Grout Clean-Up Archives - West Surrey Tile Doctor

Wax Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Addlestone

Wax Coated Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Addlestone

This Victorian tiled hallway floor in Addlestone is a great example of what happens to tiles when you apply wax. I’m sure it looked great for a while but as you can imagine wax is easily scratched and after a few years it darkens and ends up looking like the photos above.

Wax Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Addlestone

Having surveyed they hallway I could see the floor was in good physical condition with no tile replacements required. I recommended removing the wax (which would not be an easy job), then deep cleaning the floor and then re-sealing with something more modern and appropriate. I worked out a quote which they were happy with and agreed a date for my return.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Working in small section, I applied neat Tile Doctor Remove and Go adding water occasionally so it wouldn’t dry out. This product is a strong alkaline coatings remover that weakens and breaks down the wax so it can be carefully scraped off with a sharp blade. The waste was then removed with a brush and the tiles re-treated with another application. This time applied as a strong dilution and left to soak in for a further ten minutes. Next the product was worked into the tiles using an aggressive carbide brush fitted to a rotary machine to remove what was left of the wax. The waste which was mainly a brown sludge was then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Old Victorian floors don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane so there is nothing to prevent moisture coming up through the floor. As a result, nothing should be applied to the tiles that would prevent moisture rising through the tile and evaporating at the surface. If its unable to evaporate it will pool and reach out to the walls potentially leading to rising damp.

Wax is not a breathable covering so I was concerned at this point that moisture had now built up under the floor and with the wax removed it would rise to the surface bringing with it salt deposits. This is called efflorescence and is a common problem with old floors like this one.

To counter this potential issue, I rinsed the floor with fresh water, and I gave it a gentle acid wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. The acidic formula of this product further cleans up the tiles and neutralises any salts in the process. The solution was then extracted with the wet vacuum and the floor given another rinse to remove any trace of product.

Before leaving, the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum and left to dry out fully overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The next day I checked the tiles were dry with a moisture meter to ensure they were sufficiently dry to take a sealer. Applying sealer to damp tiles can result in a patchy finish and naturally wanted to avoid that.

Once I was happy the tiles had dried, I applied the first of what would be five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra leaving thirty minutes drying time between coats. This product is a water-based sealer so has the advantage of not leaving a smell as it dries. It works really well on Victorian tiles and resulted in a subtle silky finish.

Wax Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Addlestone

Once complete the floor looked great and my client later texted me the following comment:

“Thank you very much on behalf of myself and the family we appreciate your work that you did today I will get on the link and give a feedback”

Wax Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Addlestone

For the aftercare of Victorian Tiles, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a gentle but effective product that being ph neutral won’t damage the sealer which can be the problem with stronger bleach-based products.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

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Victorian Tiled Path Restoration Surbiton

Damaged Victorian Tiled Pathway Fully Restored in Surbiton

I was contacted in February last year by a homeowner in Surbiton regarding the Victorian Path at the front of their property which was in a really bad state. I’ve restored a number of these pathways in the past so I was more than happy to pop over and provide a quote for doing the work. I did mention though that February was not a good time to do the work due to the poor weather and that the work would be done in the spring at the earliest.

Victorian Pathway Before Restoration Surbiton

The path was indeed in a bad state as described so after survey the path and making detailed notes it took me some time to put the quote together. There was extensive damage in two areas and a large crack close to the house. Original vintage tiles are generally available though sometimes stock can run low. I took notes of size, colour, and number needed while the customer made me a cup of tea. Happy with the quote we agreed I would return in May for three days to do the work.

Restoring a Damaged Victorian Tiled Path

This type of job takes lot of preparation, the two areas had to be totally cleaned out, broken tiles removed, mud and foliage disposed of. Once that was done, I set about cleaning up the path and removing old tile adhesive with a power chisel where needed.

Next up was cleaning the remaining existing tiles. Using a yard broom, I spread five litres of Tile Doctor Acid Gel over the whole length from door to pavement. This was left to soak in for thirty minutes so it could really get to work breaking down the ingrained dirt. While this was working, I introduced in my weighted buffing machine, attached a coarse 200-grit diamond burnishing pad, and added some iron bars to weigh the machine down. More weight means improved contact and therefore a better result. Working my way from road to the front door the machine was run over each tile slowly removing the grime and ingrained dirt in the process.

Once complete, all residue and dirt was rinsed off the path and removed with a wet vacuum cleaner. After a quick wipe over with warm water the tiles were left to dry in the sun.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The following day I returned to carry out the tiling of the two gaps. Since quoting for the work in February I had plenty of time to source replacements that were an exact match for the originals. Victorian tiles are still very popular and there are several companies in the UK where you can find a good match for your project failing that there’s always eBay.

Armed with a bucket of adhesive and a tile cutter I spent the whole day laying what is essentially a tile pattern jigsaw. The path was then left to dry overnight. I also taped the area off like a crime scene to ensure pedestrians would steer clear.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The weather window held out and the next day I was able to move onto sealing the tiles with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This is an oil-based sealer that is fully breathable sealer and will cope well with the ravages of the UK weather. The new sealer will protect the tiles for ingrained dirt going forward making the path very easy to clean. Also, the new sealer did a great job of blending in the new and replacement tiles.

Victorian Pathway After Restoration Surbiton

Once complete the path looked like it had only just been laid and was completely transformed by the work I had done. Needless to say, the owner of the property was very happy with the outcome and I bet the postman will be surprised the next time he visits.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Most tile cleaning products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for the sealer and can degrade them prematurely.

Professional Victorian Tiled Pathway Floor Maintenance in Surrey

Damaged Victorian Tiled Pathway Fully Restored in Surbiton Read More »

Exterior Ceramic Tiled Rooftop Patio Grout Cleaning Guildford

Grout Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Rooftop Patio in Guildford

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Guildford Tile Cleaning / Rupert Mcloud

How about this for something different, a roof top patio in Guilford that was tiled with Ceramic Tiles. The work has been done some years prior and I understand from the owner that a crane was needed to bring all the materials onto site. The owner had called me in because grout had turned brown and there was what appeared to be limescale forming in some places.

Ceramic tiles by their very nature are very easy to clean however grout can be problematic due to its cementitious rough texture that can trap dirt and cause it to discolour. Ceramic tiles actually make the problem worse as their glazed coating makes them impervious and dirt washes off the tile straight into the grout line.

Exterior Ceramic Tiled Rooftop Patio Before Grout Cleaning Guildford

It was clear to me that deep cleaning the grout would improve the general appearance of the patio and after agreeing the solution with the client a date was agreed for my return to do the work which should only take a day. I needed a dry period to do the work and fortunately the weather gods were in our favour so the date worked out.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Patio Floor

I returned on the scheduled date and set about preparing the tile and grout with strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This product is our go to tile and grout cleaning product and works best when left to soak in for ten minutes first. I then scrubbed all the grout lines by hand with a wire brush to really work the solution into the grout and get the best result. Once done the now dirty cleaning solution was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Although an improvement there were several areas that had experienced deep seated staining. I suspect the overhanging trees and other greenery were to blame for some of the staining but being outside and exposed to the British weather can also cause issues. To resolve I removed the stained grouting by running a sharp blade along the joints and a Fein oscillating tool. Once done the grout was replaced with a matching product.

Next, I removed the limescale with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and a Stanley blade. For maximum effect the product is left to soak in for around twenty minutes first so I used this time to bring up my machinery in preparation for cleaning the tiles. I use a rotary floor cleaner fitted with a black nylon pad to remove the dirt. After vacuuming away the limescale and other detritus I cleared the area of all tools so I could seal the grout.

Sealing Grout on a Rooftop Patio

I left the patio to dry out for a few hours and then proceeded to apply the sealant for which I used Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. We find the best method is drop the sealer along the grout line using a Pipette and then to rub off the excess later.

Exterior Ceramic Tiled Rooftop Patio After Grout Cleaning Guildford

Sealing grout this way is a slow but very effective method but it’s worth doing as it will protect the grout from future staining, allowing it to keep its appearance for longer and make it easier to clean. I often get asked how long sealers last but it’s a tricky question to answer in this case as being external it really depends on the weather.

Professional Clean of a Ceramic Tiled Rooftop Patio in Surrey

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Soiled Victorian Path Repair Restoration Esher

Neglected Victorian Tiled Pathway Repaired and Restored in Esher

1 Comment / Esher Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Rupert Mcloud

This customer in Esher requested help renovating their Victorian tiled pathway which as you can see from the photograph below was looking very neglected and in a poor state of repair. As well as some damage and missing tiles, dirt had been come ingrained and, in some places, there was vegetation growing between the tiles.

Soiled Victorian Tiled Pathway before renovation Esher

When working on external Victorian tiles like this example you really do need to have warm weather and I will often put requests for restoration work like this one on hold until the spring on summer.

Restoring a Heavily Soiled Victorian Tiled Path

To remove all the vegetation and clean up the tiles, I applied a mixture of acid-based Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and left it to dwell and soak in for a good thirty minutes. This product removes mineral deposits from the tile and will neutralise salt problems such as efflorescence.

The solution was worked into the tiles using a rotary floor buffer fitted with a coarse 100-grit diamond pad. The industrial diamonds in the pad skim the surface of the tile exposing its original colour. All dirt is washed away and removed using a wet vacuum. The tiles were then left to dry.

While drying I carefully removed all the broken tiles with a hammer and chisel. Old Victorian tiles are super tough but often brittle so care must be taken when removing a single tile as very often the one next to it will pop out as a result some tiles should just be left where they are or you end up replacing half the path. I do have to warn customers that due to the age of the installation an “as new” result is an unrealistic expectation. These paths are often over 100 years old and are susceptible to our weather. I often tell customers they can expect some “Characterful” features once the job is done.

Once the path was cleared of debris, I set about cutting and fitting replacement tiles which I had managed to source earlier. Victorian tiles are still very popular and there are several companies in the UK where you can find a good match for your project.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The weather was excellent so it wasn’t long before I was able to move onto sealing the tiles with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a fully breathable sealer that will cope with the weather and as its name suggests it enhances the colours in the tile, the new sealer will protect the tiles for ingrained dirt going forward making the path very easy to clean. Also, the new sealer did a great job of blending in the new and replacement tiles.

Soiled Victorian Tiled Pathway after renovation Esher

Once complete the path was completely transformed and looked so much healthier. Naturally there were some “Characterful” imperfections but as I mentioned earlier this just echoes the history of the property.

Professional Victorian Tiled Pathway Floor Maintenance in Surrey

Neglected Victorian Tiled Pathway Repaired and Restored in Esher Read More »