We recently carried out renovation work to a Victorian Tiled Hallway floor at a period property in Glasgow’s West End. I went over to the property first to survey the floor and see its condition before quoting for the job. The floor was in quite a state and had pretty much collapsed around the door threshold. I suspect this was due to an old settlement issue.
Having put up with the condition of the floor for some time the owner had decided it was time to have something done about it. As well as a deep clean repair work would need to be done first; this would involve sourcing some replacement tiles which is not usually a problem as there are various suppliers I have sourced similar tiles from in the past.
Confident of achieving a good result for the customer I worked out a quote for the restoration, which was accepted, and a date arranged to complete the work which would take three days.
Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor
The first task was to remove the damaged subfloor around the door, carefully removing the old Victorian tiles for reuse however most were cracked and broken. What was left of the old subfloor was then removed and backfilled with a quick drying cement screed to a level ready for tiling.
I had managed to rescue a few of the old Victorian tiles however there would not be enough to complete the floor however I was able to find matching replacements that would blend in nicely with the original pattern. The replacements were fixed into place with a flexible adhesive in case there was any further movement in the floor.
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There were several other areas that needed attention and were fixed down, the whole section was then re-grouted and left to set for a few days.
On our return the floor was deep cleaned using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was scrubbed in with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum. I repeated the process in a couple of areas that were particularly stubborn with ingrained dirt. The floor was left to dry out overnight.
Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor
I returned the following day to complete the restoration starting by checking the moisture level in the floor with a damp meter. Floors of this age don’t have a damp proof membrane to prevent moisture rising through the sub floor so can take longer to dry out. Also, for best results sealers need to be applied to a dry tile so I always like to check first.
The readings were within tolerance, so I began sealing the floor with the first of two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This sealer was chosen as it’s a fully breathable impregnating sealer which is very hardwearing, perfect for high traffic areas such as hallways. It also enhances the natural colour of the floor without making it too shiny. The breathable nature of the sealant will ensure it copes well with moisture rising through the tiles and its colour enhancement properties really helped blend the old tiles in with the new.
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The repair, deep clean and fresh seal transformed the Victorian Tiled floor which given its age exceeded the expectations of my customer who was very happy. For maintenance cleaning I suggested Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle tile cleaning product designed for use with sealed floors. I always recommend this product as many tile cleaners are very strong and you can end up stripping the sealer off if you’re not careful.
Source: Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Glasgow
Old tiled floors won’t have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor so it’s essential to use a fully breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface. Without this, moisture will reach out to the walls where it can result in rising damp.