Stripping/sealing Quarry Tiles

taylorphoebe

hi i've recently ripped up some old laminate flooring in my dining room to reveal some potentially lovely terracotta / quarry tiles but they have what i think is clear varnish coated on it in some areas and what i think is dusty/chalk on the rest of the floor, i want to strip it all back and reseal.
do you know if I'm okay to use ordinary paint stripper on these tiles or will it damage them?
thanks in advance!

rich13348

I have no idea but you could try it is an inconspicuous corner and see how it goes. I would imagine stripping is safer that anything else like sanding or scraping which might break the tiles

DaftyDuck

No, don't use paint stripper on quarry tiles, it'll damage them, as it's too harsh. It's probably sealer on them, not varnish. Some can be removed by a strong mix of biological washing powder, if you want to be fully MSE. You can also get sealant removers like Tile Doctor


Most of the tile sheds like Topps do their own versions. Don't know how effective they are.

Once you've removed the sealant, clean, clean and clean. Allow to dry, then carry on using Tile Doctor (or one of the generics) products. The Tile Doctor ones certainly do work. I used a cheaper version ... if I can find which range it was from a brief search, I'll post a link.

The older version of sealing would be to use boiled Linseed oil and white spirit, which sinks into the tiles, and also really helps make a waterproof barrier, which is handy if they are laid direct onto compacted soil or porous cement. Start with a 30:70 linseed:white spirit, move to 50:50, and then finish with 70:30. Wait for the first coats to sink in, but not dry but, when doing the final coats, allow to dry first, then polish, then add another coat, polish, add... until perfect. Time-consuming, but genuinely excellent results.

But don't use paint stripper.