How to restore old tiles back to brand new condition?

How to restore dirty "dull" tiles back to brand new condition?

Ceramic, porcelain & quarry tiles can be made to look fantastic in most areas around the house/office, and when theyโ€™re freshly laid they look beautiful. As time goes on, eventually they can start looking dull. This is because tiles have tiny holes which collects dirt causing a "dull" appearance.

Most people start considering replacing the tiles at this point. Well before you start picking out some new tiles, i highly recommend to have a go at restoring your tiles yourself before spending unnecessary money. They can actually be restored very easily with very minimal effort.

Tile Types: Ceramic, Porcelain, Quarry

Products to use:

Equipment:

  • Mop & wringer bucket โ€“ or โ€“ Polish mop & watering can
  • broom/scrubbing machine
  • Wet Vacuum/Mop & Wringer Bucket
  • Wet floor signs
  • PPE equipment (mask, safety glasses, gloves, overalls, steel cap boots)

Caution:

  • Make sure area is well ventilated (open all windows & doors) If necessary, place fans around the room or area to ensure good ventilation.
  • Make sure area is not occupied with anyone not protected in the right PPE.
  • Do not get in eyes or on skin. If skin contact occurs, remove contaminated clothes and wash clean immediately.
  • If swallowed, do not induce vomiting - give patient milk or water.
  • If splashed in eyes, hold eyes open and flood with water for at least 15 minutes.

Directions:

  1. Ventilate the area where you will be working by opening doors and windows and turning on any exhaust fans. If necessary, place fans around the room or area to ensure good ventilation.
  2. Sweep the floor to remove any rubbish.
  3. Scrape off any chewing gum labels ect.
  4. Use โ€˜wet floorโ€™ signs and barricades to keep people off the floor.
  5. Place a large piece of cardboard on the floor next to the area being cleaned. step onto the cardboard to dry off your shoes when applying solution. This will prevent โ€˜footprintsโ€™ appearing all over the floor.
  6. Using a wringer bucket, dilute the product 1:10 (with 10 litres of cold water in it, add 1 litre of DAX.)
  7. Mop this solution all over the tiles requiring treatment. (Apply liberally)
  8. Using a broom or scrubbing device, work the mopped solution into the tiles, use more solution if still not covering entire area.
  9. Leave the DAX on the floor for ten minutes, giving time to penetrate into the tiles. Spread it with the mop if it dries or runs โ€“ always keep the floor evenly wet.
  10. When time is up, pour clean water all over the floor then wet vaccum/mop away to rinse the floor.
  11. Repeat process multiple times to ensure you have completely removed solution from tiles.
  12. Keep area well ventilated for as long as you can.
  13. Your tiles will now be shining looking freshly laid. If further results are required repeat steps 5-11 one more time.
How to

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published