Hi, we bought a property with quarry tiles on ground floor. We would like to give it a more modern look and paint them dark.
Can anyone give me advice - they are laid on a bed of sand and therefore no dpm so I am conscious that I cannot just over paint and seal the joints as this would stop the floor from breathing. First thought was to lift them all up, paint them individually then relay. Now I'm thinking, could we use a breathable paint? Any advice? Just so to be clear I don't want to dig to apply a dpm etc etc. I want the quarry tiles, but painted if possible. Thank you
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Quarry tiled floors in old houses are abit of a nightmare problem! It would of been picked up on the survey that the floor requires an overhaul.
So unfortunately the tiles need to be lifted and some digging out required, then lay a dpm with a concrete floor. After that you can relay any flooring you like with Confidence of no damp issues.
Answered29 May 2021
16
Anonymous user
Do they cause damp or a cold area?
These kind of tiles are a job indeed. I love them though. A DPM and concrete is a great idea. There are different floor paints available but in my experience it wears quite quickly.
There is a substance in a 5 gallon drum, it’s a polish! This gives quarry tiles a darker tone maybe more maroon. More Coats it gets darker. If you don’t like that there is a polish remover you can get if you don’t mind scraping on your hands and knees.
Applying the polish with a mop would be a more sensible option than using floor paint. Floor paint used to be oil based but I can’t find that anymore. It might be available elsewhere.
There are fantastic German wax paints that spread like butter and are lovely but you have to order online. Not available in the UK to my knowledge. I can’t remember the name right now sorry. Polish you can get at Bookers the wholesalers that I know for sure. If you are not eligible to shop there just ask your local shopkeeper to get you some on his next trip.
Best of luck with your lovely quarry tiles.
You can strip the the surface of old products allow to dry then seal with boiled linseed oil and white spirits 50-50 allow to dry apply a 2nd coat making sure you remove access making sure the tiles are clear , you can use bees wax polish they do in cardinal red or clear finish once buffed up can give up a old tradition look and allows the floor to breath
The other option is to remove it all and install a DPM and installation and the install a screed
