This Victorian Tiled Floor was in the hallway of a house in Melton Mowbray which is famous for its pork pies and historic buildings, although structurally sound it has been some time since it had been given a deep clean and re-seal and was now looking rather dull and lifeless.

Victorian Tiled Floor Melton Mowbray Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To remove the old sealer and give the floor a thorough clean I applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left it for about twenty minutes to soak in to the tiles and get to work on breaking down the sealer. This was followed by scrubbing the solution into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. I also took the opportunity to freshen the grout by scrubbing the Remove and Go along the grout lines with a stiff brush. The resultant soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed away with fresh water which was then removed using a wet vacuum.

Some areas needed further treatment so the whole process was repeated until I was happy with the condition of the floor, at which point I give it another rinse to ensure there would be no trace of cleaning product on the tiles that could react with the sealer. I then removed as much water from the floor as best as I could with the wet vacuum and then left it to dry off overnight.

Sealing Victorian Hallway Tiles

I came back the next day to check the tiles had dried; it had so I started the application of the sealer. For Victorian Tiles I usually recommend Tile Doctor Seal and Go for a shiny finish or Colour Grow for a more subtle effect. The customer chose Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores in the tile preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there and also enhances the natural colours in the tile.

Victorian Tiled Floor Melton Mowbray After Cleaning

The tiles now look much improved, if not new.
 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Restoration Service in Leicestershire