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Victorian Hallway Floor Renovation Crosskeys Newport

Deep Cleaning 70 Years of Ingrained Dirt from Victorian Floor Tiles in Crosskeys

The Victorian tiled floor you can see below was discovered under a carpet at a property in Crosskeys on the outskirts of Newport. The owners understood it had been covered up for seventy years, yet remarkably it was still in good condition and they were keen to restore the floor as an original feature.

Having removed the carpet, they decided to have a go cleaning it themselves however soon realised there was more to this than they had bargained for including the need to seal the tiles. After doing more research on-line they decided to ask Tile Doctor to pop round and provide a quote.

Victorian Hallway Floor During Cleaning Crosskeys Newport

I paid a visit to the property and conducted a test clean on a small part of the floor. Although it appeared to be clean it was evident from the test that there was a substantial amount of dirt that was still being held by the tiles. My client was gobsmacked by this as they had been cleaning it themselves.

I took time to explain how porous these encaustic cement tiles can be, and without an effective sealer in place dirt had become lodged deep within the pores of the tile and this needed to be flushed out before being re-sealed. Happy with my quote and keen to make the floor more manageable I was given the go-ahead to do the work.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On my return I started the cleaning with a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was wiped over the entire floor and left to soak in. After fifteen minutes I used a 17-inch black pad attached to my rotary machine to scrub the solution deep into the floor and lift the ingrained dirt. The resultant slurry was then extracted using a wet dry vacuum.

After the floor was clean, I went around on my hands and knees using a 120-grit diamond block and blade scraper to remove any other debris that the machine could not reach such as in the corners, followed by a clean rinse with water ensuring there was no residue left on the floor.

The floor was then dried with the wet vacuum and left to dry for 24 hours.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned later the next day and after confirmed the tiles had dried set about applying a sealer. The sealer works be preventing dirt from becoming ingrained in the porous tiles, keeping in on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Tile Doctor have numerous sealers available for Victorian floors however in this case the client wanted a satin/wet look finish so we went with Tile Doctor Seal and Go.

Victorian Hallway Floor After Cleaning Sealing Crosskeys Newport

Several coats were needed to fully seal the tiles but it was well worth the effort as the sealer really brought the best out of the tiles and give the floor a very pleasing finish. The clients were extremely happy with the job and asked me to return later to work on renovating the bathroom tiling.

To maintain the sealer and to prevent accelerated break down I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner. Unlike the household cleaners on the market which tend to be acidic and break down the seal, this product will be gentle on the floor, it is mild enough to use daily and will ensure the floor stays looking great.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Monmouthshire

Deep Cleaning 70 Years of Ingrained Dirt from Victorian Floor Tiles in Crosskeys Read More »

Badly Maintained Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Chepstow

I received a request to quote for the restoration of this Victorian tiled floor in the hallway of a property in Chepstow. As you can see from the photograph below was in a very poor condition.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Chepstow

I visited the property to survey the floor and could see that although it had not been well maintained it was in good physical condition except for a few loose tiles. From experience I knew it would respond well to a deep clean and seal, so I carried out a test clean on a small area to demonstrate its potential. The tiles came up well and my client was satisfied it would be worthwhile to have it restored.

I worked out a quote which was accepted and a date set for the work to start which would take two days.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

To get all the dirt out of the pores of the tiles I started with a strong dilution of Tile Doctors Remove and Go. This was sprayed onto the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a 17” Black pad fitted to a rotary machine.

It’s always difficult to find out the history of a floor but from what I could tell the tiles had been exposed to a variety of contaminants including paint, plaster, cement, and worn in dirt. Luckily, Remove and Go can handle all of these. I had to repeat the process on the stubborn stains and then removed all the slurry and dirt using a wet vacuum.

I then moved onto the loose tiles which needed to have the old adhesive removed from the tile and the base. The original tiles were then cleaned up by hand before new rapid setting adhesive was applied to secure them back into the floor.

Once the loose tiles had set, I moved onto the next step of giving the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This product further cleans up the tiles by removing old grout smears and dissolving efflorescent salts in the floor. This is a common issue in properties of this age which do not have a damp proof membrane to stop moisture rising through the tile. This process also neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline cleaning product. The floor was rinsed again afterwards, and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum before leaving it to dry overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Kitchen

The next day the moisture levels of the tiles were checked with a damp meter to ensure they were dry enough to be sealed. The readings were fine, so I was able to start applying the sealer. In this case two coats of Tile Doctors Colour Grow sealer where applied which is a colour enhancing impregnator that allows for moisture vapour transmission. This is a super durable product which will give great protection to the floor, especially when it is in a high traffic area such as a hallway.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Cleaning Sealing Chepstow

Once complete the floor was transformed and my client was extremely happy with the result. To maintain the sealer and to prevent accelerated break down I left the client with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Ph Neutral Tile Cleaner.

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