Terracotta, Quarry and Victorian Encaustic Tiles
Tile and Grout Cleaning and Recolouring
Before undertaking any cleaning and restoration we need to know what the problem is:
- General grime
- Deep staining
- Cement/builder’s dirt
- Scratches
- Etch marks (not stains)
- Efflorescence
- Mineral Staining
At Re-vive Stone we have many years experience in restoring all man made tiles.
Services we offer for tiles and grout are:
- Deep cleaning
- Chip and crack repairs
- Cutting and shaping
- Grout removal and replacement
- Grout recolouring
- Tile replacement
- Sealing
- Regular maintenance
Terracotta, Italian for baked earth, is one of the earliest materials used in building, sculpture and architecture dating back thousands of years. Many terracotta artifacts including figurines, pots, utensils, vases and numerous clay tiles prove that terracotta was used extensively.
For flooring and wall tiles, early tiles like Mexican Saltillo, were simply poured into moulds laid out and baked in the sun. These were all handmade and are still available to purchase today.
As technology and production increased to meet demand the majority of terracotta tiles are now machine made. Modern kilns producing higher temperatures and with controlled fines it has resulted in more durable extruded clay tiles (Quarry) glazed or unglazed. Ceramic tiles are produced with heat and pressure imitating the natural forces in nature that create natural stone.
With modern machine polishing technology, similar to that used in the stone industry, we now have very hard wearing and durable polished porcelain. Porcelain comes in a wide range of textures and designs many imitating real stone.
