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Diamond Hand Burnishing Block Black 120 Grit
Black 120 grit diamond burnishing block ideal for use in restricted spaces. Use only Water.
£22.75
Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner 1 litre
Most tile cleaning products sold on the market today are designed for cleaning ceramic rather than stone surfaces, as a result they can slowly etch away at the sealed surface of your stone floor reducing the life of your sealer.
£13.80
Testimonials
Terrazzo Tile Cleaning Information
Category
Help with Tile and Stone  >  Terrazzo Tile Cleaning
Terrazzo Tile Cleaning

Terrazzo is 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 pored onto the floor. Then once the screed is set it is grinded to a polish. 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 and new office establishments wishing to add that wow factor to a hallway or entrance.

We recently completed a commission to restore the Terrazzo floor in the entrance of a grand hotel in Llandudno which was built in 1923. After nearly 100 years of neglect and disrepair the floor was in a poor state, fortunately the whole Hotel was undergoing a significant renovation and they were keen to have the floor restored. Tile Doctor was able to put good use of our experience in tile and stone cleaning and polishing techniques to restore the floor so it almost looks new.


Restoring 100 year old Terrazzo Floor Tiles in Llandudno - photo courtesy of the Lancashire Tile Doctor

Terrazzo’s other unique properties are that it is seamless so no grout lines to get dirty, it has anti static properties and is extremely hard wearing. These days Terrazzo can also be bought as a pre-made tile and has all the benefits of original Terrazzo except the tiles will of course need to be grouted.

Deep Cleaning and Polishing Terrazzo

We find once polished, Terrazzo will keep its appearance for a long time however like all polished surfaces will eventually need re-polishing. To do this you will need a buffing machine capable of 150 rpm (or slightly higher) and a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing pads (see below). The pads are applied in sequence and will restore the honed finish.
Terrazzo Tile Start the burnishing process by applying a coarse No.1 Red burishing pad to take off the old sealer and ground in dirt, add water to the area and then go over each tile with the pad 3 or 4 times, then remove the dirty water using a wet vacuum and rinse the floor. Next take off the coarse pad and apply a No2 Blue burnishing pad and repeat the process followed by the No.3 Yellow burnishing pad.  Again remove the water with a wet Vax machine and then scrub the grout joints with Pro-Clean diluted 1:5 parts water. Leave to fully dry and then complete by applying a No. 4 Green burnishing pad and polish with a squirt of water. When fully polished protect the floor by applying a sealer as per instructions below.

Sealing Terrazzo Tiles

Terrazzo Tile  When the tiles are fully dry apply either one coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to enhance the natural colours of darker Terrazzo’s. If however you area sealing a white or off-white Terrazzo and you not wish to darken the stone apply a single coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which provides a natural look finish. A second coat of sealer may be required if the stone is very porous.

Terrazzo Tile For architecturally specified sealers we recommend Tile Doctor Pro-Seal which is a water based impregnating sealer suitable for all types of honed stone including Terrazzo.

Regular Maintenance of Terrazzo

Terrazzo Tile For regular cleaning use a sealer friendly cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Stone Soap diluted 1 part cleaner to 100 parts water, this will not only clean the Terrazzo but add lustre and brightness to the stone thus adding to what we call the patina. To remove heavy soiling use a stronger dilution of 1 part stone soap to 5 parts water.

Terrazzo Tile If you have applied a burnishing pad system it makes it much easier to keep these tiles clean by using a No. 4 Green burnishing pad on the stone every two to three months depending on wear. This process will improve surface tension (which is not to be confused with the amount of sealer residing in the stone), thereby tightening the pores in the stone to improve the overall appearance and finish of the floor.

PLEASE NOTE: Sealers break down after 2-3 years (depending on usage) and will need to be re-applied.

Further Reading: For many more examples and photographs of of Terrazzo cleaning and sealing activities carried out by UK Tile Doctors please visit http://Terrazzo.tilecleaning.co.uk

Recommend Terrazzo Cleaning Products

When using our products please take time to familiarise yourself with the directions on the back of the bottle first.

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17 Inch   400 Grit Coarse Red No.1 Burnishing Pad
Coarse Burnishing pad for the removal of sealers and resurfacing of scratched surfaces, use only with water.
700008
£50.00
In Stock!

17 Inch   800 Grit Medium Blue No.2 Burnishing Pad
1st step polishing, to grind off ingrained dirt and worn surface, use only with water.
700006
£50.00
In Stock!

17 Inch  1500 Grit Fine Yellow No.3 Burnishing Pad
2nd step Polishing, to smooth down rough surface, ready for final polishing, clean grout lines after using this pad.Use only Water.
700007
£45.00
In Stock!

17 Inch  3000 Grit Very Fine Salmon No.4 Burnishing Pad
Final Polishing, use dry, add a small amount of water to get a High Shine Finish.
700005
£45.00
In Stock!

17 Inch  Set of four Burnishing Pads inc  No 1,2,3 and 4
Set of four 17 inch floor burnishing pads, everything you need to to restore polished stone floors.
700010
£155.00
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Colour Grow Sealer 1 Litre
Colour Grow, is a solvent based colour intensifying sealer that provides durable surface protection as well as allowing the surface to breath and enhance colour.
750246
£33.80
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Pro-Clean 1 Litre
A concentrated, multi-purpose high-alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser. Best for Heavily Soiled & Neglected Tile, Stone or Grout.
760946
£15.20
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Reduxa
Reduxa is an effective ready to use cleaner designed to remove acid stains from calcareous stones. Will remove or quite visibly lighten stains on stone.
220177
£15.80
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Stone Soap 1 Litre
Tile Doctor Stone Soap is an after care cleaner for natural stone tiles (Honed or Polished) where a build up of patina is required thus protecting the existing sealer.
727431
£14.40
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal 1 litre
Premium, no-sheen, natural-look, solvent-based penetrating sealer formulated to provide maximum stain protection, especially in food preparation and serving areas.
740246
£39.40
In Stock!

Ask the Tile Doctor
If you have a problem with your Tile and Stone why not ask the Tile Doctor for advice.

Contact us for a personal solution to your tile installation problem by calling us on 0345 512 0122 or e-mail Info@TileDoctor.co.uk. Please include as much detail about your issue as possible and if you feel it will help attach a photograph. Our Tile Doctor have many years of experience of dealing with the typical issues that people experience and were confident we can find the right solution.


Alternately take a look at one of our dedicated sites below where we detail real examples of issues faced by our customers and how they were resolved.

Ceramic Tiles | Church Floors | Encaustic Cement | Stone Fireplaces | Grout | Limestone | Marble | Pamments | Patios | Porcelain Tiles | Quarry Tiles | Sandstone Flagstones | Shower Tiles | Slate Tiles | Swimming Pools | Terracotta Tiles | Terrazzo | Travertine | Victorian Tiles | Vinyl | Stone Worktops



All the information you need to be able to clean and maintain Terrazzo flooring including polishing.
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