This was a very interesting job. The original Mill House situated in Broxburn which dates back hundreds of years. The job was to repair, strip, clean and seal the Quarry tiles and grout which were installed throughout the kitchen, dining room, large entrance area and toilet. The Quarry tiles were 40 years old and had not been sealed for 30 years.
Upon inspecting the floor, I noticed that any protective sealer had worn off long ago, allowing dirt to become deeply ingrained in the porous quarry tiles. This made the floor extremely difficult to keep clean. Recognizing the need for a thorough cleaning and re-sealing, I took measurements to provide a quote for the work. The client accepted the quote, and we scheduled a six-day project – two days for cleaning & repairs, one for re-sealing the floor and three for re-colouring the grout.
Quarry Tile Cleaning :
To deep clean the quarry tiles, a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied to the floor and left to dwell for a short while. The solution was then scrubbed into the tile using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. This agitation pulled the dirt out of the tiles, turning the solution black, which was then rinsed away with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.
Inspection revealed lingering paint splashes from years of decorating, so the product was reapplied and the process repeated to remove them. The grout was then cleaned by hand using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a scrubbing brush, with the waste extracted upon completion. This manual scrubbing was more effective than pads at reaching into the grout lines.
To finalize the cleaning, an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up was applied to remove any old grout smears and further clean the tiles. All soiling was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum, leaving the separate floor areas to dry.
Quarry Tile Sealing :
After returning to the Mill House following the cleaning, my first task was to test the floor with a damp meter to ensure it was completely dry. This was crucial, as applying sealer to damp tiles can result in an uneven, patchy appearance. Quarry tiles are naturally quite porous, so they often take longer to fully dry compared to other flooring types.
Once the readings confirmed the tiles were within the proper dryness range, I was ready to begin sealing. I selected Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating and breathable sealer well-suited for older floors like this one, where there was no evidence of a damp proof membrane. Breathable sealers allow any trapped moisture to rise through the tiles and evaporate at the surface, preventing buildup that could lead to rising damp.
I applied two coats of Colour Grow, allowing the first to dry fully before adding the second. This sealer effectively lifted the deep, rich colors of the Quarry tiles, giving them an appealing, polished finish. It also works by keeping dirt on the surface, making the tiles much easier to clean going forward.
