terracotta floors cleaning and protection guide

The following instructions are a generic guide for the cleaning and protection of todobarro products. Specific projects may require different or more detailed specifications.

It is absolutely essential to properly clean and protect terracotta floors in order to guarantee the product’s expected finished look and lifespan.

There will be no claims accepted regarding imperfections in the material or any other consequence that stems from failure to clean and protect the floor in accordance to this guide.

Should any questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact our team for personalized advice.

Terracotta floor cleaning process

Aimed towards removing verdigris, debris from installation, saltpeter and general dirt. Specialized cleaning products that are used diluted in water are applied.  Thus can be done with professional rotating machinery or with a brush for small surfaces. The dilution percentages are always indicated on the product packaging.

Drying quickly is a must. A wet vac is used to remove all the water after cleaning with a brush or rotating machinery. If the floor does not look properly clean, this process should be repeated.

Once cleaning and drying is done, we highly recommended not to step on the floor that has been worked on. If it cannot be avoided, be sure to wear thick socks and no shoes to step on the floor. The tiles must be allowed to expel all the accumulated moisture before moving on to the next step: protecting the terracotta floor.

Terracotta floor protection process

After the appropriate drying period for the terracotta floor has passed (5-10 days), the necessary protection treatment can be applied.

This process reduces the porosity of the tile, preventing the appearance of saltpeter and moisture, in addition to reducing the risk of domestic stains.

For this process, products wax emulsion based products are used. These products should be applied manually and undilluted. This is the moment to decide wether to apply additional products that give a matte finish or a wet effect to the floor.

After applying the protective wax-based product, the floor must be allowed to dry completely between 4 and 24 hours, depending on weather conditions. The protected surface must not be stepped on during the drying phase under any circumstances, as this will cause permanent marks and footprints to be left on the terracotta floor.

In case of carrying out the protection process in an outdoor area, it is very important to do this work under weather conditions that allow the drying of the tiled surface. We never recommend applying the exterior treatment during the winter.

Terracotta floor finishing process (indoors only)

This step increases protection against domestic stains and is highly recommended for places which are subject to intensive use.

The application of these products is similar to the first protective step: undiluted application by hand. In this case, as the floor is already protected, we must generate a thin, disperse layer. To achieve this, we recommend using a 200 mm broad brush, or any brush with fine hair, to help distribute the material evenly and without accumulations.

The drying time should be between 24 and 48 hours (depending on weather conditions). If the flooring is expected to be subject to intensive use (such as frequent parties or crowd gatherings), we recommend a longer drying period (between 3 and 5 days).

Download todobarro’s guide for cleaning and protection of terracotta floors and tiles in PDF