thoroughly – this may be several days.

    Then consider a sealing system like 2-4 coats of Seal & Finish Low Sheen (water based, breathable acrylic surface sealer) and if the customer wants a higher level of gloss, then add 2 – 3 coats of floor shine & hardener (acrylic polish that is a sacrificial coating) – they will need maintaining (as would any alternative) but it is easy.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

69. Tony Barett | Aug 29, 2011 | Reply

    hi, i have had to dig half my conservatory floor up which i have terracotta tiles laid ,but ihave laid new ones and they are a lot cleaner than the old ones how can i get them to look a bit more aged to match the ones that are already down? thanks

70. Tony Barett | Aug 29, 2011 | Reply

    hi will boiling raw linseed oil be the same as buying boiled linseed oil?
    thanks

71. Ian Taylor | Aug 30, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Tony,

    I would steer clear of that idea. I am no expert but to my knowledge, the boiled linseed oil you by is not simply raw oil that has been boiled for a bit. There are several types, and treatments, some involve heating the oil for days at a time in the abscence of oygen to make a thick cross-linked polymer, but most off the shelf boiled linseed oils have other things added like solvents to make them penetrate better and dry faster.

    Also you should be aware that linseed oil, can spontaeously combust – usually when rags impregnated with the oil are left for a while – the oil oxidizes, this gives off heat, this speeds up the oxidization process, gives off more heat and then it can start to smoulder and then ignite – I have seen it happen, so personally, given the nature of this stuff I would just go buy a bottle rather than mess about with it.

    Ian

72. Ian Taylor | Aug 30, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Tony, not easy this one, aging happens over time, obviously, so trying to accellerate the process is not easy. Some people have found that using an enhanching sealer can darken the terracotta down quite nicely, but it will not be the same colour and as they age they will age differently. Sometimes it just happens to darken the new tile donw to an almost perfect match but this cannot be guaranteed, if you have any spare tiles left over you could take a piece to a shop/store and see if they will dab some Enhancing sealer on the tile so you get an idea of the tone it creates (because this type of product is expensive and it’s results are irrevocable).

    If you had an oil and wax floor to begin with, I would strip the old ones right back, (see my article on stripping old sealers off terracotta). Then I would build up a few coats of boiled linseed oil on the new ones until you get them as dark as you can, or until you cannot get any more oil in.

    Let it soak in and dry before trying perhaps one more coat, but this time over the whole floor, wipe off the excess which could be a lot given the number of coats. When it is completely dry, start to re-apply the wax. I am sure you will still see the difference but it may not be as bad as if you just try to treat the new tiles only.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

73. Joshua | Sep 13, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    I’ve had terracotta tiles laid in the backyard about 5 years ago. They’ve never been sealed. Initially, there was a white cloudy smearing on the tiles (possibly efflorescence) but through time, it had worn away. I’ve now decided to seal the tiles as I am fed up with cleaning a great deal of dirt and mildew on them. What would you recommend for a natural look that is not shiny, and does not require constant reapplication?

    Thanks,

    Joshua

74. Ian Taylor | Sep 20, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Joshua, you are in Australia right?

    I would go with Aqua Seal STC’s Aqua Seal Gold – clear water based impregnating sealer – no colour, no shine, long lasting. Or you could go for a no shine but darkened, enhanced look using Enhance’N'Seal. Suggest you contact A’nge at Aqua Seal STC – They are very helpful and know a lot about terracotta – Aqua-Seal STC

    hope this helps

    Ian

75. Safira | Nov 1, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian,
    I have read thru everything you and your readers have written above and find all the information invaluable; thank you for being so generous with your time and expertise..

    We are trying to get our terracotta tiling settled for our living room floor in Singapore at the moment. It has been a nightmare even though we aren’t the ones actually handling it. Our contractor/designer has been in charge and although he accepts responsibility which we appreciate, he denies that the nightmare is due to workmanship and is instead due to perhaps a defective batch of tiles.

    When the tiles were first laid and sealed, we noticed massive mopping streaks in several places that appeared to be under the sealant. The designer said he would apply a few more coats if sealant to see if it would help but of course it didn’t and he has since hacked a fair number of tiles to rid of the streaks. Then to clean up cement smudges and paint flecks they used sand paper and a little hand held machine with a round disc to ‘sand’ it off. After mopping with water and leaving it to dry they then applied more sealant only to discover the ‘sanding’ marks carved into the tile, as well as drastic colour differences where the tile has been sanded and thus increased porosity.

    Now we have noticed also strangely, raised concentric bumps appearing in every tile in a sort of uniform pattern. It is really ugly and the bumps are or relatively the same size about an inch in diameter.

    Our contractor doesn’t seem to be very knowledgable and, we feel, neither are his floor people. There are sealant drip marks in places, and prior to the sanding, footprints as well. I have no idea what chemicals he is using apart from what is called here an acid wash, and the sealant is really shiny and according to them doesnt require maintenance, stripping or reapplication of any sort, just normal mopping (I’m not even sure what that means anymore!)
    My husband and I know absolutely nothing about terracotta and tiling or really anything to do with refurbishing so we cant figure out what is wrong in this whole thing, is it the tile or the workmanship or the treatment being used. Te contractor’s suggestion is now to hack everything and start over with the same processes used as before but with ,hopefully, a non-defective batch of tile!!

    Ian, if you have anything to suggest, or can tell us what is wrong here, we would be so better able to deal with this situation! It has been giving us sleepless nights.. Also, Singapore is in the tropics and we have been having torrential downpours everyday these past two weeks, so humidity is really high.
    Thank you for any help, and sorry this is sooo long!! And apologies for any typos I’m doing this quite desperately from my iPhone!!

    Safira

76. Safira | Nov 1, 2011 | Reply

    One more thing Ian, he said the acid wash is used to dissolve tiny cement particles on the tiles and without it, we risk ending up with grey patches permanently stuck to the tile after sealant is applied. Is this true?? And as far as I can tell there is no grouting involved it’s all cement under and between the tiles….

    Safira

77. Ian Taylor | Nov 4, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Safira,

    OK, this is a bit of a sad story and while I feel for the contractor, as he clearly has no intention of running away and leaving the problem for you I think he is perhaps not expert enough to know what he is doing here. Let me explain:

    The first problems you mention, namely mopping streaks ‘under’ the sealer. This can be a couple of things, first it could be that they washed the floor prior to sealing but used a less than clean mop, did not rinse the floor properly, let it dry unevenly, any of these things can disperse dirt to parts of the tile, if there was any detergent residue left on the mop, that can be a problem etc. – lots of possibilities but, this should have been evident and spotted before going ahead with the sealer. Unsealed terracotta (or raw if you like) can be literally like clay blotting paper and they are so easy to stain that incredible care must be taken not to leave hand/foot prints, adhesive marks etc. And, as may be the case here, mopping the floor without due care and attention can just create dirty streaks – can you imagine mopping a big sheet of paper? – How clean would the mop and water have to be not to make it worse than before you mopped it (assuming it was a kind of paper that could stand wetting of course – I am just making an illustration).

    Secondly it could be poor execution of the sealer application – The type of sealer you describe sounds like a synthetic high gloss type. Although relatively easy to apply, it is also quite easy for the inexperienced to make a bit of a mess of it. Uneven applications can leave a streaky appearance; often subsequent coats can even this out (as per your designer’s suggestions) but not always. Having said this, if this was your only issue then stripping it back to raw and deep cleaning, before re sealing may have been possible, but the other issues make the situation a bit more complicated.

    Sanding the tiles to remove cement is as you have realised, not the thing to do with this type of tile. The tile is relatively soft and has, for want of a better expression, a kind of crust, this crust (being nearer the source of heat in the kiln) is just like the crust on a loaf of bread – harder, smoother, darker in colour etc. – your guys have [unwittingly] rubbed through this exposing the softer, lighter, more porous, less durable ‘bread’ underneath, this sub layer is also going to deteriorate at a faster rate than the proper surface of the tiles also. The damage here is irreversible and permanent and you are right to replace those tiles.

    The drips and foot prints – well this is just poor application of the sealer and poor site cleanliness before during and after installation. It may be rectifiable (Strip, clean and reseal) but the damage due to sanding won’t be.

    The concentric bumps worry me a little; especially as you say they are in a kind of pattern. This is the first of the issues that hints at ‘faulty’ tiles. I put faulty in inverted commas because it is debatable as to what is a fault and what is a naturally expected characteristic. For example it is common in some terracotta to see lime pops – small balls of unmixed lime under the surface that can swell with wetting and blow the top surface off – a small lime spot of say 5 mm diameter could create a crater of 5 cm at the surface – this is normal (in the same way that holes are normal in travertine), and the usual answer is to replace the worst ones and grout the not so bad ones). Often, just before they ‘pop’ these lime pops start to swell and the soon-to-be crater can appear like a round shadow even bump at the surface. While the acid wash they applied may not have harmed the tiles, all the water they must have used could in theory be a catalyst in setting off potential lime pops.

    However you description of concentric bumps in a pattern does not ring quite true to me – a picture or two if you had them may shed some light on this.

    I think that with all that has gone on, your most likely best solution is indeed to rip them up and start again. I am not convinced that there is any fault with the tiles, or the sealers used, just sadly a poor installation by contractors who in fairness, sound perfectly willing and reliable, just sadly lacking in sufficient ability for this task

    I Hope I have helped a bit. I am going to send you a private message with the name of a good guy in Singapore who may be able to offer some local advice.

    Best of luck

    Ian

78. Ian Taylor | Nov 4, 2011 | Reply

    It is common practice [but not always neccessary] to use a acid wash for this.

    However, it should not be required, there should be no cement rtesidue left in the first place, a truly great terracotta installer would leve it clean and not in need of this. It is just a matter of sealing properly prior to grouting (and yes you can grout using just sand and cement) then washing off and rinsing properly with plenty of water changes. Sadly though your situation arises all too often. A mild acid cleaner can certainly be used to remove fine cement haze, but it sould be very dilute and it should be used after about 5 to 10 days stricky speaking, allowing the grout in the joints time to cure.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

79. ASmma | Nov 26, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian

    I was very interested to read your blog. Thank you for all the useful information.

    Can you advise me on our floor, which has been laid and grouted without being sealed? I’d like to use a traditional sealing method with linseed oil but I guess it will be very messy as it won’t be absorbed into the grout.

    Also, I’m in France and the linseed oil i’ve seen in shops says nothing about being boiled. I suppose that wouldn’t do.

    Thank you for your comments

    Anna

80. Anna | Nov 26, 2011 | Reply

    would have been better if I’d spelt my name right!

81. Ian Taylor | Nov 28, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Anna (I spelt it correctly )

    OK, I am assuming youa re talking about a terracotta type floor. If grouted with NO sealer then there is going to be some serious grout staining and you may not get all of it out. However, you may get most of it out and the linseed oil treatment may well mask what you don’t remove. The main thing will be to test, and yo uneed to see if you can get the oil dee enough into the tile to bond etc.

    You are going to need to use a acidic cleaner designed for removing grout haze, and you will need to use it several times:

    First, pre-wet the floor, then apply your proprietory acid based cleaner (not brick acid, or HCL) and scrub with a scrub pad, brush or similar.

    Now pick up the solution and then rinse with clean water, repeat.

    If you can beg/borrow/hire a wet vac and a rotary brush machine it will save you hours of back-ache.

    You may need to do this a number of times, each time making the grout haze less noticelable.

    Remember, rinsing is KEY as each time you could also bring out more grout from the joints (not enough to damage the joints, but enough to deposit another fine haze on your tiles).

    Remeber also that you are adding a lot of water (another reason why a wet vac is helpful) and this could kick off an attack of efflorescence if there is a potential fo that with your particular tile. If you get this, then you will have to treat that also, with more of the above. You can get in to a bit of a vicious circle with this, you just have to keep going until it is clear.

    When you are happy ou have got the best reult you can, allow it to dry throroughly – this may take a week or more depenging on conditions.

    All of the above assumes your grout is sand and cement based, or at least not heavily polymer modified.

    Now to the oil and wax:

    Again, if your grout is not heavily modified, then the oil will penetrate that just as much as the tiles. If it is, then ok, hardly any oil will get in but that is not an issue, just wipe up the surplus and don’t allow it to dry on the top.

    Make sure you do a test on an inconspicuous area, this will help you see if the oil can penetrate, and if it can, how many coats you need.

    The difference between boiled and raw linseed oil is [very basically] that the so-called ‘boiled’ oil will dry quickly, where as raw will take a month or more to dry naturally – in practice, on a floor like this, with the number of coats needed it may appear to never dry and stay permanently sticky.

    there is a great article I read here that goes into the chemsitry if you want to read it: but the bottom line is that you need ‘boiled’ (it is not actually boiled but contains some catalysts to speed up the drying process)

    Hope that helps

    Ian

82. john | Nov 28, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian,
    I was hoping you could advise with my dilemma!

    I have bought and laid saltillo tiles, and before laying them I painted linseed oil on each tile (2 or 3 coats) so any adhesive spilt wouldnt stain.I was hoping to seal the whole lot after grouting with a synthetic sealant as the area they are in will take a bit of ‘stick’, the dog will live in there and it is the utility etc. Wax is not feasible given my time constraints!

    I have been experimenting on tiles under where the washing machine will go….

    I got supplied with HG golvpolish and have painted that on 2 tiles and linseed oiled 2 others and the golvpolish is a more ‘resisting’ seal on the tile than the ones I put more oil on, but I tried a wet trainer on both and neither seemed completely resistant – although I guess with sealants I need several layers?
    I wonder if you can answer my queries

    a) Can I use a modern sealant now – after initially oiling – The golvpolish seems to have ‘taken’….. and if so,
    b)what product should I use, Im happy to buy another, I just got supplied with the golvpolish so have been experimenting!!

    I hope you can advise,

    Many Thanks, John.

83. Ian Taylor | Nov 29, 2011 | Reply

    Hi John,

    As you have gathered yourself, you are mixing up old and new methods. Sure the Golvpolish is going to be better at resisting teh surface contamination as it is a coating, whereas the oil is acting like an impregnator of sorts.

    As you have found the Golvpolish to bond, I would be inclined to stick with that, it is not the most effective coating sealer on the market but, the better ones (because of what makes them better, if you see what I mean) would find it harder to stick over the oil. So I would go with several coats of the Golvpoilsh

    Hope that helps

    Ian

84. john | Nov 29, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    Thankyou for your prompt reply, That is very helpful, im more confident to go on with the floor like that if you think it is ok!
    I take it your meaning that better sealants that are available wont bond/stick over the oil is because they are designed for new methods, and not to be used alongside oil??

    Many Thanks again, John

85. Ian Taylor | Nov 30, 2011 | Reply

    Hi John,

    Many ‘better’ coating sealants are designed to be both a sealer and a coating at the same time, thus they also provide a degree of sealing, as well as a top coat ‘finish’ In order to do this, they need to be able to get into the surface of the tile, and a tile full of oil will prevent that from happening

    Hope this helps

    Ian

86. john | Dec 1, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    I understand what you are saying, Many Thanks for taking the time to help.

    I have one more question that may be difficult but thought worth a try as you seem able to advise on so many tile subjects…..
    Of the tiles I have laid around half of them are showing small spots (ranging in size from a 5 pence piece to bigger then a 2 pound coin) it is darker than the rest of the tile and I wonder if you may know what it is and if it will go or not!?
    As I said they have been oiled with Linseed oil.

    Thanks, John

87. Nansu Roddy | Dec 6, 2011 | Reply

    I have a 30 year old terracotta floor in my kitchen and bathroom. I scrubbed and cleaned the groat for the very first time, perhaps, 5 washings, let it dry and added a water based seal last night. It looks awful. It looks like it is a bit wet with puddle marks and as if i used a washcloth unevenly throughout the process. My take on it is that the patina prevented obsorbtion. I am going to strip it this evening.

    Once done, what should I use to finish it? Can I use the boiled linseed oil to give it some color and protection without the wax? Would you please send me a recipe if so. I am afraid to use a sealer at this point again.

88. Ian Taylor | Dec 15, 2011 | Reply

    Hi John, hard to say what the spots are but sometimes you can get spots if, when applying sealers or oils etc, you drip the liquid onto the tile. The correct way is to use a pad or other applicator, dip that in a paint tray or other shallow dish, make sure thre is no surplus of sealer/oil on the the applicator – so it does not drip off the pad.

    Sometimes if the sealer is dripped on, you can get intense spots, which are really areas that have been super-saturated witht he oil/sealer. If this has happened then it could be very difficult, to remove. Otherwise there could have been some oil/grease staining prior to sealing, again that would prove hard to remove at this stage. can you send me some pictures?

    Cheeers

    Ian

89. Ian Taylor | Dec 15, 2011 | Reply

    Hi Nansu, you could be right, the 5 washes have not stripped whatever ‘patina’ was on the tiles, only cleaned the surface, so if there is oil/wax/other sealers or years of built up mdirt, any new sealer will not get in evenly.

    Problem is, same will go for oil. Unless all you want to do is re-wax or add a coatiung sealer, then you will probably have to do a proper strip – with a solvent stripper first. Then, you would have to do a test area with your chosen impregnator (whether synthetic or oil) and see if it will penetrate evenly and easily.

    Hope that helps

    Ian

90. gary | Jan 4, 2012 | Reply

    Hello Ian

    i have read all your posts with interest but would just like to know if there are any alternatives to finishing off after soaking with linseed other than beeswax and if so are what are the advantages/disadvantages of alternatives, i am only concerned that with heavy traffic, dogs and children the beeswax may become a headache to maintain. I have tested various impregnating sealers but prefer the tones of the linseed. Look forward to your reply…

    Gary

91. Ian Taylor | Jan 6, 2012 | Reply

    Hi Gary,

    OK, I understand what you are asking, basically if you have used linseed oil – then that is taking the part of both a stain (as in a desirable colour tint) and an impregnating sealer, but it leaves the top surface exposed.

    You could leave it like this (as you may do with a synthetic impregnator) – advantage would be no top coat to maintain, disadvantage is tile still subject to some staining, and harder to keep clean – also, no gloss/sheen which most people seem to prefer.

    if you do not want to embark upon the sometimes tedious maintnenance of a wax polish (and I understand this perfectly) you could TRY a coating sealer on top – such as Seal & Finish Low Sheen – I say try becuase these sealers typically need a bit of texture and porososity, which the linseed treatment may have reduced/eliminated to some degree. If you find that the surface coating will not lie flat, but instead beads up (as water on a freshely waxed car) then stop, remove the little bit of sealer, make sure the linseed is a few weeks old and fully set, then use an alkaline degreaser, diluted with water, on the surface. Leave it to dwell for a few minutes and lightly aggitate with a scrubbing brush or pad. Remove the water, rinse with fresh water, then dry thoroughly. leave overnight at least, then try sealer again, if it now lies down much flatter and leaves an even, streak-free finish, proceed with 2 to 3 coats. This will not add any more colour (unlike some waxes) but will be easier to maintain, it will need topping up from time to time, but not the cycle of build-up, regularly polish and strip-back to start again, that you have with wax.

    Hope this helps

    Ian

92. Lesley Henderson | Jan 15, 2012 | Reply

    Hi Ian,

    I’ve just had a terracotta floor laid in my kitchen. The tiler ‘overdid’ the boiled linseed oil final coat. He had left it with quite a bit on the surface. I called him next morning to say it wasn’t drying and between us we have wiped off the excess and used some white spirit (I saw this advised online).
    Anyway it still has patches on the tiles which are shiny. I assume this is linseed oil which was ‘set’ before we had chance to take it off. The shiny areas are tacky still after 24 hours. I would think that these shiny areas need to be somehow ‘stripped’ back so that all the tiles have a matt finish. Then we’ll apply the beeswax.
    Please could you advise whether this is the right approach and what I can use to strip off the excess linseed oil. Or do you think the shiny / tacky areas will eventually dry so I can just wax over them.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Lesley

93. Ian Taylor | Jan 16, 2012 | Reply

    Hi Lesley,

    Yes you are correct in that you need to strip back the high spots. If you have some clear nail varnish remover to hand (the old fashioned acetone type), try dabbing a little onto one of the spots and see if it removes the shiny parts (ideally you only want to remove the surplus oil form the srface, not strip any out of the body of the tile).

    If it does then a solvent stripper will work. If the spots are small, and few and far between,and you have a enough NVR, then suggest you carry on like that. However if there are a few significant ones, you will need to buy a stripper, white spirits may well do the job, just do little bits at a time and have some water and a sponge near by to rinse with imediately after.

    Once you have got all the surplus off and allowed the floor to dry, then go ahead with your wax.

    hope this hleps

    Ian

94. Adam | Jan 27, 2012 | Reply

    Hi Ian

    Great questions and answers have learnt alot. Wondering if you can help.

    A couple of months ago I stripped a terracotta floor with lithofin wexa, then was advised to use HG impregnator, I applied 4 coats the tile was still porous then used HG cotto seal and polish (like a wax) and applied 3-4 coats. I’ve noticed that still the tile is porous after 2 months and around the cooker grease stains have appeared.

    My questions are -:
    - what should I use to remove grease stains?
    - should I strip floor again and put more impregnator down?
    - or is it a case of putting more cotto seal and polish to reduce porosity?

    Many thanks
    Adam

95. Adam | Jan 27, 2012 | Reply

    Oh and also, can you put a rubbed in traffic wax over a synthetic liquid wax

    Thanks.
    Alan

96. Ian Taylor | Jan 27, 2012 | Reply

    Hi Adam,

    OK you may improve the seal with more coats but I suspect that the impregnator is not quite up to the job, not having a go at the brand, it is just that some products work better on some materials and not so ogood on others, also there are two distint ‘markets’ for sealer these days, standard selaers and premium sealers (you can usually tell which is which as the premium are about twice the price).

    For a very porouos material like this, a water based impregnator is often the best bet – the solvent ones dive too deep – and the polymers they use are small, so they effectively go in too far to do any good – you need the sealer to stay near the top, to provide a good base layer for the top finish. Sometimes leaving much longer drying times between coats can really help – like over night for example (gives the last coat much longer to form strong bonds and then the subsequent coat is more likely to sit on top and build up, rather than just merge with the previous one.

    You say that it was still lettting in water before you applied the top coat, I would not have applied the top coat until I was happy that I had got the sealer right.You are going to have to strip back I fear, take off the top coat (which should be fine in itself as it is designed for the tile), you will need a stripper again for this like the one you used. Then rinse and dry. when really dry, do a water absorption test, if still very porous then you are going to need more sealer – either, try additional coats of the same sealer, leaving a good time betweeen coats, or, if water soaks in readily, try a coat of a premium water based sealer instead.

    You will probably find that the stains come out during the stripping, any stubborn ones may need some additional help with a poultice.
    hope this helps
    Ian

97. Ian Taylor | Jan 27, 2012 | Reply

    Hi Adam,

    Oh and also, can you put a rubbed in traffic wax over a synthetic liquid wax

    Short answer no, probably not.

    It is usually one or the other I’m afraid, the synthic ‘wax’ will try to precent the real wax from sticking

    Hope this helps

    Ian

98. Adam | Jan 27, 2012 | Reply

    Big thanks.

    Certainly helps me.

    Keep up the good work.

99. David | Jan 30, 2012 | Reply

    Hi Ian,
    I am just having some terracotta tiles laid and plan to seal them with boiled linseed oil followed by a coat of litho-fin classic wax. What I am not sure about is how long I need to leave the tiles after laying before I should oil them, how many coats of linseed oil I should plan to apply and how long I need to leave between coats, between the final coat and applying the wax, and between waxing and grouting.
    I would be grateful if you could point me in the right direction
    Thanks
    David

100. Ian Taylor | Feb 6, 2012 | Reply

     A lot of questions there David, and I am sure if you ask 10 experienced tilers you will get 10 different answers but, if you use some common sense, bear in mind that every tile is different, and so too are the specific circumstances in which they are being laid – hot room, cold, damp/dry, time of year etc.

     First of all, as for how long to leave after tiling, you want the tiles to be dry, the amount of moisture from tiling is minimal and because the tiles are so porous they will allow the adhseive to dry quite quickly. Most standard adhesives will set in around 24 hours, maybe a bit longer to lose all their moisture. Rapid set adhesives set in a matter of a few hours, locking much of the moisture into the systemt in any case.

     In most situations 1 to 3 days after tiling would be plenty. Only caveat to that is if you had to wash the tiles with a lot of water, then you will have to wait for that water to dry out, place a new, un-fixed, dry tile on the floor as a reference – the nice thing about terracotta is they are so easy to see when they look dry.

     Between coats? – you want to allow time for each coat to start to set/cure – otherwise you are simply going to use much more oil. the more time each coat has to set, the more the next coat will build up on top of it, instead of just blending with it. So allow a few hours at least, do a test spot, each successive coat should sit ‘higher’ in the tile and take longer to soak in.

     How many coats? – again it varies, but I would say minium of 2 to 3, possibly more. When the oil simply will not go in any more and does not appear to be darkening/wetting-out the tile, or it sits for long periods (over 15 minutes) on the tile – then it has had enough, it has become saturated and will not take any more in – WIPE away any remaining oil at this point and leave the tiles DRY to the touch. Again, the longer you can afford to leave between coats the better, and the fewer coats you will need (over night between coats is great, not many tilers can afford the time for this, but if you are doing it yourself then you ought to be able to).

     At this point the floor is oiled and most tilers would leave that over night at least, and the then grout – I would not wax before grouting, the wax is a top coat so the grout would mix with it, and also the abrasive nature of grout will bring some of it off in any case.

     So grout, clean up – really well wit several rinses (the oil should protect the terracotta from grout staining no problem) and let it dry for about 3 days – there is a lot of moisture in the grout.

     Now you can eaither go ahead with wax, or, one more coat of oil. The benefit of the oil is that you will be oiling the grout, and so darkening it and sealing it, just remember the terracotta may not take any more in (it might take a bit as a result of abraiding the surface during grouting) so don’t leave it to linger, remove any surplus and work it into the grout joints.

     Let the oil dry out over night at least then wax as per the wax instructions.

     Hope this helps

     Ian

101. David | Feb 13, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Ian

     Can you help with a self induced problem?
     Our polished terracotta floor was originally sealed with linseed oil and wax polished and has been regularly polished since – still looks great after 20 years.
     Yesterday I splilt heating oil (kerosene) on a few individual tiles – white marks which won’t clean or polish out.
     I would like to clean the affected tiles and re-seal and polish. Would you apply heating oil to the whole tile first to get a uniform effect? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

     David

102. Ian Taylor | Feb 14, 2012 | Reply

     Hi David,

     I would think the kerosene (known as paraffin in the UK) would be acting as a solvent stripper, partially breaking down the oil/wax that you have. In fact when we sell strippers, we sometimes see this whitening of the surface, far from being a stain, it is actually just that the layers of wax/oil/sealer are so thik that the stripper can only begin to break it down and partially strip it on the first attempt, so it kills the shine and removes the top layer of wax if youu like, leaving behind a residue of damage sealer/wax etc – a little bit like it has been split in two, or delaminated. Usually a second treatment gets the rest.

     So, you could try more kerosene but I would be wary of that, sometimes oil-derived solvents and strippers can strip ok, but they themselves can leave an oily stain, once they have got through the layers of sealer.

     So I would think you would be better with a proprietory oil/wax stripper, it may take several coats, but do that to get back to the tile surface then re seal/polish as you say

     Hope that helps

     Ian

103. Angela | Feb 23, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Ian,
     I’ve inherited a terracotta floor – it looks reclaimed and seems to attract dirt, especially in the kitchen. There are paint marks in some areas too.
     Could you recommend someone who could clean and re-seal it for me? I don’t want to risk doing it myself as it ‘s a large area (the whole of the house downstairs) and I’ve heard some horror stories when incorrect products or application is used.
     I am in Oundle which is between Peterborough and Corby.
     Many thanks,
     Angela.

104. Mary Heyes | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Ian,We have just had a new terracotta tile floor laid and are finishing it off with linseed oil and wax.We have applied two coats of oil and are now worried as in places it the linseed oil has not been totally absorbed and is still shiny and tacky.You mention scraping the surplus off but there is no way we can do that.The surplus doesn`t look like crystals just shiny and tacky.We have left it for two days to dry but it is still sitting there.Can we wipe the offending tiles over with white spirit or some other solvent?Or just apply the wax over the top? Thank you very much.Mary

105. Mary Heyes | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply

     Sorry Ian,I have just read your reply to Leasley on Jan.16th and will follow your advice to her.
     Many thanks.Mary

106. Ian Taylor | Mar 2, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Angela, I sent you an email, did you get it?

     Ian

107. Lucy | Mar 6, 2012 | Reply

     Hello,
     I have a terracotta floor here in Portugal. The tiles were unsealed when laid approx 3 years ago and have been sealed sveral times since with linseed oil. The cement/sand grout was unfortunately left unsealed. I cleaned the tiles and grout and then used thin coats of linseed oil on both tile and grout this time. The tiles look lovely but the grout has dried very patchy – dark in areas and much lighter in others – it’s like some areas are absorbing oil and others not. It look really grim. What would you suggest?Thanks and Best Wishes

     Lucy-

108. Ian Taylor | Mar 8, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Lucy, bit hard to tell from the information you hve given. My first thought is that if the tiles have been sealed several times over the past three years, it would have been very difficult to prevent the oil getting into the grout – so the grout may have inadvertently been part sealed – in places, these places may correspond to the areas that are hard to get the oil into now.

     Whether this is the case or not, ‘something’ is preventing the oil from penetrating seemingly random parts of the grout. So, this could be oil as suggested above, it could also be other contaminants, grease, grime, general dirt that has built up over time. Or detergent residue, there could be residual alkaline or soapy detergent in a lot of the grout that is resisting the penetration of the oil. You could do a test by deep cleaning an area with a high alkaline cleaner, pre wet the section, then add the cleaner, diluted according to instructions, allow it to dwell for say 15 minutes then scrub. Extract with a mop or peferably a wet vac, rinse and allow to dry completely (over night at least) then try oil again.

     Sometimes just the way grout cures, if it was just sand and cement and was not throroughly mixed there can be areas with more cement, or a more closed off surface. If it was a proprietary grout with latex polymers, they can be unevenly distributed, and if there are a lot of those polymers at the surface, nothing will get through them. If it is the latter, then you may have to consider raking back the surface of the grout, either just enough to expose a more porouos surface, not easy or if you have to go deeper, you would have to grind out the grout to a depth, deep enough to be able to top up the joint with fresh grout – this is messy and difficult.

     One other possible option is to grout-colour the joints, this will only work if you can clean the surface of the joint with an acid, to open up the surface, without removing any oil from the tiles. If you want to explore this option, let me know and I will give you more details

     Hope this helps

     Ian

109. mr d priestley | Mar 11, 2012 | Reply

     Can you tell me how to seal terracotta tiles outside and how often they will have to be resealed.i live in spain

110. Ian Taylor | Mar 12, 2012 | Reply

     Hi, there are two schools of thought on sealing outside: Some old school folks believe that as terracotta is so porous, it is virtually impossible to seal them effectively against the weather (and by that I mean water, mositure will get in from somewhere). Remember that sealers are NOT waterproofers, their prime function is stain protection, sure this involves a reduction in the amount and rate of water absorbtion but it is not 100% waterproof.

     Secondly, although most modern sealers are ‘breathable’ – in that they allow water vapour transmission, they do slow down that transmission. The thinking here is that given water or moisture lets say will always be able to get in, if it should freeze, then you may get frost damage, whereas if it is unsealed the ice crystals can squeeze out as the grow, and in theory, cause less damage.

     I have no scientific proof of this so I cannot say whether I feel it is accurate – I just know that a lot of people believe this.

     However, as you are in Spain, I suspect frost is the least of your worries and I have seen plenty of outside sealed terracotta work fine.

     You need to decide between a coating (shiny surface) or an impregnator (below surface, no shine) Coatings look nicer in my opinion on terracotta, certainly inside, they are also easier to keep clean as they are directly on the surface. However, they will wear and outside they may wear very quickly. Impregnators will last longer, give good stain protection but will look dull. Coatings tend to be good for slip resistence when dry, but can be slippery when wet, whereas an impregnator will not alter the tiles’ natural performance in this regard.

     Having said this I have seen plenty of outside villa patios sealed with shiny coating sealers where the owners understand what they have got and their limitations and just look after them, keeping them dry (not hard in Spain) and just topping them up everytime they appear to be dulling/wearing down, this usually translates to once a year, at the begining of the season.

     As to how many coats? – same answer I would give indoors, as many as it takes – somewhere between 2 and 5 would be my guess.

     Hope this helps

     Ian

111. Jan | Mar 13, 2012 | Reply

     Am hoping to have Mexican or Saltillo tiles,(is there a difference?), laid in an ensuite bathroom. Would it be possible to seal/impregnate tiles before laying? Which is best – boiled linseed oil or synthetic ‘seal and go’? Am wanting the rich red colour rather than pale pink colour. If using linseed oil, do I seal afterwards? Beeswax sounds like hard work and I am not a domestic goddess who loves more cleaning than necessary, could I use synthetic top coat?

112. Ian Taylor | Mar 13, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Jan,

     Saltillo is a region in Mexico, famous for making terracotta. I am sure there are other terracotta tiles from other parts of Mexico but when most poeple say Mexican they normally mean that which is made in Saltillo.

     Yes you can seal them before laying, in many ways this is a good thing to do it is just that most times there is not enough room to lay them out somehwere, or there is not the time etc. If you want the rich amber colours, then you will be better with the linseed oil. Yes you could\use a synthetic top coat over the oil, provided you put the oil in correctly and do not over do it, or leave residues. You would be looking for a wax alternative, like an acrylic polish (such as Floor Shine & Hardener). Even this though, especially in a bathroom will want to be maintained from time to time, but less so than a wax.

     Be aware about the increased risk of slipping on a polished floor (whether wax or synthetic), mainly when wet. I woulod certainly consider such a floor myself but would make sure I have towels/mats down for stepping out of the bath/shower etc – you need to be sensible about slip resistence.

     The other option, is an enhancing impregnator which may give you the deep colour but no top coat, I suspect you would not like this as much though.

     Hope this helps

     Ian

113. Jan | Mar 13, 2012 | Reply

     Thanks for helpful reply, I’ve been thinking about today and will have space in my greenhouse to lay tiles out for preparation, will this be a problem to impregnate them in the sun? If not, how long would the whole process take to get them to sealed perfection?

114. Ian Taylor | Mar 16, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Jan,

     Just becareful they do not get too warm while sealing, you do not want the oil evaporating and drying before you have had a chance to rub it in and wipe anway any surplus. Also take great care, don’t leave any rags with the oil all scrunched up lying around, linseed oil can start to smoke and catch fire. The process can tak a while, you have to apply the oil to the tiles, let it soak in, rub the surface dry so it does not dry on the top. Then leave it it to go dry, then repeat, 2 or 3 times.

     Hope this helps

     Ian

115. Lucy | Mar 18, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Ian – Many thanks for your advice. I would like to know about cleaning the grout with acid please. I think the grout was just a mix of fine white sand and cement.
     Best Wishes

     Lucy

116. Ian Taylor | Mar 19, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Lucy,

     OK, what I was talking about with ‘acid’ was re-colouring the grout with a grout colorant – such as Grout Renue n Seal. This may, be a solution for you, but it really depends on how well sealed the tiles are and how well you can get the grout surface prepared – the reference to an acid was for this preparation, so the acid is not being used to ‘clean’ the grout, but rather to deliberately etch it, in a safe and controlled way.

     Using a suitable acid-based cleaner (one based on the mild phosphoric acid or similar, but definately not HCL like a brick acid), dilute the product, typically 1:3 parts water but follow instructions. Put it on the grout and leave it for a few minutes (it is a good idea to pre wet the grout with water before applying the cleaner sloution, so as to keep the solution near the surface where it is required). Then scrub, remove (wet vac or mop) and rinse with fresh water, rinse at least once, preferably twice and remove the water again. Now wait for the floor to dry 100% – usually at least 24 hours.

     Now the grout should have been etched a little, it may or may not appear different, perhaps a little cleaner and brighter, possible a little whiter in places (there is a small chance that ironically, this etching process may have cleaned the grout to an acceptable even finish – this will be just by chance if it has, all that has happened is the acid has removed a fine layer of the surface, taking with it of course, any contaminants that are adhered to it, what it won’t do is pull oil or grease from deep below the surface). If it is looking how you want it, and the surface is now even and will uniformly accept the oil, you could try reapplying it – but, if it does not work, you will be back where you started and need to strip it again.

     So, the grout joints are now prepared to have a colorant , basically this is a modifed epoxy acrylic coating that you paint on the joints (this will only work on proplely sealed terracotta with the joints prepared in this way – in other words the tiles will be so well sealed that the colorant will not bond, but will wipe off them easily, whereas the etched joints would accept the colour.

     Hopefully this has helped a little, if you are still not sure, send me an email via the contact us page with your contact details and I will give you a call to talk you though it.

     Hope this helps

     Ian

117. Grace van H | Mar 25, 2012 | Reply

     Hi. My Saltillo tile floor is now about 15 years old, and the surfaces are rampantly flaking. I bought and installed the tiles unsealed, then sealed them with an acrylic gloss sealer, two coats. Periodically I apply a new coat of gloss sealer and finish from Tile Lab.

     Over the years the color has darkened more than I like, but nothing I have found, heavy duty or not, lightens the color. Now many tiles are flaking, revealing the lighter color underneath, and the same products are unhelpful for that problem.

     Why would flaking start more than ten years after installation? And what to do? Thanks for any wisdom.

     Grace

118. Ian Taylor | Mar 28, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Grace, I am making the assuptiojn that the tiles themselves are not falking after all this time, but it is instead a build up of layer upon layer of the acrylic sealer.

     IN essence you would have appeared to have built up a thick plastic ‘skin’ on the tiles, with wear and tear, and exposrure to dirt, cleaners and UV light the thick coating has discouloured to a dark patina. It becomes somewhat thick, and a bit brittle and starts to flake off, revealling the natural tile beneath. Adding more of the sealer would not have the same effect as you are adding just one fresh layer and the darker look took years of build up to create.

     My suspicion is that the floor has reached the time to do a deep clean – strip back all the sealers to get back to the natural tile, then start again. The good news is that if you had chosen the more traditional oil and wax route, you would have reach this position several times already.

     You need a good Sealer Stripper, or even consider getting a tile restoration company in to strip and reseal

     Hope this helps

     Ian

119. tamayo | Apr 5, 2012 | Reply

     Hope you can help
     We have a small patch of terracota flooring, maybe 5×5 feet, outdoor but under a breezeway (no direct sunlight, though we live in miami) I would describe then as sun-bleached, just kinda grey-drab and with no shine at all. I put a few drops of water to check absorbtion and the absorbtion rate was very slow on the tiles, incdicating they have some sealer, but extremely quick on the grout. I want to give it the same darkish waxed look we have on the terracota floor inside the house — no high shine, just something akin to eggshell paints.
     What would you recommend??

     I out so

120. Ian Taylor | Apr 17, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Tamayo,

     I cannot remember if I answered you directly or not, apologies if I have not.

     OK, to darken the tiles without using wax and without a caoting sealer, you would need an enhancing impregnator or oil (like boiled linseed oil).

     However clealy you have some sealer on the tiles already, this would need to be stripped off with a good proprietray sealer tripper. The problem with then trying to use an enhacning sealer is that unless you can gurantee removing all the previous sealer, you risk not get the enhancer in evenly, leading to a patchy finish.

     I would try a little boiled linssedd oil to see fi that works, rub it in and do not allow it to dry on the surface.

     As for the satin finish – I think you will kind of achieve somthing like that by virtue of the feint traces of oil that inevitably get left on the surface, but it will not be like a matt finish coating sealer

     hope this helps

     Ian

121. ruth | May 1, 2012 | Reply

     Ive uncovered a teracotta quarry tile floor in a house weve purchased. it was hidden under laminate floring that was sodden(think the radiator had had a leak). there was white paches on some of the tiles others had black marks on them. Any advice would be wonderful.

122. Ian Taylor | May 11, 2012 | Reply

     Hi Ruth,

     hard to say exactly what the black marks are, but given the moisture could be mould or mildew. An alkaline cleaner may work. Failing that try some very dilute household bleach, leave it on for an hour, then rinse off.

     The white marks may be a minor localized case of efflorescence. For such a small area I would try a proprietary acidic cleaner; one based on sulfamic or Phosphoric acid or one of it’s alternatives but DEFINAITELY NOT MURIATIC/HYDROCHLORIC. Try a little, diluted well with water. First pre wet the floor, then apply the acidic cleaner with water, leave a few minutes then lightly scrub. Pick up the liquid with a mop or absorbent towels. Then rinse with some more clean water then dry the floor immediately (remove all moisture as fast as you can). If it re occurs, repeat the process.

     Hope this helps

     Ian

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