Victorian Tile Cleaning 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

Wax Coated Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Addlestone Read More »

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

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

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 »

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Before and After Cleaning in Kingston Upon Thames

Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Brought Back to Life at an Esher Flat

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

Esher is a small suburb in Surrey, situated just outside London. It was a fashionable area to live in amongst royalty and the aristocracy in the Victorian period, and during this time many buildings were built.

One such building has since been turned into a block of separate flats, and some of the flats still contain the original Victorian tiles in the hallway. I was contacted by one of these flat owners about restoring their tiles back to the best possible condition. Interestingly this customer’s tiles were part of a larger floor that had been divided between two flats.

Victorian Floor Tile Before Cleaning Esher

Cleaning Original Victorian Tiles

I began the restoration by spreading Tile Doctor Remove and Go across the entire set of tiles. Remove and Go is a heavy-duty stripper that helped to loosen and remove old glue deposits where carpet had been laid over the tile, it will also strip off old sealers and release ingrained muck.

The Remove and Go was worked into the tile and grout with a stiff brush and then the soiled solution rinsed off and extracted using a wet vacuum. I followed by this applying a coarse 200-grit diamond encrusted burnishing pad, fitted to a handheld buffer, to grind away the particularly stubborn dirt and stains to restore the appearance of the stone. Afterwards, I rinsed the tiles again with water and soaked up the resultant slurry with a wet vacuum.

I noticed that there remained several ingrained stains dotted across the floor, so to remove these I aggressively burnished the affected areas with a very coarse 50-grit handheld diamond block. This essentially removed the very top layer of the stone, taking with it the ingrained marks.

Next, I dried the area with a large blower and heat gun. Under normal circumstances, 48 hours needs to pass before the tiles can be sealed, but as this was a small area I was able to dry it very quickly. After carrying out a damp test, I determined the tiles were ready to be sealed.

Sealing Original Victorian Tiles

To seal the Victorian Tiles, I applied six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go sealer, which provides a high-quality sheen finish, as well as plenty of protection for the future. Tile Doctor have a range of suitable sealers available including Colour Grow which provides a matte finish – it’s just a matter of personal choice for the customer.

Victorian Floor Tile After Cleaning Esher

The outcome of the restoration was fantastic and the customer was very pleased, leaving the following testimonial.

“Promptly organised, delivered when promised. Good looking job when complete. Well done.”

Professional Tile Cleaning and Sealing for an Original Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration in Esher

Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Brought Back to Life at an Esher Flat Read More »