removing tree wax from Saltillo tile

[dmassion]

When we first moved in (1979) our house-wide (3000 sq ft) Saltillo tile with its brown tree-wax coating looked wonderful. After years of use/abuse traffic patterns and furniture movement have marred the tile so much that many areas look terrible.
Ideally we would like to find a solvent that would lift the wax off and restore the Saltillo's natural, light colors. Several tile stores have told us that it is improbable that we could affectively restore our tiles economically and suggest we consider a complete tile removal and re-install.
That solution would be too expensive to consider.
Is there any way/product that we can use, economically that would restore the original tile or do we have to live with the floor, as is?
dmassion

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[stoneman57]

economically , yes. Practical -that's another issue. U probably need a solvent based stripping product to break down the wax i think your referring to. Very hazardous especially indoors. It does not sound like it's a water based wax on the floor. I'd suggest you contact Trewax , especially if you know the name of the product which is on the surface. After you get it stripped and u're sure the surface is clean and wax free, consider a water based topical. Aqua mix make one, as do many other tile product suppliers. Many are even called saltillo or mexican tile finish.
Be careful stripping, saltillo is VERY soft and mars easily. And remember to let it dry thoroughly (about 20 hours or more) before you seal/wax. I did about 1500 square feet of this tile last year. Came out very well but I'll never do one again.