tile cleaning Archives - Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor Restoration Newport

Repair and Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor in Newport

The client had lived at this property in Newport for a few years and decided that it was finally time to sort out the Victorian tiled floor in the dining room. Some repairs were needed in a few areas and the sealer was fading and due for replacement.

Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor Before Renovation Newport

I went over to the property to survey the floor and advised that with repairs, cleaning and sealing the process would take two and a half days. Having worked on many many floors like these before I was very confident that we could repair the floor where needed and restore its appearance.

During the visit I noticed that at the door threshold leading into the kitchen, some of the tiles had been taken up for a gas pipe repair and back filled with cement, I suggested I could repair this section using matching tiles, so I included it in the quote. The quote to renovate and repair the floor was accepted and the job was booked in.

Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor Before Renovation Newport

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor

I began by addressing the tiling issues so my first course of action was to set matching tiles along the doorway border leading to the kitchen, as the previous tiles had already been removed by the gas company it was fairly straight forward job of carefully knocking out the cement. The tiles I had sourced were from a nearby reclamation yard and needed to be carefully cut to size to ensure a good fit with the original. After setting the tiles and grouting I left them to dry overnight.

The following day I began cleaning, using a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Pro-Clean, leaving the solution to dwell after being brushed into the floor. After around ten minutes the floor was scrubbed by hand with a stiff brush to release the dirt from the tiles. The resultant slurry was then vacuum away and with the floor cleaner I was able to get a better idea of which areas needed more attention.

I restored the perimeter of the floor with a 200-grit diamond block and this was followed up with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary machine. These coarse pads cut into the tile surface removing years of grime and giving them a new lease of life. After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the whole floor had a much brighter appearance. The process was then repeated with a 400-grit diamond pad to close the pores of the tiles.

The floor was then washed by hand with water and a sponge to make sure there wasn’t any areas missed, also to ensure there was no residue from the cleaning products left on the floor which could potentially disrupt the sealing process. The floor was then left to dry overnight ready for sealing the following day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Dining Room

To assist with drying I asked the client to leave a couple of air movers running during the evening and to put them back on in the morning. This worked well and by the next day I was able to confirm the floor was dry and ready for sealing with a moisture meter.

The client had requested a satin finish and so the sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Seal and Go, four coats were applied to the tiles a permanent wet look and gorgeous lustre. Another advantage of Seal and Go is that it’s a water-based sealer so it doesn’t give off a smell as it dries.

Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor After Renovation Newport

For aftercare I left the client a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the appearance of the floor. This is a gentle tile cleaning product that won’t harm the sealer, many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for a sealed floor.

Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor After Renovation Newport

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Floor in Monmouthshire

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Dull Slate Tiled Kitchen Dinning Room brought back to life in Pontypool

1 Comment / Slate Tile Cleaning, Usk Tile Cleaning, Work History / Max Iacono

This Slate tiled floor at this house in the Pontypool was laid over ten years ago in the kitchen/dining room. The floor had ground in dirt into the tiles and grout which the client wanted brought back to life.

Repairing and Cleaning Dirty Slate Tiles

I could see the tiles would need to be deep cleaned so I started the cleaning process with a strong combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to strip away the old sealer and Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to get the tiles as clean as possible. The solution was scrubbed into the tile and grout using a rotary machine fitted with a black 17” scrubbing pad. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soiled residue was extracted with a wet vacuum.

This process was repeated until I was satisfied all the sealer and dirt had been removed from the tile and then I concentrated my attention on the grout lines using more Pro-Clean and a stiff wire brush to get them as clean as possible.

With the tile and grout as clean as it was possible to get it, I gave the whole floor a final rinse to neutralise the cleaning products and then extracted as much moisture as possible from the floor with a wet vacuum and left the floor to dry overnight.

Sealing Slate Tiles

When I returned to the property I made sure the floor had dried by checking for any dampness with a damp meter. If you neglect to remove all excess moisture from the surface of the tiles before sealing it will impact the effectiveness of the sealer.

Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry, I proceeded to seal the tiles using Tile Doctor Seal and Go which will protect the floor from staining in the future and adds a nice sheen to the surface. The Slate was quite porous so I found eight coats of sealer were needed to fully seal the floor.

I think you will agree the floor now looks amazing!

Dull Slate Tiled Floor Restored to health in Monmouthshire

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Black and White Patterned Victorian Tiles Restored in Newport

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

At Tile Doctor, we often come across Victorian tiled hallways in need of restoration. They’re very popular due to their timeless and unique patterns – and as a result are still in production, having first being produced in the 19th century. While many have been maintained in their original state since first being laid (which is sometimes over a century ago), others have been hidden by carpet or linoleum for many years, only to be uncovered by new property owners.

In this case, at a property in Newport – the port city of South East Wales – the Victorian tiled hallway had not been subject to an effective cleaning plan leaving the fantastic white and black checkered pattern grubby and unsightly. I was asked if I could help bring it back to life – and I was happy to oblige!

Cleaning a Dirty Victorian Tiled Hallway

I started the restoration by applying a strong cleaning solution combined from mixing two Tile Doctor products in equal parts namely Remove and Go and Pro Clean. Together they create a powerful sealer remover and cleaner to break down any remaining old sealers, paint whilst lifting ingrained dirt and muck from the pores of the tile.

The two products were worked into the tiles using firstly a 17 inch black buffing pad to remove the initial layer of dirt, followed by a 6 inch buffing pad, wire brush, and hand-held scrapper to remove the more stubborn specks of paint and dirt. The resultant slurry was then rinsed away with water and a wet vacuum and stubborn areas retreated until I was satisfied. The results were great so after a final rinse I left tiles to dry off.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

A couple of days later, after leaving the tiles to dry completely, I went back to the property to seal the floor. I checked first for any excess moisture as this can cloud the sealer and prevent it from acting an effective barrier against dirt and stains.

My choice of sealer included one coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to restore the rich colour to the black and white tiles, followed by seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to provide an aesthetically pleasing sheen finish. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that penetrates the pores of the tile to fill them and prevent dirt becoming trapped, while Seal and Go is a topical sealer that builds up an additional layer of protection on the surface of the tiles.

The combination of fresh sealers, preceded by a deep and thorough clean, really helped to restore these Victorian tiles to a condition in which they could be easily mistaken for newly laid! The customer was very pleased and undoubtedly will be looking forward to showing off the tiles to friends and family.

Professional Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration by Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

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Lifeless Victorian Tiled Hallway Rejuvenated in the Caldicot

1 Comment / Caldicot Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Max Iacono

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.

Victorian floor tile before deep cleaning Caldicot

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.

Victorian floor tile after cleaning and sealing Caldicot

The floor now looks much fresher and the sealer should keep it looking that way for some time to come.

Professional Victorian Tiled Floor Cleaning in Monmouthshire

Lifeless Victorian Tiled Hallway Rejuvenated in the Caldicot Read More »

Classic Victorian Patterned Tiles Rejuvenated in Newport

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

This black and red Victorian tiled hallway at a property in Newport, the third largest city in Wales, had a timeless charm about it, and a classic diamond pattern. Unfortunately, the tiles had lost their colour, leaving them looking dull and lifeless. It was clear to me, upon further inspection, that the existing sealer had failed, allowing dirt to become trapped in the pores of tile.

This can be a very difficult problem to rectify without the right professional assistance; everyday household cleaners are rarely suitable for sealed floors and acidic cleaners can actually male the problem worse. The tiles needed a deep clean with strong products, followed by a fresh, robust surface seal to prevent dirt from becoming trapped again in the future.

Cleaning a Dirty Victorian Tiled Floor

I started cleaning the tiles with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, worked in to the stone as per usual by using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Pro Clean is a reliable alkaline cleaner that works well on most kinds of natural stone, and while I could see it made a difference here, it was clear something stronger was required to remove what was left of the old sealer.

To remove this, I applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which is a dedicated stripper that is safe to use on tile and stone for the purposes of breaking down old sealers, waxes, paints, and adhesives, and this proved effective in getting rid of all the old sealer.

Once the cleaning was complete, I rinsed the floor thoroughly to remove any trace of chemicals left over from the cleaning products, before leaving it to dry overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

I came back to the property the next day and, after checking the floor was completely dry, I proceeded to seal the floor using eight coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This types of sealer is known as ‘topical’, which means that it builds up a solid layer of protection on the surface of the tile. Topical sealers tend to be more suitable to Victorian and Quarry tiles as they typically require a lot of sealer due to their porosity and these types of sealer are less costly. Seal and Go also adds a nice aesthetically pleasing low sheen finish.

As you can see from the second photo, this did wonders to the tiles and really brought this classic Victorian pattern back to life. Another satisfied client for the Monmouthshire Tile Doctor.

Professional Cleaning and Sealing of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Monmouthshire

Classic Victorian Patterned Tiles Rejuvenated in Newport Read More »

Terracotta Tiles Ingrained with Dirt Cleaned and Sealed in the Forest of Dean

1 Comment / Monmouth Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work History / Max Iacono

Terracotta may be one of the most aesthetically pleasing types of tiled floor, but as many of our customers will tell you can be particularly difficult to keep clean. This is due to the naturally high porosity of clay, which allows dirt to become very easily trapped. Quite commonly this situation is made worse by a lack of an adequate sealer to block the intrusion of muck. Of course, poor quality cleaning products also make it difficult for property owners to keep their Terracotta tiles clean, and a combination of the two problems can leave these floors looking a lot like this one, located in the kitchen of a house in the beautiful Forest of Dean.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Forest of Dean Before

The property owner was keen to have me restore some character to her dull Terracotta tiles. It was proving increasingly difficult for her to keep them clean due to the reasons described before, and the grout had also become very dirty. So, the customer turned to me for some professional assistance.

Cleaning a Dirty Terracotta Tiled Floor in the Forest of Dean

While these Terracotta tiles had been sealed previously it had, over time, lost its ability to protect the stone against ingrained dirt. To remove the old excess sealer my product of choice was the heavy duty soil remover and stripper, Tile Doctor Remove & Go, which I applied liberally across the surface and scrubbed in to the tile used a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. This also helped to remove the trapped dirt and left the stone looking fresher.

Once the old sealer was removed – to be replaced with a fresh sealer once cleaning was complete – I was free to focus on the troublesome grout lines with Tile Doctor Pro Clean, an alkaline cleaner that reliably breaks down dirt. When cleaning the grout, I opted to use a handheld grout brush that allowed for more precise, careful application of the product.

As per usual, the floor was given a good rinse and left to dry for 24 hours.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Floor

Upon returning to the property I checked the floor was completely dry, ready for sealing. My process for sealing actually involved the application of two different kinds of sealer; initially I applied a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which has soaks into the pores of the tile and has the added bonus of enhancing its natural colours.

Once this had dried I then applied ix coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, a product which forms a durable layer of protection of the surface of the tiles and at the same time provides a lovely sheen finish.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Forest of Dean After

The combination of the two sealers will certainly offer a long-term solution to the ingrained dirt problem, and the appearance-enhancing properties in the products really helped to transform the tiles from dull and dirty to lively and eye-catching. Nonetheless, before departing the property, I also left my very pleased customer with some cleaning advice for the future.

Professional Terracotta Floor Cleaning and Sealing in Monmouthshire

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Lifeless Victorian Tiled Hallway Rejuvenated in the Forest of Dean

1 Comment / Monmouth Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Max Iacono

This Victorian tiled hallway at a house in the Forest of Dean had a very interesting pattern, consisting of an array of different colours, including shades of red, yellow and blue. Unfortunately, as you can see from the first photograph below, the tiles had lost all life, with the colours largely masked by months’ – or maybe even years’ – worth of ingrained dirt and muck. The floor as a whole was also suffering from a number of loose tiles that needed to be reset before it could be cleaned.

The property owner was keen to employ some professional assistance to restore the appearance of the floor and prevent it from getting in an even wrote state, and so contacted Tile Doctor who have a lot of experience working with Victorian tiled floors.

Repairing and Cleaning Dirty Victorian Tiles

As mentioned, the loose tiles had to be repaired before the cleaning process could be started. I removed the tiles and extracted excess grout and old adhesive from the exposed concrete substrate using a vacuum, before putting the original tiles back into place and fixing them back into position carefully using fresh adhesive and matching grout.

Once happy the replaced tiles had set, I started the process of cleaning the entire area of hallway tiles using a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to strip away the old sealer and Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU (formerly Ultra Clean) remover to get the tiles as clean as possible. The latter product contains nano-sized cleaning particles (hence the name) to reach difficult areas of trapped dirt, making it more effective than your run-of-the-mill tile cleaner. These two products were scrubbed into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soiled residue was extracted with a wet vacuum.

I then paid particular attention to the grout, applying our alkaline-based multi-purpose cleaner Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the grout lines, before scrubbing them with a narrow grout brush. This quickly had the grout looking clean again: I’d even go as far as to say that it matched it seamlessly with the fresh grout that had just been laid.

With the tile and grout as clean as it was possible to get it, I gave the whole floor a final rinse to neutralise the excess chemicals. I extracted as much water as possible with a wet vacuum and left the floor to dry overnight.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

My first task upon returning to the property the next day was to check for any dampness. If you neglect to remove all excess moisture from the surface of the tiles before sealing it is more than likely going to cloud the sealer, rendering it less effective I’m protecting the stone against ingrained dirt and stains.

Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry, I proceeded to seal the tiles using multiple costs of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. Seal and Go is what we would classify as a topical sealer, meaning it rests on the surface of the tiles to act as a durable layer of protection against all kinds of muck. While providing surface protection, Seal and Go also adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles, as per the customer’s request.

The customer was quite amazed at how quickly the appearance of the tiles had been restored. It was fantastic to see the colours we both knew were hidden in the tiles come to life once again. Another satisfied customer for sure!

Professional Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration in the Monmouthshire

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Glue and Paint Stained Quarry Tiled Hallway Restored in Abergavenny

1 Comment / Abergavenny Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work History / Max Iacono

It’s almost inevitable that tiled floors which have been covered by carpet, paint, or linoleum for many years will be in a sorry state when they are finally unveiled. However, many property owners and renovators are keen to restore original tiled features, and in the majority of cases require assistance which is where we step in.

Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning

These Quarry tiles were in particularly bad condition: the property owner had been unable to remove the old red paint and carpet which had stuck to the tiles with what appeared to be Grip Fill adhesive. While the owner had already booked a carpet fitter to change the carpet on the nearby staircase, they asked me to clean and seal the Quarry tiles on the same day, meaning the job would have to be carried out quickly and efficiently. The house was located in the Monmouthshire village of Abergavenny, which is sometimes promoted as the “Gateway to Wales”.

Cleaning a Dirty Quarry Tiled Floor

My first concern when cleaning these tiles was removing as much of the old glue and carpet as possible. I did this manually using a six-inch handheld scrapper together with wire wool. Then, to take the cleaning process one step further, I followed up by applying a 50/50 mixture of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Tile Doctor Pro Clean, before scrubbing these into the tiles with a pad fitted to a rotary machine.

While this achieved some good results, there were still some stubborn areas left over. To tackle these, I applied Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU, a remover specially designed for heavy soil buildup. It utilises nano-sized particles to get beneath tough stains and dissolve them, and did exactly that with the difficult adhesive staining here.

Once the floor was clean I gave it a thorough rinse and removed any soiled cleaning residue using a wet vacuum. I then left it to dry off completely for a few hours.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

Since this was quite a small area it soon dried and with the carpet fitter now out of the way I was able to complete the sealing later that afternoon. I did this using seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, which is a water-based sealer (so no smell as it dries) that builds up a durable layer of protection on the surface of the tiles. It is a more cost-effective sealer for hard wearing internal surfaces like Quarry, Victorian tiles and Slate and the result is a durable and aesthetically pleasing low-sheen finish.

Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor After Cleaning

As you can see from the photograph, the newly restored Quarry tiles work very nicely in tandem with the new staircase carpet. Considering the very poor condition of the tiles before this work was carried out, it’s safe to say the customer was very pleased with the transformation.

Professional Quarry Tiled Hallway Renovation in Monmouthsire

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