Seal and Go Extra Archives - West Surrey Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled 3D Geometric Patterned Floor Renovation Guildford

3D Patterned Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Guildford

I’ve cleaned many interesting geometric Victorian tiled floors in my career but none so eye catching as this example at a property in Guildford which featured a beautiful 3D pattern. My client had got in touch to see if I could restore the floor back to its original, it was currently looking quite grubby but thankfully appeared to be physically intact with no loose or broken tiles.

I was confident the floor would look great with a bit of love and care and all it needed was a deep clean to extract all the ingrained dirt and then sealing. I provided a quote for the work and arranged a convenient time to complete the work for them.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Mosaic Hallway Floor

It was quite soiled to start with, so I gently sprayed Tile Doctor Pro-Clean over all the tiles, leaving the product to dwell for twenty minutes whilst keeping the tiles moist. Whilst this has happening I setup a weighted buffing machine fitted with a coarse 100-grit diamond pad. I’m able to attach three heavy iron bars to the front of this machine to add more heft to the machine; increasing the weight improves downward pressure and traction to equal a better result.

Victorian Tiled 3D Geometric Patterned Floor During Cleaning Guildford

Applied with water for lubrication the pad is run over each of the tiles in turn. This is quite an aggressive process that cuts a thin layer from the tile which is absorbed into the water turning it into a slurry and ensuring no dust is generated. Marching up and down, slowly from front to rear I slowly deep cleaned the tiles. Once I was satisfied, they were as clean as they could possible be all the waste with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then washed with hot water and then extracted with the wet vacuum again, this was done a couple of times to remove any remaining soiling. Hot water is preferable for this as it evaporates quickly.

The buffing machine doesn’t reach into the corners, so to make sure they were not missed I used handheld diamond blocks; again, rinsing the soil created away with water and extracting with the wet vacuum afterwards.

The floor was then left to dry out overnight and I asked the owners to try and avoid walking on it.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Having discussed the clients’ needs and expectations of the final finish earlier it was clear they wanted the floor to have a subtle shine to it. They had said that a matte finish was a little boring but they thought a shiny finish was a little too much, so we opted for a sheen finish. To provide this effect I had recommended Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a fine compromise that offers a subtle shine and is tough wearing. It’s actually my personal favourite that I use on many types of tiled floor.

So, the following day I applied several coats until I was satisfied the finish was as hoped. The floor looked great and created a stunning entrance to the property. This was now more in keeping with the rest of the original features in the period property.

Victorian Tiled 3D Geometric Patterned Floor After Cleaning Sealing Guildford

My client was over the moon with the work and before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare. I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for regular cleaning; this product won’t impact the newly applied sealer. It’s also mild enough to use every day which is always a possibility in high traffic areas such as a hallway.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

3D Patterned Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Guildford Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Cleaning Sealing Farnham

Victorian Tiled Hallway Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Farnham

This client from Farnham had been in touch regarding their Victorian tiled hallway which needed deep cleaning and re-sealing. As usual I paid them a visit, surveyed the floor, and provided a quote for renovating it which they were happy to accept, there were no broken tiles to remove and replace so it was a straightforward clean and seal. It was a lovely floor which had been laid in a herringbone pattern with lovely black and gold floral inserts and a beautiful green border.

Whilst discussing dates it became apparent that they were planning on having some decorating done in the same area, so I recommended they book me in for a date after the decorators had left. It’s always good practice to get the floor cleaned after your last tradesperson has left, decorators especially have a habit of not covering floors properly.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I turned up on the agreed date and was pleasantly surprised to see there were only a few paint splashes on the floor so I wondered if my comments to the owner must have been passed onto the decorators. The hallway led onto several rooms many of which had new carpets, so with my own advice in mind I made sure to cover them with a plastic sheet before starting work.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor During Cleaning Farnham

The first job was to remove any existing sealer from the tiles using Tile Doctor Remove and Go, this is brushed onto the tiles, left for ten to fifteen minutes, and then scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary floor machine running at slow speed. The resultant slurry was then rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum. It was a small floor so I planned to seal the floor later that day and so I only used a minimal amount of water and used the wet vacuum to remove as much moisture as possible.

Next, I gave the floor an acid rinse by carefully smearing Tile Doctor Acid Gel over the tiled surface. Leaving it to dwell for half an hour yet keeping it moist with water. I then introduced my weighted burnishing machine. Circling the floor, it slightly cuts the tile creating a slurry of tile and dirt. The pads can struggle to get right into the corners so once that was done, I scooted around the edges hand cleaning them with a scrubbing brush and ensuring any paint splashes the decorators had left were removed.

All the waste was extracted, and the floor given a rinse with hot water. I left a small heater on them while I had my lunch. As the gel doesn’t penetrate the tiles like fluid it didn’t take long for the floor to dry sufficiently enough for sealing.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Finally, I applied three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This is a hard-wearing colour enhancing sealer. Each coat takes twenty to thirty minutes to dry. After the final coat I ask that it’s not walked on for a good hour.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Cleaning Sealing Farnham

Once done to the floor looked really clean and the new sealer should keep it that way for many years to come. Before leaving I took time to discuss maintenance cleaning and of course get their feedback which they gladly gave and is copied below:

“Great service. Rupert was professional, informative, friendly clean worker who made a great job of cleaning our original Victorian tiled floor. Tile Doctor were recommended to me by a friend, and I would definitely recommend them and Rupert for tile cleaning.”

For the aftercare of Victorian tiled floors, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which due to its neutral ph makes it idea for the regular cleaning of sealed tiles. Many of the products you will find in supermarkets are simply too strong and will prematurely erode the sealer on a tile and so best avoided.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

Victorian Tiled Hallway Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Farnham Read More »

Small Quarry Tiled Floor Stained with Adhesive and Paint Renovated in Woking

1 Comment / Quarry Tile Cleaning, Woking Tile Cleaning / Rupert Mcloud

This client has lived in the same Woking property for thirty years and had recently decided to lift the linoleum by the back door to the property. Underneath was a small rectangle of Quarry tiles and the decision was made to lift all the lino and see what could be done to restore the original floor.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Renovation Woking

My job was to fully remove the linoleum and adhesive, paint splashes and to seal the floor in what was a high traffic area. Although small, I was aware there would probably be a lot of adhesives to remove, and the tiles may be damaged underneath.

I’ve been a Tile Doctor for many years and if you look at my website, you will see I’ve tackled all sorts of Tile, Stone, and Grout situations. So confident I could restore the floor to their satisfaction and optimistic that the job would not take too long I provided a quote for the work which they were happy to accept, and a date was scheduled for my return.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor

The first task was to protect the surrounding skirting boards and door; then a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied and left to dwell for 20 minutes. This product is a strong alkaline coatings remover designed for use on Tile that breaks down adhesives and other coatings such as paint spots and sealers. Using a coarse 100-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine I set about scrubbing the adhesives from the surface of the Quarry tile.

This is an effective method that not only removes the glue but also cleans up the tile taking away what was probably thirty years of ingrained dirt in the process. Once done the glue and soiling was rinsed and extracted. Stubborn areas and corners were treated by hand using a 60-grit diamond block until I was satisfied the whole floor was as clean as it could be.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor

As we were in the middle of the July heatwave, I was able to dry the tiles quickly, and is it was a small area there was no need to leave the floor to dry off overnight. Wet tiles mustn’t be sealed as the seal will not cure so before moving onto the next step, I took several moisture readings with a damp meter. The floor was soon within acceptable range, so I was able to apply the sealer later that afternoon.

As it was an old house and a high traffic area, I suggested sealing the floor with Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This offers a very strong seal with a nice sheen. It’s not too shiny for an elderly house and will last years, it’s also breathable which is an important consideration when sealing old floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane. I applied two coats, letting them dry in-between.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Renovation Woking

My client was over the moon with the transformation and very pleased to see the back of the linoleum floor which really had seen better days. A light mop using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner would ensure the nice sheen would stay put and the rich colour of the quarry tiles would be maintained. Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner is pH neutral so it is not harsh on the floor and will not damage the newly applied seal, like stronger household cleaners might.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

Small Quarry Tiled Floor Stained with Adhesive and Paint Renovated in Woking Read More »