Brick kitchen floor?

[KOOSER55]

I had a customer call me this morning and ask me if i could clean her kitchen floor. She said that the floor looks like bricks to her? I ask was it tiles that look like bricks and she said she isnt sure. So i set an appointment to clean a couple areas of carpet foor her and take a look at this floor. Do any of you have a clue on what it could be and what i should use on it? I bought an sx12 that i havent used yet. If it is tile and grount what chemicals do you suggest i use and what other equip. do i need other then the sx12?

 

[tmdry]

Sounds like Saltillo

 

[hogjowl]

Man, it could be anything. From vinyl that looks like brick, to a real brick or saltillo floor. It it's real brick, or saltillo, it is probaby sealed with something and you could have a real job ahead of you. I once did a real brick floor sealed with Val-Oil that required a muriatic acid strip and about three days of work.

 

[KOOSER55]

if it is this type of floor, i dont have any expeirence with cleaning it, do you have any advice or should i just stay away.

 

[hogjowl]

If it is a sealed brick floor, and you have no experience, you might want to walk. It's not rocket science, and you COULD do it, but it can be time consuming and sometimes impossible to get all the old sealer off.

 

[TimP]

Often times they are pavers, but I'd guess they are similar to if they used real bricks.

I came accross one and turned it down due to sealer being on it.

 

[RickL]

I'm not one to say walk away easily but if it's Saltillo it will most likely be a real son of a gun to get whatever is on it off. Even the best Stone guys usually don't like to do it.
If it is brick or Salitto and you decide to do it TEST TEST TEST. There are a lot of variables with that stone.
Sometimes you get lucky and it comes right up but the vast majority I have been involved with and talked to guys about have started with "I lost my ass on this job and I still gotta go back"

 

[Bob Foster]

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[Scott Rogers]

satillo and/or brick floors are much more porous and more difficult to clean the quarry tile. Not even a close comparison.

Only way to know for sure is to go take a look at what it is and its condition. try a few test areas with different chemicals.

 

[B&BGaryC]

I had a customer who had a brick entry way. She was advised by the gentleman who installed it a hundred years ago to take her used crank case oil from her car's oil change and rub it into the brick with a towel and let it soak in. The brick looked really nice, but I made sure not to get any moisture on it while cleaning the carpets and there is no way I would have tried cleaning it.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Bob Foster. What chemicals did you use on your tile job? I would think that tile would need to be alkaline cleaned and then acid cleaned to get those results. Can you get those results with only an alkaline cleaner? I have been using powerburst on some residential tile with great results (better than the venom), and it should work good for dirty floors like the one in the picture.

 

[Bob Foster]

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[daniel@procarpet]

I am going to clean a kitchen that is in worse shape than the picture you posted. Because most of the soiling is grease from frying, I am going to use Powerburst and Viper Vernom together and scrub like hell. If needed I will acid clean after the alkaline clean. Do you think I can get those kind of results with just an alkaline clean? My Everest has a high pressure pump, so I am thinking 1200 - 1500 psi is what I am going to use to clean the tile. I have an SX-12 which sucks. The little holes are constantly getting clogged. I would love to get a turbo.

 

[Bob Foster]

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[esquireservicesinc]

Be careful with brick. We once tried to clean one that had polyurethane on it.....could not get it all off.

 

[hogjowl]

I once passed on a brick job that a contractor friend wanted me to do. My test section was not hardly touched with my method. He searched around a found some dude who "specialized" in brick floors. That dude spend three days on his knees with a wire brush and a hand scraper.

 

[KOOSER55]

i went to the customers house and the kitchen floor was tile and grout lol