Sealing Terracotta Floor Tiles Linseed Oil

Test the porosity of your terracotta tiles.

Sealing terracotta floor tiles linseed oil.

The tiles are porous and quite absorbent and may need a good amount of sealant but a well sealed terracotta tiled floor looks attractive and very ethnic with little maintenance. There are two main methods for impregnating and sealing terracotta tiles. Fills and hardens within the open pores of the terracotta inhibiting the absorption of grime and fluids. Most people apply a 50 50 mixture some boil the mixture before applying it and others.

The traditional method entails first saturating the tiles with several coats of linseed oil mixed with turpentine l huile de lin et la térébenthine. Pre seal with our boiled linseed oil and finish with a clear wax or to darken further an antique wax if you want a quicker alternative the ironwax satin or gloss can be used with the boiled linseed oil but will not give the leathered look achievable with waxing. Sealing your terracotta tiles. First the tile is treated with several coats of boiled linseed oil.

Boiled linseed oil is called an impregnator. Sealing terracotta tiles or brick floor tiles august 11 2020 january 23 2019 by edward howey one of the questions that we have been regularly asked over the past 16 years is about terracotta tile sealer or brick floor sealer. You can see from the photographs below that. If after 15 minutes the water has soaked into the floor the tiles will need to be impregnated with boiled linseed oil.

Linseed oil is a traditional way of sealing terracotta however it makes the tiles significantly darker and over the years it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. Apparently the tiler had dipped the tile into the oil to make sure he had an even coverage. Offers good mechanical strength to low fire hand made terracotta. Upon our return we tested the floor using a damp meter this is important as adding sealer to a damp floor can have unexpected results.

Two ways to seal terracotta tiles are. One of the most popular methods for sealing terracotta is to use a combination of boiled linseed oil and then polish with a neutral beeswax. This terracotta floor in leamington spa had been sealed previously with linseed oil. Remove any surplus not absorbed into the tiles within one.

Test your terracotta tiles for porosity by placing water in the middle of a tile. The test was ok so we began to seal the floor with tile doctor seal and go eventually applying nine coats until the tile was fully sealed. Terracotta clay tiles are treated with a protective layer of boiled linseed oil and clear wax. A rich golden coloured oil ideal for protecting and enhancing machine and hand made terracotta.

The oil is spread with a cloth or sponge as evenly as possible over the terracotta before grouting. This will darken the tiles a little so to get an idea of the finished colour wet the tiles to.