[Graeme Smith]

What would the Victorians or Edwardians have sealed geometric tiled floors with? I hate shiny topical sealants and try to seal with sub surface sealants with colour enhancers to create a nice natural looking finish but was asked today what they were original sealed with. Linseed oil?? Were they designed to have a lustre from just the colours or was a shiny gloss/satin finish achieved by some sort of lacquer or other topical coating. The finishes out there that I am aware of are water based emulsion polishes which will wear and go dull, Lithofin slate seal a solvent based topical which dulls and is a pain/stinks to remove or sub surface sealants which I prefer.

[Rob Hall]

What would the Victorians or Edwardians have sealed geometric tiled floors with? I hate shiny topical sealants and try to seal with sub surface sealants with colour enhancers to create a nice natural looking finish but was asked today what they were original sealed with. Linseed oil?? Were they designed to have a lustre from just the colours or was a shiny gloss/satin finish achieved by some sort of lacquer or other topical coating. The finishes out there that I am aware of are water based emulsion polishes which will wear and go dull, Lithofin slate seal a solvent based topical which dulls and is a pain/stinks to remove or sub surface sealants which I prefer.

Great question.
I would be interested in ideas and thoughts as I get a few victorian floors to clean and seal.

[Graeme Smith]

put this on another forum and the tilers said they thought originally linseed oil would have been applied. The chap in question was interested in following what would have been applied when the floor was laid he was a bit obsessed with the idea it would have had a lacquer on it.

[Kev Martin]

What would the Victorians or Edwardians have sealed geometric tiled floors with? I hate shiny topical sealants and try to seal with sub surface sealants with colour enhancers to create a nice natural looking finish but was asked today what they were original sealed with. Linseed oil?? Were they designed to have a lustre from just the colours or was a shiny gloss/satin finish achieved by some sort of lacquer or other topical coating. The finishes out there that I am aware of are water based emulsion polishes which will wear and go dull, Lithofin slate seal a solvent based topical which dulls and is a pain/stinks to remove or sub surface sealants which I prefer.

Graeme

OK so lets stop guessing.  Victorian and Edwardian Encaustics, Tiles and geometrics encaustics were sealed with Beeswax and this was repeated on a regular basis.  It was not until years later before the advent of modern sealers that  the idea of using linseed oil was used and this in turn progressed to heating it and then mixing wax into the equation.  Get your client to accept that the best thing to seal this type of floor is Aqua Mix Enrich N Seal to seal and enhance and then if they insist or want a shine either use  wax which will need regular maintenance or apply a topical sealer such as Aqua Mix High Gloss Sealer.  Incidentally in a few weeks I will have a permanent natural solution to this problem of customers wanting a shine on Slate, Victorian and Porcelain Tiles.

Kev Martin
Tiling Logistics Ltd

[martin shelley]

My friends at Fila are sending me a product they have launched call PT10 which is a water based impregnator ideal for oil and water repellency and leaves a wet look /shine effect.

I'm getting it thursday so will do some test and see how it looks.

[Kev Martin]

My friends at Fila are sending me a product they have launched call PT10 which is a water based impregnator ideal for oil and water repellency and leaves a wet look /shine effect.

I'm getting it thursday so will do some test and see how it looks.

I have already tried it. It has several disadvantages in that you have to apply two coats and you can't walk on it for 12 hours after the second application. It also costs a fortune. It works like a penetrating enhancer except you allow it to cure on thé surface so that the polymers cure sub surface and topically and that causes the sheen.


Kev Martin
Tiling Logistics

[martin shelley]

Hi Kevin

what material did you try it on and what did you think on the finished look of the product.  If this product did offer the longevity of an impregnating sealer, would the initial application costs out weight the cost of stripping and resealing a topical sealer periodically, when a customer wants shiny slate.   

Cost wise the product is around £60 per litre, but with discount direct from Fila (45%) you could pick this up for about £35/£40 per litre.  The coverage is 10/20sq m per litre on stone. 

Out of interest is your new permanent solution a mechanical shine or a product you apply or are you keeping it under wraps for now

[Kev Martin]

Martin

Everyone is striving for the "Holy Grail" of sealers.  This stuff is old technology.  The only thing new about it is that it is allegedly " water based " and I say that tongue in cheek.  Aqua Mix have had this technology for over 30 years.  We tried it in Italy on some riven slate!  It is OK but the results are no better than putting down a water based penetrating sealer and allowing it to cure then applying Aqua Mix High Gloss Sealer as a topical on top.  They are both water based, a lot less expensive and you can walk on it as soon as it is dry!  Can you imagine telling a householder they can't walk on their floor for 12 Hours?

You must also consider sealers here and understand how they cure!  So Fila are saying their sealer reaches full cure with two coats in 15 Hours??  (Excuse my French but that is Bo**ocks!)  Anyone who knows their onions will tell you that enhancing sealers take at least a week to reach anything like cure and if my memory serves me correctly even longer to reach "Full Cure"

Now to application itself!  If you apply this type of Sealer to a Victorian / Edwardian Tile we all know that the porosity is very low and the tiles are very smooth so with this in mind I am of the opinion it would not adhere very well anyway!   If you notice they also say that for floors with low porosity you should water it 1:1.  Personally I would be very wary about this product as it is my belief you will get call backs if you apply to anything other than a very porous stone.

Finally our new method is natural and will out last anything provided you use a decent impregnating sealer prior to polishing.  Give me a ring sometime next week and I will talk you through it!

Kev Martin
Tiling Logistics Ltd

[martin shelley]

Thanks Kevin, Great info and insight to the product. Glad I asked.  I will test the product myself over the next few days and bare in mind your infomation and concerns, but It sounds like its a no go product unless the clients are on holiday

Yea I will give you a call next week.  I'm intrigued to hear more.