Using Terracotta as an Internal Floor Tile
The terracotta you will receive is totally porous so it is important that you follow our step-by-step guide below to make it waterproof.
Fix the terracotta on to a 100% bed of adhesive ensuring not to get any adhesive on top of the tile. If some adhesive does get on top of the tile, wipe it off with a clean cloth immediately. To find a suitable tile adhesive for your project use our Tile Adhesive Selector; choosing 'natural stone' as the tile type.
You need to coat the tile with LTP Boiled Linseed Oil, which will act as the primary sealant for the tile. Apply 3-4 coats of the LTP Boiled Linseed Oil using a paintbrush. Any unabsorbed oil will need to be removed with a white spirit soaked cloth. Apply all coats of primary sealant as a continuous process and it is important that you do not apply any more oil at a later stage. This is a one off process.
Leave the tiles for 24 hours after oiling and then grout as normal.
You then need to apply 3-6 thin coats of a synthetic sealant such as Lithofin Multi-Seal until you achieve a nice even sheen. Allow 30 minutes between each coat and after all coats have been applied, allow 24 hours to become waterproof. This is likely to need replenishing every 9 to 12 months.
To look after your tiles, we recommend using Lithofin Easy-Care when cleaning. Lithofin Easy-Care is a cleaning solution that you add to a bucket of water and is specifically designed to clean your floor without stripping away the protective sealants which you have applied.
