TREATMENT FOR TERRACOTTA TILES

[Gunnar]

Hi

My terracotta outdoor tiles nead som treatment.
These days they look mat and worn-out.

I am looking for a good treatment product for my terracotta outdoor tiles.

Anyone has any idea where to buy?

Thanks

[PET]

I have these tiles in HH and they are still perfect after 2 years - also had them in other countries with no problems after many years.

The deterioration from your pictures looks extreme and if they are relatively new then I think you need to replace.

The tiles are a natural product and unless you fancy some staining which will probably come off on feet and shoes all over the place, I would be careful

[Hornell]

when you laid them you should have given then a good couple of coats of silicon. If you clean them up as best you can now and do it they should come up ok

[PeteC]

There are too many entries on Google for "terracotta tile cleaning" to list here. However a point that comes through again and again is that there are two types: 1) glazed 2) unglazed. If unglazed they say you should seal them yourself to prevent stains. It appears you have the unglazed type.

In turn, there are dozens of cleaners listed for deep cleaning, but none that I saw list the chemical make up to allow a person to determine if they can mix it themselves, or use some natural substances/method without chemicals.

Take a look at the details and cleaners on Google perhaps as a starting point to see if anything similar is available in shops here.

After they are cleaned up I would definitely put a sealer coating on them and reapply that every two years to prevent the need for future deep cleaning. Pete

[Noz]

Reading the title of this thread, I at first thought it was written in cockney rhyming slang and the OP was looking for some ointment......

[margaretcarnes]

Picked up on this post a bit late Gunnar, but just want to add that whether they are glazed or unglazed please, under no circumstances, be tempted to try sanding them clean before sealing.
I've no doubt there are plenty of the 'deep cleaners' mentioned around, and no doubt they may work to an extent, but if they involve any sanding stay clear and stick with the distressed look, or, as suggested, just re-tile.
A well glazed stoneware should be much more hardwearing anyway.

[hhfarang]

At HomePro in an aisle towards the back and right side (coming from the front) there is an area of all kinds of cleaners and sealers. There is a brand called Hagesan (spot it by a big "HG" on the plastic bottle) that offers around 20 different types of sealers and cleaners for every kind of surface. I (well, my wife really) have found that this brand is very good at doing what it says it will do.

Make sure you read the labels and instructions and get the exact ones you need for your surface or grout as they are very expensive.

You can check here to see if they make the product you want before looking for it at HomePro:

http://oc.hg.eu/index/home

[redzonerocker]

At HomePro in an aisle towards the back and right side (coming from the front) there is an area of all kinds of cleaners and sealers. There is a brand called Hagesan (spot it by a big "HG" on the plastic bottle) that offers around 20 different types of sealers and cleaners for every kind of surface. I (well, my wife really) have found that this brand is very good at doing what it says it will do.

yes hhf, hagesan is a top of the range product & ideal for this type of job.

looking at the picture, they just need a good scrub & hg have a product called 'cotto remover' which which take away all the excess from the original sealer & clean the tiles too.
you can then reseal the floor.
a couple of coats of linseed oil (if you can get it!) before you put on the final sealer will enhance the colour & also harden & protect the floor too.