Resealing hallway tiles

[tobydog]

Five years ago when we had our new extension we incorporated a hallway link between the old part of the house and the new kitchen. The new subfloors are concrete with wet unfloor heating and we had one inch thick terracotta tiles laid in the hall. These were treated and sealed with linseed oil (boiled I think) that stunk to high heaven but did the trick. The tiles are now well overdue for being resealed, however, as the hallway is an unavoidable link used regularly on a daily basis, linseed oil is not going to be a viable option due to drying times and second coating. Does anyone know a good old fashioned floor wax that I could use instead?. Not one that ends up too shiny but does the job without showing up. I know there are quick drying water based options but not sure how tough they are.

Thanks

 

[steveb]

we oiled our wood floor with raw linseed oil in a checkerboard pattern and played hopscotch down the hall for a few days :idea:

 

[tobydog]

Nice idea steveb but have you ever tried teaching a wire haired dachshund to play hopscotch and avoid the sticky bits?

The engineered oak floor in the kitchen (24' x 12') comes next

 

[Flyfisher]

. . . however, as the hallway is an unavoidable link used regularly on a daily basis, linseed oil is not going to be a viable option due to drying times and second coating.

If you're really happy with the results from using linseed oil, how about using a few battens and scaffold boards (or similar) to keep foot (and dog!) traffic off the floor while the linseed oil dries?

 

[kreyszig]

I used HG Satin Gloss Polish after cleaning our tiles - a mixture of red/black quarry and encaustic - but it's lasted well in the two years we've been in the house.
It does come straight off if you put any kind of aggressive cleaner on it, (it's billed as "removable"), but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

 

[Zebra]

Well, I hesitate to recommend this for terracotta, but in avoiding the price of osmo-polyx for my downstairs wooden floor, I made my own floor wax from linseed oil and beeswax, the latter bei ng melted into the former in a sort of bain-marie (baked bean tin in a saucepan of water on the gas).

 

[Flyfisher]

Very inventive. Did the beeswax remain liquid once the mixture had cooled down?

 

[livias]

I did a similar thing on my previous terracotta hall floor ... I coukd be wrong but I think it was beeswax and turps, not beeswax and linseed oil. Beeswax costs are minimal if ypu make friends with a beekeeper. In the house I am doing now I have pushed the boat out and employed a tiler. He sprayed on some clear liquid instead which was much quicker. I didn't enquire what it was

 

[Zebra]

The beeswax did not remain liquid for long, but I transported the saucepan of water with the baked bean tin of wax/oil in it to the floor in question, and had 20 mins or so of usage time before sticking it back on the stove for a bit. Now it's cooled it's the consistency of normal furniture polish, sort of like soft margarine.