quarry tiles

Quarry Tiled Floor After Cleaning Eastbourne

Small Quarry Tiled Area Restored in Eastbourne

Here’s a quick job I completed in the coastal town of Eastbourne in East Sussex. While more commonly I am asked to work on entire floors, this customer was specifically interested in restoring a small doorway-like area with Quarry tiled flooring, the reason being that it had been covered for a long time by an old wardrobe and dog basket. As a result, the area had not been properly cared for, becoming very dusty and dirty. Also revealed were some unsightly splashes of white paint from previous decoration work.

The customer was keen to finally give this area of the floor the attention it needed, and so asked me to come in to provide a thorough clean and lay down some fresh sealer.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Eastbourne

Cleaning Dirty Quarry Tiles

My first task was actually to relocate the old wardrobe and dog basket to the garage to get the area ready for cleaning. Then, to begin the cleaning process, I stripped away any old existing sealer and the white paint splashes by using Tile Doctor Remove & Go stripper in combination with a wire brush. Remove & Go is a versatile product that can also be used to break down glues and other adhesives.

I then washed the area down with water and promptly vacuumed up any moisture, before sitting down with a heat gun for an hour to dry the tiles. Usually a floor should be left for up to 48 hours to dry completely before sealing, but in this case the area was so small that I was able to dry it in the space of an hour.

Nonetheless, I opted to install a fan and leave the floor for an extra hour over lunch to ensure any excess moisture was removed. This is really important to do before sealing, as any remaining moisture can cloud the sealer and damage its performance.

Sealing Quarry Tiles

To complete the restoration, I sealed the tiles using nine coats of the topical, water-based sealer Seal & Go, which is suitable for building up surface protection against dirt and stains on internal unsealed porous surfaces such as Victorian, Quarry and Sandstone tiles. The Quarry tiles were quite porous, which is not uncommon for Quarry Tiles and really soaked up the sealer.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Cleaning Eastbourne
As the photographs show, the results of the restoration were very good, with smiles all round – including from the slightly bemused family dog!

Professional Cleaning and Sealing of a Dirty Quarry Tiled Floor East Sussex

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Water Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration East Grinstead After Sealing

Restoring Water Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor in East Grinstead

I was contacted recently by a client in East Grinstead, who asked me to restore a large area of damaged Quarry tiles in his house. East Grinstead actually dates back to the 14th century and is a town known for its many interesting houses and historic buildings. Hard-wearing Quarry tiles are most often used in high traffic areas, such as reception areas and hallways, although they are also commonly used for patio areas and porches. In these busy areas, the tiles can get dirty quickly, and this can lead to damage over time if they are not regularly tended to.

Water Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration East Grinstead Before
In this case, the damage to the tiles had actually been caused by regular flooding over a period of several years. The damage was so extreme that I advised my client that the only means of total restoration was re-tiling. However, my client informed me that the property was currently on the market for sale and this wasn’t an option. Instead, he settled on a deep clean and seal which, while not a complete restoration, would still significantly improve the condition of the tiled floor.

Water Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration East Grinstead Before Water Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration East Grinstead Before

Cleaning the Quarry tiled floor

My first day of work was spent moving a significant amount of large furniture out of the room and into the garden. Once the area was completely clear, I was able to apply a layer of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, using a stiff deck brush to really work it into the damaged stone. Pro-Clean helped to lift out a huge amount of the muck and ingrained dirt revealing, unfortunately, yet more damage beneath.

Once I had finished for the day, my client opened the windows to allow the warm sunshine to dry up any remaining moisture. This was important, as any excess moisture left on the floor may have affected the performance of the sealer when I returned to complete the sealing.

I allowed the floor a two-day drying period, during which time my client decided to colour some of the tiles with red doorstep paint. He counted up to two thousand tiles before giving up!

Water Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration East Grinstead After Cleaning

Sealing the Quarry tiled floor

When I returned after 48 hours, I set about sealing the floor using Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which provided the eye-catching gloss finish and durable protection the client wanted whilst the house was still on the market. As it was another warm day, the homeowners went out cycling around the Ashdown forest, leaving me to complete the sealing carefully and without distraction.

Water Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration East Grinstead After Sealing
When they returned a few hours later, they were amazed by the results! Although a complete re-tiling was not possible under the circumstances, both myself and my clients were extremely pleased with how great the Quarry tiles were now looking, especially after such significant water damage.

Cleaning and Sealing old Quarry Tiles in East Sussex

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Concrete Removed from old Quarry tiles in Danehill after restoration

Concrete Screed removed from Quarry Tiled Floor in Danehill

Let me start by saying this was by far the hardest job I’ve ever done and as you read on you will soon realise why. The customer called me out to quote on a Quarry tiled floor at a house in Danehill that was covered in concrete screed. She said it had always been there and she’s lived there for years always meaning to get it bought back to a state that she could live with. Undaunted by the state of the floor (see photo below) we agreed a price and fixed a date to do the work.

Old Quarry Tile Floor Covered in Concrete Danehill Before Restoration

Removing Concrete Screed from Quarry Tiles

For the next two days I spent all my time pouring neat Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up onto small areas and working it in with a metal scraper and wire brush. Once removed the resultant muck was rinsed and extracted using a wet vacuum, laborious work as you can imagine although I was kept entertained by playing the occasional game of fetch with a very keen Collie dog who seemed fascinated by the bloke sitting on his floor all day. After two days of this my hands were throbbing but I could see red quarry tile emerging. The final two hours on the second day were spent making good any areas under the washing machine and fridge and giving the floor a thorough rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product.

Removing Concrete from Old Quarry Tiled floor in Danehill During Restoration

Sealing Quarry Tiles

The floor dried off overnight and I came back the third day to seal the tiles making sure that my canine companion had been sent next door first. To seal the floor I used six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which really brought back the colour in the floor and gave it an amazingly shiny surface.

Concrete Removed from old Quarry tiles in- Danehill after restoration
Once sealed the floors transformation was complete and when the customer returned from work she was utterly speechless. I’d turned what looked like a building site into a stunning tiled floor.

Quarry Tile Restoration in Sussex

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Old Quarry Tile floor Warninglid After Restoration

Quarry Tiled Floor Restored in Warninglid

This customer in Warninglid, near Cuckfield asked me to clean a Quarry tiled floor that had been hidden for years under carpet. The carpet had been thoroughly stuck down with glue and sticky gripper rods so the tiles were in quite a mess. Whilst I thought that most of the floor could be greatly improved I voiced my reservations about several patches of heavy glue and some blackened area where burning logs appeared to have rolled from the hearth onto the stone.

Old Quarry Tile Floor Warninglid Before Restoration Old Quarry Tile Floor Warninglid Before Restoration

Deep Cleaning Quarry Tiles

I spent several hours stripping and cleaning the floor using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean first with hand brush then buffer, but struggled to remove the glue around the edges which wouldn’t shift. The solution appeared to be using a hand scrapper and so after a full day of scrapping and rubbing the floor was clean and before I left I gave it a good rinse with water to remove any product. I left it to dry for a couple of days and then the day before I was meant to return to seal the tiles I got a call from the customer who was concerned that the glue marks were more apparent now the floor was dry. I was between jobs so I popped round to have a look and had to agree it seemed there was still evidence of glue on the floor. Something stronger was clearly needed so I spot cleaned with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong coatings remover that is safe to use on Tile and Stone. Whilst not removing the glue entirely it made a huge improvement and the customer was happy with the result. I washed the impacted areas and used a heat gun to get the tiles dry so I was still able to return the next day to seal them.

Sealing Quarry Tiles

I sealed the Quarry tiles with three coats of Tile Doctor Pro-Seal which adds a subtle finish to the floor and will provide the tiles with long lasting protection. Luckily the next day was quite warm and the room was well ventilated by several windows and a double door so the tiles dried quickly.

Old Quarry Tile Floor Warninglid After Restoration Old Quarry Tile Floor Warninglid After Restoration

As you can see from the photographs on this page, the floor was really transformed and needless to say the customer was very satisfied with the result.

Quarry Tile Restoration in Sussex

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