Cement-Encaustic Tile installers Hertfordshire (North London)

*WE NO LONGER INSTALL CEMENT ENCAUSTIC TILES UNLESS AS PART OF A RESTORATION. WE NOW CLEAN AND RESTORE THESE TILES INSTEAD. I HAVE INCLUDED SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR CEMENT TILE INSTALLATION BELOW*

Currently the fashion is to install cement made encaustic tiles. These can be a lovely hand made bespoke addition to ones home and they really do add a certain charm if done properly. However the installation needs to be done by someone with experience or you will have problems. 

How to install cement encaustic tiles properly

  • During installation they need to be very clean all the time. There can be no adhesive, pencil marks etc just left on the tiles so get a good patient experienced tiler and stress this point. 
  • The grouting needs to be done with patience and cleaned off of the tiles properly. Most of the cleaning and restoration work that I for these tiles is grout that has been left to dry on them. Any chemical that removes grout residue really damages these tiles so its very difficult to remove dried grout.
  • Sealing needs to be done thoroughly and by someone who knows how to seal and buff. These tiles need much more sealing than even porous stone. All tilers think they know how to seal but judging by the clients with these tiles that call me up believe me most tilers haven’t sealed these cement tiles properly after installation. You can always get me to seal your cement tiles 🙂
bathroom floor with cement encaustic tiles that have been restored and sealed properly

Here you can see cement tiles that have not been sealed properly after installation and so every bath product has marked and damaged them. Luckily we mostly brought this one back!

Cleaning cement Encaustic (Moroccan style tiles)

Unfortunately these tiles are very porous and fragile. The pigments used to create the patterns and designs on the surfaces of these tiles are also very sensitive and can discolour and damage easily if conventional tile cleaning methods are used. These cement tiles need to be carefully cleaned by hand with tried and tested alkali cleaners. We can clean and re seal these tiles professionally so do drop us an email if you need this done. 

 

A cement tile installation done in Hertfordshire