HELP.....Saltillo tile

[April]

I have saltillo tiles in the dining room. They look very dirty and have some sort of wax on them. I went to HD and the guy suggest me to buy some sort of "stripper" to clean the tile. One gallon costed me around $20. and required thea heavy gloves to put it on. It stripped down the waxing, also stripped down the color. The stripper stuff left kinda "gooey" residue and must be cleaned with mineral spirit. My arms are dead and the gooey stuffs are still visible. Now the tiles look dark in some spots and very light in others. I don't know what to do. I can't afford to remove the tiles and put on a new floor. Can I paint over it? I'm so upset, just don't know what to do. Thanks. April

[m Ransley]

Perhaps they are not fully clean or have absorbed the cleaner and must dry. reseal or wax when done, it may be fine. Paint wont hold up once you paint it if you dont like it removing it will be very very tough. If you decide to paint an epoxy, commercial product would be best. But I would not paint tile. Perhaps a concrete stain. There is a new acid? base stain you could research. Dont rush your decision, research and talk to pros.

[Matt Mika]

[Charles Spitzer]

they don't have wax on them. they have a plastic film. the stripper dissolves the plastic and can then be sucked up with lots of water and a wet/dry vac. the dark spots mean you haven't gotten it all up. reapply and try again to the spots. when you're done, let it dry for a while and then lay down 3-5 coats of new floor finish. the place you got the stripper will sell the finish.

you have to do this again every so often (about every 2-3 years). the finish wears through, and the raw tiles stain very easily.