Treating Efflorescence on a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor with Tile Doctor Acid Gel in Leigh-on-Sea
We were asked to help this homeowner in Leigh-on-Sea refurbish their original Edwardian Quarry tiled floor following a spot of decorating. The floor had been well maintained, and some parts of the floor were still being protected by an old sealer.
I visited the property to carry out a survey and confirmed that the sealer however was worn down on the busier areas of the floor. This has resulted in the Quarry tiles becoming ingrained with dirt and that combined with the paint splashes meant it was time for a deep clean and fresh sealer.
I worked out a detailed quote later that day and emailed it over to the owner who replied confirming they would like to go ahead and provided several dates which would work for them.
Cleaning an Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway
To deep clean the floor, it would be necessary to remove all the sealer from the tiles, otherwise adding more sealer would result in inconsistent layers of sealer on different parts of the floor and a patchy result. The first step therefore was to strip the tiles of all sealer and dirt using Tile Doctor Remove & Go which is a coatings remover. This was applied to the floor, left to soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbed in using a black buffing pad fitted to a rotary machine running at a slow 150 rpm.
This action removed the old sealer and pulled dirt from the pores of the Quarry tile into the cleaning solution where it darkened the solution. The soiling was then rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.
When the floor dried it was showing some signs of efflorescence, so it was treated to an acid wash with the application of Tile Doctor Acid Gel. The acidic nature of the gel dissolves efflorescent salts and further cleans the tiles, it also neutralises the pH level of the tiles after the use of Tile Doctor Remove & Go which is a strong alkaline.
The cleaning finished with another rinse and extraction and the wet vacuum used extensively to remove as much moisture from the floor as possible. Once done the tiles were left to dry off fully overnight.
Sealing an Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway
Work continued the following day checking first that the tiles had dried using a damp meter. The results were within tolerance, so a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer was applied to the tiles and left to dry; this is an impregnating matt sealer that improves colour. When dry this was followed by three coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which adds a nice satin sheen to the tiles and left a very appealing and attractive finish.
The results speak for themselves, and my client was very happy and left the following five-star feedback:“Matthew was totally reliable from first contact. The floor cleaning and sealing has surpassed our expectations and looks amazing. He is so professional and a perfectionist. Thank you. By Joanna T, Leigh-on-sea”
For the aftercare cleaning of sealed Quarry tiles, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a ph neutral tile and grout cleaner that won’t affect the sealer.
Source: Efflorescence Treatment and Service for Quarry Tiled Floors in Leigh-on-Sea South Essex