Removing quarry tile stains?Q
 

Hi,

My friend has an old Victorian house with original quarry tiles in his
kitchen. The tiles are about half an inch thick and he asked me if
there was an easy way to remove stains (mainly fat I think), then
re-seal them.
He has tried some chemicals but without success.
I thought some "wet and dry" to remove the top layer might work!
Does anyone have other ideas, such as a machine like a floor sander
fitted with a special belt perhaps?
It does seem a shame to lay vinyl over it though!

Thanks

Hi Peter
My friend has an old Victorian house with original quarry tiles in his
kitchen. The tiles are about half an inch thick and he asked me if
there was an easy way to remove stains (mainly fat I think), then
re-seal them.

The problem is probably due to the very porous nature of the tiles. The
fat/grease/dirt has soaked into the tile.

The solution is not mechanical, but a hot detergent solution left to soak
for as long as possible. Any particularly bad stains, build a 'dam' around
the stain with plasticine and fill with detergent solution.

It may not come completely clean no matter what. Accept some stains as
'age' :-)

Seal using a water based acrylic floor polish. Johnsons 'Clear' is OK and
found in most supermarkets.

Dave

David Lang wrote:
Hi Peter
My friend has an old Victorian house with original quarry tiles in his
kitchen. The tiles are about half an inch thick and he asked me if
there was an easy way to remove stains (mainly fat I think), then
re-seal them.

The problem is probably due to the very porous nature of the tiles. The
fat/grease/dirt has soaked into the tile.

The solution is not mechanical

unless the OP uses one of them there small domestic steam cleaners



RT

unless the OP uses one of them there small domestic steam cleaners


Aha! What a good idea! Could well be the answer.

Dave

My friend has an old Victorian house with original quarry tiles in his
kitchen. The tiles are about half an inch thick and he asked me if
there was an easy way to remove stains (mainly fat I think), then
re-seal them.

The best chemicals are available from Lithofin. www.extensive.co.uk. They
have a range of cleaners, up to severe aggression, although as others have
stated, they might not be entirely effective if the fat is now internal to
the stone. However, once you have managed to clean them, they do a range of
excellent sealers. I'd probably go for KF StainStop for quarry tiles.

Christian.