Tag Archives: floor restoration

Cleaning and Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Girton, Cambridge

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The owner of this Victorian tiled hallway floor at a house in the village of Girton was unhappy with its condition and asked if we could call round and quote for having it deep cleaned and resealed. Girton is just north of Cambridge and only about six miles from our base so it wasn’t long before I was able to call in and survey the floor.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Girton

The floor was comprised of a combination of Red, Black and Cream tiles laid in a diamond pattern. The tiles were in good physical condition and I understand from the owner that it had been last cleaned and sealed about two years prior. Unfortunately, the sealer had now faded and had allowed dirt to become trapped in the pores of the tile giving it a grubby appearance that was difficult to clean effectively. The owner had two large dogs which I suspect contributed to the premature degradation of the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Girton Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Girton

I surveyed the floor, created a quote which was accepted and then agreed a date to return and renovate the floor.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On my return I started by taping up the skirting boards and other woodwork with protective tape. Once that was done, I gave the tiles a soak in a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was allowed to dwell for ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. Remove and Go is a coatings remover which cleans the tiles and removes any remaining sealer.

The soil generated was extracted off the floor using a wet vacuum and the tiles inspected. The tiles had responded well to the cleaning process and after spot treating a few areas with a repeat of the previous process it was ready for the next stage which was to give the floor an acid wash.

I had noticed there was a slight build-up of efflorescence along one of the walls which isn’t unusual on these old floors where no damp proof membrane has been installed under the floor. It’s caused by moisture rising through the tile and depositing white salt staining on the surface as it evaporates. To resolve this, we neutralise the salts by giving the floor a quick rinse in a dilution of Grout Clean-up.

The Grout Clean-Up rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with the wet vacuum which was employed to get the floor as dry as possible before leaving for the evening.

Sealing Victorian Hallway Tiles

The floor was left to dry off fully overnight and I returned the next day, unfortunately after checking the moisture levels I found it needed more drying time, so I agreed to come back the next day.

The moisture levels were fine on day three, so I applied multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. Seal and Go is a water-based product so you don’t get left with a smell as it dries. As well as protecting the tiles the sealer also adds a nice subtle sheen that works well on Victorian Tiles and has put new life into the tiled hallway.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning Girton Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning Girton

Seal and Go is a breathable sealer so it will allow moisture to rise up through the tiles however had the efflorescence problem had been worse I would have used a different sealer. On this occasion however the problem appeared to be historical rather than recent.

My client was very happy with the transformation and left the following feedback.

“We are delighted with our Victorian tiled hall floor after treatment by Tom from Tile Doctor. A very professional service. Good communication throughout, and dedication to ensuring our full satisfaction; not a ways obvious when dealing with old tiles with different levels of porosity! Thank You!”

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning Girton

 

Source: Victorian Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in Girton, Cambridge

Repair and Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Doncaster

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This beautiful Victorian tiled hallway was in desperate need of some TLC. The house had recently changed hands and the new owners of the house were having the entire property renovated. The last part of the renovation plan was to have the Victorian hallway tiles restoring back to their former glory. Floors are always best left until last, especially hallways as last as workmen don’t usually take a lot of care in my experience.

The house was built in the early 1900’s and was situated close to Doncaster town centre a couple of streets away in fact from the famous Doncaster Racecourse which dates to the late 1500’s.

Victorian Hallway Tiles Before Renovation Doncaster

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

There were a few areas of damage to the floor that would need dealing with first. This is not surprising given the age of the floor which must have seen a lot of comings and goings over the years. Our first task therefore was to repair the damage using replica tiles sourced to be as close a match to the originals as possible. We usually find any slight differences disappear once the floor has been deep cleaned and sealed. Once removing the damaged tile and cleaning the base we use a fast setting adhesive to fix the replacement tiles in place so we can get on with the cleaning as soon as possible.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Repair Doncaster

Once the replacement tiles had set, we unloaded our slow speed rotary floor machine and large wet vacuum which would be used during the cleaning. To start the cleaning the floor was sprayed with Tile Doctor Remove & Go and this was left to dwell on the tiles for twenty minutes. This gives time for the product to break down old floor coatings and grime, this was followed by scrubbing the tiles with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to the floor machine and assisted with the addition of more water to help lubricate the process. This process generates a lot of slurry as the dirt and old sealers etc are released from the tiles and this is extracted from the surface of the floor using the wet vacuum.

The next step was to give the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which is applied to the tiles and left to dwell for fifteen minutes and scrubbed in again with the floor buffer and 200-grit diamond pad. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and then dried using the wet vacuum to extract as much moisture as possible. This last process is designed to counter any alkaline salts that may be present in the floor which may cause efflorescence to appear later. It also removes old mineral deposits and generally get the tiles looking much brighter. Once complete the floor was left to dry off naturally overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I came back the next day to seal the tiles first checking the floor was dry using a moisture meter. Satisfied that the floor was ready for sealing I started to seal the tiles using multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a fully breathable sealer which is important for old floors like this. Seal and Go Extra also leaves a lovely satin finish which works well on Victorian tiles and brings the floor alive.

Victorian Hallway Tiles After Renovation Doncaster

This was the last step in this properties renovation, and I think you will agree that the floor responded really well to the restoration process and the colours in the tiles are now very vibrant.

 

Source: Victorian Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Damaged Victorian Tiled Hallway Repaired and Restored in Edinburgh

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These are a few photos from a Victorian tiled hallway we restored in Edinburgh. The property is close to the beautiful city centre and is in a road with other Victorian properties. The floor was once stunning but was now overdue some love and care to restore it back to its’ former self.

Victorian Tiled Entrance Edinburgh Before Restoration

We went over to the property first to survey the floor and see for ourselves the extent of the work required before quoting for the restoration. The floor was incredibly dirty and there were a number of broken tiles that would need to be replaced or repaired. There are handful of companies where you can source matching tiles but with a floor of this age its not always possible. We discussed with the client the process we would follow to restore the floor which would take three days and agreed a price and date for the work. We also took away with us some of the broken tiles to assist in tracking down matching replacements.

Victorian Tiled Entrance Edinburgh Before Restoration

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

We arrived on the first day and started by taping up the adjacent woodwork to protect it. The next step was to ensure the floor was completely sound before starting the cleaning process which meant dealing with the loose and broken tiles. The loose and broken tiles were removed and then replaced with new reproduction Victorian tiles that we had managed to source from Original Style. The tiles were cut to fit and then set into the floor with tile adhesive. Unfortunately, we were unable to source a replacement for a broken center pattern tile which had an intricate pattern, so we had to secure this back in place using the two broken pieces. With the tiling work completed there was nothing else we could do so we left to allow the adhesive to set.

Victorian Tiled Entrance Edinburgh Before Restoration

Returning the following day, we began the cleaning process using a set of coarse burnishing pads fitted to a rotary machine. 100, 200 and then a 400-grit burnishing pad was applied in sequence. Then after going over the floor a few times with the pads the floor was rinsed with water which was then extracted with a vet vacuum to remove the fine slurry that was generated. This process ground off the dirt and refined the surface of the tile ensuring the old and new tiles made a perfect match.

The next step was to give the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which is scrubbed into the tiles and then rinsed off and extracted as before. This allowed us to get the tiles as clean as possible without the need of any alkaline cleaning products which can cause efflorescence issues later when the floor dries. Efflorescence is a common problem on floors of this age where a damp-proof membrane has not been fitted; moisture rises through the sub floor and tile carrying salts which then get deposited on the surface of the tile as the moisture evaporates. Once complete the floor was left to dry off overnight in readiness for sealing process the next day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the final third day we returned to seal the floor testing the moisture level first with a damp meter to ensure the floor was dry. The results were positive, and I was happy that it was within the correct tolerance for the sealer to be effective. To seal the floor, we used Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra, applying 5 coats and letting each coat dry before applying the next.

Victorian Tiled Entrance Edinburgh After Restoration

The sealer gave enhanced the look of the floor leaving a hardwearing sheen surface which will protect the tiles will also make them easy to clean going forward. This sealer is also fully breathable which is perfect for a floor with no damp-proof membrane in that it won’t trap moisture under the tiles where is could eventually spread to the walls and lead to rising damp.

The client was very happy with the restored floor, the colours were now very vibrant, and the dull entrance hall had been transformed to an inviting space.

Victorian Tiled Entrance Edinburgh After Restoration

 

Source: Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Edinburgh

Repair and Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Great Paxton, Cambridgeshire

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I was called out to a house in the Village of Great Paxton to quote for deep cleaning a sealing a Victorian tiled hallway floor, there was also a triangular cemented section at the bottom of the stairs that the owner wanted retiling to match.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Restoration Great Paxton Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning and Repair Great Paxton

Fortunately, the owner had discovered some spare tiles in the under-stair cupboard that would do the job; were not sure why this triangular section had been cemented in at some point in the past, but I was happy that the spare tiles would be enough to cover. My quote was accepted, and it wasn’t long before I was able to return to carry out the renovation.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I started by taping up the skirting boars and other woodwork with protective tape. Once that was done I removed the triangular section of cement at the foot of the stairs. I noticed that the sub floor consisted of rubble and sand so once removed I was able to lay a section of a damp prof membrane and then back filled with self-levelling compound.

Victorian Tiled Hallway During Cleaning and Repair Great Paxton

Once the levelling compound had dried I laid the tiles that the owner had found under the stairs continuing the black and red diamond pattern. I used a quick setting adhesive which enabled me to grout the tiles in before leaving for the day and leave it to set overnight.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Day two was begun by inspecting the previous day’s work to make sure all was well with the tiling and then continuing the restoration of the floor. In general, the tiles were dirty and had white paint splashed from decorating and so were now looking dull and faded. To remove the ingrained dirt, I gave the tiles a soak in a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was scrubbed in using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. This process did a good job of removing the dirt and softened the paint splashes which I was then able to carefully scrape off.

After rinsing the floor with water and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum I could see the tiles were much cleaner but needed more work to get the replacement section to blend better with the existing. To resolve this, I honed the surface of the tiles with a 100-grit and then 200-grit pad rinsing with water and extracting after each pad.

Sealing Victorian Hallway Tiles

The floor was left to dry off fully overnight and I returned the next day to apply a sealer that would add colour and protect the tiles going forward. Multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were applied which a water-based product that adds a nice subtle sheen to the floor which works well on Victorian Tiles and put new life into the tiles.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Restoration Great Paxton Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning and Repair Great Paxton

My customer was very happy with the transformation and left the following feedback.

“We are very pleased with the restoration of our Victorian tiles in the hallway. We are also very pleased with the service and quality of the works carried out.”

 

Source: Victorian Tile Repair and Restoration Service in Great Paxton, Cambridgeshire

Removing Cement Screed from Victorian Tiles in Bearwood, Birmingham

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This customer got in touch with me to see if there was anything I could do to restore a Victorian tiled floor they had discovered under carpet in their hallway. Interestingly they had been told previously that the floor was beyond repair and had been quoted thousands of pounds to have it completely ripped up and replaced.

Victorian Hallway Before Restoration Bearwood Victorian Hallway Before Restoration Bearwood

I visited the property in Bearwood near Smethwick, to take a look and could see that there was a section under a cement screed. The floor was in a truly sorry state, so I could see why the other company were not keen on restoring it. Undeterred I did a test clean to see if I could remove the screed which was encouraging however without removing all the screed it would not be possible to see what condition the tiles underneath were in. I agreed with the customer to order some replacement tiles which were needed along with extra ones just in case. The job would take a few days to allow for cleaning, repairing, drying out and sealing. The client wasn’t too optimistic, but I reassured them we could definitely get a good result.

Victorian Hallway Before Restoration Bearwood

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first day was spent removing the cement screed which was quite thick in parts, so I went down the route of steaming it first to help soften the covering and then carefully scraping it off. This was quite labour intensive, but it did the job. Once the cement was removed I was left with some tiles that were ok but quite a few needed to be replaced.

Victorian Hallway During Restoration Bearwood Victorian Hallway During Restoration Bearwood

There were also two doorways, one that needed completely relaying and one needed part relaying. Some of the tiles needed to be cut to size, there were many tiles that needed resetting and re-grouting along with grout being applied to the new tiles.

Victorian Hallway During Restoration Bearwood

The next day the tiles were deep cleaned with a 50:50 combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Nanotech HBU which stands for Heavy Build-Up Remover, which was quite appropriate in this case. This cocktail of tile cleaning products was left to dwell on the tiles for a while then worked in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine. The floor was then rinsed off with water and then the soil extracted with a wet vacuum.

My next step was to give the floor and acid wash to remove any old grout smears and neutralise other mineral contaminates such as salts that can get deposited on the surface of the tiles as moisture evaporates as the floor dries. This is always a risk with old floors where no damp proof membrane exists. To do this I applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is scrubbed into the tiles with a deck brush and then rinsed off the floor with water and a wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry out for a couple of days.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned to seal the floor and after check it had dried sufficiently applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This sealer seeps into the pores of the tile enhancing the colours and leaves a matt finish which the customer had previously specified. The floor was then buffed with a white pad and the customer left with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to clean the floor with moving forward.

Victorian Hallway After Restoration Bearwood Victorian Hallway After Restoration Bearwood

The customer was delighted with the results and left the following feedback on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“Kieron has done a fantastic job of our Victorian hallway tiles. We had been quoted several really high prices by other companies, but Kieron’s quote was a fraction of these. I initially wondered whether this meant the job wouldn’t be as good but after 3 days of solid work the results are fantastic! He managed to transform it to its former glory, a hallway that was partly cemented over, had missing and loose tiles all over the place and was filthy. He definitely does a lot more than just cleaning! We couldn’t be happier with the results!”

Victorian Hallway After Restoration Bearwood

 

Source: Victorian Tile Cleaning and Restoration Service in Bearwood, Birmingham

Restoring a Victorian Floor hidden under ceramic tiles

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Never give up is how I would describe this job!!! I initially surveyed the floor in this Cardiff kitchen in November 2014 and finally completed it and the end of February 2015 working on it off and on as I searched for right tiles to match the existing.

On my survey the Victorian tiled floor which the customer was hoping to restore was covered over by ceramic tiles which the customer agreed to remove before my next visit so I could carry out a cleaning sample. Additionally there was an area of flooring which needed to blend in with kitchen as the pantry wall that previously separated it had been knocked down.

The ceramic tiles were removed and I came round to carry out a cleaning sample in what I thought was one of the more heavily soiled areas; I used Tile Doctor Remove & Go combined with another Tile Doctor product called NanoTech HBU which stands for Heavy Build-up Remover. The results were successful and it was decided to go ahead with the restoration.

Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Exposing the tiles Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Exposing the tiles

During my visit I tested for moisture and in general the readings were good with the highest reading of 12 in different parts of the floor.

Fully Restoring a Victorian Tiled Floor

To restore the tiles I set about cleaning adhesive and grime off using a combination of Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU and Pro Clean which was left to dwell and soak in for two hours before scrubbing with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. I tried this for a while and found it was not removing the dirt as expected and on inspection I discovered that the inner body of the ceramic tile was still stuck to the floor. It seems the when the customer removed the ceramic tiles they had only managed to remove the top layer of the tile and had left the lower part stuck to the floor. This Job was now becoming a nightmare as the solution would be to chip and scrape away tiny pieces of the remaining tile away so I could reach and clean the original Victorian floor.

Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Scraping Off Adhesive Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Scraping Off Adhesive

I had suggested to the customer that it might be cheaper to replace the whole floor but he was adamant that we should continue with our original plan and try to do the best job possible so never giving up I was happy to oblige.

In between cleaning the floor I prepared the base adjacent to the original floor with levelling compound. Also with the cleaning in progress I was getting a better look at the Victorian tiles which were now starting to appear and I could see how badly damaged which would have to be replaced.

Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Levelling Compound Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff laying replacement tiles

The hallway floor had to be cut at the kitchen doorway as it protruded into the kitchen which when the door was closed looked odd so the customer was happy with my suggestion. I made different suggestions for the new floor layout, and colours which we felt complimented each floor pattern , the new tiles were purchased from original style and the local reclamation yard but I did have to cut the back off a few because of different thickness.

Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Trimming reclaimed tiles Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Laying new tiles

I finished fixing the replacement tiles and laying the new tiles in a pattern that we had agreed and in a style that best matched the original floor.

Full Victorian Floor Restoration Ready for sealing

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

After all the work undertaken including the tilling of the area attached to the original I gave the whole floor a final and thorough steam clean which I did on a the Friday leaving it to thoroughly dry out over the weekend so I could move onto sealing early the following week.

Unfortunately when I arrived on Monday I discovered patches of efflorescence had appeared on certain tiles and I was still unable to finish the job. To resolve this the tiles needed to be given an wash down with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up diluted 50/50 with water; this did the trick so I gave the floor another rinse with water and left to dry overnight.

When I returned the next day I checked for moisture which was a borderline reading of 15-16 so using a heat gun applied some warmth to the whole floor making sure to let it cool down before sealing with a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that occupies the pores in the tile to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained there. Next I applied three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which added a nice sheen to the floor and really brought out the vibrant reds in the tile. The following day I returned to do some tiling on wall above the cooker so applied a further three coats of Seal and Go to the floor to ensure it was fully sealed.

Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Finished Full Victorian Floor Restoration Cardiff Finished

If you have read this story through to the end you will appreciate that this was a mammoth job however it was satisfying to do and the final result looks fantastic, needless to say both myself and the customer were very happy with the end result.
 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Maintenance and Restoration in South Wales

Deep Cleaning Old Victorian Tiles

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The owner of this pre 1900s period house in the town of Melksham contacted us to clean & seal their Victorian tiled hallway which had been laid in a geometric pattern and was the original floor from when the house was built. Given its age it was in excellent conditions and a real testament to Victorian engineering.

Original Victorian Tiles Melksham Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

Firstly we mixed a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Nano-Tech HBU remover; HBU stands for Heavy Build-Up and is a great product for getting deep stains out of tiled floors. The tiles were covered with the solution and left for twenty minutes so it could soak into the pores. We then attached a black pad to a rotary machine and scrubbed the area thoroughly. Any paint or adhesives was then removed using a scraper and once we were satisfied we then removed the slurry using a wet vacuum and rinsed several times with cold clean water and a deck brush to ensure we had removed all traces of cleaning product before sealing. Stubborn areas were re-treated and the process took most of the day so we then left the floor to dry overnight.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

Upon our return we tested the floor was dry with a damp meter, testing in a number of locations. The readings were fine so we proceeded to seal the floor using six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which will protect the floor from further dirt build-up and staining, it also adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles.

Original Victorian Tiles Melksham After Cleaning and Sealing

All went well with no major problems and as you can see the tiles now look fantastic.
 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Problems Resolved in Wiltshire

Renovating a Victorian Tiled Hallway

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Details below of a customer in Telford who bought a house with a Victorian Tiled Hallway a couple of years prior and has been refurbishing it in sections. When I went there to do the quotation the floor I could see it was in a desperate state and in need of a deep clean and replacement of several broken and cracked tiles, there were several loose ones too.

Victorian tiled Hallway before restoration in Telford Victorian tiled Hallway before restoration in Telford

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Floor

The floor was cleaned using a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak into the tiles for around 15 minutes before being worked into the tile and grout using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad and a stiff grout brush. Pro-Clean is a strong alkaline cleaning product that is safe to use on Stone, Tile and Grout. The floor was given a thorough rinse with clean water and a wet vacuum was used to remove the water from the floor, stubborn areas were then spot cleaned using the same process and the floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Victorian tiled Hallway after repair and cleaning in Telford Victorian tiled Hallway after repair and cleaning in Telford

The next day I returned to do the repair work, originally there were seven tiles to replace, but I ended up replacing sixteen tiles and fixing twenty five, fortunately Victorian tiles are still popular and you can still source replacements.

Victorian tiled Hallway after repair and cleaning in Telford Victorian tiled Hallway after repair and cleaning in Telford

Sealing a Quarry Floor Sealing

To ensure the repaired areas had sufficient tile for the adhesive and grout to set I left the floor for four days before returning to apply a sealer checking the moisture level first to ensure it was dry enough to take the sealer. To seal the tiles which will help protect them from staining I applied five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works really well on Victorian tiles and adds a nice subtle shine to the floor also being water based you don’t get that smell that a solvent based sealer has.

Victorian tiled Hallway after restoration in Telford Victorian tiled Hallway after restoration in Telford

 
 
Source: Restoring Victorian tiles in Shropshire

Restoring an Original Geometric Tiled Floor

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This original Victorian Geometric tiled floor was recently uncovered in the hallway of a house in Mapperley near Nottingham. These beautiful old floors built by Victorian Craftsmen are often neglected and sometimes hidden by other floor coverings. In this case we had to remove carpet, carpet grippers and underlay which had been stuck down and often we find vinyl tiles glued to the tile surface etc. This takes its toll on the floor causing it to lose its vitality however help is at and in the form of the specialist Tile Doctor Restorative Cleaning and Sealing Treatment.

Victorian Geometric Tiled Hallway Floor Mapperley Before Cleaning

Cleaning the Victorian Tiled Floor

The first job was to protect the adjacent carpets and wood flooring, before starting the cleaning process. Then I applied a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a heavy duty cleaning solution mixed with Remove and Go which is a coating remover. This helps to remove old and worn coatings along, with the many years of soiling which was hiding the vibrant colours of the Victorian tiles beneath.

This unique cleaning solution along with a combination of dwell time and mechanical agitation breaks down the many years of contamination on the tiles. During this stage of the cleaning process, we also sometimes have to remove paint and adhesive residues. The cleaning process is intensive to ensure maximum soil removal and is achieved as above by using a weighted rotary floor cleaning machine, along with Tile Doctors restoration floor pads.

The resulting slurry created by the cleaning process above is vacuumed away with a wet vacuum and the floor was then rinsed with a dilution of Tile Doctors Grout Clean-Up product which removes any inherent efflorescence contamination that is common on old floors without damp proof membranes.

The floor is then given a thorough rinse with clean water to neutralise the floor and removing any trace of cleaning solution from the previous treatments which could affect the sealer, again a wet vacuum was used to get the floor as dry as possible.

The cleaning was completed in a day and to ensure the floor would be dry for sealing the next day I installed a couple of air movers and left it to dry out overnight.

Sealing the Victorian Tiled Floor

The following day I sealed the tiles to saturation point with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a ‘Colour Enhancing’ Impregnating Sealer. It’s an advanced sealer that allows the floor to breath, and also protects from both water and oil based spills and if maintained correctly will act as a long lasting treatment that will last many years!

With regards to maintenance I recommend that customers use a damp mop with a neutral PH cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. This is highly effective on soiling but most importantly it’s not acidic and so will not damage the integrity of the sealer. Many household cleaning products, and also high-street branded cleaning products, can quickly damage floor coatings; they can also leave residues on floors that contribute to rapid re-soiling.

Victorian Geometric Tiled Hallway Floor Mapperley After Cleaning

 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Problems resolved in Nottinghamshire

Removing Carpet Tiles from Victorian Tiles

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I’ve seen a few Victorian Tiled floors in my time and I can tell you the condition of this particular floor was one of the worst I’ve seen in a while. The tiles had been covered up with carpet tiles which had been stuck down with a strong adhesive and there was still a fair amount of carpet tile backing that needed removing, grout was also missing in places and I could see a fair amount of work would need to be done to get this floor restored.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning in Stoke-on-Trent Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning in Stoke-on-Trent

Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

The first job was to clean what I could of the floor and remove the remaining carpet tile so working in sections I applied Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and scrubbed it into the tiles carefully scraping off the tile backing as I went. There were a lot of tiles to cover so as you can imagine this was quite a painstaking process and I was literally working on one time at a time to get the job done. Once complete the floor was given a thorough rinse to remove any cleaning products and soiled cleaning solution which was then removed using a wet vacuum.

Once the floor was clean it was evident that some tiles were loose and needed resetting and others would need grouting so I set about doing this making sure to use a matching grout.

Sealing Victorian floor Tiles

I left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal the tiles. Fortunately they had dried overnight so I applied four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This is an ideal sealer for Victorian tiles as it adds a classic shine to the floor and will provide good protection from stains going forward. I think you will agree the floor has been transformed and now loos amazing, certainly the customer was very happy.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning in Stoke-on-Trent Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning in Stoke-on-Trent

 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Restoration Service in Staffordshire

Refreshing a Victorian Tiled Floor

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The Victorian tiled floor shown below comprised of a complex square and diamond pattern contained with a parallel border and must of take a lot of work when it was first installed. It had been a while since it was last given a deep clean and was now looking rather dull and lifeless; we come across a lot of these floors at Tile Doctor and the remedy is a straight forward deep clean and reseal.

Victorian Tiled Floor Oxford Before Cleaning

Restoring Victorian Quarry Tiles

The first task was to clean the floor with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell on the tiles for a short while before being scrubbed in washing the floor down afterwards and extracting it with a wet vacuum to remove the soiled cleaning solution.

This did a reasonable job of cleaning up the tiles but there were some stubborn areas that would need further attention and what I suspected to be remnants of an old sealer. A stronger product was required and so the next step was to cover half the floor with Tile Doctor Remove & Go leave it to dwell for a time and then scrub the floor again with a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. Again the tiles were rinsed and the dirty cleaning solution removed using a wet vacuum. Once done the process was repeated on the other half of the floor. Working in sections like this allows more room in what was a tight hallway and also ensures the cleaning products don’t dry out.

This process removed all the old seal and drew out the ingrained dirt. I them rinsed the floor with a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up to deal with a few stains and grout problems before removing it with the wet vacuum and giving the entire floor a thorough rinse with water which was repeated a couple of times; again the wet vacuum was used to extract the water from the tiles and get them as dry as possible.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

I had finished cleaning the floor and so left for the evening returning four days later to seal the floor. Fortunately the customer had planned a short break away so the tiles were nice and dry and still clean on my return.

To seal I applied a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer to give a good base followed by three coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which is a topical sealer that added the shine the customer required.

Victorian Tiled Floor Oxford After Cleaning

 
 
Source: Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in Oxfordshire

Effectively Sealing Victorian Floor Tiles

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Apologies for the first photograph, I realise now it’s a little out of focus but hopefully you can see that the Victorian Tiled Floor pictured (at a residence in the market town of Farringdon, Oxfordshire) was not looking its best and this was mainly due to the fact that the house had recently undergone some extensive building work and had become very dirty in the process.

Victorian Tiles Before Refurbishment in Farringdon

Refurbishing Victorian Tiles

The first thing I did was protect the skirting board and doors from splashes and then to clean the floor I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean and this was left to dwell on the floor for a good twenty minutes. It was then worked into the tile using a deck brush and then more Pro-Clean was applied so the floor didn’t dry. I then scrubbed the floor with a rotary floor machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. After I finished the soiled cleaning solution was extracted using a wet vacuum and the whole floor was then rinsed with clean water to remove any trace of cleaning product. The tiles were then inspected and the process re-applied to areas that needed it; I then left the floor for two days so it could dry thoroughly.

Sealing Victorian Quarry Tiles

When I returned the floor was dry so I sealed it using a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow followed by four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This is a great combination as the Colour Grow impregnates the tile improving the colours and protecting it from within whilst Seal and Go adds a further layer of protection and also added a nice subtle shine that the customer wanted.

Victorian Tiles After Refurbishment in Farringdon

 
 
Source: Victorian Tile, Grout and Stone cleaning in Oxfordshire

Deep Cleaning Moroccan Encaustic Cement Tiled toilet Floor

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Similar in many ways to Victorian tiles, these are Moroccan Encaustic Cement tiles which come in a huge range of patterns and are ideal for indoor and external use although they should be sealed to protect against water penetration and dirt as well as making cleaning easier. Very popular in hot countries, they certainly add a nice flair which they have done to this ground floor WC at residence in Barrhead which is a town south west of Glasgow in East Renfrewshire.

Moroccan Encaustic Cement Tiles Barrhead Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Victorian Floor

The tiles were looking rather dull and in need of a deep clean and re-seal so the first job was to clean the floor and remove and remaining sealer by applying a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary bonnet machine, with all the excess extracted using a wet vacuum. This process was repeated three times until I was satisfied any remaining sealer had been removed and the tile and grout was now as clean as it could be. The floor was then given a rinse with water and cleaned again with Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to remove any trace of Pro-Clean; again the fluids were extracted using a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

The floor was left to dry overnight and we came back the next day to seal it using six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works well on these types of tiles as it adds a nice subtle sheen as well as adding the necessary stain protection.

Moroccan Encaustic Cement Tiles Barrhead After Cleaning

 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Cleaning in Glasgow

Deep Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

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We had a great result on this Victorian tiled floor at a house in Musselburgh which is five miles east of Edinburgh and apparently one of the oldest towns in Scotland. If you take a close look at the photograph below you can see how dirty the tiles were before we got started.

Victorian Tiles Before Cleaning in Musselburgh

Cleaning Victorian Tile and Grout

We were quite lucky with the floor in that it was in good physical shape and really just need a deep clean and re-seal. So the first step was to strip of any old remaining sealer or other coatings from the tiles using a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is safe to use on these old tiles. The solution was mopped onto the tile and grout and then scrubbed in using a rotary bonnet machines fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed off using water and then the whole process repeated; three times in fact before being satisfied that the floor was clean. The floor was given a final rinse using Neutral Tile cleaner and then water extracted using a wet vacuum before being left to dry overnight.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

We came back the next day and checked a few areas to make sure the floor was dry before sealing. The tiles were dry so the sealing process was started using Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is an ideal sealer for Victorian Tiles as it affords good stain protection whilst adding a nice subtle sheen to the floor, five coats were required before the tiles had become fully sealed.

Victorian Tiles After Cleaning in Musselburgh

I think you will agree the tiles look transformed and the sealer should keep them looking that way for some time to come.
 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Cleaning in Edinburgh

Removing Bitumen Adhesive from Victorian Tiles

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We were contacted by a letting agent who managed a large town house in Goring by Sea that had been turned into flats. The area they wanted dealing with was the entrance hall where the original Victorian tiled floor had been covered over with linoleum tiles backed with a bitumen based adhesive and after removing the tiles the floor was now in a terrible state. I was confident that they could be restored however in extreme cases like this there can be no guarantee of the end result so I set their expectations accordingly.

Victorian Tiles Goring by Sea Before Renovation Victorian Tiles Goring by Sea Before Renovation

Restoring Victorian Floor Tiles

I started the job by softening the old adhesive with an application of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to soak into the tile before using a paint stripping blade to carefully lift it off. This process had to be done over the entire area before I could start on the cleaning and once finished the floor was given a good rinse.

The tiles were now mostly free of the adhesive but were very grubby so I started over but this by time by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a powerful tile cleaning product designed for use on stone, tile and grout. The solution was left to soak into the tile before being worked into the remaining dirt and grime using a buffing machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. One done the floor was thoroughly rinsed and any areas that needed it were spot treated.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Tiles

The floor was left to dry out for a few days after which we came back to seal it with four coats of Tile Doctor Pro-Seal which is a penetrating sealer which gave the desired natural look finish and will provide long lasting stain protection by soaking into the pores of the tile and preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. You have to wait for each coat to dry before moving on to the next so it did take a while.

Victorian-Tiles-Goring-by-Sea-After-Renovation-3 Victorian Tiles Goring by Sea After Renovation

This was a tough job but certainly well worth the effort both the letting agents and residents all said how great the floor now looked.
 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Cleaning Service in West-Sussex

Deep Cleaning Victorian Tiles in Leicestershire

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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

Restoring 200 year old Victorian tiles

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Details below of a Victorian Tiled floor I renovated in Penrith earlier this year. The floor had previously been hidden under laminate flooring and the mat well had been concreted over and other tiles were missing and replaced with concrete infill.

Victorian Tile Renovation Penrith Before

Restoring Victorian Floor Tiles

I carried out a damp test and started by removing the concrete infill and levelling the mat well with a self-levelling compound. Fortunately I had been able to source reproduction tiles that were a pretty good match to the originals which is amazing bearing in mind that the floor was originally laid in 1831 (pre Victorian in fact).

Before replacing the missing tiles I cleaned the existing floor with a diluted mixture of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and NanoTech UltraClean; Remove and Go is a coatings remover so as well as cleaning the floor it also removed the traces of adhesive that was used to stick down the line. I washed down the floor and found there were still some stubborn marks which I tackled with neat Remove and Go and a steam cleaner. Once I was happy with the floor I gave it another rinse and then set about fixing the replacement tiles.

Victorian Tile Renovation Penrith After

Sealing Victorian Floor Tiles

I needed the floor bone dry before sealing so I allowed it to dry out for a couple of days before returning. I sealed the tiles with Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle shine however I did find the Victorian tiles to be extremely absorbent and so needed seven coats of sealant in total which took much of the day. The sealer did well to bring out the deep colours in the tile as well as brought out the colour in the tiles as well as providing the lovely satin finish. The customers were extremely satisfied with the final result

Victorian Tile Renovation Penrith After

 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Restoration Service in North-Cumbria

Putting the Shine Back On Old Victorian Tiles

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I’m beginning to wonder if Tile Doctor has started a trend that has got people looking under their hallway carpets looking for period floors. Indeed this customer in Whitchurch has done exactly that and discovered a beautiful Victorian tiled floor which was with the exception of adhesive residue and dirt was in reasonable condition. They had tried to restore it themselves but could not achieve the desired results so being their local Tile Doctor we got the call.

Victorian tiled hallway Whitchurch before cleaning Victorian tiled hallway Whitchurch before cleaning

Removing Glue and Dirt from a Victorian Tiled Floor

The floor was dirty which I would normally take care of with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean however glue requires something stronger so a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied, left to soak in and then scrubbed into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Remove and Go does pretty much what its name suggests and is a great product for safely removing coatings from tile. The floor was given a thorough rinse with clean water and a wet vacuum was used to remove the water from the floor and get it dry so it could be sealed. Some stubborn areas were still evident so they were spot treated using more Remove and Go.

Victorian tiled hallway Whitchurch after

Sealing a Quarry Floor Sealing

The floor needs to be thoroughly dry before it can be sealed and this can be a problem with old houses which may have damp issues. I therefore left the floor to dry for 5 days before coming back to seal it and when I returned checked the floor using a damp meter first. The readings were fine however there were a couple of areas that needed further treatment so those were spot treated and then dried until I was satisfied the floor was as good as it could be. I then processed to seal the floor using five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles as well as providing stain protection going forward.

I think you will agree from the photographs the floor looks great, certainly the customer was really pleased with the result.

Victorian tiled hallway Whitchurch after sealing

 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Restoration Service in Shropshire

Removing Glue and Plaster From Period Victorian tiles

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The pictures below are from a Victorian tiled floor installed in a period house in the coastal town Eastbourne. The tiles had been covered lino and carpet for years which the owner had only recently removed during renovation work, as it turns out this was unfortunate as they then became covered in plaster and paint from the decorators. Although the floor did look to be in a very sorry state I was very confident that I could breathe new life into it given enough time so I allowed four days to complete the task.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Restoration Eastbourne Victorian Tiled Floor Before Restoration Eastbourne

Cleaning a Victorian Floor Tiles

Some type of adhesive had been used to stick down the Lino and Carpet so the first step was to remove all the stubborn glue build up which I did using Tile Doctor Remove and Go, then once the bad areas had been targeted I concentrated on the plaster and paint build up which I treated using a 3-1 mix of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean in warm water worked in with a buffing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soiled water was rinsed away using a wet vacuum so the floor could be checked to see if more work was required which it was so stubborn areas that had resisted the initial cleaning onslaught were spot cleaned by using a diluted mix of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is a very strong acidic product for removing grout and other mineral based substances from tiles. Before finishing the entire floor was given a thorough rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product, again a wet vacuum was used to remove the water and this time get the floor as dry as possible.

Sealing the Victorian Tiled Floor

The cleaning took place over two days and then the floor was given a further two days to allow it to dry fully after which I went back and sealed it with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is an ideal sealer for Victorian tiles as it combines stain protection whilst giving the floor a subtle sheen appearance.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Restoration Eastbourne

Looking at the floor when the last coat went on it was hard to believe the state it was in when I first arrived. Incidentally the owner who had inherited the house told me that he had not seen the floor look that good when his parents were alive as he remembered it from his childhood. It always makes the job more worthwhile when you hear stories like that.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Restoration Eastbourne

 
 
Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Restoration Service in Sussex

Deep Cleaning and Removing Old Sealers From Edwardian Floor Tiles

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This Edwardian tiled stone floor was installed in the hallway of a house in Richmond, Surrey. It had not been deep cleaned for a number of years and a number of layers of old sealer were visible causing a yellowing of the tile. The old sealant needed to be stripped off before cleaning could take place and leave the Edwardian floor in a state ready to receive a new seal.

Edwardian tiled floor Richmond before cleaning

Cleaning Edwardian Tiles

To remove the old sealer a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a solvent based stripper was applied to the floor, left to dwell for a while and then steamed into the tile which helps to break up the old sealers. The tiles were then scrubbed using a rotary machine and a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline product and the residue pressure rinsed away. The soiled residue was then removed using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed thoroughly.

Sealing Edwardian Tiles

After leaving the Edwardian floor for 24 hours to dry, we then applied seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go topical sealer. This not only gives the floor a high level of protection but it also enhances the contrast of the tiles and gives a nice shine,

Edwardian tiled floor Richmond after cleaning

Hopefully you can appreciate the difference from the photographs and how the appearance of the tiles now looks much fresher.
 
 
Source: Tile and Stone Maintenance Service in Middlesex

Restoring Victorian Tiles Hidden under Carpet

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After removing the hallway carpet the new householders had discovered a Victorian tiled floor and being keen to restore it as an original feature made contact with Tile Doctor. Restoring original features can add a lot a value to a house so it’s well worth pursuing.

Victorian Tiled Floor Hidden Under Carpet in Splot Victorian Tiled Floor Hidden Under Carpet in Splot

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Floor

The floor actually caught me out because on initial visit I’d made my judgement on a small area by the doorway which had been uncovered. After removing the rest of the floor covering however I could see the floor was in an extremely poor condition especially around the perimeter which had ingrained dirt and cement, old paint and was generally well worn. I would estimate the floor was original from at least 120 years ago

Before starting any cleaning I put the damp meter reader on several tiles to check the damp levels which read border line .15 -.17 in places which I was not very happy with especially as the weather we’ve had recently had been hot and dry in Cardiff for some time. Undeterred I scrapped the whole floor and then chiselled the edges with Hammer and bolster; next I mixed a 50:50 batch of Tile Doctor Remove and Go with NanoTech Ultra-Clean cleaner and applied this to the whole area, agitated it with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine and left it to dwell on the tile for half an hour so it could work on any old sealers that may have been present on the tile.

I then rinsed the floor twice and although the floor was looking better I could really see how bad the condition was so next I applied undiluted Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the whole floor which is a strong alkaline cleaner. It was left to dwell on the floor for half an hour scrubbing in between, rinsing with clean water as I carried on.

Although improved again I was still not happy with the results especially the borders as there appeared to be dark cement stains deeply ingrained into the tiles which no doubt had been there for eighty years. So next step was to apply Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is designed to remove mineral deposits and cement, it’s very effective solution for this type of work and it removed most of the stains but not all.

The floor still needed more work so in my frustration I rinsed the floor and mixed a concoction of Remove and Go, Pro-Clean and Grout Clean-up together with a squirt of the NanoTech Ultra-Clean cleaner and spread it over the whole area leaving it to dwell for around 10 minutes before scrubbing it again. The floor was then rinsed and then for the final clean I steam cleaned the area twice rinsing in-between.

Victorian Tiled Floor Discovered in Splot Before Victorian Tiled Floor Discovered in Splot Before

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

The cleaning was done on a Friday and then left to dry out over the weekend. I returned on Monday and tested for moisture which was slightly high in places so being ever over precautions dried the whole floor with a heat gun until it gave me an absolute dry meter reading.

I left the floor to cool down to ambient temperature and then sealed it with three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. The customer was over the moon and I think you will agree that the tiles have been renovated to a high standard.

Victorian Tiled Floor Discovered in Splot After Victorian Tiled Floor Discovered in Splot Before

 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Tile and Stone Cleaning in South Wales

Cleaning Original Victorian Floor Tiles in a Listed Building

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This original Victorian Tiled floor was uncovered at the Grade 2 listed Salford Town Hall in Salford, Manchester. This public building which built around 1827 was the former Salford Town Hall and Magistrates Court; it’s currently being turned in to luxury apartments and this amazing floor is located in the main entrance hall. The floor was only recently re-discovered during the conversion works after being hidden for many years and was in surprisingly good condition. The company remodelling the building are maintaining the historic features so we got the call to go in and clean and seal the floor.

Victorian Tiles at Salford Town hall before

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

Cleaning the floor was fairly straight forward and involved the application of a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell on the tile for around ten minutes before being worked into the Tile and Grout using a rotary machine fitted with a black pad. The dirty solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the whole floor rinsed down three times to ensure there was no trace of cleaner left on the floor. It’s a large tiled area so it took the whole day to complete.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

I returned the next day to see that the floor had dried off overnight and so started to seal it using Tile Doctor Seal & Go which is a topical sealer that adds a nice shine to the tiles, five coats of sealer were needed before the tiles were fully sealed. I think you would agree the floor now looks fantastic; certainly the client was happy with the finish.

Victorian Tiles at Salford Town hall after

 
 
Source: Commerical Tile and Stone cleaning

Removing Adhesive and Paint from Vistorian Hallway Tiles

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The owner of this house located in the village of Holt had discovered a beautiful Victorian Tiled floor hidden underneath their hallway carpet and made contact with us to get it restored and brought back to life.

Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration in Holt Before

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor

We started by making a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50/50 with Nanotech Ultraclean which was applied to the floor and left to soak in to eat through the dirt, dust and marks left behind from the carpet and underlay. Once we let the solution dwell for twenty minutes we attached a black scrubbing pad to a rotary machine and worked the cleaning solution into the tile to remove the dirt and any old sealer that may have been present, then once the cleaning solution became was very dirty it was removed using a wet vacuum.

The cleaning process revealed that there were paint splatters all around the wall edges where decorating had previous taken place and there was also evidence of carpet adhesive remaining on the tile. To remove this a solution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go was applied to the stubborn areas and left to dwell for ten minutes before being agitated with a stiff deck brush and a floor scraper. Once the edges were to a satisfactory level we then rinsed the area several times with fresh water to ensure any trace of cleaning product had been removed before sealing again using a wet vacuum to remove the water and also to dry the floor as much as possible before leaving for the evening.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

Upon our return the next day we did a damp test to make sure the floor was ready to be sealed. The test was positive so we then sealed the Victorian tiles with five coats of Seal & Go which both protects the floor against spills and traffic but also enhances the colours of each tile.

Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration in Holt After

 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Victorian Tile Restoration in Wiltshire

Cleaning up Victorian Tiles after building work

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This Black and White Victorian Tiled hallway floor laid in a “Starburst” pattern at a house in Penarth which had been previous restored in 2011 by another Tile Doctor however the house had recently been subject to some renovations and unfortunately the builders did not cover the hallway floor (typical) so the floor was looking rather tired when I came round to take a look. Whilst I was there I took a damp meter reading which showed the floor to be bone dry which given the hot weather was to be expected; a dry floor and hot weather works in our favour as restoring a tiled or stone floor in hot weather is much more efficient as everything dry’s so quickly.

White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth Before White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth Before

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor

My first job was to apply masking tape to the Slate step at the front doorway as the customer was very proud of it and I certainly didn’t want to get any Tile Doctor Remove and Go on it which would of stripped of the sealer. I then cut out a few tiles which were to be replaced before cleaning the whole floor with a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go mixed 50/50 with NanoTech UltraClean to make it more effective. The solution was left to dwell for around ten minutes before being scrubbed into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a black coarse pad.

This process not only removed any previous sealer but really thoroughly cleaned the tiles as the small abrasive particles in the NanoTech UltraClean gave the floor a light abrasive deep clean. I should mention that during the cleaning stages I rinse the floor at least four times with clean water and then steam clean the whole floor to open up the pores to ensure that there is no cleaning agents present. I then give the floor a final rinse using a wet vacuuming to remove the water and make the floor as dry as possible prior to sealing. Before leaving for the day I carefully fitted the replacement tiles.

White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth After White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth After

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

I cleaned the floor on Friday so it was left to dry out over the weekend coming back on Monday to ensure it was dry and then sealing it with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works very well on Victorian floor tiles as it gives a nice satin sheen as well as providing stain protection.

White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth After

 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Tile Cleaning Services in South Wales

Matching old and new Victorian tiles

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This particular Victorian tiled floor had been installed in the hallway of a house in Stow Park, Gwent around 130 years ago. Despite its age it was in a good condition and the detailed pattern although dirty was still very distinctive, the customer felt however that the floor was spoilt by the total erosion of the stone step at the front door which had suffered from the 130 years of footfall that had occurred across the threshold.

Victorian Tile Issue Resolved in Gwent Before

They asked me for any suggestions to make it more pleasing on the eye so I chose various colours from the main floor area and created a new entrance step leading to the main hallway comprising of 150 mm x 150 mm original style red and black floor tiles and 150 mm x 75 mm original style black round edge tiles.

Victorian Tile Issue Resolved in Gwent After

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor

The difference between the old and new was fairly obvious so once the tiles had been laid and the grout had gone off I returned to give the original Victorian tiles a thorough clean. There were some stubborn stains on the floor so I decided to scrub in a couple of strong products called Tile Doctor Remove and Go followed by Tile doctor Grout Clean-up rinsing in between the stages.

Remove and Go is a sealer and coatings remover that as well as cleaning will remove old coatings such as sealers from the tile, this is important if you wish to re-seal the floor as you can get unexpected results if you add one sealer on top of another. Grout Clean-up removes mineral deposits such as the white salts from effloresce, rust and grout smears. The floor was given a thorough rinse following the cleaning process to ensure no product was left on the floor that could upset a sealer.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

Aided by the warm weather it wasn’t long before the tiles were dry enough to be sealed and so I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle sheen to the floor as well as providing on-going stain protection.

Victorian Tile Issue Resolved in Gwent After Sealing

I think you would have to agree my solution worked out well and the new tiles look part of the original floor.
 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Stone and Tile Restoration in Gwent

Victorian Tile Restoration Tips

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This owner of this house built around 1900 in Cardiff had asked me if I could make their look any better following their attempt at renovating their original Victorian Tiled floor. I examined the floor and established that they had sealed the floor without testing for moisture also it seemed it had been sealed but not correctly cleaned and more importantly not rinsed thoroughly to eradicate any cleaning solutions first; the results as you can see has caused a terrible patchy mess .

Victorian Floor Before Cleaning in Cardiff Victorian Floor Before Cleaning in Cardiff

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor

The floor was tested for moisture first which established it was dry and also established a baseline as to what to look for later. The next step was to remove any sealers present which proved very difficult because the sealer had only been applied 6 months earlier and applied thickly with a roller. I used three litres of Tile Doctor Remove and Go in total to strip 6 m2 applying it, letting it soak in and then scrubbing it in to get the sealer off. It took multiple rounds of scrubbing but once the sealer was removed I then went over the floor with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to remove any grout smears and mineral deposits and then gave the floor a thorough rinse with plenty of clean water. To make sure I had given the floor a thorough clean the floor was then finished off more Remove and Go mixed with Tile Doctor NanoTech Ultra-Clean to make it more effective and then steam cleaned. The floor was then rinsed again with another two rinses with fresh cold clean water which was then removed with a wet vacuum I worked.

Victorian Floor After Cleaning in Cardiff Victorian Floor After Cleaning in Cardiff

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

The floor was left to dry out and I came back on two occasions to check if it was dry enough to seal. The first time I visited was three days later and the floor had a high moisture level, I tested again after five days and the readings were ok to carry on with the sealing stage. The customer wanted a satin finish so I went ahead and sealed the floor with several coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go with great results as you can see.

Victorian Floor After Cleaning in Cardiff

 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Tile, Stone and Grout Cleaning in South East Wales

Victorian Tile Restoration in Wiltshire

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This customer had just brought a house in Chippenham which they were renovating and it had come to their attention that Victorian tiles had been laid under the hallway carpet. Keen to restore them the customer called us in to see if we could enhance the appearance of their floor.

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

We started by covering the floor with a mild solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50/50 with NanoTech Ultra Clean, this combination creates a powerful cleaning solution for tackling ingrained dirt and staining. The solution was left to dwell on the tile for twenty minutes and then scrubbed into the tile using a black pad attached to a rotary machine. This process was quite effective and the cleaning solution turned colour with the dirt as it came off the tile. Once we were happy we had removed all the dirt the now dirty cleaning solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed several times with cold water to remove any trace of cleaning product.

Victorian Tiled Floor Chippenham During Cleaning

With the floor now clean it became evident that there were paint spots along the edges which we removed by applying Tile Doctor Remove & Go this time leaving it to dwell for five to ten minutes before agitating with a stiff deck brush. Once again we used a wet vacuum to remove any product and rinsed the floor using cold water.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

We left the floor to dry overnight and returned the next day to seal the tiles. Upon our return we first used a damp meter to confirm that the floor was dry enough to seal which it was. We then sealed the floor with five coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which will protect the floor from staining and make it easy to clean, Seal and Go also adds a nice shine to the tile enhancing the colours and general appearance of the tiles.

Victorian Tiled Floor Chippenham After Cleaning and Sealing Victorian Tiled Floor Chippenham After Cleaning and Sealing

We definitely achieved the customer’s goal to enhance the look of the floor and before leaving we gave them some cleaning tips to prolong the life of the sealer by recommending the use of a Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which won’t eat into the sealer like the mildly acidic tile cleaning products that you buy in the supermarket.
 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Tile Cleaning in Chippenham

Removing Glue From Victorian Floor Tiles

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This Victorian Tiled Hallway at a house in Radford near Coventry had been well preserved under a carpet for many years and the owners of the house now wanted it brought back to life. Physically the tiles were in good condition however they did suffer from the usual issues of paint splashes and adhesive stuck to the surface.

Victorian Tiled Floor Refresh Radford Before Victorian Tiled Floor Refresh Radford Before

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

To clean up the tiles and remove the paint and glue I used a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. The edges of the floor was done first as this was where the most pain splashes were to be found due to the skirting being painted at some point in the past. The usual procedure still applied allowing the product to soak in and soften the paint before being scrubbed off by hand. Once the edges were done I moved onto the main part of the floor using the same process however this time I had the advantage of being able to use a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The dirty solution was rinsed away with water and removed with a wet vacuum.

To finish off and remove some signs of efflorescence (white salt stains) the tiles were then scrubbed in a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This did the trick but you can’t leave this product on the tiles for too long as its an acid so as soon as it had done its job it was washed off and then the tiles were then given a thorough wash down with clean water.

My work was done for the day so I left a fan running to help speed dry the floor overnight and left for the day.

Sealing Victorian floor tiles

I came back the next day to seal the floor using Tile Doctor Seal and Go sealer which provides stain protection as well giving a nice sheen to the tile, the tiles were quite porous and needed six coats before they were fully sealed.

Victorian Tiled Floor Refresh Radford After

 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Tiled Floor Cleaning in Warwickshire

Cleaning Victorian Mosaic Tiles in Glasgow

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These unusual period Victorian mosaic tiled floor at a residence in the west end of Glasgow were far from looking their best and well overdue for a deep clean and re-seal.

Victorian Mosaic tiles glasgow before cleaning Victorian Mosaic tiles glasgow before cleaning

Cleaning a Victorian Floor

I’ll try and keep the details short so as not to lose your attention but basically the tiles were first stripped from all sealers and coatings that had been previously applied to the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to dwell for an hour before working it in with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad and then rinsing the floor with water which was extracted with a wet vacuum. Secondly we then cleaned the floor four times using a rotary machine and a strong mixture of Pro-Clean which was again wet extracted and rinsed again. Finally we cleaned and rinsed the floor using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to neutralise the tiles from any products which may affect the sealer before leaving the floor overnight to dry assisted with a turbo air mover.

Victorian Mosaic tiles glasgow before cleaning Victorian Mosaic tiles glasgow after cleaning

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

Once the floor was dry it was then sealed using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which brings out the colour in the tile and provides the matt effect the owners were looking for as well as protecting the floor from staining.

Victorian Mosaic tiles glasgow after cleaning Victorian Mosaic tiles glasgow after cleaning

 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Tiled Floor Restoration in Glasgow

Victorian Tiled Hallway restored near Coventry

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Popular as they are in the UK it wasn’t long before I was called back to refurbish another Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor this time in the town of Allesley near Coventry. This tiles were heavily soiled and had been splashed with paint from decorating, on top of this there was evidence of adhesive from when the floor had been previously covered in carpet and there were a number of damaged tiles that needed replacing.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Coventry Before Cleaning Victorian Tiled Hallway Coventry Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

To get the tiles clean of paint and dirt I decided to go straight for a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to soak into the tiles for around thirty minutes before scrubbing it in with a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The dirty solution was rinsed away with water and removed with a wet vacuum and stubborn areas and grout re-treated with a scrubbing brush by hand.

I wasn’t entirely happy with the condition of the tiles at this stage so the next step was to scrub in a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is an acid based product that removed grout haze, mineral deposits, rust stains and efflorescence. This did the trick but being an acid based product you can’t leave it on the tiles for too long and so was washed off soon after and the tiles washed down with clean water.

I scraped out the grout surrounding the damaged tiles and lifted them out, I had already arranged replacements so once that was done and tidied up it was just a question of putting the replacement in place with tile adhesive and re-grouting using a sympathetic grout colour to match the aged existing grout.

My work was done for the day so I left a couple of fans running to help dry the floor and left for the day.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Coventry Drying

Sealing Victorian floor tiles

I came back the next day to seal the floor using Tile Doctor High Shine sealer which provides stain protection as well as a very shiny finish; five coats were needed to get it fully sealed.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Coventry After Cleaning and Sealing Victorian Tiled Hallway Coventry After Cleaning and Sealing

 
 
Source: Residential and Commercial Stone Floor Restoration in Warwickshire

Restoring Victorian tiles in South London

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This post is from a house in Balham where the owner was doing some renovation work and after deciding to change the flooring in the hallway they discovered an original Victorian tiled floor. They planned to restore the floor unfortunately however their builders did not listen and didn’t bother to put down any protection when decorating leaving it in a worse condition than when they found it.

Victorian Tiled Floor Balham Before Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor Balham Before Cleaning

Cleaning the Victorian Tiled Floor

To initially clean the floor I put down a 50/50 mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Nanotech Ultraclean diluted with four parts water; this creates a powerful alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on tiles and contains tiny abrasive particles to cut through the grime. This solution was left to dwell on the tile for twenty minutes before being agitated using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This action did well to deep clean the tiles and remove dirt but there was still plenty of other problems to deal with including paint from the decorating and glue from the carpet.

To remove the glue and paint I treated the surface with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which as its name suggest is designed to remove coatings from the surface of tiles without damaging them. Working in sections the product was left to dwell for forty minutes on the surface of the tile before being worked in by hand into the glue and paint. Once it had all been removed I gave the whole floor a scrub with Grout Clean-Up to remove grout from the surface of the tile and this brightened up the colours. Last step was to give the floor a thorough rinse down using clean water, this is quite important and you need to ensure any trace of product has been removed before sealing. The water was removed using a wet vacuum which literally sucks the water off the floor and reduces drying times, the floor was still fairly damp at this stage so we called it a day leaving an air blower in place to help the floor to dry overnight.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

When I came back the next day I decided to seal the tiles using Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that penetrates into the pores of the tile blocking any dirt from getting in and making the tiles easier to clean.

Victorian Tiled Floor Balham After Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor Balham After Cleaning

Two coats were sufficient and Colour Grow also brings out the colour in the tile improving its look, certainly my customer thought so as all they could say was:

“AMAZING I didn’t think it was possible to get like this.”

Victorian Tiled Floor Balham Before and After

Source: Residential and Commercial Tile Restoration in London and Surrey

Victorian Tile Cleaning in Hampton Court Village

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This was a straight forward strip and re-seal of a Victorian tiled hallway floor at a residence near the historic Hampton. The floor I suspect was an original feature of the house and the owners had maintained it well but like any Victorian floor they will show the effects of wear especially in high traffic areas like a hallway and benefit from a good deep clean and reseal every few years.

Victorian Hallway Hampton Court Before

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

The floor was washed down in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a multi-purpose alkaline cleaner/stripper which is safe to use on tile, stone and grout. This was left to soak into the floor tile for about twenty minutes before scrubbing it deep into the tile using a rotary floor machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This did a great job of cleaning up the floor and removing what was left of the previous sealer. The soiled solution was removed with a wet vacuum and then washed down with clean water to remove any remaining product and neutralise the floor before sealing. There were a few stubborn areas that needed further attention and so I treated them with neat Pro-Clean and a steamer until I was satisfied it was a good I could get it, again once I had finished I gave the floor a good rinse with clean water.

Victorian Hallway Hampton Court After Cleaning

Sealing Victorian Tiles

I left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal the tiles which for Victorian tiles I usually use Tile Doctor Seal and Go. It’s a water based sealer so it leaves no smell add a nice shiny finish to the floor, six coats were require in the end which is not unusual for Terracotta due to the porosity of the tiles.

Victorian Hallway Hampton Court After Sealing

 
 
Source: Rejuvinating Victorian Tiles in Middlesex

Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration

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This Victorian tiled hallway and kitchen floor in Teddington, Middlesex, was in need of a deep clean including stripping out the old sealer and re-sealing to ensure easy maintenance in the future. Being a high traffic area the tiles had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years, there was also a lot of glue that had been used to stick carpet down in the past which had to be removed and there was heavy staining to the kitchen tiles from spillages over the years. If that wasn’t bad enough the owners of the house were in the middle of renovating the property so there was paint and plaster on the surface which would also need to be treated prior to sealing.

Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington Before Cleaning Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

In order to break down the glue and paint the affected areas were sprayed with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was then left to soak in. Following 10 minutes dwell time I then proceeded to scrub off the glue and paint and the resulting soiled solution was rinsed away.

The next step was to scrub the entire tiled floor using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad and a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean high alkaline cleaner. This broke down the soil ingrained in the tile and released it along with the remaining old sealer; the floor was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores and stubborn areas re-treated.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

The floor was then left alone to dry for twenty four hours before I came back to seal it for which I used four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This is a water based topical sealer that leaves no smell and provides a nice sheen to the floor; it will also repel liquids and dirt making it easier to maintain the tiles in the future.

Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington After Cleaning Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington After Cleaning

You can see from the photographs how the sealer has gives a high sheen finish to the tile which reflects the light and enhances the colours of the stone leaving the floor looking as good as new and very vibrant.
 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Restoration in Middlesex

Restoring Edwardian Tiles in Teddington

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This Edwardian period tiled hallway floor at a house in Teddington, Middlesex was in need of a deep clean and removal of paint marks following a year of building work.

Cleaning Edwardian Tiles

Initially the floor was cleaned using a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaning agent; it’s applied with a mop and left it to soak into the floor for five minutes before being scrubbed into the tile with a rotary scrubbing machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. Pro-Clean was also used along the grout joints but scrubbed in with stiff brush by hand. The soil was then washed off and removed with a wet vacuum. Whilst this process did clean up the tile and grout it didn’t remove the paint marks so the next step was to target those area’s with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings remover and as its name suggests is good at removing pretty much anything. Once the floor was clean it was thoroughly washed down with clean water partly to remove any further soil but also to remove any trace of cleaning products before sealing, again the wet vacuum was used to remove the liquids and get the floor as dry as possible before leaving for the day.

Edwardian Hallway Floor Teddington before cleaning

Sealing Victorian Tiles

The next day the floor had dried so I proceeded to seal the tile with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is the recommended sealer for Victorian Tile, providing good stain protection whilst adding a nice sheen to the surface bringing out the colour in the tile.

Edwardian Hallway Floor Teddington after cleaning

We service Teddington and the surrounding areas for all types of natural and man-made stone flooring, please get in touch for a free quotation.
 
 
Source: Stone and Tiled floor restoration services in South Middlesex

Restoring Victorian Tiles in Yorkshire

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This one hundred year old floor needed some serious cleaning; these Orange and Black Victorian tiles installed in the hallway of a period house in Skipton, North Yorkshire had paint, glue and around twenty years of ingrained dirt on them due to previously being covered in carpet.

Victorian Tiles Skipton Before Cleaning Victorian Tiles Skipton Before Cleaning

Restoring Victorian Floor Tiles

To restore the tile surface we used a process we call the Blanket method which involves covering the floor in a mixture of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and Nano Tech Ultra Clean. The whole floor was covered very liberally with the chemical mixture and then sheeted over with polythene and sealed all the way round with water proof tape. There must be a perfect seal so no chemicals can dry out by oxidation and is left over night to soak into the tile.

The next day the polythene was removed in sections and the chemicals were first cleaned off with rags and then rinsed of many times with warm water. The whole floor was then scrubbed with a rotary machine fitted with a black pad and Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 1 to 4 parts warm water to remove all the residue of the chemicals and any dirt. Pro-Clean is an industrial strength cleaning product that is safe to use on Tile, Stone and Grout.

Sealing the Victorian Tiled Floor

The next day I returned and checked the floor for dampness using a Damp Meter which indicated the floor was dry and ready for sealing. Three coats of sealant was used and for Victorian Floor tiles I recommend Tile Doctor Seal and Go which provides a low sheen finish whilst offering great stain protection.

Victorian Tiles Skipton After Cleaning Victorian Tiles Skipton After Cleaning

The 100 year old floor now looks almost as new and I think you will agree it has been transformed.
 
 
Source: Stone and Tile floor cleaning services in North Yorkshire

Refreshing and Original Victorial Tiled Floor

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I recently paid a visit to Windermere in the Lake District to clean and re-seal a Victorian Tiled hallway floor. The customer wanted the shine putting back on the Victorian tile and some tile grout had become loose and needed replacing.

Victorian Tiled Floor Windermere Before Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor Windermere Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

On arrival I set up my tools and covered any areas that needed protecting against water. Once that was done I started to strip the floor of any remaining sealer using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings and sealer remover product that is safe to use on tile, stone and grout. Working in small areas the product was scrubbed into the tile and then washed it off with water using a wet vacuum to remove the soiled solution. This process was repeated until the whole floor was clean, there were a few stubborn areas and for these I mixed the Remove and Go 50/50 with Nano Tech Ultra Clean which adds tiny abrasive particles into the solution to make a more effective product. The process of scrubbing the floor made me realise that the loose grout problem was greater than first thought and some tiles need re-laying so I decided to come back and do this the next day, before leaving however I gave the floor a thorough rinse to ensure any trace of cleaning product was removed.

Grouting Victorian Tile

The next day I arrived and fixed all the loose tiles, my preference is to use the Mapei range of tile adhesives and grout, in fact the grout comes in a range of colours which is very useful if your filling in holes in travertine etc. One the adhesive had gone off I began to grout them in including those areas where the grout was missing or become loose. The last step was to wash off the grout from the tile surface and making sure it was all tidy for the next day.

Victorian Tiled Floor Windermere During Cleaning

Sealing Quarry Floor Tiles

On the third day I returned to the house and after verifying the floor was dry with a damp tester and the grout had hardened I started sealing the floor with Tile Doctor Seal and Go putting on thin coats which took about twenty minutes to dry, in total seven coats were applied which gave the floor the nice shine the customer was after.

Victorian Tiled Floor Windermere After Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor Windermere After Cleaning

This job took me three days in total and after I had finished we discussed how to maintain the appearance and increase the longevity of the sealer by using a Neutral Cleaning product which unlike many acidic cleaners does not eat away at the sealer.
 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Restoration Services in Cumbria

Removing Carpet Glue from Victorian Floor Tiles

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The following photos are from a Victorian tiled hallway floor at a residence in Kettering Northants which had been covered with carpet for the last thirty odd years; to make matters worse the carpet had been stuck down with adhesive which was proving very difficult to remove.

The customer phoned to see if it would be possible to restore the floor back to its former glory as it was very dirty and the colours were dull not to mention the glue. After a home visit and testing a small area to prove we could do the work, the customer booked us in to carry out the service before completing the decorating of the hallway. It’s always a good idea to have any heavy restoration work done before you decorate as heavy machinery is used and it can be a messy job.

Victorian floor in Kettering before cleaning 1 Victorian floor in Kettering before cleaning 2

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

To remove the glue and restore the tiles Tile Doctor Remove and Go was left to soak into the tile before being brushed in with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This process also works to lift out the embedded dirt from the floor tile; once done the soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed with clean water to remove the product from the tile.

To get the grout clean Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up was sprayed onto all the grout lines and then hand scrubbed in with stiff brushes; this was then followed by a second wash and rinse.

The hallway was still in general use so the floors were then sheeted up for three days to protect them whilst the floor tiles and grout were allowed to dry out assisted by a dehumidifier which we left on site.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

On our return we remove the sheeting and damp tested the tiles to make sure they had dried sufficiently; all was well so we sealed the floor by applying five coats of Tile Doctor High Shine as the customer had requested a high gloss finish in order to fully bring out the colours of the tiles.

Victorian floor in Kettering after cleaning 1 Victorian floor in Kettering after cleaning 2

I think you will agree from the photographs we have managed to achieve this, certainly the customer was very happy with the results.
 
 
Source: Stone and Tile Restoration in Northamptonshire

Filling Holes in Victorian Tile

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The pictures below were taken in the entrance hall of a residence in the market town of Thame in Oxfordshire where the Victorian Floor Tiles although in good condition had become dull, you will see there is also a photograph of part of the tiles where holes had been drilled in the floor (don’t ask). Naturally the owner wanted both problems resolving and so called in their local Tile Doctor.

Victorian Tiled Floor Thame Before Cleaning 1 Victorian Tiled Floor Thame Before Cleaning 2

Restoring Victorian Quarry Tiles

The first task was to clean the floor which I used a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell on the tile for around thirty minutes before being scrubbed in. This was a small area so I used a small black scrubbing pad attached to a cordless drill to do this; a stiff scrubbing brush was also run along the grout lines to make sure any staining to the grout was also dealt with. The resulting soiled solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and the tiles rinsed with water.

The next step was to remove some stubborn paint marks for which Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up was applied and scrubbed in with a stiff scrubbing brush, you have to be very careful with this product as it is an acid so you can’t leave it on the tile for too long however it does resolve all sorts of tile staining problems. Again this was removed with a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed thoroughly with fresh water to remove any trace of the product.

Sealing Victorian Quarry Tiles

When the floor dried I filled the holes in the Victorian Tile with a quick drying flexible grout which was left to dry and then painted using an acrylic paint to colour the grout the same as the different colours in the tile. On close inspection the hole damage is still visible however they are now a lot less obvious.

The next step was to seal the floor using five thin coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which adds a nice sheen to the floor as we as providing protection and making it easier to clean going forward.

Victorian Tiled Floor Thame After Cleaning and Sealing 1 Victorian Tiled Floor Thame After Cleaning and Sealing 2

 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Problems Resolved in Oxfordshire

Original Victorian Encaustic Tiled Floor Restored

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I had an inquiry from a client in Fulham, who was representing the residents of an old building. The building had recently undergone redecoration and in the hallway, they had removed a thirty year old carpet to discover an original encaustic tiled floor underneath which turned out to be 102 years old.

Old Encaustic Floor Fulham Before Cleaning 1 Old Encaustic Floor Fulham Before Cleaning 2

As you can see from the photographs the floor was extremely dirty and covered in lots of glue and paint from the carpet and decorations. Naturally they were keen to have it restored and brought back to life. Given the condition of the tile and the age I to set their expectations and told them that although I was confident of making a big difference to the floor I couldn’t give any guarantees. I gave them my quotation and although it was slighter higher than what they had I mind, it was still less than other quotations that they had received and were also considering the option of replacing the carpet.

After a couple of days I received a call asking me to go ahead with the work and I booked it in.

Encaustic Tiled Floor Cleaning

My approach to the job was to initially spray a mixture of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with Tile Doctor NanoTech UltraClean which creates a powerful tile safe coatings remover with tiny abrasive particles that aid the cleaning process.

I left this to dwell on the tile for about fifteen minutes before scrubbing it in using a black scrubbing pad on my rotary machine. This approach removed some glue and a lot of old grime so I then sprayed down more Remove and Go and also used a steamer to loosen the remaining glue and paint. This process was repeated a section at a time until at the end of the day I gave the whole are a thorough rinse before packing away my equipment and leaving it to dry.

Encaustic Tiled Floor Sealing

I returned three days later and carried out a test with my moisture meter to make sure that the floor was dry enough to seal. The meter confirmed it was dry so I then sealed the floor using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that really brings out the colour in the tiles.

Old Encaustic Floor Fulham After Cleaning 3 Old Encaustic Floor Fulham After Cleaning 4

And as you can see the floor is transformed and now I have some happy residents who are really pleased that they opted to have the old floor cleaned instead of replacing the carpet. Not to mention that restoring such an original feature has probably added value to their investment as well.

Old Encaustic Floor Fulham Before and after Restoration 5

 
 
Source: Encaustic Tile Restoration Service in Surrey

Honest Muscle Required to Clean Victorian Tiles

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Set of photographs here from a Victorian Tiled floor for a customer in Balham, South London. They had found the floor under an old carpet, and wanted to restore it. Unfortunately their builders did not listen and didn’t bother to put down any protection when they painted, as a result there was paint everywhere, I’ve include a detailed photograph below so you can see for yourself what a state the floor was in.

Victorian Tiled Floor Balham Before Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor Balham Before Cleaning

Cleaning the Victorian Floor Tiles

Initially the floor was cleaned using a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50:50 with NanoTech UltraClean which had been left to dwell for 20 minutes before being agitated using a rotary machine fitted with a buffing pad. I used a wet vacuum to remove the dirty cleaning solution and then realising something more powerful would be required to shift the stubborn stains and paint marks. To rectify this I applied a Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings remover and left it to dwell on the Victorian tile for forty minutes before applying plenty of elbow grease. This did the trick to remove the paint and glue etc. so I worked across the floor in sections applying the same treatment until the floor was completely clean.

Once it had all been removed I gave the whole floor a scrub with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up and this brightened up the colours and finally I gave the floor a very thorough rinse with clean water to remove any remaining cleaning product that might have an adverse effect on the sealer. I left the floor to dry over the weekend and returned on the following Monday to seal it, but first I carried out a couple of repairs because some of the tiles were loose so I reset them in cement.

Sealing Victorian Tiled Floor tiles

On my return I sealed the floor using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a penetrating sealer that provides maximum stain protection whilst bringing out the colour in the stone.

Victorian Tiled Floor Balham After Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor Balham After Cleaning

All the customer could say was AMAZING I didn’t think it was possible to get like this.
 
 
Source: Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles in Surrey

Removing paint from Victorian Tiles

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These Victorian tiles at a residence in Glasgow went through a dramatic change after we restored the colours and appearance. You can see from the photograph below the tiles were dull, stained and there was also paint splashes in various places.

Victorian-Tiled-floor-in-Glasgow-Before-cleaning

Cleaning a Victorian Floor

Firstly the floor was swept out and vacuumed to remove all loose debris; we then covered the entire floor with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined 50/50 with NanoTech Ultra Clean which was left to dwell on the floor for an hour so it could soak into the tile. This floor did not have a previous sealer applied however the solution helped to break down the ground in dirt in the tiles and also remove the paint splashes.

The dirty solution was then extracted off using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed with clean water several times to remove any chemical residue. Next we mixed a 50/50 solution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean and NanoTech Ultra Clean which was then scrubbed into the tile using a black scrubbing pad on a rotary machine. This was then removed and floor rinsed again and the floor was cleaned a further three times using a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and extracted with a wet vacuum again followed by a mopping of Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

Once the floor was dry it was then sealed using four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to achieve the finished result. I recommend Seal and Go for Victorian tiled floors as it leaves a low sheen finish whilst providing excellent stain protection.

Victorian-Tiled-floor-in-Glasgow-after-cleaning

 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Problems Resolved in Glasgow

Victorian Tile Restoration in Oxfordshire

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This old Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor was discovered in the basement of a large house in Oxford where they had been covered up for years. There were a couple of dead tiles that have had the tops taken of for some reason but the rest were in a reasonable condition given their age.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor before Restoration in Oxford

Restoring Victorian Quarry Tiles

On the first day I used a mixture of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with Nanotech UltraClean which adds an abrasive element to a powerful coatings remover. I spread this on the Quarry tiled floor and left it for about an hour so it could soak into the tile and breakdown old sealers and soil etc.; I then used a commercial steamer on the floor to aid the cleaning process and bring the dirt and old sealant to the surface. When that was done I rinsed the floor with clean water which was then removed along with the soil using a wet vacuum. The next step was to give the floor a mild acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up to remove any mineral deposits from the surface of the tile and then rinse down again with clean water so all the chemicals were removed. The floor was quite damp at this stage and need to be dry so it could be sealed so I left a dehumidifier there and a damp meter so the customer could test the floor.

Sealing Victorian Quarry Tiles

After a couple of days I got the call from the customer that the floor was now dry so I went round to seal it with five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a recommended sealer for Quarry tiles providing good stain protection whilst adding a nice sheen.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor after Restoration in Oxford

This floor was 120 years old and the customer had no expectation of any significant improvement and had even considered covering it with wood before giving us a call; I was pleased therefore that we managed to exceed their expectations and breathe new life into this old floor.
 
 
Source: Restoring a 120 year old Victorian Tiled floor in Oxfordshire

Victorian Tile Restoration in Glasgow

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This Victorian tiled floor was located in the west end of Glasgow, the owner had discovered the tiles under the carpet and wanted to have them restored as an original feature. When we arrived the floor was still covered in carpet glue, cement, and hessian backing from the carpet that had been stuck to the tiles.

victorian-tiled -floor-in-Glasgow-before

Cleaning a Victorian Floor

The first job was to scrape off as much hessian backing and glue as we could with large scrapers and brushed all loose debris away. We then covered the entire floor with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with NanoTech Ultra Clean to create an effective coatings remover; this was then left on the floor to dwell for an hour in order to break down and soften the adhesive etc. The floor was then wet extracted and rinsed with clean water several times to remove any excess residue. This allowed us to see what glue was left which was then removed using a steamer. After this we cleaned the floor three times using Pro-Clean and a black buffing pad on a rotary bonnet machine to clean the floor; again all the dirty water was wet extracted with a wet vacuum and the floor neutralised with more water to ensure no chemicals remained on the floor prior to sealing.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

The floor was left to dry overnight and we came back the next day to seal it with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is an ideal sealer for Victorian tiled floors as it leaves a low sheen finish whilst providing excellent stain protection. You have to wait for each coat to dry before moving on to the next so it did take a while.

victorian-tiled -floor-in-Glasgow-after

This was a tough job but certainly well worth the effort as the floor has been completely transformed and now looks fantastic.
 
 
Source: Restoring an original Victorian Tiled floor in Glasgow

Removing Glue from Victorian Tile

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The owner of this Victorian tiled bathroom floor in Horncastle had tried scrubbing and scraping these tiles will little to show for it, in the end after spending hours on this cold floor and trying lots of different products he was fed up and it still looked less than satisfactory. The tiles were very old and dirty and had remnants of glue stuck around the edges indicating they had previously been covered by something else such as lino, fortunately Victorian tiles are our bread and butter and we have managed to restore tiles in a much worse state than this.

Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle before Cleaning3 Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle before Cleaning2

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

We set about cleaning the tile using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong coatings remover which is ideal for removing old sealers and adhesive products. It was left it to dwell on the floor for a while in order to give it chance to soak into the tile and get to work on the glue before being agitated using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soiled solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and the floor given a good rinse with clean water again using the wet vacuum to get the floor dry. This process tackled the glue but the tiles were still in need of a good clean so Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaning product safe to use on tile and stone was applied; this was left to dwell and then scrubbed into the tiles to get a really deep clean, stiff brushes were used along the grout lines to get them clean as well and then the floor was given a thorough rinse to neutralise the tile and remove any trace of cleaning products.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

The next step was to seal the floor, however the tiles need to be dry before you can do this so we got our Turbo drying system out of the van, switched it on and it soon had the floor dry. Four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were applied to the floor allowing twenty minutes to dry between coats; this particular sealer is recommended for Victorian tiles and does a great job of adding a nice sheen to the floor as well as adding stain protection.

Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle after Cleaning2 Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle after Cleaning1

We managed to complete the work in a single day and the owner was absolutely delighted by the results.
 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Restoration in Lincolnshire

Removing Stubborn stains from neglected Victorian Tile

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The photograph below is from a Victorian tiled hallway floor that we were asked to restore in the historic town of Towcester, Northamptonshire; the owner wanted the tiles restored as an original feature. You can see from the photograph below how dull and neglected the tiles were so we had our work cut out.

Victorian Tiles in Towcester Before Restoration

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

We set about cleaning the tile using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a powerful alkaline cleaning product that is safe to use on tile and stone. It was applied with a mop and left it to dwell on the floor for ten minutes first in order to give it chance to soak into the tile and get to work on the dirt. It was then worked into the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad, stiff hand brushes were used in difficult to get to places and along the grout lines requiring a substantial amount of elbow grease. The soiled water was picked up with a wet and dry vacuum and the floor was rinsed with clean water so we could see the result.

Unfortunately there were a number of stubborn areas and a stronger product was needed to shift them so we applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coating remover that can shift most issues, again this was applied and left to dwell for a while before working it into the stubborn stains using hand brushes. The dirty solution was removed again using the wet and dry vacuum and we could see the tiles were now clean so the floor was given a thorough rinse several times with fresh water to remove any leftover chemical and then left to dry overnight.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

The next day the floor had dried so we were able to seal it using four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice shine to the floor as well as providing a surface seal that will help protect the tile from stains going forward.

Victorian Tiles in Towcester After Restoration

A lot of effort but what a transformation and well worth the work that went into it as you can see from the photograph above.
 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Restoration in Brighton

Cleaning a Terracotta tiled floor in East-Sussex

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The photograph below is from a Victorian tiled floor that we recently restored in the seaside town of Brighton. The house owner discovered the tiles under carpet and after realising what a beautiful and original feature they were decided to have them restored and so called in Tile Doctor. The tiles had been well preserved by the carpet although as you can see they were looking rather washed out and were in need of a thorough deep clean.

Victorian Tiles in Brighton Before Restoration

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

We set about cleaning the tile using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a powerful alkaline cleaning product that is safe to use on tile and stone. It was applied with a mop and left it to dwell on the floor for ten minutes first in order to give it chance to soak into the tile and get to work on the dirt. It was then worked into the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad, stiff hand brushes and a substantial amount of elbow grease was used to tackle the stubborn stains and along the grout lines. The soiled water was picked up with a wet and dry vacuum and once we were happy the floor was clean it was given a thorough rinse with fresh water to remove any leftover chemical and then left to dry.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

Once the floor was dry we were able to seal it using four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice shine to the floor as well as providing a surface seal that will help protect the tile from stains going forward.

Victorian Tiles in Brighton After Restoration

It was quite a transformation and well worth the effort as you can see from the photographs above.
 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Restoration in Brighton

Full Victorian Floor Restoration

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This job was a full restoration of a Victorian tiled floor that had been hidden under those thin adhesive backed lino tiles (see photo below) in the hallway of a house in Sutton Coldfield.

Victorian Tiles Sutton Coldfield Before Restoration

Restoring Victorian Floor Tiles

The first job was to remove the vinyl tiles which being stuck onto the floor left a rather nasty looking floor. I knew from experience this would be tricky to remove and so soaked the floor in Tile Doctor Remove and Go (does what it says on the tin) and left it for a while to soften the glues. Then with a rotary machines fitted with a polyscrub brush attached running at slow speed set about scrubbing the floor to get as much glue of the Victorian floor tiles as possible. This process worked quite well however once I have removed the soiled solution using a wet vacuum I could see there were still quite a a few stubborn patches remaining. The solution was to get down on my hands & knees with a nylon brush, a scraper and more Remove and Go, as you can imagine it took a long time to get the floor really clean and when finished I gave the tile a thorough wash down with water to neutralise the floor and then left it overnight to dry.

Victorian Tiles Sutton Coldfield Before Restoration Victorian Tiles Sutton Coldfield Before Restoration

Sealing Victorian floor Tiles

The next day I confirmed the floor had dried and then proceeded to apply four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which is the recommended sealer for Victorian tiles, it not only protects the tile it also leaves a nice shine on the floor.

The photographs show a huge transformation and my customer was absolutely delighted with the results, and left the comment below on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

Trevor had a very tough job to do getting our Victorian tiles into shape after decades under a Marley tile floor. They were covered in layers of hard glue but Trevor worked exceptionally hard restoring them to like new. Trevor was very friendly and punctual. An excellent job done and we would definitely recommend him.
Giles Stendall, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

Victorian Tiles Sutton Coldfield After Restoration Victorian Tiles Sutton Coldfield After Restoration

 
 
Source: Victorian Tile Maintenance and Restoration in Staffordshire

Victorian Tile Refresh

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This classic Victorian tiled floor was installed in the hallway of a house in the town of Weeping Cross, Staffordshire. The floor was in pretty good condition but had become dull and was in need of a deep clean to put some life back in the tiles, there was also evidence an old adhesive around the edges indicating it had been covered by carpet at some point.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

The first job was to remove the glue which I did with a small black scrubbing pad and a mixture of Tile Doctor Remove & Go combined with NanoTech UltraClean and a scraper.

The Remove and Go NanoTech worked well on the stubborn adhesive so I went onto clean the rest of the floor using the same product combination but this time worked in using a rotary machine fitted on slow speed with a black scrubbing pad pad. The resulting soiled solution was vacuumed up using a wet pick up machine and the floor left to dry overnight.

Sealing Victorian floor Tiles

The next morning I mopped the floor with a damp mop and then when it was dry applied four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which is a recommended protective sealer for Victorian tiles and leaves a nice shine on the floor. As you can see it looks fantastic and when the owners came home they were thrilled with the results and left the comment below on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“Trevor has done a great job with our tiled floor, we are so pleased with the results! We would definitely recommend him!
Mark Broomhall, Stafford”

Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning

 
 
Source: Victorian hallway floor tiles cleaned in Staffordshire

Restoring 1930 Victorian Tiles in Hinckley

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This Victorian Tiled hallway floor was installed in a house in Hinckley near Coventry and dated back to the 1930s. The floor was covered in grout haze, plaster and other substances I couldn’t identify so although structurally intact not in good cosmetically.

Victorian Floor Hinckley Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I decided to tackle the Grout Haze first by applying Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is an acid based product which does what it says on the bottle and allows any surface grout to be wiped off, it’s also effective on the removal of mineral deposits such as Limescale but being acidic you can’t leave it on the surface too long and needs to removed and tiles rinsed with clean water afterwards.

The next step was to give the floor a thorough clean so a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied to the floor and left to soak in for a short while before being worked into the tile with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The grout also need attention, unfortunately we don’t have a machine that will get into the grout lines so this had to be manually scrubbed by hand using a grout brush, which as you can imagine took some time to do. The soiled cleaning solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and the floor thoroughly rinsed with water and then left it to dry.

Sealing Victorian Hallway Tiles

Once we were happy the floor was dry we started the sealing process with the application of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an excellent sealer which leaves a matt finish providing stain protection whilst also enhancing the natural colours in the tile. There are a numbers of different sealers you could choose to seal a Victorian floor and in this case Colour Grow best met the customers requirements.

Victorian Floor Hinckley After Cleaning

 
 

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor in Hinckley, Leicestershire