Quarry Tile Cleaning

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

Cleaning and Renovating Quarry Tiles

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

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

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

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


Quarry tiled porch floor before and after cleaning in Middleton

Stained Quarry Tiled Porch Cleaned and Sealed in Middleton

It’s not uncommon for us to hear from customers who have decoration work undertaken, only for the builders to leave plaster and paint stains all over the floor. These types of stains can be particularly difficult to remove from tiles – especially if you rely on using everyday, supermarket quality products.

Quarry tiled porch before cleaning Middleton

This was a problem for this customer from the town of Middleton, who had just had a new porch built and in the process the Quarry tiled floor had become very noticeably stained. Struggling to deal with the problem herself, the customer found Tile Doctor online and decided to make use of our expertise.

Quarry tiled porch before cleaning Middleton

Cleaning Stained Quarry Tiles

To clean the porch tiles we used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, our powerful alkaline product designed to remove dirt and stains on natural stone tiles and grout. We evenly applied Pro Clean and left it to dwell for five minutes, allowing it to seep into the tiles. We then agitated the product with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine, breaking down the stubborn paint and plaster marks.

The resulting slurry was then removed using a wet vacuum, before the floor was rinsed thoroughly to remove any chemicals from the stone. With the tiles looking fresh and clean, we left them to dry completely overnight. We recommend a natural drying period of about 24 hours, although in some circumstances heat guns and turbo dryers can assist in speeding up the process.

Sealing Quarry Tiles

I returned to the property the next day, starting by using my damp tester to check whether the floor was dry enough to seal. There were some areas that were still damp, but I managed to get them dry quickly with my heat gun.

For sealing, I used four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, our water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish that compliments the natural stone. The addition of a fresh sealer will make the tiles far easier to keep clean in the future.

Quarry tiled porch after sealing Middleton

The customer was very pleased with the overall result. However, she was keen to make sure she could give the tiles the regular maintenance they need, so I left her with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This gentle, pH-neutral cleaner is perfect for regular maintenance as it reliably removes dirt and stains without damaging the sealer. You can use it to clean all types of tiles, stone and grout.

Quarry tiled porch after sealing Middleton

 
 

Cleaning and Sealing of a Stained Quarry Tiled Porch in Greater Manchester

Stained Quarry Tiled Porch Cleaned and Sealed in Middleton Read More »

Red and Black Quarry Tiles Restored in Manchester

Red and Black Quarry Tiles Restored in Manchester

This Quarry tiled floor had been discovered under a carpet at a house in Manchester and the owner was keen to have it restored as an original period feature. The carpet had been stuck to the tiled floor using adhesive so glue was evident on the surface of the Quarry tile as were small spots of paint.

Cleaning the Quarry Tiled Floor

I started cleaning the Quarry Tiles with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked into the floor using a buffing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This good job cleaning the floor however there was still evidence of adhesive and paint on the floor; a stronger product was needed so I applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is an acid based product so you have to be very careful not to leave it on the floor for a long time. Once the floor was clean of glue and paint it was washed down three times using clean water in order to neutralise the floor and remove any remaining cleaning products before sealing. By the way to remove liquids from floors I highly recommend the use of a wet vacuum as it makes the job much faster.

Red-and-Black-Quarry-Tiles-Before

Sealing Quarry Floor Tiles

The floor was left to dry overnight and I came back the next day to apply the sealer. For sealing the Quarry tiles I used five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, it’s recommended for Quarry tiles and adds a nice low sheen to the floor; sealing does take time as it’s necessary to allow each coat to dry before applying the next so it took most of the day to complete the job. My customer was pleased with the results and left the following comment:

Friendly and helpful. The floor looks lovely – paint and carpet glue gone, nice and shiny!!
Mrs. & Mrs. C. Tower, Manchester

Red-and-Black-Quarry-Tiles-After

 
 

Removing Adhesive from a Manchester Quarry Tiled Floor

Red and Black Quarry Tiles Restored in Manchester Read More »

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Greater Manchester Tile Doctor

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