I would never have expected it to be, but hydrochloric acid is becoming one of my good friends. This potent brew, which caused all sorts of damage to my insides years ago, is an essential cleaning agent at the moment.
I am cleaning a bit, and running out for a break every 50 tiles or so. I started the job yesterday, and it took huge self discipline to make it to the half way mark. A few minutes ago I finished the bottle of 15% acid. Drat. But then, it was double drat. I still have an unopened bottle of 24% acid. I can finish today. No rest, but I'll get the job done.
But oh the difference to my sinus membranes. I am taking a break every 20 tiles now.
The gallery floor has had a slight grey film over it since it was completed, and a few spots of cement were stuck to the tiles. That was quite a problem at one end, as my worker took ill just before he had completed the job. He carefully told me not to walk on the tiles, but didn't tell me that I should clean them as best I could after a couple of days. Since then I have scrubbed and scraped, to no avail. But trusty google took me to hydrochloric acid, and I found the product quite easily in the household cleaning section of a supermarket!!!
A wooden chest on a wooden floor?So now two thirds of the floor is gleaming, looking more than ever like timber, as I knew it should. So discipline Kay! Back to the grindstone. This is hands and knees work, but I am treating the second bottle of acid with a lot more respect than the first one! I still have about 200 tiles to go. No more FB breaks, it's take a deep breath of clean air (now where would I find that here with all the fires in the hills?) and nose down to the cement again, but this time with a mask.
Today I am grateful for quality cleaning agents.
6 comments:
DEFINITELY don't forget to breathe!
I survived. Very grateful for caring folk who know that I am perhaps a little crazy at times and check up on me. I did test the process when there were people here to rescue me if I got it wrong :-)
I am interested in your tiles Kay, are they ceramic made to look like wood?? they ae stunning. A.
Yes they are a very good imitation and a tough ceramic or porcelain. When they were going in I chipped one (I dropped a hammer on it) and the "inside" is white.
I wanted wood, as I could find no trace of any tiles, terracotta or stone under the dirt and cement that was the floor. I imagine that animals were once kept there, along with the oil, wine etc, and I was trying to stay close to the original environment. The area would have had wooden lofts as well.
I like the contrast with the stone walls. Typically here people put a soft terracotta or a stone almost the same colour as the walls, but instinct told me to go for wood. But of course, wood is seen as far too temporary here! The damp from the mountain really did dictate tiles, and eventually I found this compromise. I am very happy with how they look, and people assume they are wood until they walk on them in bare feet.
PS they have a woodgrain finish, not a smooth flat one. There are several different patterns of tile in the box so they look quite natural. It is quite difficult to find matching tiles at first glance.
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