Reviving an Encaustic Cement Tiled Balcony Floor in West Hampstead NW6

This impressive Encaustic Cement tiled balcony was on the top floor of an apartment in West Hampstead NW6. The tiles had been laid relatively recently and unfortunately were now badly stained from plant pots which had left dark patches and mould.

Unhappy with the way the floor had been finished we were asked to deep clean the tiles and then seal them to protect them from future staining. I visited the property to conduct a survey and could see why they were keen on having it renovated. Despite the problems it was a lovely tiling job featuring an intricate decorative pattern of Victorian-style encaustic and geometric floor tiles, centred around an ornate, panel framed with patterned borders.

Confident of being able to restore the floors appearance I worked out a detail quote for the work and agreed an initial date for the work to start. Being external that date would need to change if the weather was bad.

Deep Cleaning a Encaustic Cement Tiled Balcony Floor

To remove the staining the work started with an application of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel scrubbed in with a Black Pad fitted to a rotary machine. Using a Gel cleaner minimises the amount of water used on the floor which should reduce the drying time. Once complete the slurry was then rinsed and then vacuumed away with an industrial vacuum.

The cleaning process worked well and removed the worst of the algae and dirt caused by fallen leaves and watering of plant pots from the tile and grout.

To improve the appearance of the Encaustic Cement tiles further they were then burnished with a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing pads of different grits. This started with a coarse 400-grit applied with water followed by 800 and 1500-grit pads. The floor is rinsed and extracted to remove the fine slurry generated after each pad and then finished with a very fine 3500-grit polishing pad which is applied dry with only a splash of water.

The first wo pads helped to remove dirt that chemicals alone could not remove and then the finer grits helped to create surface tension mechanically closing the pores prior
To application of the sealer.

Sealing an Encaustic Cement Tiled Balcony Floor

With the use of a fan and a little help from the sun I was able to fully dry the tiles so they would be ready for sealing later that afternoon. I waited for the sun to move around the house before sealing with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an impregnating sealer rated for external use and ideal for this situation. Two coats of X-Tra Seal were applied to provide a durable finish.

Unfortunately, there was nowhere to store the plant pots so it was necessary to do the sealing in two halves’ carefully cleaning and replacing the pots as I went. This is not ideal but it was the only practical solution based on the layout of the flat.

Before leaving we discussed aftercare and I provided the customer with a bottle of Neutral Tile Cleaner which being ph neutral won’t affect the sealer. I also provided some advice regarding the use of trays and stands for plant pots which prevents a wet muddy pot sitting directly on the tile reducing staining.

The result was transformational and both the customer and I were very pleased with the way it turned out.

 

Professional Renovation of a Modern Encaustic Cement Tiled Balcony in North London