I'm in the process of cleaning all the quarry tiles I removed from my kitchen before relaying them. They were mostly covered in old lime but also remains (in the joints) of a cement grout.
Thought I'd pass on a couple of tips regarding cleaning them.
I started out buying brick acid from the builders merchants and leaving several tiles to soak and then brushing with a wire brush. All well and good except it still left most of the cement and some of the lime on - oh and it was horrendously expensive (about £14 for 5 litres - which didn't go far). It was also nasty stuff involving very long gloves and careful brushing to avoid getting it all over myself.
Remembering that someone mentioned that lime fizzes in vinegar I thought I'd give it a go.
It works a treat, leaving the tiles to soak for a couple of days really does the job and even breaks down the cement. The added advantages being it doesn't matter if you splash some on you (other than smelling like a chip shop!) and it worked out about £2.50 for five litres.
I haven't relaid them yet but am giving them a good rinsing in a seperate tub before letting them dry out - whether the kitchen will smell of vinegar once they're relaid is yet to be seen.....
Don't know if particular types of vinegar work better than others but I'm just using straight forward malt vinegar, maybe a balsamic or white wine variety might work better :wink:
Thought I'd pass on a couple of tips regarding cleaning them.
I started out buying brick acid from the builders merchants and leaving several tiles to soak and then brushing with a wire brush. All well and good except it still left most of the cement and some of the lime on - oh and it was horrendously expensive (about £14 for 5 litres - which didn't go far). It was also nasty stuff involving very long gloves and careful brushing to avoid getting it all over myself.
Remembering that someone mentioned that lime fizzes in vinegar I thought I'd give it a go.
It works a treat, leaving the tiles to soak for a couple of days really does the job and even breaks down the cement. The added advantages being it doesn't matter if you splash some on you (other than smelling like a chip shop!) and it worked out about £2.50 for five litres.
I haven't relaid them yet but am giving them a good rinsing in a seperate tub before letting them dry out - whether the kitchen will smell of vinegar once they're relaid is yet to be seen.....
Don't know if particular types of vinegar work better than others but I'm just using straight forward malt vinegar, maybe a balsamic or white wine variety might work better :wink:
