New terracotta tiles - discolouration, sealing

[Gins87]

Hi there

First time poster - have had a tiler come and do our kitchen floor in terracotta tiles. He’s just finished this afternoon and they look great except there some white streaky discolouration on some of the tiles. They’re sealed with linseed oil, I suspect this is excess oil that hasn’t impregnated the tile and has oxidised on the surface. He claims this is dust from the grout drying in the rough surface of the tile and they just need to be swept and mopped again. You can see there are some tiles that are not discoloured, these were installed today whilst the ones that are discoloured were installed today.

Am I concerned over nothing and it’ll sort itself out after a brush and mop or does it need resolving, and what should I ask him to do to in that case.

Thanks all 👍

 

[Dave]

If they were sealed correctly and allowed to dry then you wouldn’t get that if cleaned properly. Has he allowed the tiles to dry before sealing and how many coats of linseed did he use and has he also waxed them ?

 

[Gins87]

If they were sealed correctly and allowed to dry then you wouldn’t get that if cleaned properly. Has he allowed the tiles to dry before sealing and how many coats of linseed did he use and has he also waxed them ?

The tiles that are discoloured were laid yesterday and were dry as far as I know.

There are two coats of linseed oil and no wax as we didn’t want them to be too shiny (tile suppliers only recommended this if you wanted a gloss finish)

 

[Hobnob]

That looks like a very rushed job to me.
There are marks on the tiles that were laid yesterday that imply the linseed oil was not applied evenly or thoroughly. The tiles that were laid today look as though they were not cleaned correctly before the linseed oil has been applied.
I'm also confused by the timings....
A rapid set adhesive will require a minimum of 2 hours to set before foot traffic. The stone will require a wash with a cleaning solution which will require at least one other wash to neutralise the surface, the stone needs to fully dry after cleaning. The first coat of linseed oil needs to fully soak in before subsequent coats (most terracotta that I have installed has needed at least 4 coats of linseed oil before becoming sufficiently sealed) which also need to be completely cured before grouting takes place.
I can't see that there are enough hours in the day to get everything done.
One coat of clear wax won't make the tiles super shiny as it takes several coats and polishes to generate a shine.
Those white marks don't look like grout haze to me either 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

[Gins87]

That looks like a very rushed job to me.
There are marks on the tiles that were laid yesterday that imply the linseed oil was not applied evenly or thoroughly. The tiles that were laid today look as though they were not cleaned correctly before the linseed oil has been applied.
I'm also confused by the timings....
A rapid set adhesive will require a minimum of 2 hours to set before foot traffic. The stone will require a wash with a cleaning solution which will require at least one other wash to neutralise the surface, the stone needs to fully dry after cleaning. The first coat of linseed oil needs to fully soak in before subsequent coats (most terracotta that I have installed has needed at least 4 coats of linseed oil before becoming sufficiently sealed) which also need to be completely cured before grouting takes place.
I can't see that there are enough hours in the day to get everything done.
One coat of clear wax won't make the tiles super shiny as it takes several coats and polishes to generate a shine.
Those white marks don't look like grout haze to me either 🤷🏼‍♂️

Okay, thanks - appreciate you taking a look and being honest.

Had no real idea how long it would take but he said he would do it in two days which is how long he’s taken in the end. I probably should have checked re: timings but the guy came recommended and was well-reviewed online.

I don’t really know what to do next other than ask him to come back, try to strip the oil off and then oil, reapply again with a coat of wax. Any suggestions as to how it might be fixed appreciated.

 

[Dave]

It looks like blooming due to moisture still in the tiles. This occurs when sealed to early and tiles contain moisture. Clean a time with a damp cloth and see if it remains clean or has grout residue but looking at the pics it seems to be rushed sealing

 

[Slippery]

Shouldn't the tiles have been sealed before they were laid?

 

[NMH Tiles]

Hi, that’s efflorescence…the terracotta wasn’t fully dry before he sealed them sadly. It can take days and days for them to be fully dry.
They need to be stripped back and started again, or you can wait to see if they’ll naturally dry out, but might take some time.
Hope that helps.

 

[Gins87]

Thanks all. I followed some advice I saw elsewhere online and scrubbed the tiles with a white vinegar solution and the efflorescence cleared up quite nicely in the end.