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TERRACOTTA & OTHER CLAY SUBSTRATES

CLEANING, SEALING AND MAINTENANCE OF TERRACOTTA & OTHER CLAY SUBSTRATES

TERRACOTTA, BRITTI and VITROFIED TILES

This is a natural clay product usually deep orange to red in colour, which is moulded and baked to form a tile or decorative pot etc. It has a natural finish and is extremely porous.

It can however also be obtained in a smooth, sheen finish and this is achieved by mechanically compressing the clay to improve the density of the substrate and reduce the porosity of the clay. These tiles although very durable, do tend to scuff and show signs of wear more readily than natural baked clay tiles. They are usually defined by the fact that they are far thinner +- 10mm than conventional terracotta tiles which tend to range from 15 – 30mm in thickness depending where they are from.

As it is a natural product, colour variations are to be expected.

Terracotta is extremely porous and susceptible to staining and it is recommended that the stone be handled with the utmost care during installation.

The most common form of jointing is the use of plaster sand and cement on Terracotta and baked clay tiles eg. Britti. Vitrofied tiles are usually jointed with conventional grout. As not all tilers work to the same standard, the amount of cementitious residue, which is left on the surface of the tile after grouting, may vary and accordingly requires removal with an acid based cleaner.

The use of hydrochloric acid and spirit of salts is not recommended as these acid types tend to leech into the tile and only qualified cleaning specialists would be able to properly neutralize the acid residues left in the tile.

We would suggest the use of SPECKLEEN® ACON™, which is specially formulated with different acid types so as to gently but effectively remove cement residues from tile surfaces with almost no neutralizing necessary other than the water used in the rinsing process.

SEALING AND SEALERS

There are 2 commonly used tile sealer / finishes.

1. A mixture of linseed oil and paraffin, which is very old technology and tends to fade rather quickly, leaving the tile with a mottled orange like appearance. Once this system has been applied, it is a tedious and costly exercise to remove the oil residues in order to apply one of the more modern sealer types and we would discourage this practice as it has a high failure rate.
   
   
2. We would suggest the use of SPECKLEEN® PUC u/v™ for internal or external use in either matt or gloss format or where the tile has substantial prosity and a natural colour enhancing finish is required then the application of SPECKLEEN PUC m/t is suggested , both of which will provide excellent stain and wear resistance. The added benefit of this system is it facilitates easier cleaning, especially where the grouting has been done poorly, creating a rough, porous and difficult to maintain finish.
   
   Mechanically compressed clay tiles or vitro tiles as they are commonly referred to, due to the reduced porosity we would suggest either the use of SPECKLEEN® PUC m/t™ (matt) as this will penetrate the surface of the tile, thereby providing abrasion resistance and superior protection against staining by beverages and food oils or where moisture is present i.e. bathrooms showers etc the use of SPECKLEEN® PERMOSEAL STD SB™, also with a flat matt finish. Both these sealers would tend to darken the tile in appearance.
   
   A test should first be done to ascertain the suitability prior to commencement, as these are
   non-strippable sealers.                                                            

MAINTENANCE
Contact SPECKLEEN® directly for detailed cleaning and maintenance specifications pertaining to the finish applied.

TECHNICAL AND CONTRACTING - For further technical advice or contracting information contact SPECKLEEN® on info@speckleen.co.za      

This information is based on tests that we believe to be reliable. It is the responsibility of the user to ascertain the suitability of the product to the situation since conditions of use are outside of our control and therefore all expressed or implied warranties are confined only to the replacement of product found to be defective upon receipt of goods by purchaser. Written representation for faulty goods must be made to the supplier within 7 days of receipt of product. All products / names are the registered property of SPECKLEEN®.