You've chosen to install antique terracotta tiles? That's a great choice to bring a rustic and warm touch to your space. These authentic clay tiles add character to your interior, creating a welcoming and timeless atmosphere. Moreover, their unique texture and varied hues contribute to giving your floor a natural and elegant appearance, making antique terracotta tiles an essential decorative element for a style that is both traditional and refined.

To install antique terracotta tiles, the use of mortar is necessary. Therefore, it is legitimate to wonder how to remove mortar from antique terracotta tiles?

Removing mortar before selling antique terracotta tiles

BCA supply them ready to lay, so if they had old mortar to clean off our team will have done that. However they will still have that unmistakably antique reclaimed look to them, and some tiles may not be 100% clear of stubborn marks or residue. That may or may not be of significance to you, because in general clients really want an authentic and historic look to their finished floor.

During the grouting of terracotta tiles with mortar

So, how to remove mortar from antique terracotta tiles? After having laid them, doing the grouting phase, that is a time when cleaning off any excess grout is important. Excess grout has to be rinsed off before it hardens, so it is usual for the floor layers (either professionals or DIY) to repeatedly sponge away any diluted grout that gets on the tiles’ upper face using clean water. The water in the bucket has to be replaced to ensure that a milky film is not left on the tile surfaces. If in doubt rinse again.

After the installation of terracotta tiles with mortar

When the newly grouted floor is completely dry it is time to water-proof them using either a modern sealant or traditional waxing or oiling. That reduces porosity and ensures that the floor can resist staining, and makes the antique reclaimed terracotta floor user-friendly enough to be cleaned and maintained using normal domestic floor cleaners as for a modern tiled floor.