I was asked to take a look at this fantastic classic Victorian tiled floor at an old vicarage in Caldicot which was built in the early 1800s, the floor was structurally sound but was now looking washed out and overdue some TLC.
Repairing and Cleaning Dirty Victorian Tiles
I started by using a 50/50 mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Remove and Go diluted with water to create a powerful stripper/cleaner that would take off any remaining old sealer and many years’ worth of dirt. I followed the usual process of applying the solution, allowing it to dwell for then minutes and then scrubbing it in with a scrbubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine.
The thin grout lines were also treated with the same solution but scrubbed with a stiff brush by hand. This process released the dirt from the tile which was then rinsed away using more water and a wet vacuum to extract the solution from the floor. I then repeated the process until satisfied the floor was clean.
A couple of days later I went back to seal the floor but on removing the dust sheets I could see much of the floor was covered in effervescence from the salts that had risen up through the tile as it dried. I could not seal the floor like that so I applied tile doctor’s new Acid Gel product to get rid the problem.
Sealing Victorian Tiles
A couple of days later I returned again and this time I was able to proceed and sealed the Victorian tiles using eight coats of Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles and will protect the floor going forward.
We recommend using a specialist cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for the regular cleaning of sealed tiles. Never use a steam cleaner on a sealed floor and if you wish to use another product always read the label in detail first, most supermarket tile cleaners are only suitable for ceramic tiles as many are acidic and this will erode and reduce the life of the sealer over time.