Convinced that their Victorian tiled hallway was beyond repair they decided to give Tile Doctor a call just in case there was a chance it could be saved. The property was in the Turnpike Lane area of Haringey in North London (N22), amongst a similar style of properties.
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Victorian floor restorations are a speciality of ours, so I went over to take a look at the hallway and survey the tiles. When I got there, I could see why they thought nothing could be done as a lot of the tiles had come loose. However, I was pleased to inform them that in fact it could be restored and that as an original feature doing so should add a lot of value to the property. Happy that the floor could indeed be renovated we were given instructions to go ahead with the work and agreed a date for the job to begin.
Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor
On Day 1 we set about lifting all the loose tiles. We then cleaned all the excessive adhesive from the subfloor and the loose tiles. With much of the subfloor now exposed we were also able to repair the badly damaged areas with quick drying cement. Some tiles were too badly damaged to relay, so these were replaced with matching reproduction tiles sourced from Original Features who are a specialist supplier of Victorian Tiles based in Crouch End.
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On day two we re-laid all the tiles and grouted the floor. After allowing the tile adhesive and grout to set we returned a few days later to deep clean the floor.
Cleaning involved applying a 200-grit burnishing pad to the floor lubricated with water to remove ingrained dirt. The floor was rinsed with water and the soil removed with a wet vacuum. This was followed by giving the Victorian floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. I always recommend an acid wash for tiled floors as it removes grout smears and other mineral deposits from the tiles and further improves their appearance as a result. The floor was given another rinse and again the soil was extracted with the wet vacuum.
Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor
We then returned the next day and after checking the moisture readings were satisfactory, the floor was sealed with 3 coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which soaks into the pores of the tile improving colour and adding protection from within. This sealer gives the floor a lovely subtle finish, it would also give it great protection for some time to come particularly in a high traffic area such as the hallway.
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Once done, the floor looked great the colours were really striking and most importantly my client was delighted and left some great feedback, see below:
For aftercare cleaning of Sealed Victorian tiled floors, I always recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Most supermarket products are simply too strong for a sealed floor and will slowly strip away the sealer with use.
Source: Victorian Floor Restoration Service in Haringey, London
Old tiled Floors won’t have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor so its essential to use a fully breathable sealer like Colour Grow 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.