Encaustic cement tile cleaning London & Herts

” Extremely sensitive to staining & discoloration!”

Cement encaustic tiles are very fashionable now and have been for several years. They are hand made and special but the downside is that they are one of the most difficult tiles to clean and maintain. They are more sensitive to staining and discoloration than limestone and white marble. The main reason for this is that the pigments used in the patterns are effected by almost everything that may be found in a bathroom or kitchen and acidic products will leave visible drip marks and rings etc etc.

They are however some of the most beautiful tiles you will ever see, and if you are on top of the maintenance then they will be fine in some areas. I will show you exactly how to top the seals up and describe the whole maintenance process to you if you are around.

green and white cement encaustic tiles cleaned and sealed in shower wetroom. Tiles are heavily etched and stained before the restoration then look fresh and bright after deep clean and sealing. Job was undertaken in Muswell Hill
badly damaged cement tiles on wet room floor before and after restoration

I would strongly advise against getting these in a shower area or bathroom floor because its only a matter of time before they get badly effected unless proper maintenance is undertaken. Everyone is starting to realize now the problem that these fancy tiles present. However its not all bad, continue reading below..

very badly bleached , etched and stained black hexagon cement tiles on a bathroom floor. Pic shows how everyday bathroom products damage these tiles. Job was in North West London
These tiles where heavily damaged by everyday bathroom products
black hexagon cement tiles in bathroom area look very good after restoration , deep clean and sealing. Tiles were very badly damaged before and on this NW London job
After restoration these cement tiles now look a million times better!

In the pics above you can see how badly damage these cement tiles where on a bathroom floor. In the after pic you can still see a few blemishes but it is much much better!

So how do we clean and maintain cement Encaustic tiles?

To clean these tiles we are limited to what chemicals we can use as anything too strong or acidic effects the pigments. So we are mostly left to mechanical means to remove grout residues, marks, etches and staining. This for us involves many different types of abrasive products and some of our results have been quite amazing.

There are some chemicals that work better than others and after having done many of these floors we have a pretty good method for cleaning them that we feel is likely to be as good or better than most other tile cleaning companies. We also polish and clean concrete cement worktops!

 

Italian reclained red and creme cement tiles in large kitchen area. Tiles where dirty with cement residue and look great after resurfacing and sealing. Job was near Hoddesdon
Reclaimed cement tiles from Italy

Sealing and maintaining Cement Encaustic tiles

It is absolutely imperative that these tiles are properly sealed after laying or cleaning and then maintained as the years go by. Without proper maintenance they will likely get stained and damaged especially if in a bathroom or shower room. 

After cleaning we will work as much sealer into these tiles as practically possible. Usually around 4-5 coats. Then it is up to the client to keep the sealer topped up down the line. We really aim to teach our clients how the sealer works and how to apply it when we are on the job. So usually its good if you are around for a day or two when we are cleaning your tiles.

colorful cement encaustic tiles on a wet room floor that have become bleached and stained. Pic shows before and after the restoration and tiles look clean , bright and fresh now
Here you can see how these cement tiles on this wet room floor have been etched and bleached by shampoos and shower products. Luckily we where able to remove most of the stains and reseal them. In this situation its impossible to get the tiles perfect as the actual pigments have lost their color. But we can do quite allot with abrasive pads, masking with color enhancing sealers etc. We always make them look allot better! 

 

 

Pink Cement encasutic hallways tiles cleaned N19. These cement tiles are stunning and some of the best I have ever seen. The pink and light blue goes so well together!
Absolutely stunning pink and light blue cement tiles in a hallway deep cleaned and sealed in North London

We undertake this work all over North London and Hertfordshire, including Broxbourne, Cheshunt, Flamstead, Ware,Edmonton, Finchley, Whetstone, Wood Green, Islington. We go to Bedfordshire, Ampthill, Flitwick and some areas in Buckinghamshire such as Beaconsfield , Marlow, Gerrards Cross. We also so allot of work in West London mostly, Chiswick and Ealing, We also clean and polish concrete worktops.

We also clean exterior tiles 
Other services include quarry tile restoration