Free Express Delivery to UK MAINLAND
Free Express Delivery to UK MAINLAND
If you wish to seal an interior quarry tiled floor and are unsure which products to use, please read on!
Some care should be taken when cleaning and allowing the tiles to dry. We have covered cleaning quarry tiles in a separate article, a link to this article is at the foot of the page.
There are a few options open when sealing quarry tiles depending on whether they are a more modern dense tile, or slightly softer tiles, possibly old/original Victorian quarry tiles.
Certain tiles will only require a subsurface non-visible impregnating sealer whilst other older/softer tiles may benefit from a sheen and colour enhancing.
For further information about any specific product/pricing, please click on the product title highlighted in blue. To view all products and articles for cleaning and sealing quarry tiles, please see the link located at the foot of the page.
The cleaning/preparation of newer tiles and older Victorian tiles is slightly different. Information regarding the cleaning of Victorian quarry tiled floors is covered in a separate article. A link to this article is also at the foot of the page.
Your tiles should be totally dry before sealing with any brand/type of sealer. Dry tiles will be more absorbent, allowing the sealer to penetrate the pores of the tile and therefore adhere to the tile.
Damp tiles can lead to issues, when sealing, such as white patchy marks and a lack of adhesion. Make sure your tiles are dry before sealing! Neutralise strong cleaning agents by rinsing the tiles with plenty of clean water.
New quarry tiles (usually manufactured after 1940) usually dry within 24 hours of cleaning or a lot sooner – possibly less than one hour.
Older Victorian tiles are much softer/absorbent, they can take 5 days (or more) to become totally dry after deep cleaning. This is because they are highly porous and because deep cleaning processes use more water than general cleaning/mopping.
Always allow plenty of time for your tiles to dry before sealing!
Modern very dense tiles will only require a non-visible impregnating sealer. This is because the face of the tiles will not accept much sealing solution (as they are very dense) and therefore also do not require/accept surface coatings. We recommend applying Floorseal Premium Impregnating Sealer to hard/dense more modern quarry tiles.
Most very hard modern quarry tiles will reject surface sealers (which create a sheen). We recommend only applying a non-visible impregnating sealer to the tiles & associated grout lines. Any excess sealer can be buffed off the surface by the use of microfibre cloths. Modern quarry tiles are often a totally solid colour or have a smokey black & red appearance.
Premium Impregnating Sealer can be applied by roller, brush, or paint pad. Remove all excess product with microfibre cloths within 20 minutes of application. Apply the product twice, approximately 40 minutes apart. This product will not alter the appearance of your quarry tiles but will provide the tiles & grout greater water/stain repellence.
You should use an impregnating sealer like Floorseal Premium Impregnating Sealer. This sealer does not create a sheen. It will leave the tile with an unaltered matt appearance.
Premium Impregnating Sealer can be applied by roller, brush, or paint pad. Remove all excess product with microfibre cloths within 20 minutes of application.
Apply the product twice, approximately 40 minutes apart. This product will not reduce the slip resistance of your quarry tiled floor, even in a wet area.
We recommend sealing most older/soft quarry tiled floors with 2 thin coats of Floorseal Terracotta & Quarry Tile Sealer. This sealer is a water-based sealer, free from VOCs, so low odour and rapid drying.
Terracotta & Quarry Tile Sealer will produce a low sheen and can slightly deepen surface colours. This enriches the earthy tones associated with clay-based tiles like quarry tile.
Victorian tiles tend to look faded and a little pastel-coloured after cleaning. Floorseal Terracotta & Quarry Tile Cleaner will revive the appearance of older tiles.
The sheen created by use of terracotta & quarry tile sealer enriches the general appearance of older soft tiles. Invigorating the lifeless dull very ‘matt’ appearance which is often associated with older/soft quarry tiles.
Black or red tiles which look faded can appear to deepen in colour again. Thus, the sealer can revive the colour and overall appearance of the floor. The floor should be dry before sealing, allow lots of drying time after deep cleaning older tiles.
The first coat can be applied to soft/old tiles by using a roller fitted with a ‘fluffy’ emulsion style roller. When applying further coat(s) of sealer we recommend applying the product using a folded microfibre cloth. This will ensure thin & even coats are applied to both the grout line and the face of the tile. It is possible to apply small amounts of sealer directly to the floor, spread evenly over the tiles and grout with the cloth.
Build up the coats in at least 2 applications with approximately 1 hour of drying time between each coat. Further coats can be applied to older/softer tiles to increase sheen.
Victorian quarry tiled floors may look particularly faded, the first choice when sealing old Victorian tiled floors is Floorseal Terracotta & Quarry Tile Sealer.
If colour issues are a serious problem with red & black diamond patterned floors, we recommend testing Floorseal Flagstone Sealer.
This is a solvent-based sealer a little like Floorseal Terracotta & Quarry Tile Sealer.
Flagstone Sealer will deepen colour to a greater degree than most sealers and leaves a satin/silk finish. You should always test the sealer before applying to the whole floor. This product can be applied to interior or exterior quarry tiles.
Sample are available for all of the products noted below. These are on the specific product pages under the ‘select size’ drop down menu.
Floorseal Premium Impregnating Sealer – a water-based penetrating sealer for sealing very dense modern quarry tiles. Or for sealing external quarry tiles, or tiles in wet areas such as bathrooms/wet rooms. This product does not alter the colour of the tile & does not produce sheen. Interior or exterior use.
Floorseal Terracotta & Quarry Tile Sealer – a water-based product for sealing older and new quarry tiles with a satin finish. This sealer can slightly enrich colours, particularly when applied to softer older faded tiles. Interior use only. This sealer should not be applied to modern very dense tiles.
Floorseal Flagstone Sealer – a solvent-based sealer which will noticeably deepen the colour of the tiles. This sealer creates a satin/silk finish. For exterior and interior use. This sealer should not be applied to modern very dense tiles but is suited to sealing and deepening the colour of faded soft/old/Victorian tiles.
Click here to see our associated guide to cleaning general quarry tiles.
For our guide to cleaning very old Victorian quarry tiles click here.
To view all guides and products for cleaning and sealing quarry tiles please click here.
This article cannot cover all aspects of cleaning and renovating quarry tiles, particularly older Victorian tiles. For this reason, the information contained within this article is not exhaustive. If you need further information please contact Floorseal or email Info@floorseal.co.uk
