quarry tiles Archives - Warwickshire Tile Doctor

Quarry Tiled Floor Thatched Cottage in Rugby Before and After

Ex Pub Quarry Tiled Floor Restored to Fantastic Condition in Newbold-on-Avon, Rugby

Pubs have been though a decline in the last ten years with one in five closing due to increased business rates and some believe the ban on smoking has had a part to play. My client saw this particular pub come up for sale in Newbold-on-Avon near Rugby and snapped it up with the intention of turning the lovely thatched Cottage back into a home. It needed a lot of work though and I was called into to sort out the floor which was a mixture of 6×6 inch and 9×9 inch Quarry tiles. The tiles were in a bit of a state and there were also large sections of concrete in 3 areas that had been painted red to blend in with the tiles.

Quarry Tiled Floor Thatched Cottage in Rugby Before

Rebuilding and Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Floor

The customer wanted the Quarry tiled floor restoring and extended throughout the floor which meant a substantial amount of work would be required to remove the concrete, rebuild the foundation and level with screed and then fit around 100 reclaimed tiles not to mention cleaning and sealing.

Quarry Tiled Floor Thatched Cottage in Rugby During Rebuild

The work was hard going at times, especially knocking out the concrete and adding the screed surface to the right level. Once that was done worked moved quickly on to laying the new tiles and grouting them in. Overall it took three days just to rebuild the floor alone.

The customer did not what the Floor to look too different between the old and new so once the tiling was done the whole floor was treated with Tile Doctor Remove and Go to remove traces of red paint and glue. The solution was scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad and then rinsed off with water and then extracted using a wet vacuum.

This improved the look of the tiles but it also revealed some grout haze issues on the original tiles and after digging up the floor earlier I was aware no damp proof course had been installed which is not unusual in these older properties. To counter the grout haze and deal with any potential efflorescence issues I gave the whole floor an acid wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which was scrubbed in and then rinsed off with water and extracted with a the wet vacuum. The tiles need to be dry in order to be sealed so I left the floor for 24 hours with a number of industrial Air Movers in place to aid the drying process.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

Upon my return to the house I checked for any dampness that could have damaged the performance of the sealer, thankfully, the floor was dry and ready to seal, and so I proceeded to apply several coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra.

Seal & Go Extra is a fully breathable sealer that allows for effective moisture transmission, important where no damp proof course is installed. The sealer provides durable surface protection against dirt and stains, and is suitable for most kinds of internal, natural stone tiled floors, including Quarry, Victorian and Flagstone.

Quarry Tiled Floor Thatched Cottage in Rugby After

The job took a week in total and as you can see from the photographs I successfully managed to restore the old tiles which with the addition of the cleaning and sealing have blended in well with the new tiles.

Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration in Warwickshire

Ex Pub Quarry Tiled Floor Restored to Fantastic Condition in Newbold-on-Avon, Rugby Read More »

Quarry Tiles Canley Before and After Sealing

Hidden Quarry Tiled Floor Restored to Fantastic Condition in Canley

1 Comment / Coventry Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

It’s been my experience that it’s not un-common to discover fantastic tiled floors hidden underneath an additional layer of flooring usually carpet or linoleum. This was the case with this property, situated in the town of Canley, Coventry, where the owner had found a Quarry tiled floor underneath Vinyl tiles which had been stuck down using an adhesive.

Quarry tiles are typically hard wearing and very durable and a sensible choice for flooring in high traffic areas of both residential and commercial properties, a tiled floor is of course a difficult to remove so it’s not surprising that tiles do get covered over rather than replaced during redecoration.

Taste’s change and like most property owners who unearth hidden tiled floors, my client was keen to restore them as an original feature. Despite the amount of adhesive and the poor state of the Quarry tiles, I was confident that the floor could be restored to new, so we agreed a date for me to come back to the property and complete the work.

Removing Adhesive and Cleaning Quarry tiles

The process of cleaning the Quarry tiled floor – including remove large amounts of adhesive – took a total of two days to complete.

I started by carefully removing the Vinyl tiles using a hand scraper which as you can imagine was a lot of manual effort and the adhesive proved quite difficult to remove. In the end I had to use a combination of a very coarse 50 grit pad fitted to a heavy rotary machine lubricated with water, to clear the area completely of the substance.

The resulting slurry was rinsed away, and the floor was then given a thorough acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. Grout Clean-Up is a cleaner which contains concentrated phosphoric acid, and is designed to dissolve minerals such as salts and cement left on the surface of the tile.

This was followed by a final thorough rinse with water, and the excess moisture was soaked up with a wet-vac machine.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

After the cleaning process was complete, I left the floor to dry off completely for 24 hours. Upon my return to the house the next day, I checked for any dampness that could have damaged the performance of the sealer, thankfully, the floor was dry and ready to seal, and so I proceeded to apply several coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra.

Seal & Go Extra is a fully breathable sealer that provides for effective moisture transmission. It provides durable surface protection against dirt and stains, and is suitable for most kinds of internal, natural stone tiled floors, including Quarry, Victorian and Flagstone.

As you can see from the photographs the Quarry tiles came out really well and it’s hard to believe that this is the same floor.

Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration in Warwickshire

Hidden Quarry Tiled Floor Restored to Fantastic Condition in Canley Read More »

Quarry tiles covered in screed Marton after restoration

Linoleum Covered Quarry Tiled Floor Restored in Marton, Warwickshire

1 Comment / Leamington Spa Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

Recently I was called to a house in the very small town of Marton in Warwickshire which is known for its proximity to the medieval “Marton Bridge”, which lies just to the north, crossing the River Leam.

The entire downstairs flooring of my client’s house consisted of Quarry tiles apart from one room where the tiles had been covered by screed and then linoleum. Quarry tiles are a classic hard wearing tile used for both internal and external commercial and residential flooring due to its ability to withstand heavy usage. Reception areas, outdoor patios and porches, for example, are commonly tiled using Quarry.

My client wanted to restore the covered floor back to its original state so that it would match the rest of the downstairs. Realising that this would be a complex and physically demanding task, my client decided to call in Tile Doctor to carry out the restoration.

Quarry tiles covered in screed Marton before restoration

Removing Screed and Linoleum from a Quarry tiled floor

Removing the Linoleum covering was a relatively straightforward process, so I was able to do this relatively quickly. The main issue concerned removing the screed, which is far more difficult to remove, requiring a lot of physical scraping. Thus I opted to call in some extra manpower in the form of the Nottinghamshire Tile Doctor, Steve Carpenter. With the two of us armed with scrapers we set about removing the screed, taking extra care not to damage the Quarry tile underneath.

Quarry tiles covered in screed Marton during restoration

Cleaning a Quarry tiled floor

Once Steve and I had scraped off as much of the screed as physically possible, I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go, a stripper with cleaning properties that is particularly effective at breaking down coatings such as adhesives, plasters and sealers. The product was left to dwell for ten minutes before I worked it into the stone with a scrubbing pad.

After cleaning the tiles, I noticed a layer of grout haze on the surface of the exposed Quarry tiles, so I applied Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to remove it. Once the cleaning process was complete I gave the floor a thorough rinse with clean water, before soaking up the resulting residue with a wet-vac machine. The first day of work was a gruelling 12 hours long, but I was very pleased with the results and left the floor to dry overnight.

Sealing a Quarry tiled floor

On day two I returned to finish the job by sealing the newly uncovered Quarry tiles, but not before using a damp meter to check that they were completely dry. Any excess moisture left on unsealed tiles can potentially effect the performance of any sealers that are applied. I sealed the tiles using Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating, colour-enhancing sealer which gave the surface an aesthetically pleasing shine, as well as durable protection against dirt and wear for the future.

After two long days of work the job was done and the transformation was fantastic and highly rewarding to see, the house now has a fantastic looking Quarry tiled floor running throughout the entirety of the lower level.

Quarry tiled floor restoration in Warwickshire

Linoleum Covered Quarry Tiled Floor Restored in Marton, Warwickshire Read More »

Quarry Tiled Floor Restored in Stratford upon Avon

1 Comment / Quarry Tile Cleaning, Stratford-upon-Avon Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

Located in the hallway of an old vicarage in the historic town of Stratford upon Avon these Quarry tiles had been hidden under carpet for many years and before that it appears had been painted in red brick paint and splattered with plaster and paint from decorating. I was asked if there was anything we could do to restore them and having done a number of these types of renovations before I was confident that would could and got the go ahead to proceed.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration in Stratford-upon-Avon

Restoring a Quarry tiled floor

The first job was to give the floor a really good deep clean and to remove any coatings from the tiles. To do this a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was left to soak into the floor for about 30 minutes before being scrubbed in using a slow speed rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. I then used a wet vacuum to remove the resultant soiled solution and rinsed the floor down with water. There were quite a few stubborn areas and so the whole process had to be repeated, additionally some of the paint needed to carefully removed using a scraper.

Once the floor was clean I gave it a wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is an acid based product that will remove light grout smears and mineral deposits from effloresce which can leave to white salt deposits appearing on the tile surface and can be quite common on old tiled floors that have no damp proof course.

The cleaning process took up the whole day and after finishing the whole floor was given a thorough rinse with water to ensure no trace of cleaning product remained on the floor.

Sealing a Quarry tiled floor

I left the floor overnight to dry then came back next day and used a damp test meter to verify the floor was dry and ready for sealing. Once happy I proceed to apply four coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which matched their requirements in a sealer exactly as it provides a matt finish brings out the colour in the stone and offers great stain protection.

Quarry tiles tiled floor restored in Warwickshire

Quarry Tiled Floor Restored in Stratford upon Avon Read More »

Quarry Tiled Floor in Long itchington After Cleaning and Sealing

Cleaning Painted Quarry Tiles in Long Itchington

Leamington Spa Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

Details below of a Quarry tiled floor that we treated in Long Itchington which had previously been painted with an epoxy paint designed for garage floors. Not the best product for maintaining the natural look of Quarry Tiles.

Quarry-Tiled-Floor-in-Long itchington-Before-Cleaning

Cleaning Quarry Tiles

To get the paint off the floor had to be soaked in a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings remove and can pretty much remove anything from tiles. This was left to work on the tile before being scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The grout also needed attention and this was also scrubbed this time by hand using a stiff brush along the grout line and more https://www.tiledoctor.co.uk/shop/item.aspx/tile-doctor-remove-go-1-litre/17/. The resultant soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor washed down.

There were some stubborn stains so further work continued this time using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is a stronger acid based product ideal for removing grout smears from tile, paint and even rust. Following this the solution was removed as before and the tiles given a thorough rinse to ensure no products were left on the floor and then left to dry overnight.

Quarry-Tiled-Floor-in-Long itchington-Before-and-after-Cleaning

Sealing Quarry Tiles

The floor had dried when we returned the next day so we set about sealing it using three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which provides surface stain protection to the quarry tile and grout and also has a special formula that brings out the colour in the tile.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor in Long Itchington

Cleaning Painted Quarry Tiles in Long Itchington Read More »

Removing Tar from Quarry Tiles in Rugby

Quarry Tile Cleaning, Rugby Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

This Quarry Tiled floor was in a house in the village of Clifton-upon-Dunsmore which is close to Rugby; the tiles had been covered in an unattractive damp proof tar membrane and then hidden under carpet for many years and the owner wanted the floor restoring.

Quarry Tile Tar Removal

To remove the tar membrane the Quarry Tiled floor was coated with Tile Doctor Remove and Go mixed 50/50 with NanoTech Ultra-Clean and left to dwell for 30 minutes to an hour. We then scrubbed the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad, the combined effect of the chemicals and scrubbing action broke down the tar and loosened it from the surface of the tile and was then removed with water and a wet Vacuum. It took a whole day to complete the floor as it was necessary to remove the tar in 2 metre square sections.

The following day the floor was washed down with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is an Acid based product ideal for removing the salt in the floor, all the edges were done by hand with a tar remover solvent and steel wire wool then washed down again 4 times with cold water before being rinsed with a high pressure spinner tool.

The last step was to use a warm air dryer to speed dry the floor before it was sealed. For this we used two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a breathable sealer that will provide durable stain protection as well as allowing vapour transmission a necessary feature for old floors with no damp proof course.

Quarry Tile Restoration in Rugby

Removing Tar from Quarry Tiles in Rugby Read More »

Kitchen Quarry Tile Restoration in Coundon, Coventry

Coventry Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

These Quarry tiles were in the kitchen of a house in Coundon, Coventry; the owner of the house found them hidden under a carpet and was keen to restore them. You can see from the photograph below they had been seriously neglected, covered in paint and cement and then finally carpet adhesive.

Restoring Quarry Tiles

First the quarry tiled floor was dry vacuumed to remove loose soil and particles from the surface. It was then cleaned using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is an acid based product useful for the removal of grout from the surface of the tile and in this case cement. The solution was worked into the tile using a buffing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum and then rinsed with water; the process had to be repeated a second time before we were happy with the result.

The next step in the cleaning process was to use a powerful industrial steam cleaner on the surface of the quarry tiles, as well as cleaning the steam had the added advantage of neutralising the floor before sealing.

Quarry Tile Sealing

The floor was now clean and the hot steam soon evaporated so it wasn’t long before we set about sealing the Quarry Tiles with four coats for Tile Doctor Seal and Go which combines stain resistance with a durable low-sheen finish.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Restored in Counden, Coventry

Kitchen Quarry Tile Restoration in Coundon, Coventry Read More »