In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I got a firm (Trattamento Pavimenti) in to clean, seal and polish all my graniglia floors and they did a pretty decent job. They said that it wasn't necessary for the floors to be sanded down and they were in a worse state than yours seem to be.
Be prepared for some stains not to come out completely as the tiles are somewhat porous and some may be more than just surface marks.
In general I would say mine came up better than I thought they would but it may have been more expensive in the end than than it should have been.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Tricky. What you are talking about (I think) is having the floors 'levigata'. This is done using a machine (not a sander) which uses grinding stones to 'plane off' the top surface. These machines don't get into corners very well, so the guys using them finish off with angle grinders. (There is someone on this forum who does this work for a living, in the UK I think) It is an incredibly noisy and dusty process, and you will probably be quoted around €15 + per square metre. To get a good result you must have laid on industrial strength lighting, because it is a job done 'by eye'.
As Iritalia says, though they are pretty hard tiles, it looks as if you have got some oil staining on them, and this probably has penetrated below the level which the planing would take off. Another possible snag is that the decorated tiles may not be through coloured, in which case you would lose them if you planed the floor. (Sometimes they are through coloured - if you happen to have a broken one lying about you should check.)
I agree with Iritalia that they don't look too bad (not, IMO worth planing), and a specialist who knows his chemicals can almost certainly reduce the staining. Chips I would live with - just call them patina! You have done well to save the floor, and I think it is slightly mistaken to want it to look perfectly brand new.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
It's amazing what a few boxes of 'Brillo' pads can do for this type of floor - at least as a first attempt.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
we used a man from cermignano to redo our tiles... the hard type not cotto ... took hime a couple of days with a machine and lots of noise to do the top floor... 100 m sq... result... removed all stains, and pitting... floor then seled and a year afterwards the floor still looks like its new.... its good to see that you are planning on retaining these tiles which are once again becoming fashionable to have in your house....
have his name and phone number but am not sure if you are in that area....
his details are this... D. Capitani, lavori di lucidatura, marmo e granilia, cell.333 4331783, but you need to speak Italian with him.... it does cost... but a lot of work goes into it...and to be honest i was suprised at the results... having argued with my wife against keeping them and having that work done... she knew best ... and they look much better than any modern tile... to my mind...
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hello There,
Having worked on floors such as Yours here in Italy. I would first suggest like the others you use some good old elbow grease and that should do the job.
If not buy yourself some "Acido" available from any ferrimenti and some scrubbing brushes. First dilute the Acido a 5 to 1 mix and scrub the whole floor, then leave to dry. When dry wash thoroughly with warm water. if that resolves the problem you can buy a simple sealant and apply that.
If that doesn't work go to a 1 to 3 mix of Acido to water and I guarantee that will remove any stains you have.
Please note that when using the Acido to wear strong rubber gloves and old clothes and will stain and burn your skin so be careful!!!!!
This will save you a fortune on paying a professional to come in and do the job for you.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Thanks all. I will try the manual method, starting with wire wool/washing up liquid, and then progress as required to the acid solution.
I will report of what works best, with an "after" picture (assuming I have some success!)
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Here is a link to a few products that might help with the job or after care.
Good luck and I look forward to the 'after' pic.
[url=http://www.filachim.com/page.jsp?id=4822&idl=1]Smacchiare gres porcellanato cemento[/url]
Some time ago I had a problem with nasty stains on cotto floors and I got plenty of useful advice through this thread:
[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/building-renovation/9480-removing-nasty-stains.html#post88816[/url]
Perhaps you should try to clean the tiles thoroughly first to see their real condition. See your local DIY shop or try Leroy Merlin if you have one of their stores near your place.