Cleaning Victorian Tile Path

[robsob]

Can anyone please advise the best cleaning process / solution for an old victorian (?) outside tile path. See pictures attached. i have power washed it to start, but the path has not had a proper clean for some time.

is there a good solution to get the deep grime out? once done how best to seal the tiles and give them a shine?

many thanks

 

[Andy Allen]

hg do a range of products for cleaning tiles they allso do range of sealers to ;ive used them in past with good results ;most good tile shops stock them

 

[Terry Cottar]

Can anyone please advise the best cleaning process / solution for an old victorian (?) outside tile path. See pictures attached. i have power washed it to start, but the path has not had a proper clean for some time.

is there a good solution to get the deep grime out? once done how best to seal the tiles and give them a shine?

many thanks

Aqua Mix Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner and Aqua Mix Nanoscrub will sort that for you. Available off tradetier.com or off E Bay. Wet a small area of the path preferably a bad bit then apply the HDT & Grout cleaner and allow it to dwell (Sit) for 15 minutes make sure you keep it wet then add a little nanoscrub and work that in. (All this is helped if you have or you can rent a low speed Rotary Scrubber fitted with a medium scrubbing brush and a good wet Vac) Then once you have allowed it to dwell rinse it off and vac dry. Then I bet your next thing will be to say they look fantastic wet but a bit jaded and dull when they are dry! If this is the case you can seal the whole lot with Aqua Mix Enrich and Seal Penetrating Sealer and your good for 15 years.

tel

tel

 

[DHTiling]

Looking at the pic... Do you have some loose ones as well.. or is it just some joint compound missing?

 

[robsob]

many thanks, will get those cleaners and get stuck in.
one more question - will you need the rotary device for the sealant / polish as well, or is that just rubbed on? just wondering whether to hire the machine
thanks

 

[CJ]

Bit late...........But I wouldn't go mad with the pressure washer :yikes:

 

[frankenfurter]

apply the HDT & Grout cleaner and allow it to dwell (Sit) for 15 minutes make

Terry, dwelling a sodium hydroxide based cleaner is doing nothing more than bleaching the tile, giving the appearance of cleaning and causing damage. Surely you wouldn't advise using an acid on a calcium based stone? Sodium hydroxide and clay is the same thing.

I know this is what they teach on the Aqua Mix tupperware course, but it's only to compensate for their products lacking any decent ingredients and relying too much on old tech and builders.

Sorry but in the 'real' restoration arena these dwelling practices and their results would get you sued more often than not. A large majority of our work is repairing these 'following the label' blunders.

 

[Terry Cottar]

Terry, dwelling a sodium hydroxide based cleaner is doing nothing more than bleaching the tile, giving the appearance of cleaning and causing damage. Surely you wouldn't advise using an acid on a calcium based stone? Sodium hydroxide and clay is the same thing.

I know this is what they teach on the Aqua Mix tupperware course, but it's only to compensate for their products lacking any decent ingredients and relying too much on old tech and builders.

Sorry but in the 'real' restoration arena these dwelling practices and their results would get you sued more often than not. A large majority of our work is repairing these 'following the label' blunders.

HDT&G Cleaner mixed in the correct proportions does not have time or the strength to attack the clay properties of the tile and even if you poured it on neat 15 minutes would not be long enough for the properties to do any damage either. I can also promise you I am in the 'Real' arena of restoration.

tel

tel

 

[frankenfurter]

HDT&G Cleaner mixed in the correct proportions does not have time or the strength to attack the clay properties of the tile and even if you poured it on neat 15 minutes would not be long enough for the properties to do any damage either. I can also promise you I am in the 'Real' arena of restoration.

Terry, if you really believe that you are definitely misguided. Cleaning agents do not work by dwelling, bleaching agents do. It can be very easily proved that HDT&G and any other sodium hydroxide cleaner will bleach a clay tile, especially neat not to mention leave the surfactants soaked into the clay body.

Enduro I take it by the thanks given to terry that you are also a user of aquamix; stands to reason.

When I say 'real' I mean large projects, like manufacturing and re-laying 1000's of tiles, not kitchen floors or hallways.

I don't want to sound bitchy, but neither am I here to make friends. What you're advising is an incorrect method using nothing better than a diy product.

 

[DHTiling]

Terry, if you really believe that you are definitely misguided. Cleaning agents do not work by dwelling, bleaching agents do. It can be very easily proved that HDT&G and any other sodium hydroxide cleaner will bleach a clay tile, especially neat not to mention leave the surfactants soaked into the clay body.

Enduro I take it by the thanks given to terry that you are also a user of aquamix; stands to reason.

When I say 'real' I mean large projects, like manufacturing and re-laying 1000's of tiles, not kitchen floors or hallways.

I don't want to sound bitchy, but neither am I here to make friends. What you're advising is an incorrect method using nothing better than a diy product.

Thanks for the input..


Can you explain what your method would be on the job please..?... then the members can learn ... the more advice the better ..

 

[Gazzer]

Frankenfurter why not answer the original question then ???

 

[Gazzer]

Snap Dave :lol:

 

[frankenfurter]

Frankenfurter why not answer the original question then ???

Sorry, did I forget to answer the question with "hello [name] welcome to the forum"?

Like all my posts on the subject of period floors, get a professional in this isn't a diy area.

 

[Gazzer]

Sorry, did I forget to answer the question with "hello [name] welcome to the forum"?

Like all my posts on the subject of period floors, get a professional in this isn't a diy area.

If the Diy man wants to clean his own floor then why not assist? If he or she wanted a pro then they would ask that.
The original question was "Can anyone please advise the best cleaning process / solution for an old victorian (?) outside tile path." and the answer is not get a proffessional in !
So far the only sensible answers, whether you agree or not are from Terry Cottar .

 

[Terry Cottar]

Frankenfurter,

I cannot for some reason find your posts to quote however, your post suggests that I am a little man running around with a couple of bottles of Aqua Mix. There is in my mind nothing wrong with that and we still do that because I will never forget where I started but just so you know, we currently have 8 employees and I mean full time on PAYE and that number will be increasing to 10 in the next few weeks as I am currently recruiting. My last 20 or so restoration projects have ranged from £1k uo to £50k there were only 7 under £10k and I am currently doing one for £200k + so I think that makes me fairly major player in the World of restoration and believe it or not, if you don't know what you are doing, you don't get to work for the people I work for because they can spot an amateur from a mile away.

tel

 

[frankenfurter]

Okay I think we're steering away from my advice of not dwelling sodium hydroxide cleaning agents onto period tiles, something that I have advised in the past, as it is an incorrect method of cleaning clay tiles.

I make no apologies for stating that restoring tiles is a specialist job and requires a professional. No offence to the homeowner but his time and money would be far better spent knowing the work has been undertaken correctly.

I've no real problem with Aqua Mix it has its place, and certainly no problem with your sponsor who sells Aqua Mix; we've done business many many times before he was a sponsor - so don't think I'm here to drag them down, nor do I have the time for that.

Tel while I'm glad to hear you've a successful business and are recruiting more staff, I would hope your using techniques in the natural stone business not on period floors. I'm not really concerned if you are a small or large company, more concerned with the advice you give out as with some authority, usually with a recommendation to a seller on eBay 🙂

 

[Terry Cottar]

Just an update on this and to clarify a point for all forum members and guests I spent some time reading the MSDS sheets for HDT&Grout cleaner yesterday and just to be sure I double checked with Aqua Mix "There is NO bleach in Aqua Mix Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner"

tel

 

[frankenfurter]

Firstly I apologise to the original thread starter for this sway off-course, if you IM I'll personally send instructions how to do the job correctly or if you're within easy reach I'll send someone to explain the process in person; can't be fairer than that.

Terry if you're going to look at datasheets please look for the correct thing, just look at these links off the parent site: contains sodium hydroxide, corrosive and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether for further toxicity. It even says these details on the labels.

Datasheet

MSDS

As far as Aqua Mix is concerned you should dwell for only 3 - 5 minutes if the tiles are without a coating, but this is a generalisation like any product supposedly suitable for a wide range of tiles. Once size doesn't fit all.

Now Terry, I didn't want this to be personal but I have to be honest you are worrying me. If you really are running a professional service at professional rates why are you firstly using a DIY product and more importantly why do you not know what is contained within these products? Calling a rep isn't going to get you real answers, only what you need to hear anyone established in the business will know that.

An MSDS datasheet isn't a list ingredients it only contains what is deemed hazardous or potentially hazardous and it differs from country to country, hence why there's ingredients of the cleaner which are not disclosed.

The ethylene glycol monobutyl ether contained is a hazardous organic solvent and should be treated as toxic, hazardous enough to be on the California restricted chemical list and in many parts of the US you need to inform and train your personnel about the solvent. Which makes even more sense not to be advising the general public to dwell sections of the floor and naturally keep an eye on it, because we don't want it to dry out as we know it will because of the ingredients contained.

All that inhalation of toxic organic solvents; not nice.

Doug I'm sure you're top chap and you're probably thinking you doing a good thing thanking terry for the last post, but really all you doing is condoning the distribution of incorrect information, which only goes toward damaging a forum members tiles. That's not something I would thank. A good forum relies on quality information.

 

[Richard Edwards]

Hello

As I see it, Robsob asked for help with a method of cleaning and restoring this pathway. Terry's provided a comprehensive and pro method of going about it.

I'm interested in Frankfurter's response and would like to know what his method and approach would be ?

We do quite a lot of restoration works within the Victorian Floor field and looking at the photos of Robsob, these tiles look like they are glazed. If this is the case, it may be that a deep clean with a rotary machine with the correct pads and brushes attached will all that is required. [We did some restoration in an old slaughter room - converted to a dinning room and the tiles Robsob has look the same - although we did not know they were glazed until all the crap was removed] If they turn out to be glazed Robsob, then check with Terry Cottar to see what he would use instead of Impregnator to protect the surface as some of these products are not suitable to exterior use. HG Impreg is as well as Mattstone.

So to back up Sir Ramic's request I would like to know how Frankfurter would approach issue, what products he would recommend and how?

I might even learn something.

 

[DHTiling]

I find that HG impreg can leave a slightly sticky residue no matter how much you buff off..

So LTP mattstone for me..much better product..IMHO.. than HG..

 

[Ceramico tiling]

Aqua Mix Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner and Aqua Mix Nanoscrub will sort that for you. Available off tradetier.com or off E Bay. Wet a small area of the path preferably a bad bit then apply the HDT & Grout cleaner and allow it to dwell (Sit) for 15 minutes make sure you keep it wet then add a little nanoscrub and work that in. (All this is helped if you have or you can rent a low speed Rotary Scrubber fitted with a medium scrubbing brush and a good wet Vac) Then once you have allowed it to dwell rinse it off and vac dry. Then I bet your next thing will be to say they look fantastic wet but a bit jaded and dull when they are dry! If this is the case you can seal the whole lot with Aqua Mix Enrich and Seal Penetrating Sealer and your good for 15 years.

tel

tel

Hi

This might sound obvious but need to clarify this before I try it.

Is the purpose of the wet vac just to constantly remove the dirty water,whilst new fresh water is being added to the area being scrubbed?

Thanks