Birmingham Expert Reveals the Solution to Efflorescence Staining
A client from Great Barr in North Birmingham discovered a leak in a water pipe, which had been running in to the Quarry tiled living room for some time. The leak was repaired but had resulted in a lot of water soaking into the quarry tiles. This led to a significant amount of efflorescence appearing as the floor dried out leaving them in a poor condition.
I paid a visit to the property to see the condition of the tiles for myself and conducted a few tests to work out the best method to remove the efflorescence and restore the appearance of the quarry tiles. From this I worked out a quote which was submitted to my client’s insurance company.
The job was then put on hold for a couple of months until the client’s insurance company agreed the claim. This as it turns out was not such a bad thing, as the floor needed time to dry out completely (aided with dehumidifiers) before work began.
Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor
On the first day I started by taking moisture readings from the floor, which were quite low, and confirmed the floor had indeed dried out. Next, I gave the floor a general clean using Tile Doctor Remove & Go, I used a strong dilution and sprayed it onto the floor allowing it to soak in for ten minutes. Then I went around the edges and corners with a piece of black scrubbing pad to get the awkward areas clean first. I then used a 120-grit carbide silicone pad fitted to a rotary machine to loosen up the dirt.
The floor was then rinsed with an air flex pro machine which applies water at high pressure to the floor and then simultaneously extracts the dislodged dirt with a built-in wet vacuum.
To deal with the efflorescence I applied Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and worked it in with a 240-grit carbide pad as before. This product is acidic and is perfect for dissolving the alkaline salts that form efflorescence. The solution was then rinsed off and extracted as before, and I set up a couple of air movers to aid drying the floor, for a couple of hours.
Sealing a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor
Before leaving for the day I applied a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil and let that soak in for twenty minutes before towelling off the excess, the floor was then let to dry off fully overnight, again I left a couple of air movers in place to assist with the drying.
The next day I applied two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal, leaving an hour between coats to dry. The Stone Oil and X-Tra Seal will give great protection going forward and give the quarry tiles a slight sheen which really lifts the appearance of the tiles. Another benefit of the sealer is it improves the colour of the tiles and being fully breathable it will allow moisture still in the floor to rise through and evaporate at the surface.
Finally, I buffed the Quarry tiles with a white pad to bring up their appearance even further. My client was very happy with what was a complete transformation to the floor and left the following review.Very helpful insurance repair. Visited whenever necessary to give advice and helped with ongoing maintenance suggestions.
Before leaving took time to discuss aftercare cleaning for which I left them with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner.
Source: Efflorescence Staining Solutions in Great Barr Birmingham