If you have recently purchased an old house or helping out a relative that has finally decide to clean up that stylish Victorian (obviously a house not Sherlock and Watson who dropped around for tea) and make it shine, then be prepared for some traditional elbow grease, and once of blood, a big sweat and a few tears. Hopefully with our advice, you can add a few tricks and tips to make your experience not totally terrible.
Planning and Assessment:
Encaustic tiles are the bedrock of any stately entrance that sweeps into the interior. Some often were laid in the fire driven kitchen or the bathroom to make the claw-foot bathtub look at home. In all these parts of the home, the humble floor tile design and structure will and does feel the full brunt of everyday use and abuse.
Before you get started cleaning your tiles you should know what encaustic floor tiles are made of – cement. The basic rule to follow when dealing with cement is they need to be sealed. So if this is the first clean – make sure you seal theme afterwards. And if they haven’t been sealed ever then proceed with caution and make you test each section before going hammer and tongs. With any luck they already are sealed, and you can give it a go. The next step is to get the right tools, and this means getting some bespoke machinery – get the best tile floor cleaner machine. However when you are done cleaning – you may want to consider applying a second sealing coat. This will protect them for longer and make your subsequent cleaning tasks a breeze. So by doing some assessment, knowing the state of your tiles and choosing the best tile floor cleaner machine you can launch away.
Things to Consider:
Remember that scrubbing with water and a wire brush will ruin those mini-masterpieces of art, so using a tile cleaning machine with the correct selection of cleaning pads that are graduated, you will be able to clean the tile professionally and effectively. Start with the Coarse 400 grit pad, then progress to the Medium 800 grit, followed by the Fine 1500 grit and for the super polished and car-paint smooth finish, use a very fine 3000 grit. In the whole cleaning process you want to avoid using any soap, as you may leave a residue. So for light lubrication when using the pads, add a small amount of water.
If you do need to use any soap product to clean off stubborn stains, such as oil and grease, use a high alkaline soap to eradicate the stain and then remove the soapy residue with water and re-polish. You will be able to bring back the colour and vibrancy of the once beautiful floor that would make even Mona Lisa smile a bit wider.