31/05/2026
Vintage Tile Cleaning and Restoration - DIY Guide
A deep clean should address the majority of the issues; however, some of these aggregates may not be completely removable. Light resurfacing on some types of tiling is possible, but should be undertaken with great caution to avoid eradicating colouring and detail.
Begin by protecting surrounding surfaces, wearing appropriate PPE, and always performing a small test patch in an unobtrusive area to ensure the tiles are not damaged.
Stage one:
A mild acid wash allows the solution to activate and work on the floor. It should begin to dissolve old waxes/polishes and build aggregates.
Working in small, manageable sections is best to avoid the solution drying up.
Stage Two:
The next method to employ is agitation. Simply Floor Cleaning uses a rotary scrubbing machine with adjustable weights. The weights allow pressure adjustments, enabling the diamond scrubbing pad to be utilised to its full capacity. A softer approach can be taken if the pattern or colours are delicate.
If you hire a machine for cleaning, a variety of diamond pads or a black pad should be sufficient for the heavier work. If you decide to clean by hand, we recommend a Doodlebug cleaning tool. You can apply more pressure with the tool than you would by hand, and it saves your knees some.
Scrubbing the floor by hand or machine should remove surface contaminants. However, as the tiles are porous, a wet vacuum cleaner to extract the resultant slurry will be a great help. If you remove the slurry without one, ensure you change the mop water regularly. This part of the process aims to lift the soiling off the vintage floor tiles.
Full instructions https://www.simplyfloorcleaning.co.uk/blog-articles-news/tips-and-tricks/item/vintage-tile-cleaning-and-restoration
