How to make Victorian tiles shine
Making Victorian tiles shine is a simple process of applying and building up multiple layers of an acrylic wax on the surfaces of the tiles. The wax has a deepening effect that creates a bit more shine with every subsequent layer that is applied. These tiles are matt by themselves so the only way to shine them is with a fake wax. If you wish to know a bit more about the process read on.
Victorian tile wax explained / Acrylic or Natural
There are different waxes we can use to finish Victorian tiles. These acrylic waxes are basically a fake plastic type of wax that don’t breathe and as such are susceptible to discolouring when moisture and salts rise through the tiles. They also only protect the tiles from the surface so when they come off in patches it leaves the tiles unsealed , assuming there was no penetrating type sealer applied before the acrylic wax. I therefore have stopped using all acrylic waxes in favour of natural bees / carnauba wax that last longer and protect the tiles better. These natural waxes however don’t create much of a shine so read on if you absolutely want the shiny look!
Acrylic Wax
This type of wax can be found in many different forms for many different industries and also has many different names. For instance it is also used to seal Vinyl and some wood floors and different blends of the wax allow for mat, satin and high gloss finishes. In the tiling industry I have seen it called different names such as , High gloss, Natural effect, Satin effect wax, Colour enhancer etc. “It all has a milky white or light bluish look to it”
How to wax Victorian tiles
- Ensure floor and tiles are thoroughly clean and dry
- With a fibre free cloth or sponge apply the wax in circular motions being careful to apply light rather than heavy coats. Try to spread the wax as opposed to buffing it in and make sure to overlap the previous patch a bit.
- Be as methodical as possible and try to spread it as evenly as you can. Pay special attention to not leaving any of the area out.
- Allow at least 30 mins for the coat of wax to dry and do not worry about blue or white bits of the liquid as it all goes see through when dry.
- Repeat this process at least 4 – 5 times to achieve a normal level of shine. To achieve more shine you can build up further layers of wax 7-8 coats will really shine ( as in the pic)
Please note only apply these acrylic waxes in dry preferably warm weather. I haven’t used all brands from different manufacturer but the ones I did use gave me issues when I applied them in colder weather. Issues with drying can be a nightmare because these waxes are layered which means all the wax needs to come off to sort issues out.