Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of Encaustic Tile Cleaning and Renovation work carried out in East London

Cleaning and Renovating Encaustic Tiles

Made from layers of cement modern production methods and stunning geometric designs have seen a resurgence in the popularity of Encaustic tiles of late. Traditionally these tiles were hand painted with patterns hydraulically pressed into the surface resulting in a large range of beautifully artistic tiles with some companies offering a bespoke design service. They are known for their durability making them a popular option for floors.

Like Ceramic, Encaustic tiles are generally very easy to clean and generally need little maintenance, however these tiles are generally micro-porous and so should be sealed to avoid dirt becoming ingrained in the tile which will make them difficult to clean. Once sealed make sure you only use a neutral pH cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to clean the tiles as stronger products (especially acidic) will reduce the life of the sealer.

If regular cleaning proves to have little impact its likely the sealer has worn down and dirt has penetrated the pores of the tile. If this is the case we recommend burnishing the Encaustic tiles with a set of diamond pads and then resealing with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which will enhance the colours in the tile.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Wanstead

Neglected Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Wanstead

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Ilford Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Waltham Forest Tile Cleaning /

The photographs below are of an original Encaustic Tiled hallway floor at a Victorian period house in Wanstead. As you can see from the photos this floor had clearly suffered years of neglect. Originally it was covered with a carpet and more recently had vinyl tiles stuck to it. Multiple sections of the floor had damaged and loose pieces and one section next to the cupboard had a hole in it with all the tiles around it missing.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Wanstead

Having surveyed the floor, I came up with a restoration plan to repair the damaged areas and then restore the appearance of the tiles including applying a protective sealer. The quotation was accepted and a date set for the work to commence.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Wanstead

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

First the sections of damaged substrate had to be rebuilt, so the original tiles had to be carefully removed so a new substrate could be installed and interlocked with the original to provide a structurally sound floor including the section with the hole.

Before this work started however, I went to great lengths to source the original salvaged encaustic tile pieces needed to make the floor whole again. It took a while to find some of the décor pieces as they are quite rare and in limited supply, but I found them. Once all the replacements had been sourced work started on the floor’s reconstruction the damaged and loose pieces were replaced and set in place with a modern adhesive.

After leaving the floor to set overnight work restarted the next day to clean the whole floor using 100 and 200-grit diamond pads which were worked into the tiles using water for lubrication. These pads do a great job of restoring the appearance of old encaustic tiles like these and will remove any patterns that have been ingrained into their surface from the previous floor coverings. The floor was rinsed after each pad had been applied and the soiling rinsed off with more water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

After an inspection the now clean floor was given a final rinse and dried as much as possible with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

The floor was left to dry out and I returned later to apply Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a protective sealer that improves the appearance of the tiles and prevents dirt from becoming ingrained in its pores. Tile Doctor X-Tra seal is an impregnating oil-based sealer that is fully breathable, an important consideration when dealing with old Victorian floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Wanstead

The project took some time to complete but the result was transformational and my customer was very happy with the result. This old floor which is a valuable period feature has now been brought back to life and made good for another 100 years.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Wanstead

Before leaving I took time to mention the importance of using a pH neutral tile cleaner such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for after care cleaning.

 

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway in East London

Neglected Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Wanstead Read More »

Encaustic Cement Bathroom Tile Cleaning Whitechapel

Encaustic Cement Shower Tiles Renovation in a Whitechapel Bathroom

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Tower Hamlets Tile Cleaning /

This client from Whitechapel E1 asked me to pop round to see if anything could be done to improve the Encaustic Cement tiles in the bathroom in the bathroom along with the grout which was also in need of renovation. They thought the tiles were ceramic however I suspected they were in fact a modern Encaustic cement tile which do need more maintenance and should be sealed.

As requested, I popped round to take a look and was able to confirm they were not ceramic but encaustic cement which were very popular in Victorian days but with new manufacturing processes and designs are back in fashion.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles Before Cleaning Whitechapel Encaustic Bathroom Tiles Before Cleaning Whitechapel

Having inspected the tiles and discussing the issues with the owner I discovered they had been using an acid based cleaner to remove the calcium staining from hard water that was evident on the tiles and shower screen. This will have stripped off any sealer that will have been applied leaving them vulnerable to ingrained dirt.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles Before Cleaning Whitechapel

I was able to re-assure my client that the tiles could be renovated, and I worked out a plan and a quote for doing the renovation. Happy with the price, a date was agreed to start the work.

Renovating an Encaustic Tiled Bathroom

To remove the hard water staining, the tiles were scrubbed with a coarse six-inch 400-grit Tile Doctor burnishing pad fitted to a hand buffer using only water for lubrication. This did a good job of cleaning up the tiles and removing all the calcium and etching caused by the acidic cleaning product. The soiling was rinsed off and then I followed up with finer 800 and 1500 grit pads following the same process. These finer pads re-finish the tiles and build up a bit of a polish in the process.

I left the shower to dry out overnight and returned the next day to apply a sealer which for this installation we used Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is rated for use in wet areas. It’s a impregnating sealer that soaks into the tile, occupying the pores and preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there.

The last step was to replace the old silicone sealant which is impossible to get clean once its badly stained. The sealant was cut out with a sharp knife and replaced with new leaving the bathroom looking like a new installation.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles After Cleaning Whitechapel

The job went very well, and my client was very pleased with the difference, so much so they left the following feedback:

“Walter is an absolute professional. He has made my 10-year-old cement tiles look brand new. To be honest I never believed they could be so transformed as they had calcified over the years from hard water. He is also an absolute delight and reliable and trustworthy to have in your home. It took me some time to book him as he is very sought after, but persistence proved to be the right move. “

Before leaving we discussed on-going cleaning, and I re-iterated the need to avoid using strong cleaning products on sealed tiles. I also suggested mopping up any pools where water was collecting and using a Tile Doctor Aqua Pro for daily cleaning.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles After Cleaning Whitechapel Encaustic Bathroom Tiles After Cleaning Whitechapel

 

Professional Restoration of an Encaustic Tiled Bathroom in East London

Encaustic Cement Shower Tiles Renovation in a Whitechapel Bathroom Read More »

Balcony Tiled with Encaustic Cement Tiles in Hackney

Tiling a Balcony Floor in Hackney with Encaustic Cement tiles

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Hackney Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History /

This client from Hackney had started a DIY tiling job using modern Encaustic Cement tiles on an external balcony. The COVID-19 lockdown had just taken effect and it seemed like a great opportunity to get a few DIY projects done. Although it started off well, she began to struggle when having to cut the edging tiles and corners so was forced to leave the tiling incomplete and un-grouted. Furthermore, she had attempted to seal the tiles, but this had somehow caused the tiles to go milky white. Encaustic tiles date back to medieval times and have been popular in the UK since the nineteenth century and have become extremely popular here in the last few years.

Encaustic Cement Balcony Tiling Project in Hackney Before

Concerned the whole project would need ripping up and starting again she contact Tile Doctor and I arranged a visit to the property to assess the tiling and see if the project it could be rescued. Since the COVID-19 epidemic began we have adopted new working practices such as more PPE and Social Distancing to allow us to continue working.

Encaustic Cement Balcony Tiling Project in Hackney Before

We test cleaned the sealer and found the application of a 400-grit diamond pad was the best way to clean off the sealer and renovate the tile. Additionally, we had been asked to complete the tiling project which was approx. 24m2. The job would therefore entail tiling, cleaning, and sealing so it took a little while to calculate the quote which was accepted.

Cleaning/Repairing an Encaustic Cement Tiled Balcony

There was a lot of work to do and so I teamed up with fellow Tile Doctor Andrew Newstead for this job working as a two-man team. It took three days to complete the tiling and the grouting, then we returned the following week to allow the adhesive and grout to fully dry over the weekend.

The next step was to clean the area the customer had previously laid and sealed to remove the old sealer that had damaged the colour and look of the tiles. For this we used water and a series of 400, 800 and 1500-grit diamond pads. This gradually removed the sealer and brought the tiles back to a more natural finish. We suspect the reason her tiles went milky was she hadn’t buffed off the excess sealer but luckily, we were able to fix it.

Sealing an Encaustic Cement Tiled Balcony

We then returned for one more morning, buffed tiles with a 3000-grit pad to further enhance their appearance and then seal with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that improves colour and works by soaking into the pores of the tile preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there.

Encaustic Cement Balcony Tiling Project in Hackney After Encaustic Cement Balcony Tiling Project in Hackney After

I’m pleased to say the whole job went smoothly and our client was pleased (see feedback below) that they could finally use their balcony which I’m sure has been in constant use since.

Plenty of problems to solve with my half-finished roof terrace, which were solved cheerfully and carefully. By Gemma M, Hackney, 27 May 2020

 

Encaustic Cement Balcony Tiling Project Finished in East London

Tiling a Balcony Floor in Hackney with Encaustic Cement tiles Read More »

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