Terrazzo Floor Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Terrazzo flooring carried out in South West London

Cleaning and Polishing Terrazzo tiles

Terrazzo is actually the by-product of broken pieces of stone often Marble, Limestone and Granite, which rather than being wasted are set into to a cement screed and poured onto the floor. Then once the screed is set it is grinded to a polish. Because of this we find the best way to maintain Terrazzo is with the use of Burnishing Pads which hone the floor and restore its appearance.

Terrazzo has actually been around for a long time, but mainly became popular in the 1920s when the first electrical grinders showed up on the building sites making the process of polishing much easier. With this new variation of Terrazzo the builder/tiler was able to create new set designs and pieces which fitted perfectly with the demands of the “Roaring Twenties” as the flooring of choice for hotels, railway stations and offices wishing to add that wow factor to a hallway or entrance.

One of the big issues we find with older Travertine floors is cracking due to settlement in the sub floor. These floors are poured in sections so any cracks need to be filled with a matching resin and then cleaned, polished and sealed.

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.

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Floor Polishing Twickenham

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Renovated in Twickenham

1 Comment / Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning /

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway

Late last year I was asked to renovate 1000m2 of Terrazzo tiles in the public spaces of a Cinema in Twickenham . It sounded like a dream job however the complication was the work could only be done out of hours, and I would need to start at 5am and be gone before they opened for business at 11:00.

The Terrazzo tiles had been regularly cleaned however the sealer had worn down with all the foot traffic they had received, and this resulted in dirt becoming ingrained in the tile leaving them extremely dirty. Another issue was that the installer had not managed to polish off all the grout during installation and so the tiles had grout haze staining over the surface which detracted from their appearance and resulted in a rough texture that trapped dirt easily.

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Before Polishing Twickenham

To resolve all the issues the Terrazzo needed to be burnished with diamond pads to remove the grout haze and bring up their appearance. Once that had been done, they would need to be sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores of the tile, this would also make them easier to keep clean. Due to the sheer size of the project, I had calculated the work would take approximately six weeks in total however due to the restrictions and other complications it would need to be done over a six-month period. The manager of the cinema didn’t want the operation of the cinema impacted by the cleaning so was happy to agree to the plan.

To complete this floor, I worked in small sections using an industrial Victor Trojan buffing machine and Tile Doctors diamond pad diamond burnishing system. I found the first 400-grit pad which was applied using only water immediately took off the dirt and grout haze from the terrazzo leaving the tile with a nice smooth face. This process generates a lot of soiling which is contained in the water turning it into a fine slurry which was then removed using a wet vacuum.

After this the 400-grit pad was switched to a finer 800-grit pad which is the first step in repolishing the tiles as well as taking off any areas of dirt missed earlier. The pad is run over the floor as before with water for lubrication and once done the soiled liquid was extracted again. Next up was the 1500-grit pad being a lighter pad used to give the tile a last wet polish before you move on to sealing and dry polishing.

Once the 1500 pad was completed, the floor was given a rinse with water and the now clean section of flooring dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum. The tiles were then left to dry with a hot air floor blower in place to speed up drying the floor.

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor During Polishing Twickenham Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor During Cleaning Twickenham

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor

It wasn’t long before the tiles were dry and ready for sealing with an application of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is a natural look impregnator that soaks into the tile and protects without changing its appearance. The sealer was rubbed in by hand with a micro fibre cloth making sure to remove any excess. Two coats were applied with a thirty-minute dry time in-between coats.

Once the sealer had dried the floor was burnished again, this time a very fine 3500-grit burnishing pad. Only a little water is applied when using this pad, dry polishing the tiles with a left right then circular movement. This works the sealer into the tiles, closes the pores and gives the tile a smooth, non-slip wipeable surface that will be difficult for dirt to penetrate in the future.

Once complete the grout haze was gone and the Terrazzo looked great with a deep shine. My client was extremely happy with the transformation and said it looked like a new floor.

The section of hallway in the photographs took four mornings to complete but it was the tip of the iceberg really with a lot more floor to do before the job would be finished.

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor After Polishing Twickenham

For the aftercare of Polished Terrazzo, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a ph neutral floor cleaner that contains a patina enhancer that will help maintain the appearance of the tiles without impacting the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Floor in Southwest London

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Renovated in Twickenham Read More »

Terrazzo Tile Grout Haze Removal Barnes

Grout-Stained Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Barnes

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Richmond Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning /

The pictures below come from a property in Barnes near Richmond upon Thames where a hallway floor had been laid with Terrazzo tiles. The tiles had been laid well but unfortunately the tiler had spread grout all over the tiles and not cleaned it off properly.

This is not uncommon when tiling a floor and is known in the trade as Grout Haze or Grout Smearing, the results in a haze over the tiles which detracts from their appearance. To make things even worse however, the tiler had then applied a sealer over the Terrazzo with the grout still on there. This locked in the hazy finish and left the tiles looking dull.

Terrazzo Floor Grout Haze Before Cleaning Barnes

Since that time the sealer had worn down and the floor had collected lots of ingrained dirt, leaving it darker and discoloured and subdued.

I was called in to renovate the floor and having surveyed the tiles I recommended burnishing the tiles with a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads which are made from different grades of industrial diamonds. They clean the floor, removing staining such as the grout haze and build an attractive sheen on the Terrazzo. Once done I would re-seal the floor with a natural look sealer.

I worked out a quote which was accepted, and a date set for the work to start.

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

Work started with the application of the first burnishing pad which is a coarse 400-grit and this is attached to a floor buffing machine that had an extra 55kg of weight added. The pad is run over each tile several times using only water for lubrication. The water turns black with the dirt released from the floor and after completing the whole floor it is rinsed away and extracted with a wet vacuum.

This process is then repeated with the finer pads of 800 and 1500 grit which start to build a polish onto the tile. After each pad is run over the floor the slurry is rinsed off and extracted as before. The last burnishing pad is a super fine 3500-grit, and this is applied dry with just a little water sprayed onto the tile to really bring up the shine.

Terrazzo Floor Grout Haze During Burnishing Barnes

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

The floor was left to dry off overnight and the next day I returned to seal it with Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a natural look almost invisible sealer that doesn’t alter the appearance of the tiles. It is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the tile, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from residing there, thus keeping the dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Regarding cleaning, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap, it is a gentle but effective tile cleaner made to a special formula that helps maintain the patina on the tile. It’s important to use a product like this for cleaning a sealed floor as many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong and will damage the sealer.

Terrazzo Floor Grout Haze After Renovation Barnes

The Terrazzo responded well to the burnishing and my client was very happy with the floor which had never looked like it should. As it turns out he is also the owner of three large independent cinemas in London with over 1000m2 Terrazzo spread across them and because of this job I’ve now been asked to go and do the same there too.

 

Professional Renovation of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in Southwest London

Grout-Stained Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Barnes Read More »

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