Sealing Victorian Tiles Archives - Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

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 »

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Caerleon

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway Caerleon

A customer in Caerleon on the outskirts of Newport asked me to call in to discuss their classic Black and White Victorian tiled hallway floor. The had told me that their floor wasn’t that dirty and just needed a light clean and seal.

I conducted a moisture reading upon surveying with showed the floor was high in moisture in some areas, this information is important as it shows the need to use a fully breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface. If we were to use a less breathable product moisture could build up under the tiles where it will reach out to the walls resulting in rising damp.

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway During Cleaning Caerleon

After conducting a cleaning test on part of the floor, it was evident there was a substantial amount of dirt being held by the tiles. My customer was gobsmacked by this as they clean the floor twice a week minimum. This test proved that the sealer was failing on the floor and dirt was being trapped in the pores of the tile where it is difficult to shift with normal cleaning.

Impressed with the amount of dirt I was able to pull out of the tiles I was asked to schedule a date to return and deep clean then seal the whole floor.

Cleaning a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I began cleaning by applying a mixture of Tile Doctor HBU Nanotech Remover combined with Pro-Clean and left it to soak in for a good ten minutes. This gives it time to work and breakdown the ingrained dirt from foot traffic and any remnants of old sealer. The solution was then agitated and scrubbed with a Silicone Carbide Brush attached to a rotary machine. This action lifted the soiling from the tiles to the surface where it was extracted with a wet vacuum.

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway During Cleaning Caerleon

The brush can struggle to get into the corners to these were hand-cleaned using a 200-grit diamond block and more solution. Once I was satisfied the floor was clean, I moved onto the final phase of deep cleaning. For this I applied a 200-grit burnishing pad lubricated with water followed by a 400-grit burnishing pad. The slurry generated from this process was then sucked up with a wet vacuum.

I then washed the floor with a sponge and water ensuring nothing had been missed then left it to dry for a couple of days leaving the customer with an air mover to speed up the drying.

Sealing a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Once I returned and conducted a moisture reading, the results were good and showed the floor had returned to its previous level and was now ready for sealing. As mentioned previously I would need to use a fully breathable sealer for this work which does limit the options slightly. Having discussed this with the owner previously we agreed to use a Matt sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a fully breathable colour enhancing Matt finish sealer that improves colour and helps the Black and White tiles stand out.

Two coats of Colour Grow were applied allowing thirty minutes between coats. This is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the tile occupying the pores and thereby ensuring dirt can no longer reside there. This ensures dirt or spillages remain on the surface where they can easily be cleaned away. Once dry I used a White buffing pad on my rotary machine to buff the floor ensuring a uniform matt finish.

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway During Cleaning Caerleon

The customer was ecstatic with the results as you can see by the images, a lot of dirt was removed. To maintain the sealer used on the floor I left the customers with a bottle of PH Neutral Tile Cleaner. You do need to be careful when choosing a floor cleaning product as most are simply too strong for use on sealed tiles and will strip off a sealer with repeated use.

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway During Cleaning Caerleon

Professional Cleaning of a Classic Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Monmouthshire

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway Caerleon Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before After Restoration Cwmbran

Restoring a Neglected Victorian Tiled Hallway in Cwmbran

1 Comment / Newport Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Max Iacono

I recently worked on the restoration of a Victorian tiled hallway in Cwmbran Wales which is six miles North of Newport. As you can see from the photographs the floor was in quite a neglected dirty state and many of the the black and white border tiles needed removing and replacing. The worst part was the area by the front door where most of the tiles had been removed and then backfilled with concrete. I can only assume at some point in the past it was deemed to difficult or expensive to restore the floor, so they simply covered it up.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Entrance Before Renovation Cwmbran Wales

After visiting to survey the floor I did offer to source replacements for the concreted section and restore that as part of the work however my client’s budget would not stretch to that at the time. My quote was therefore focused on the main section of flooring and included replacing border tiles, deep cleaning the whole floor and then sealing the tiles to add protection. Although I did need to check that I could indeed source the replacement tiles before being able to provide the quote which as it turned out would not be an issue.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Renovation Cwmbran Wales

They were happy to go ahead and we arranged a suitable time to carry out the work which would enable me to work in the property whilst minimising contact with the owners due to the Covid-19 situation.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I spend the first day sorting out the black and white border tiles which needed to be gently prised out of position without upsetting the main part of the floor. The exposed subfloor was then cleaned up to remove old adhesive and replacements were fitted where required and secured into place. The floor would need to be solid before cleaning so that was left for day two so the new adhesive could go off overnight.

On day two I gave the floor an initial clean using a combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Remove and Go diluted with water. This produces a strong cleaner/stripper that will tackle dirt and remove coatings such as previous sealers. The old tiles had accumulated years of ingrained dirt, so I needed this extra power to remove the years of dirt and contaminates from the tile. It was sprayed onto the tiles and then left to soak in for ten minutes before being actively scrubbed into the tile using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soil was then rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was inspected, and the process repeated on the tough stains until I was satisfied all the dirt had been removed.

Next the floor was treated to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel using a similar method as before. This is an important treatment for these old Victorian floors that have no damp proof course as it neutralises efflorescent salts trapped in the tile which can appear as white salt deposits later. Once I was happy with the condition of the floor it was given a final rinse and left to dry off. I use a wet vacuum to remove liquids from the floor and on this last extraction I spent extra time to remove as much moisture from the tiles as possible.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I came back a few days later and after checking the tiles were dry using a damp meter, I started the application of the sealer. For this floor I applied seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go for a satin finish. Tile Doctor Seal and Go is a specially formulated water-based sealer that provides both stain resistance and a durable low-sheen finish. It is perfect on a floor of this age where it leaves a lovely finish and will remain durable in what is a essentially a high traffic area.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Renovation Cwmbran Wales

Although we didn’t manage to sort out the area by the front door the client managed to fit a made to measure coir door mat along with carpet bar which was quite practical and looked fine so they were able to resolve that problem without blowing their budget.

The client was over the moon with results, the floor had a lovely pattern and the colours now shone through. I suggested the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to keep the floor clean and in good condition. It is neutral in pH so will ensure that the newly applied sealer stays in place and will ensure maintenance is nice and easy for them.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Monmouthshire

Restoring a Neglected Victorian Tiled Hallway in Cwmbran Read More »