About 6 weeks ago we had a nice new kitchen installed, with terracotta floor tiles. The kitchen fitter quickly identified they were horrifically porous, so if you get droplets of water on the floor by the time you bend down to wipe them up they have soaked into the tile and you can’t wipe them off. a few hours later the mark has disappeared and floor is okay again (the floor has been waxed and sealed numerous times). so on Sunday I was cooking and saw a large mark by the sink, thought it was water so left it following day ta da it’s still there! pants it’s a stain although not sure what possibly sunflower oil as I was cooking but not certain. E-mail kitchen fitter who says scrub stain with warm soapy water, this I do and it appears to have taken the colouring off, so our expensive tiled floor now has a few patches where the stain is still there (git!) and the colouring around it has faded and is pale! Kitchen fitter still seems to think it’s salvagable although not spoken to him today as I’m so angry and annoyed. What do you think? can we get rid of stain and getting the colouring back? otherwise my nice new kitchen is becoming the bain of my life and I wish I hadn’t had it done! I know over time kitchens will have wear and tear and these marks will appear .. but come on after 6 weeks! Help me please before I go insane as it’s really annoying me.

Kitchen fitter says to re-wax and re-seal and there is probably some stain remover out there. I’ll ring him tomorrow but anyone got any experiences or can guide me?

Thanks maddingly annoyed, angry and frustrated MC.

MC – I’m a pro tiler/kitchen fitter.

Terracotta, I assume real Terracotta if they’re staining? how were they prepped before laying?

Procedure should be clean up and seal with Boiled Linseed Oil, At least 2 or 3 coats is usually required before going anywhere near the floor. This seals the pores in the stone and gives them a deep colour. Lay and grout, thoroughly clean and then apply further coats of Linseed Oil usually thinned down to wax/polish the surface.

It maybe that instead of Linseed a sealer such as HG Inpregnator has/should have been used.

Just re read your post and it sounds as though the floor hasn’t had enough/any sealer/Linseed on it before being waxed? Oil/Red wine etc will always stain Terracotta unless wiped up quickly.

There are products that will strip off the Wax of a sealed floor (HG terracotta remover for one) but not sure you’ll get the stain out if it’s soaked right in. You’d need to seal the individual pieces you treat afterwards as it will literally take the layers of sealer off.

If it’s not been sealed then I suggest stripping off the wax and sealing properly before rewaxing.

Best to get to a proper tile merchants and see what products they have available for you.

Done properly these floor will last hundreds of years…