Back in the 1980’s there was a bit of a craze for using terracotta. It was everywhere, in magazines, on TV, and it was soon being used extensively in homes and also in commercial properties like pubs and wine bars. After a few years it seemed to disappear almost as fast. This is due in part to the over-exposure and the ever changing fashions for interior design, but I also suspect that more than a few people experienced a number of headaches in terms of sealing, cleaning and maintaining it.However, all things work in circles right? Well not exactly, but I do see that Terracotta is making a little bit of a come back, not like the last time, but people are it seems one again being swayed by the rustic charms and warm tones and using it in selected areas.
So, I though it timely to do a little article on the methods for sealing terracotta. There are basically two systems (and lots of variations for both) :
1. The traditional oil & wax treatment, or,
2. The modern, synthetic approach.
1. Traditional Oil & Wax.
Many Tilers still prefer this method, largely I think because this is the method they were taught. One of the most popular methods for sealing terracotta is to use a combination of boiled linseed oil and then polish with a neutral Beeswax.
First the tile is treated with several coats of boiled linseed oil; the oil is spread with a cloth or sponge as evenly as possible over the terracotta, before grouting. The first coat is the hardest as the oil is pulled into the extremely porous tile very quickly, so it takes a bit of skill and practice to get an even coat. Subsequent coats are a little easier, until the tile approaches saturation. Care must be taken not to over-apply the oil, making sure any surplus is not left to dry, as this would become sticky and require scraping off. Once the tile is sufficiently sealed (it will take several coats) it will also be considerably darker. It is the oil that gives terracotta that characteristic amber shade that many people like. Once dry, they can be grouted. When the grouting is completely dry, the tiles can be finished off with a coat or two of wax polish – there are many to choose from, some in paste form that require thinning with white spirits (a messy job) and others that come ready to use as a ‘floor wax’.
The advantage of this system is really just aesthetic, if you like that ‘warm look’ then go for this. However, there are several drawbacks: It is a much more involved process in the beginning; ongoing maintenance is also more arduous, the wax will quickly dull through traffic and cleaning, thus it will require frequent re-polishing and this is a hands and knees job, unless you are prepared to purchase a buffing machine. After a while, the wax will build up in layers and will start to actually attract and hold dirt, becoming darker and even tacky to the touch. At this point it needs stripping off, right back to the tile surface using solvent stripers (the oil will not be removed) and the whole polishing process starts again.
2. The Modern, Synthetic Approach
While possibly not offering quite the same depth of colour as oil and wax (it should be pointed out that not everyone likes that artificially darkened colour anyway) is much simpler and far easier to maintain. Again there are several propriety products available. Water-based, acrylic type coatings sealers are safe and relatively easy to use, offering both a surface seal and a degree of shine or gloss in one operation. This saves both time and money. Typically several coats of this type of product can be applied to the tile, depending on its porosity and the degree of sheen you are after. After grouting another coat may be applied. And that is it, job done. As it is a surface coating, just like wax it will of course wear, but it is more resilient and will not dull quite so quickly. With proper care, using neutral cleaners it can actually last for up to 3 years, but typically will not require any topping up before 12 months (this is dependent on many things of course). When it does start to dull down, there is no need to strip; instead a fresh coat can be applied right over what is already there.
If a very glossy finish is required, like a highly buffed wax, then adding a coat or two of a sacrificial acrylic polish on top of your coating sealer will add that high-gloss look. In addition to this, as it is also a sacrificial layer, it helps to protect and prolonging the life of the sealer beneath.
Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.
I recently bought a property which has had terracotta tiles laid on the patio area. They have not been treated and I would like to paint them with masonary paint. Is this feasible?
I am renovating a very old terracotta tile floor in Italy. As I do not want a very shiny finish I was thinking of doing the linseed treatment, but your Seal & Finish Low Sheen sounds very attractive. Don’t suppose there is any chance that I can buy it here in Italy, or in France?
Hi Rosemary,
Seal & Finish Low sheen is a great, low maintenance alternative to oil and wax (I do like oil and wax also, but there is more work involved both initially and ongloing). There are not distributors in either Italy or France at this time but there are several in the UK who can ship to you, and also in Germany. if you send me an email I can put you in touch.
Ian
I stripped, sanded and cleaned with a brillo type green scrubby our satillo tile. I also sanded the grout until it was white. It got pretty wet. My wife wanted to seal it within a day and did. I noticed some of the sealer in the grout was wet after everything else was dry and some of the grout was dark like it was still wet under the sealer. How long should I wait for the tile and grout to dry before I seal. Thanks.
Hi, drying times can depend on the sealer and a number of other things, he porosity of the grout and the temperature and humidity of the room etc. But the grout wants to be as dry as possible. If you can get a damp meter, you should be looking for the scale to be showing less than 10 to 15% moisture content, or be in the ‘green’ section. If your sealer is a good quality one then it may be breathable and the grout should dry out anyway, it may just take a little longer.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi, I am from South Africa and do not suppose that I will find your products here, but if you could assist me with some knowledge I’ll appreciate. I recently installed some Mexican terracotta tiles in my kitchen area. When buying the tiles, I was told to seal it with a mixture of raw linseed oil and terpentyne (a paint thinner). When I asked “how much?” I was told “till it is full”. The tiles now have 4 layers of this mixture on and I added 5 more in an area where I want to place the kitchen units just to give the tiles some form of protection underneath the units. I can see that it is not nearly “full” yet, but I also do not know WHEN it will be “full”.
Unfortunately I only decided this morning to learn a bit about this before continuing.
My questions:
1. what will the tiles look like and do when it is “full” so I know when to stop? Currently it looks like I am going to need about a cup full of the mixture per tile?
2. should it be raw or boiled linseed oil and what is the difference?
3. Can I switch halfway to a commercial sealant?
Last question: I like and want the dark colour the oil gives. So can one use the oil and then use a commercial sealer instead of wax?
Hi Sona,
There are a few questions there:
How do you know when it is ‘full’ ?- basically the tile will stop taking in any more oil. The best thing to do is to apply the oil , allow it to penetrate, then rub it in well and be very careful to remove all excess BEFORE it dries – this is just like using an impregnating sealer.
Then, leave it for a while, I would suggest at least one hour but preferably longer, this is to allow it to set and harden, if you keep pouring more oil in while the last coat is still wet, all you do is push it deeper into the tile.
At some point, and I would think you must be very close to that now, the oil will will not soak in any longer, when you pour some on, it will sit on the surface and not darken it any further. If you leave too much oil on the surface it will dry as crystals – a bit like how honey goes wh it gets old – you would need to carefully scrape this syrupy residue off with a plastic scraper.
Raw or boiled? – not sure I fully appreciate the difference, but typically, in the UK at least we use boiled. From my experience boiled is relatively easy to use and does not normally require any additional thinners. However I would not change halfway though.
I would not add more in the kitchen areas, if you do it will look darker. I would treat all areas the same, when it is fully sealed, it is fully sealed, period.
Regarding your last two questions, no, I would not switch, you will not easily remove the oil now that you have started, and as you like the shade it gives why bother?
We have had some success in using a modern wax alternative as the top coat/polish instead of using natural wax.
The oil gives the tile its colour and deep stain protection, the wax gives it a surface coat and shine. Normally wax like beeswax is used over the oil. The Oil wax look is very appealing as it adds rich warm tones and can look nicer and nicer with age. However, it is a lot harder to maintain than a synthetic coating. You could finish the oil phase, let it completely set for a day or so, then try something like Aqua Mix Floor Shine & Hardener – a high solids, acrylic polish – easy to apply as it is water based, add as many coats as you like, the more the shinier. As it wears just top it up.
With wax, you first have to apply the number of coats to give the desired finish, then the wax needs to be buffed, preferably by machine. Then almost immediately, it starts to wear and dulls down. You can top up the wax, just like FS&H but you have to buff each time. After a while (a number of top ups) the wax builds up to a sticky layer which can attract dirt and the floor then starts to deteriorate in appearance, (getting darker and grimy). This necessitates stripping back the wax, (as far as but not including the oil) and starting again.
There was a supplier for Aqua Mix in SA, but I am not sure he is still operating – I will check and come back to you though.
Hope that helps
Ian
Hi, about 4 months ago we put terracota on our fence walls but we were reccommended to use a mix of cement and sand as the grout. Well, the cement has make the terracota color very dull. I used a product called LPC-85 and some color is back. I haven’t finnished the whole fence because instructions says that terracota has to stay wet for 5 minutes which is pretty hard since it absorbs the liquid almost right away. I want to know if you have any advice in what I’ve done already or whatever is ahead to bring back the color and to seal them after. I haven’t looked for your Seal & Finish Low Sheen product here in Panama (Central America)but first I would like to read your advice.
P.D.
LPC-85 is an acid solution that acts as a cleaner before using any sealers. Its main ingredients are hydrocloric acid 20%, phosphoric acid, nonionic surfactant.
Hi George,
OK, clearly you have cement bluhm or haze. This has happened because you have grouted the terracotta without sealing (at least that is what I am guessing). That cleaner is pretty aggressive so be careful, anything that contains hydrochloric acid should be used with caution. It will also lighten the colour of the grout, so if it is a dark colour, it will be lighter after you acid clean it.
Regarding keeping the tile wet for 5 minutes: firstly I would recommend pre-wetting the surface – really saturate the tiles with water (this may kick off some efflorescence but that can’t be avoided at this stage), this will mean that the tiles do not suck the acid cleaner in straight away, and so help keep the cleaner where it is needed, at the surface.
Also, put the acid in a spray bottle and keep spraying it over the the 5 minutes (where suitable protective clothing of course!). Then scrub or agitate the tile with a scrubbing brush or pad. Rinse down and repeat – maybe a couple more times. This may be a slow process but there is no real alternative.
Also, I guess it gets pretty hot where you live, so do this early in the morning or late in the evening.
Regarding the sealers, I am not sure what is available in your region, but there was a distributor for Aqua Mix in Mexico: try contacting them at http://www.custombuildingproducts.com/products/aqua-mix.aspx
hope that helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
thanks for so generously sharing your expertise, I appreciate it.
I want to find a solution for my elderly parents, who many years ago had a terracotta floor laid in their kitchen with no seal (disaster!). The tiles are large, mid-coloured yellowy-orange, and show EVERY mark of food, oil etc. My 81 year old mother regularly martyrs herself scrubbing these off which kills her back, and it’s a crazy situation, perpetuated by the days and days of drying time that the process of cleaning and sealing the floors would apparently take. On poshfloors’ website they say 3-4 days in one para and 10 days in another. 3-4 days, well, maybe I could arrange to be here while they go away; but 10 days – forget it. My father is too unwell to be away for that long.
The tiles are currently rather patchy looking s there are big bleached-out marks where my mother has scrubbed them with HG Cleaner; and still some residual oil stains here and there (in the middle of the bleach marks, often! nicely highlighted :-)).
Is there any solution other than getting them deep cleaned, with a long drying time, then sealed?
How long a drying time should I estimate?
And how long would you guess the seal would take to apply & dry? (its a largish kitchen and there’s a small hallway and small utility room which are also tiled)
Can the floor be walked on at all while it’s drying? Or is there too big a danger of marks?
I presume you can’t walk on the seal while it’s drying?
I ask now as my folks have just gone away for 5-7 days (depending on weather) to Wales… so perhaps I could just get this done while they’re gone!!
The only thing to mention is that the resulting floor seal mustn’t be slippery (my father is very unsteady on his feet.)
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this,
Sarita
Hi Sarita,
OK, quite a few issues there!
First of all, I sympathise with your situation as unsealed terracotta is not the easiest thing to live with in a kitchen, for anyone, let alone someone getting a little elderly.
There is no quick fix I am afraid, but regarding the drying times, there are things that can be done. The issue of drying times really comes form the traditional type of sealing, using oils and or solvents – you simply cannot put a oil based treatment or some of the older solvents onto a floor with any moisture – it won’t let the the oils/solvents into the tile so you get a blotchy look and also other weird effects like the sealers going cloudy etc. Modern water based systems are not immune to these issues but are a bit more forgiving.
There are other issues such as efflorescence (whitish cloudy effect resulting from wetting the floor and bringing soluble minerals and salts out of the installation). This can take a few days to materialize, if indeed it is going to at all so to seal too soon can cause problems.
So, you must still aim for as dry a floor as possible but you may not have to wait anything like 10 days. First of all, there are things you can do to minimize the amount of water left to dry out. For example, borrowing/hiring a wet vac during the deep clean will remove much of the water (this is also the most effective way to clean and rinse anyway). Then you can take measures to accelerate the drying out of the floor afterwards, open windows and doors, place a large fan to move the air through the room, even hire a space heater. In this way you may get back to a substantially dry floor within 2 days. You can hire a moisture metre to check it, if it is in the green zone then it would certainly be OK for modern water based systems (less than 10% moisture content)
Removing the deeper set oil stains may not be as easy, you may need a poultice for that – and that process itself can take 24 to 48 hours. Any tiles where you intensely spot treat with a poultice may be even more wet than the surrounding one, but a decorator’s heat-gun, or even careful use of a hair dryer can quickly dry out one or two tiles.
Can you walk on them when they are drying? – Sure, as long as your feet/shoes are clean and dry there will be no problem, the vicious circle happens when you clean, then whilst waiting to dry, you walk dirt back into the floor – so take care to be clean whilst it is drying and no problem, just a quick brush or sweep before sealing will be fine. Maybe you have a couple of spots to clean, well a quick wipe with a damp cloth should be OK and that will dry out in minutes.
So, in your situation now I would first do a thorough deep clean, (not got room to go into that here, but I have posted about this before) using say, Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner.
Then start the drying process off, however you can, and attend to any remaining spot stains with the poultice (follow instructions on the tub). Check the poultie 24 hours later and repeat if necessary – in the mean time the rest of the floor should now be dry.
When you are ready to seal I would suggest that you use something like Seal & Finish Low Sheen – it is much easier to maintain than oil and wax, as detailed in the article and also the article from March has a video showing exactly the steps to take.
Regarding slip resistance – this is a whole other issue. There is no easy answer to this except to say there are a lot of myths – floors are most slippery when they are wet, and or contaminated with slippery liquids like oil and grease. The unsealed terracotta is about as slip resistant as it can be – as long as it is clean and dry. Adding a coating sealer like seal & finish low sheen will actually not affect the dry slip resistance of the floor (in fact in some instances it temporarily improves it) but when it is wet it is a different matter as any coating will keep the water or grease at the surface so it is bound to have an effect, reducing the slip resistance of the floor (again, you are slipping on the water, not the sealer but the sealer has stopped the water from soaking into the tile). However the amount of difference it makes is not huge and may still be more than acceptable – the key is good house keeping and keeping the floor clean and dry. A waxed floor would be worse, so too can any other hard floor surface.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Frank,
I’m afraid that as I am based in the UK, I have no idea what the quality of porcelain is like at the store you mention. My advice would be to go and ask them for a sample of the one you like and let the contractor see it. Maybe do some testing, see if there is a wax coating that is hard to remove, try a marker pen to see if it leaves a stain etc – do this before making your buying decision.
Hope that helps
Ian
Hi
I have heard that you can add beeswax to the linseed oil whilst boiling. Is this correct? If so, what mix propostions would you recommend?
Hi,
I have not heard that one! So I cannot tell you what proportions – The thing is, terracotta has been around for so long now, centuries really, so of course there are many many different variations on how to treat it, different Tilers have developed their own methods over the years.
I would have to ask what benefit there is in adding wax to the oil? Also, most of the Tilers in the UK would buy ready – prepared Boiled Linseed Oil – I do not know of anyone here who would ‘boil their own’ – but I could be wrong. The most popular way seems to be; pre-seal with Boiled Linseed (usually several coats) then after grouting and drying, finish off with beeswax, (or some paste wax) sometimes thinned with a spirit.
Ian
Hi Ian,
Have read your blog with interest and as you seem to be very knowledgeable on the subject of terra cotta tiles we hope that you can help.
In June of this year we had a large room tiled with 40 cm sq. terra cotta tiles in a house in south west France. The tiler laid the tiles with adhesive rather than mortar. As a result he advised that he could clean the floor with a diluted acid mixture within one week and that we could oil the floor one week later.
This we did and put on 4 coats of a linseed oil and turpentine mix. After the 3rd coat marks began to develop which were very clearly sponge marks from the cleaning solution and foot prints of the workmen who laid/cleaned the tiles.
The supplier of the tiles says that the cleaning should not have been done for several weeks after laying to allow an efflorescence of salts to come out of the tiles but also says that the tiles can be cleaned using a machine. They have now been left for 2 months since the 4th coat of oil and the markings remain quite clear. I am concerned that the brush and foot marks are now imprinted in the tiles by the 4 coats of oil/turps.
Can you advise if you think it is at all possible that the tiles can be cleaned back to their original state?
We would really appreciate your advice on this as it looks as if it may be a very costly mistake.
Pat
Hi Pat,
Sorry to hear about this; OK, I would agree that using adhesive in place of mortar would speed up the process as there is far less water involved in the installation, so drying and curing times would be faster. It would also hopefully be slightly less prone to efflorescence. I think I would have left it perhaps a little longer than a week before using a cement remover/acid cleaner – 10 days say to give the cement in the grout enough time to fully cure.
If efflorescence had come out then you would have seen it as a greyish white couldy or powdery secretion – you may still get some yet. However It does not sound like the problem here.
Given you can see the foot prints and sponge marks after some coats of oil, it suggests to me that the cleaning of the cement residue was in sufficient. Where there is still some film of cement residue, the foot prints for example, then the oil will not penetrate the tiles so you will see the tile around the print taking-on more colour with each application while the ‘print’ area will remain unchanged – so the print or sponge mark acts like a stencil in negative – hope that made sense.
If I am right then this could be good news – in that in theory at least, if we can move the remaining cement, then that ought to allow more oil in and although you may not get 100% even colour – you should be able to get a bit more oil in to even it up a bit and reduce the impact of the stains.
Try some more of your acidic cleaner – just on the marks – I suggest you try to use a cleaner based on phosphoric, not hydrochloric acid. Try a splash neat on the worst footprint if you get no fizzing, then either the oil is covering and protecting the cement, or it is not cement. You may need to use a stripper – a solvent like turpentine or acetone to remove the oil you have put over the stain (I doubt you would be able to remove all the oil you have put into the tile, but where the marks are, the oil will, in theory at least, be on top of the cement residue, so you ought to be able to take that of to expose the cement).
Then follow the instructions on your cement remover and try to remove as much as possible. If you are successful you should be able to get some more oil into the tile to even out the colour.
If this does not work then I am not sure what else you could try – hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your prompt reply – it is extremely kind of you to take the time to give us your advice/suggestions.
I think you are probably correct about the stencil effect with regard to the sponge marks. It appears as if either the cement residue was not properly cleaned off or possibly the product used for cleaning was not properly rinsed off and is now resisting the oil. (After another consultation this morning with the tiler we now know he did not use acid but some ‘special’ terra cotta cleaner which he bought in a tile shop.) However the reverse seems to be the case with the foot prints. They were there before the cleaning and seem to have absorbed more of the oil than the surrounding surfaces.
We will try the phosphoric acid and/or stripper suggestion.
Thank you again, we really do appreciate your help and we now feel more knowledgeable in discussing it with the tiler.
Pat.
Hi there,
can you advise us on the best way to restore our terracotta kitchen floor? It was originally sealed with linseed oil and regularly waxed with a very effective product that we bought from a specialist shop some fourteen years ago (sadly, now out of business—can’t remember what the product was called, alas). This served us well for many years, but since we ran out of this particular product, we have been polishing the tiles with beeswax — albeit not as regularly as we used to — but as a result the floor is now showing oils stains and is manifestly vulnerable to accidental splashes of kitchen cleaner at the hands of out somewhat slapdash cleaners! Apart from getting more efficient cleaners, what would you suggest we do to get the lustre and patina back on our floor (i.e. having thoroughly removed the dirt and wax from the floor, do we have to start from scratch with a linseed oil seal? Is beeswax the only polish you would recommend?) Basically, how do we deal with the unsightly oil stains and bleach spots?
Much obliged,
Julia Coster-Longman
Hi Julia,
The first thing to say is that whilst oil and wax finishes on terracotta have some benefits – they have a ‘warmth’ that is hard to recreate with synthetic finishes. One of their problems has always been that, no matter how good the maintenance, or the care and love lavished upon them, sooner or later the wax builds up, starts to get a bit sticky attracts dirt etc, or the initially enthusiastic care and maintenance wains and the wax is allowed to diminish and the floor becomes more vulnerable to staining. Either way the floors reach a point where they have to be stripped back. Splashing bleach and other strong cleaners on the floor will also remove the wax in those areas – so tell the cleaners to open their bottles somewhere else.
However, usually it is only the wax that we are stripping, it is impractical to try to get the oil out. So typically the wax is stripped with either high alkali cleaners or solvent based strippers (depending on the condition and thickness of the wax), in doing so one would hope and expect to remove much if not all of any staining that had got through. The bleach marks should also go as they are really areas where the wax has already been stripped. When rinsed and thoroughly dry (drying may take some days) the wax is reapplied, several coats, and then buffed to the required finish.
I would try stripping with something like Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner, (at say 1:2 with water) as it does sound as though the wax has been allowed to diminish. If on the other hand the wax is thick, hardened and tough, you would need a stripper like Sealer & Coating Remover – this is a different process (there is a video elsewhere in the blog). Hiring a rotary machine with brush head along with a separate wet-vac would be a great help in this. Once the floor has been well rinsed and allowed to dry out you can reapply your wax. There may be other alternatives to the brand of beeswax you are using, or you could consider going to a synthetic coating – most of these are removable with alkaline cleaners so if you did not like the look you could go back to waxing quite easily.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
thank you so much for your extremely helpful advice. The floor is already looking tons better and will henceforward receive the TLC that it has been crying out for.
Much obliged,
Julia
Hi Ian,
I’ve recently had spanish terracotta fitted in my kitchen and have sealed it with a natural finish floor sealer. Unfortunately it seems to have dulled abit, going from a nice varied red to pink, and I wondered if you had any suggestions on how I could restore some colour back in the stone and increase protection also (especially in areas like around the hob)? I don’t want it to appear glossy however, a more matt finish is preferable. Also, if you were to suggest a product I could possibly use to achieve the above, would I have to strip the existing product off the tiles before applying the new product?
Thanks for you help!
Callum.
Hi There. I have been asked to lay a floor with reclaimed terracotta 180×180 tiles. The customer would also like me to clean them once i have fitted the tiles. I would be grateful if you can tell me if my process is suitable. 1) fix the tiles. 2) clean tiles with turpentine and allow to dry overnight.3)seal tiles with a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine approx 75% linseed 25% turpentine. 4)grout with 2-1 silversand and cement.5)seal with linseed oil again and then finally coat with beeswax. I have been taught this method from a well experienced tiler. Any comments would be most helpfull. Thanks Stuart
Hi Stuart,
Seems like a reasonable plan. If you have been taught this method by an experienced tiler then that speaks volumes – he would not keep doing something that did not work. But it makes me wonder how much of this type of work you have done? Not doubting your abilities for a moment but messing about with spirits and linseed oil is not an ‘easy’ job for the uninitiated.
I would certainly ask your customer to allow you to do a sample area, see if you can determine how easy the tiles are going to be to clean, and they re-finish using your method, BEFORE you commit to the entire job. This way they get to see what the tiles are going to look like and you both know what to expect – you set the standard that both parties agree to before commencing. This way, they are happy and you get paid.
Will the turps clean the old tiles? – don’t know, I used turps one (or turpentine substitute) and it removed a top coat no problem – but it also stained the stone itself, due to its oily nature, and that was harder to remove than the coating. Again, all the more reason to do a test, you may find you have to use a mixture of strippers and or alkaline cleaners.
I doubt you will remove all the linseed oil, if in-deed that is what is in them. I can’t say for sure how much new linseed you will get into the tile, this will depend on what was in them to begin with – Again, the test will help here.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian thanks for the advice,i have done about six floors but never a reclaimed floor. I have brought a tile back and have just coated it with turpentine and agitated it with a an emulsifing pad. It has brought some of the old wax off but not a huge amount. It also soaked in to the tile which makes me think that it has not had much sealing in the past. I am going to try and seal it with linseed oil and turpentine and then wax it and show the customer. Thanks
I have a reclaimed french terra cotta tile floor that is 150 years old. It was installed 2 years ago & hired a terra cotta floor pro in my area to finish it. He used varathane 350 vos floor strength, 2 coats to seal it. The tiles are now peeling in about 25% of the floor and the raw tile underneath is exposed. The contractor that laid the floor used Bellinzoni Super Seal to seal the floor, but it was still porous. The terra cotta floor pro used the varathane on top & now after 2 years, the peeling is getting worse.
Is it possible to buff/sand the varathane off the top of the floor, re-seal with the Bellinzoni & apply beeswax without damaging the tile? Or is there another method?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Elizabeth,
I am not familiar with those two products but a quick check online tells me something. First of all, the Bellinzoni appears to be a mixture of waxes and oils dispersed in a solvent – so it kind of does the job that linseed oil does, acts as a pre sealer and stains/darkens the terracotta to give it its warmth and depth of colour. The varathane on the other hand I am less sure about but seems to be a polyurethane coating.
If this is the case then it is totally the wrong product to put on terracotta – so much for your terracotta pro. This type of product is more suited to wood like a varnish, for sports floors etc – at least, as far as I can tell – I stand to be corrected. This type of product will peel, exactly as you have described, it would have peeled anyway in my opinion, but given it was applied over the Bellinzoni, which would naturally want to repel it to some degree, it is hardly surprising.
You will have to strip off the varathane using a solvent, like Sealer and Coating Remover – and, depending on the thickness, number of layers etc, you may need more than one application. Check out our article on “How to remove a coating Sealer”.
Once you have done this, you may need to reapply a top up coat of the Bellinzoni. Then when that is dry, sure you can use a beeswax type top coat. There are other methods and synthetic products, but as these tiles have the Bellinzoni already – I would stick with that and wax.
Hope that helps
Ian.
Dear Ian,
My husband and I recently bought an old farmhouse and shipped some reclaimed antique french terracotta tiles over to the U.S. from Europe to be installed in our kitchen. They arrived in crates and are/were incredibly dirty. Covered in cement dust, and marked with green moss and dirt. My husband and I spent three days lightly power washing off all the dust and dirt. We laid them out on tarps to dry in the sun. The tile layer has been installing the tile the last two days, I have been sorting the tiles for him by hand. However I have not been there every second having to run in and out for tiles, and he placed a few with dark spots, is it possible to still remove the spots without removing the tile? There appears to be no finish on the tiles at all.
We would like to use the boiled linseed and turpentine mixture followed by two or three coats of wax (buffed in between). My questions are, how long do we wait till be seal the tiles with the turpentine and boiled linseed oil mixture? I want to make sure all of the moisture is out of the tiles, the have been exposed to a lot of water with the power washing and the mortar mixture is also water based. And do we need to also use 1/3 turpentine to 2/3 boiled linseed oil if the linseed oil is boiled? And lastly, we were told to use butchers wax. It is in a tin and is the consistency of shoe polish, it can be scooped out with a cloth and is medium in hardness. Will this work as well as beeswax as long as we buff it in between each coat?
Please advise, we want to make sure we don’t make mistakes.
Thanks much!
Chrissy
Hi Chrissy,
Regarding cleaning the spots? – It will depend on what the dirt is and how deep it is. You could try deep cleaning with an alkaline cleaner, such as Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner by Aqua Mix – you are in the US so you should be able to get those products easy enough. First pre-wet the tile all around but not on the spots, then mix some HDT&GC with warm water about 1:3. Apply to the spot and leave for about 15 minutes, making sure it does not dry out (keep adding more). Then scrub lightly with a scrub pad and absorb the liquid with a cotton or paper towel. Rinse with cleaner water and absorb again. Let it dry out and see if it made any difference, if it did but not 100% then repeat the procedure.
If this does not work you could try a poultice (again Aqua Mix have one) – but this works only with stains that are mobile – so general dirt, or oily stains can be retrieved this way, resins that may have ‘set’ usually cannot. I would try these two things first before considering removing the tiles.
Regarding the oil and wax – I have said many times that there are various thoughts on this, it seems every experienced terracotta installer has his or her own preference but to my knowledge, it is not a given that you need to thin boiled linseed oil with turps. It will depend on the viscosity of the oil and the porosity of the terracotta. So, the thing to do would be to do a test – presumably you have some spare tiles still out side? – Try some without thinning, see if it penetrates and cleans up OK. Try some with the turps and see if it helps, or if it makes it too thin at the end of the day it [turps] is only being used as a ‘thinner’ to facilitate the penetration of the oil. I have used un-thinned boiled linseed oil of some terracotta no problem.
As for the wax? – if it is soft enough to rub into the tile evenly and be buffed up OK then it should be fine – again, try a test over the oiled samples once they are dry. On big job sites Architects will often demand testing of a specification on sample panels before proceeding with the job for real – it helps to identify problems before doing the job for real and thus you can modify the system for best results.
Regarding the moisture levels; Oil and water do not mix – the tiles must be near as possible 100% dry. This could take several days or even a couple of weeks in some situations- the best thing to do is hire a moisture meter and take some readings all over the floor.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
I have read your blogg with interest. I have a slight variation on the cases discussed above. A new terracotta floor laid, grouted, cleaned with acid and then coated with 3 coats of linseed/wax/turps mix as advised by the tiler. Looks OK but 2 problems.
First is sealing is not very effective and cooking oil/tea etc stains are rapidly accumulating. Is it best to simply clean these and apply more of same treatment or perhaps simply to wax a few times or is a different approach called for. The floor does seem to have a little residual porosity ie water will soak in a bit after 5 mins.
Second is a bit of white bloom that appeared in low spots during treatment, not a major problem but wondered how to get rid of it.
Many thanks
Phil
Hi there
I have just laid unsealed spanish handmade terracotta tile in the kitchen. Do you recommend I go for the aqua mix sealers choice gold or will the seal and finish low sheen suffice. There’s a big price difference. I have two small children and expect a few spills and want the best stain resistance. I want a to finish with the floor shine and hardener for the high gloss finish as you recommend
Richard
Hi Richard,
Floor Shine & Hardener is really best applied over Seal & Finish Low sheen, they are both topical coatings. If you want this type of high gloss finish that is easier to maintain than the traditional oil and wax then going for this system would be my choice. Make sure you put sufficient coats of Seal & Finish before applying any floor shine & harderner – it may take 4 or more coats, when you think you have done enough, allow it to dry completely and do a water drop test, add another coat if water gets in really quickly.
Ian
Hi Philip,
The idea is that the oil forms the seal and the wax is the top coat. The top coat will wear, scuff, go dull, get dirty etc- it is wax after all (think of your shoes, you put wax polish on them frequently right? – one initial application of wax won’t stay looking good for weeks on end). If you are getting stains, that is deep stains getting through the wax and into the tile, then you may not have sufficient oil in them – in which case use a high alkaline stripper to remove the wax and top up the oil. If it is just the wax absorbing oily dirt you may still have to strip the wax and re-apply – you will need to do this from time to time.
Keeping it clean is the key, get the right amount on the tiles to begin with then buff them to a high shine, then use a neutral cleaner as you are. When it dulls, top up the wax, but if it gets really dirty – use a high alkaline cleaner (just not to stripping strength this time)- this will bring some of the wax off, maybe even all of it – so worst case it you have to re wax again.
Re the white bloom, hard to say without seeing it but sounds like efflorescence, normally acids are used to remove this but remember it has come up through the tile, oil and wax so you would certainly have to remove the wax to be able to do anything about this. You might also have an issue with too much moisture in the tiles before the oil was applied. This would require stripping the oil back with a solvent, then re-applying it when dry.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
Thank you so much for your advice with cleaning our tiles. We ended up using a muriatic acid/water mixture to clean the tiles- they look great! And they are really dry now and ready to be oiled. I am going to apply the first coat of oil over the next day or so. How long must I wait to apply the second and third coats? Must I wait a day in between or may I just continue the boiled linseed oil application an hour or so after the first coat? And how do I know when the tiles are adequately saturated?
I am going to do some samples but want to make sure there is enough oil before we apply the wax.
Please advise.
Thank you,
Chrissy
Hi Chrissy,
I am not sure I ever recommended using muriatic acid anywhere! – but glad it worked out.
If you are happy that the tiles are now ready to oil then ok, I don’t think you need to wait a day between coats, maybe more than an hour though, it will all depend on conditions at the time. The main thing is to let it dry so as the next coat sits on top of the first, not just blend with it. At some point after 2 or more coats the tile will stop take in any more oil in – it will not seem to absorb, but rather sit on the surface much longer. If it is not absorbed after say 15 minutes, wipe it off – you are done. Make sure the surface is left absolutely dry with no lingering wet oil (which will only go tacky and may even crystallize like old honey). Then leave it at least a day before aplying the wax.
Good luck
Ian
hello i wonder if you can help me ,what is the best way to strip my terracotta tiles, so i can start again as the tiler messed the finish up
Hi Laura,
Ok well you need a chemical stripper – can be a bit messy but no alternative really. This post should help.
Ian
what type of chemical cleaner is best
Hi Laura,
Ok, there are several on the market, moslty solvent based. Something like Sealer and Coating Remover would be my choice
Hello .I have recently bought a house with terracotta floors . I am not sure what they were sealed with .I believe it was linseed oil . However there are several oil mark and grubby stains on the floor . Could you please tell me how to refresh them (I have never done terracotta tiles before ) .Do I need to strip them back completely and if so does that mean beginning again with coats of linseed ? I have been told to use turpentine 100% strength but I am concerned that I may damage the floor. I see from your previous comments you recommend wax … can you please suggest a brand that I may purchase in the Uk.Also can one use an invisible sealer like one would use on travertine or not ? Many thanks . Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Terracotta floors can be a nightmare. The oily marks are in the tile because there was either insufficient linseed oil and wax on the floor, or it was fine to begin with but has not been well looked after and the ‘seal’ maintained. You ought to be able to make improvements by conducting a deep clean. I would start with a high alkaline cleaner designed for tiles such as Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner, I have posted extensively on how to do this (plus the instructions are on the bottle). This will take off any thin remaining wax plus the build up of dirt and should make some impact on the oil stains. However it may not remove them altogether, for this you may need to use a poultice, and or a solvent. If you use a solvent such as Sealer and Coating remover then it will cut back the linseed oil a little but not remove it completely.
If you are successful and remove the stains (or diminish them substantially) you will probably wish to top up the oil (no point switching to a synthetic impregnating sealer now). A thin coat of boiled linseed oil (which can be thinned with say 50:50 white spirit) can be applied using a mini roller. Make sure it all soaks in within about 15 minutes, buff dry any remaining after that time. Let it dry over night and then start to build up your wax layers again for the shine/polish There are various brands some are more liquid, some are in paste form. Just read the label and check they are suitable for terracotta.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian
Thanks for your initial advice on sealing my new spanish terracotta tiles…however, I’ve come unstuck on the aesthetic! The floor has had 2 coats of aquamix floor sealer and low sheen finish with a top coat of floor hardener and high shine. My problem is that the tiles look too pale and pink, and not the deep warm colours I anticipated. Is there anything I can do to add warmth and depth to the floor at this point. I really don’t want to go to the lengths of sanding, the tiles are all quite individual, some even have handprints! I’m feeling fed up and a little low. It’s taken me much time and money to get to this point and instead of feeling proud pleased and proud, I’m just disappointed 🙁
There’s a lesson here I’m sure for everyone…test, test and test
Richard
Hi Richard,
OK, that is disappointing, especially as it sounds as if you did a god job as well. Only way to get some colour in is to strip off the sealers you have put on I’m afraid, but this does not mean sanding; you would need to strip using a sealer stripper. I did an article on it with a video demonstration here: https://www.tileandstoneblog.co.uk/stripping/how-to-strip-a-coating-sealer/
Once you get back to the bare tile you have two options, 1) an enhancing sealer such as Enrich n Seal -but with this approach you won’t be able to out a gloss polish on after, so it will have the depth of colour you are after but zero shine. Or, 2) the traditional oil and wax approach.
You would have to strip the coatings off, rinse well, allow it to thoroughly dry out (usually several days, keeping it clean in the process). Then apply boiled linseed oil, (may need thinning with spirit), use a mini roller, remove any remaining oil that is still wet on the surface after about 15 minutes (rub it dry and to a mat look with a towel for example), let it dry. Then repeat, may need several coats before no more oil will penetrate the tile. Then leave the oil to dry thoroughly before applying a top wax. This will give you more maintenance than the synthetic route, but it will also give you the colour you are after.
Hope this helps
Ian
Thanks for the rapid response and reply…sounds a big job. May leave this until after Christmas to avoid upheaval over the festive period. will take the time to look at the video.
Best wishes and thanks again
Richard
Hi Iain,
Very interesting reading, laid unsealed italian terracotta floor year ago and sealed with synthetic sealer and now needs renewing, so to be clear you re recommending aquamix seal and finish low sheen and after what do you recommend as a cleaner. Currently using stoneguard and have found only way to really maintain is hands and knees twice a week! Thinking must be an easier way…thanks susan
Hi Ian,
Forgot to ask how long would I need to give it to dry if used the aquamix seal and finish. Kitchen warm as has a range in it for heating.
Thanks Susan
Hi Susan,
For what we call routine maintenance, whether it is daily or weekly or whatever, we suggest a neutral, mild detergent. If you have used Seal & Finish Low Sheen, or any brand of topical coating, then any high alkaline detergent is going to have an impact on that coating, certainly dullling it, but possibly even stripping it altogether. The problem with detergents right off the shelf in the supermarkets etc is that they are often very high alkalines. So use something like Concentrated Stone and Tile Cleaner by Aqua Mix, or a similar product from another brand. You should not need to do a hands and knees job on every occasion, get a good mop and bucket, one that is realy good at removing the water.
If you are topping up Seal & Finish Low Sheen, it could take up to an hour to dry
Kind regards
Ian
Hi Ian ,Thanks for your advise.Please can you name a couple of products that are used to build up the wax layer as I am clueless . Just making sure that the advise given applies to mexican terracotta as well (when I posted my question in Nov ,I had no idea there was a difference.Thanks
Lisa
Ian,
Firstly congrats on creating this meeting place/forum for those of us baffled by terracotta sealing options.
We had some new terracotta tiles laid in our place in Italy last year. We were told some sort of invisible.. sealant had been used as we requested a matt finish. After using the place in the summer there are a number of marks on the floor (some left by insects we had squashed) and I brought in the geometra who had organised the work who recommended we seal using a wax based sealant.
Having read all the downsides on using the traditional approach, however, I have purchased around 30 lites of a product made in Italy by Nordcotto called Norcotto (see internihttp://www.nordresine.it/inglese/scheda_prodotto.asp?cat=12 )
It is solvent-based liquid product designed for terracotta that purports to both impregnate and finish the tiles.
I tried the product on a couple of spare tiles last summer and even after 4 coats it still appeared to be soaking into the tile.
Any thoughts you have on this product or our predicament would be much appreciated
David