sealing victorian tiles Archives - North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation York Guesthouse

Renovating Carpet Covered Victorian Tiled Floors at a York Guesthouse

A guesthouse in the popular city of York contacted Tile Doctor regarding a couple of original Victorian tiled floors in the ground floor hallway. The property was approximately 150 years old and at some point, in the past the tiles had been covered with carpet secured with gripper rods around the edges that were fixed to the tile with a strong adhesive.

The guesthouse had been undergoing renovations and the floors were understandably the last item on the list. The request was to restore the original Victorian floor as close as possible to their original condition and create an impressive period feature at the same time.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning York Guesthouse

After inspecting the tiles, I could see both floors needed repair work however due to the time pressure in getting the guest house open again the request was reduced to a deep clean and then protecting with a hard-wearing sealer. I was happy to do that in fact I find old floors like this example look more authentic when they show some age.

I worked out a quote to do the work which was accepted and was able to find a gap in my diary that suited their timescales.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning York Guesthouse

Cleaning Victorian Tiles Tiles

To get the floor clean a free of adhesive a strong combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Pro-Clean was applied to the tiles and left to soak in for fifteen minutes. This gives the solution time to breakdown the adhesives and dirt trapped in the floor. Then the floor was scrubbed with a 100-grit diamond pad attached to a rotary machine that had added weights to increase traction. We often find when tiled floor have been covered for a long time that patterns in the carpet/underlay imprint themselves onto the tile and a diamond pad will remove it. Once a section of flooring had been cleaned in this the soiling was extracted using a powerful industrial wet vacuum and the process repeated with a 200-grit pad.

To complete the cleaning of the old Victorian tiles they were treated to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which further cleans the floor. It will also counter any salts that may be present in the floor which can appear as white efflorescence as the floor dries. The product was applied to the tiles and then scrubbed in with a black pad before a through rinse and extraction to remove any trace of cleaning product.

The floor responded well to the treatment and was then left to dry so it would be ready for the next step of sealing.

Sealing Victorian Tiles Tiles

To achieve a durable protective finish that can stand up to the constant traffic of a guest house several coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied leaving 30 minutes drying time between coats. This sealer is a hard-wearing impregnator that soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from within and ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation York Guesthouse

The customer was extremely happy with the results and gave us the following five star review:

“Great work by Chris and Zak, they restored our very old Victorian tile floor that we discovered under the carpet and did an amazing job. The colour has returned and the hallway now looks incredible. Very friendly people and easy to communicate with. 100% recommended.”

To get maximum longevity out of the sealer I recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective cleaner. Stronger products that are often used in commercial environments usually contain bleach and will degrade the sealer so best avoided.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation York Guesthouse

Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovation in Yorkshire

Renovating Carpet Covered Victorian Tiled Floors at a York Guesthouse Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Thirsk

Damaged 135-Year-Old Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Fully Restored in Thirsk

This Victorian tiled hallway floor at a property on the outskirts of Thirsk was approximately 135 years old and was in need of deep cleaning and repair. As far as the owners were aware it had never been professionally cleaned but was sealed many times before with some type of varnish/linseed oil.

Unsurprisingly for its age the tiles were fairly worn and unfortunately had some suffered damaged due to the installation of heating pipework that was run under the floor. This area had simply been backfilled with cement and my client asked for this to be replaced with tiles that match the existing type and pattern. The was floor was then to be restored to the best condition possible given its age.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Thirsk

I’ve worked on these sorts of issues before so more than happy to take on the project. It took a little time to track down the replacement tiles but once I had everything costed, I was able provide an accurate quote to the owner who gave the go ahead to start the work.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

To start I gave the whole floor a deep clean with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to remove the several coatings from the tiles worked in with coarse 100 and 200-grit diamond pads fitted to a rotary machine. I also used hand-held diamond blocks around the edges. The soiling was then rinsed off with water and extracted with a powerful wet vacuum.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor During Cleaning Thirsk

Next, I turned my attention to the damaged areas where the tiles had been dug out and backfilled with cement. This cement was at the same height as the floor, so it had to be carefully removed and then replaced with a lower screed mix with protection over the pipes to stop any corrosion.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor During Repair Thirsk

Once the screed had set the area was re-tiled using the replacements I had managed to source earlier making various cuts as required to achieve the original geometric pattern.

The repaired and cleaned floor was then left for approximately four days until it was dry enough to seal. These old floors don’t have the benefit of a damp proof course and sealers work best when applied to dry tiles, so it is always worth waiting if there is any doubt.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

On my return I used a moisture meter to confirm the floor was dry and ready to be sealed.
The hallway is above ground level and away from the problems of rising moisture, however it is important to use a breathable sealer on these old floors that will allow any moisture to evaporate at the surface and not get trapped underneath where it could cause problems.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor During Sealing Thirsk

So, for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is breathable and results in a nice shine finish which the client requested. Four coats where needed before the tiles were fully sealed.

The client was very pleased with the result and even added a tip to their payment.

“Thanks Chris, all paid. – I added something extra for some beers or a meal down at Piece Hall as a thank you!”

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Thirsk

The new sealer will keep the dirt on the surface of the floor where it can be easily cleaned away. For which I recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a gentle but effective product that won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in North Yorkshire

Damaged 135-Year-Old Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Fully Restored in Thirsk Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation York

Carpet Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in York

1 Comment / Victorian Tile Cleaning, York Tile Cleaning / Chris Allen

The photos below are of a Victorian tiled floor at a property in York, which was found under the hallway carpet and underlay. The carpet had been secured with glue which had left a lot of stains on the tile as well as the usual marks and plaster left on the surface from building works. The carpet had done a good job of protecting the tiles, but I could see there was a lot of ingrained dirt in the tile itself which would need removing.

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Before Cleaning

The owners were keen to have the floor restored however It was a busy household and with the hallway being in constant use the work would have to be done in sections to allow for access and completed quickly to minimise impact. I worked out a quote which was accepted, and a date set for the work to be done.

Cleaning Victorian Tiles Tiles

To soften the plaster staining and breakdown the ingrained dirt I sprayed the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Remove and Go and left it to soak into the section of tiles. This is a strong combination of products which combine to produce an effect tile and grout cleaner and coatings remover which will not only clean the tile but also strip off what was left of the original sealer as well as any contaminates.

After ten minutes the solution was scrubbed into the tiles using a coarse 100-grit diamond burnishing pad. The pad scrubs away at the tile and opens the pores in the tile allowing the dirt to be flushed out. The cleaning solution soon turns black with the dirt which is then removed using a powerful industrial wet vacuum. This process was then repeated using a 200-grit pad which further cleans the Victorian tiles and improves their appearance and removed years of dirt and stains.

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile During Cleaning

The floor was then treated to an acid rinse using a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up worked in with a Black scrubbing pad. This treatment further cleans the tiles and will counter any efflorescent salts which can build up in an old floor like this that doesn’t have a damp-proof membrane installed. These old floors need to breathe so moisture can rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface however carpet and underlay prevents this so efflorescence is always a concern. The acidic nature of the product also neutralises the pH level of the floor following the use of the strong alkaline cleaning products earlier.

After a further rinse the floor was dried with the wet vacuum and then left to dry off fully overnight ready for sealing the next day.

Sealing Victorian Tiles Tiles

Upon my return to the property, I took several moisture readings from the tiles which confirmed they had dried and were ready to be sealed. Sealing protects the tiles from ingrained dirt ensuring that dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed.
The sealer chosen for this floor was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which was chosen because its fully breathable thereby allowing moisture to pass through the tile, it also contains a colour enhancer that brings out the red colours in the clay tile.

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile During Sealing

The hallway tiles now looked clean and much brighter, needless to say my customer was very happy with the transformation and by working in sections I was able minimise disruptions.

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile After Cleaning Sealing

Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovation in Yorkshire

Carpet Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in York Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before After Cleaning Headingley

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Entrance Hall in Headingley, Leeds

1 Comment / Leeds Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Nigel Stoker

I recently re-visited a Victorian period property in the Leeds suburb of Headingley which had an unusually large tiled entrance hall which we believe to be as old as the property itself. I say re-visited as I actually gave this floor a deep clean and reseal around five years ago; it’s always nice to be asked to return to a job as it shows the customers was very happy with the work. However, with five years of wear and tear the sealer had worn down and the floor was now starting to trap dirt, also it had lost the attractive shine added by the sealer and the owner felt it was time to have it done again. Additionally, the owner had recently had the whole house decorated and wanted the floor to look its best and match the fresh appearance of the property.

Large Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Sealing Headingley

Sealers do wear off with use and so it is inevitable that the tiles will need to be cleaned and sealed again with time. Given it hadn’t had a professional clean and seal for five years the floor wasn’t looking too bad as you can see from the picture, it was just a bit dull in the high traffic areas such as along the centre. I’ve certainly seen a lot worse.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Initially I wasn’t 100% sure on which cleaning method l was going to use on this floor. Originally l thought about using a coarse 200-grit burnishing pad to take off a couple of layers of sealer and then re-apply 2 more coats. However, the finish on the floor wasn’t even across the width of the hallway and l felt using that approach wouldn’t resolve that. Additionally, a lot of tiles were pitted and a burnishing pad would struggle to get into the holes. So instead I decided to completely strip the floor and re-seal it which would ensure a uniform finish across the floor.

I used a strong 50:50 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean on the tiles and scrubbed it in with a black floor pad which removed the old sealer and ingrained dirt. The large floor pads are not very effective in the corners and edges, so I used a 6-inch red buffing pad fitted to a hand buffer for those. The floor was rinsed with water and the soil extracted using a wet vacuum. After inspecting the floor some areas were retreated with a repeat of the same process.
After a final rinse and extraction of the soiled water the floor was left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day after first checking the floor was dry with a damp meter it was sealed with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This is a water based sealer that gives a lovely sheen and allows the colours to shine through as well as letting the floor breath, which is important in properties of this age that usually do not have a damp proof membrane.

I was very pleased with the finished result as the pictures show and glad that l had chosen to do a deep clean and not just apply more coats of sealer. The client was over the moon.

Large Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning Sealing Headingley

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in North Yorkshire

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Entrance Hall in Headingley, Leeds Read More »

100 Year Old Victorian Tiled Floor Restored in Skipton

1 Comment / Skipton Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Nigel Stoker

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.

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.

The 100 year old floor now looks almost as new and I think you will agree it has been transformed.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor in Skipton

100 Year Old Victorian Tiled Floor Restored in Skipton Read More »