Old tile on bathroom floor

[istrum]

Any suggestions on improving the look of old (1936) tile? Something to add a little shine. Can you wax tile, or will it only cause it to become slippery? Polyurethane? Suggestions welcome.

[PipeDown]

Try a stone/tile sealer product in the tile isle at HD or similar. These water based acrylic coatings are mostly for stone or grout but should still seal ceramic tiles. Try on a small area first. Get a matt finish because anything glossy will be slippery.

(most tile stores will not accept returns for chemicals but HD will)

Floor restorative polishes (sealing kind) at the supermarket would also offer an improved look though not as long lasting.

[ameijers]

Ceramic, right? That lovely hex pattern stuff that was common then? Unless there are actual damaged tiles, and as long as floor is solid (like around toilet and shower), best way to make it look better is a heavy cleaning, and maybe a regrout job. Dingy tile is probably just 69 years of soap scum, wax, and grunge. Somebody will jump in here with expert advice on the best floor stripper, probably from a janitor supply, and the best way to bleach or tuckpoint the old grout. Unless someone used acid or abrasive on it, ceramic tile is one of the most durable things there is. Once grout is cleaned and/or redone, make sure to seal it so it doesn't get dingy immediately. It'll be messy, smelly, and a lot of hand labor, and you may want to wait for a warm day so you can vent to outside air, but it will make a world of difference.

Now if you have an old Lino or Asbestos tile floor, I don't have any good answers for you. If surface is ground away, commercial flooor wax may buy you a few years, but replacement is the proper repair.

aem sends...

[Norminn]

We use a Trewax product, for tile, terazzo and slate, on our terazzo floors. Kitchen, two baths, and hall are terazzo. We initially used a three-step product from Home Depot, which is stripper, sealer, polish. The Trewax is less expensive, as we could only buy the other in one gal. size. Trewax give gloss finish, lasts us pretty well 2 years. Lots of elbow grease with blue scrubber to take it off but the finish is gorgeous. Have to be careful to get it on evenly, as puddles dry hard and will show irregularity. Don't know how it affects grout.