Any suggestions on improving the look of old (1936) tile? Something to
add a little shine. Can you wax tile, or will it only cause it to
become slippery? Polyurethane? Suggestions welcome.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Any suggestions on improving the look of old (1936) tile? Something to
add a little shine. Can you wax tile, or will it only cause it to
become slippery? Polyurethane? Suggestions welcome.


Try a stone/tile sealer product in the tile isle at HD or similar. These
water based acrylic coatings are mostly for stone or grout but should still
seal ceramic tiles. Try on a small area first. Get a matt finish because
anything glossy will be slippery.

(most tile stores will not accept returns for chemicals but HD will)

Floor restorative polishes (sealing kind) at the supermarket would also
offer an improved look though not as long lasting.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Any suggestions on improving the look of old (1936) tile? Something to
add a little shine. Can you wax tile, or will it only cause it to
become slippery? Polyurethane? Suggestions welcome.

Ceramic, right? That lovely hex pattern stuff that was common then? Unless
there are actual damaged tiles, and as long as floor is solid (like around
toilet and shower), best way to make it look better is a heavy cleaning, and
maybe a regrout job. Dingy tile is probably just 69 years of soap scum, wax,
and grunge. Somebody will jump in here with expert advice on the best floor
stripper, probably from a janitor supply, and the best way to bleach or
tuckpoint the old grout. Unless someone used acid or abrasive on it, ceramic
tile is one of the most durable things there is. Once grout is cleaned
and/or redone, make sure to seal it so it doesn't get dingy immediately.
It'll be messy, smelly, and a lot of hand labor, and you may want to wait
for a warm day so you can vent to outside air, but it will make a world of
difference.

Now if you have an old Lino or Asbestos tile floor, I don't have any good
answers for you. If surface is ground away, commercial flooor wax may buy
you a few years, but replacement is the proper repair.

aem sends...

wrote:

Any suggestions on improving the look of old (1936) tile? Something to
add a little shine. Can you wax tile, or will it only cause it to
become slippery? Polyurethane? Suggestions welcome.


We use a Trewax product, for tile, terazzo and slate, on our terazzo
floors. Kitchen, two baths, and hall are terazzo. We initially used a
three-step product from Home Depot, which is stripper, sealer, polish.
The Trewax is less expensive, as we could only buy the other in one gal.
size. Trewax give gloss finish, lasts us pretty well 2 years. Lots of
elbow grease with blue scrubber to take it off but the finish is
gorgeous. Have to be careful to get it on evenly, as puddles dry hard
and will show irregularity. Don't know how it affects grout.