Here is a red and black quarry tiled floor that had been given a new lease of life in Oswestry.
We had the opportunity to work for another lovely customer on their quarry tiled floor in their recently purchased property.
It is always sad to see an old floor in a neglected state. On the other hand it is so satisfying to bring them back to presentable condition.
Apart from the usual ingrained dirt and grime there was plenty of paint splashes and huge amount of plaster ingrained. Emulsion paint can be fairly straight forward to remove from the surface of the quarry tiles. On the other hand plaster is a bit more challenging.
There was a section in front of the original open fire where the tiles were smashed up. The only logical explanation for it was that someone chopped firewood there. The homeowner wanted the floor to be preserved rather than trying to fill the area with new tiles. A repair like that would make the problem so obvious. After discussing the options, we agreed that we will try to find reclaimed tiles that blend in. It was unfortunate that there were no black replacement tiles available at the time so the part with the missing tiles had to stay for now. Reclaimed quarry tiles in this large-format less frequently come up for sale. The black ones of the same size are even more difficult to source.
The process we carried out:
We carried out a restorative deep cleaning on the floor first. When it was dry enough to take the sealer we sealed the floor. As it an old floor with no damp proof membrane, we used a premium grade impregnating sealer. This particular sealer has a colour enhancing additive to it. Using this sealer the colours of the tiles become more vibrant. The added benefit for using an impregnating sealer on period floor is that it is fully “breathable”. It also means that moisture naturally coming through the tiles can evaporate instead of getting trapped under a coating.
