sonnyc

I need to seal an area of Terracotta tiles ( indoor ) and have been told to use a 50/50 mix of Linseed oil and paraffin.
Is this a YES or a NO, all advice gratefully received.

jdr

Any oil will do it, but you have chosen an expensive one. ;-))
Second hand cleanish car engine oil is the best, wipe it on lightly with a rag.

fionamw

I've done the linseed oil route, NOT mixed with paraffin (even more expensive) however in all honesty if you want them to stay sealed against whatever cats dogs kids & red wine will throw at'em, I swear by a product from a paint co called Menape, which is their Sellador S1 & S2 (you use both). Again, not cheap but a friend recommended it & we both now use it.

Mitzyboy

Ive done this in the past in the UK and took advice from the flooring company who sold them (untreated) to me

It was about 5 coats of linseed oil, undiluted with anything.
Then several applications of tile wax to complete the seal. This was in a kitchen, and we never got any stains or marks on the tiles after that.

mar1

Hi all, could the same be done for outdoor tiles aswell or what would you use?

fionamw

I've used a cheaper version sealant (which I'd bought but not yet used when my friend recommended Menape!) on the ones on the covered verandah area - you have to just be aware of slippery feet if your pool is nearby, though. May depend why you want to seal them? I've got a poolhouse around/under the pool area which currently leaks like a sieve in rain & Thompsons Waterseal made some difference but not enough! Any advice on that too.....? !

mar1

hi all, its mainly to clean them an keep them clean as they are outside, i have washed them loads but the dust just keeps coming back on them?

fionamw

Yes well in my case it's not dust from the tiles, it's dust per se..... the bane of one's life in Spain if you aspire to the standards of the little old ladies sweeping outside their homes & cleaning their window grilles etc! Not me - too much other stuff to do!!! (jamon, rioja, 7 year old son....)

VFR

Just be mindful that "used" engine oil is full of some very nasty contaminants.

Brian

jdr

Well don`t drop your sandwhich on it. ;-))

You can say the same about anything, soles of your shoes for a kick off.

sonnyc

What I am after is to seal the complete floor area in my villa, so that I just need to pour some liquid polish on and mop it over, can this be done having used engine oil?? also can it be new oil. ??

jdr

I don`t think anything will really seal it water tight, even the two coat stuff.
I used that on one job and it was a nightmare to apply and the fumes were horrendous, by the time the first coat was dry it was covered in dust again.
To get a finish like you want, you need something nearly non porous, like marble.

fionamw

I'm not on a retainer from the company, honest, but if you're prepared to give it a try you might be pleasantly surprised. I'm not going to guarantee totally watertight, maybe Thompsons Waterseal would do that I'm not sure. But S1 & S2 are very good indeed. I never had any problem with dust settling between coats - you are advised to put on as many coats as you've got time & money for, but on the basis of just one of each, you'd say put S1 on late at night to avoid treading & allow for drying time. Early the next morning it'd be dry enough to paint the S2 (very likely sooner than that but go with it....) so within half a day or not much more you've got both coats on & nearly dry. Not even my house can produce falling dust in sufficient quantity to blight that!
As an anecdote - I've not been this unlucky - my friend said she became convinced when she dropped a pan of curry or spare ribs or some such gloopy food on her kitchen floor & it all came off, tiles totally unaffected. That's a good enough test for my liking!

jdr

Read the application times, it apparently needs the correct times to cure and certainly longer than overnight as far as I can remember.