Victorian Tile Cleaning Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Heywood

Carpet Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Heywood

This client from Heywood reached out for some advice regarding their Victorian tiled floor that needed renovating. It was quite a large hallway and porch that needed attention and having tried cleaning it themselves they realised the tiles contained a lot of ingrained dirt that was proving stubborn to remove.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Heywood

They had uncovered the original Victorian floor under old carpet, and though there was some damage to the perimeter due to carpet fitting and plumbing updates etc it was broadly complete. There was also some work required in the porch due to settlement.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Heywood

The client had attempted to clean the floor themselves as much as they could but there was ground in dirt and staining from carpet glue and paint which meant it looked permanently unclean. In addition, it was ‘sticky’, and unpleasant to walk on due in part to unstable old sealers.

They needed a quote for someone to clean and seal the tiles properly and leave a serviceable floor that could be maintained easily. For now, repairs were to be left except for replacement of a missing piece and re-fixing a few loose tiles at the foot of the stairs.

Happy with the quote, we agreed a date for the work to start.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first job was to re-secure the tiles by the stairs and adding the missing piece of tile that I mentioned earlier. This was followed by removing what was left of the sticky old sealer which was done using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and a 50-grit diamond pad. Coarse pads are ideal for removing the ingrained patterns that carpet can leave on a tile after being covered for many years. The floor was then inspected, and any stubborn areas re-done before extracting the soiling with a wet vacuum.

Victorian Tiled Floor During Cleaning Heywood

The next job was to clean the floor using a gel cleaner called Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. Due to the age of the property and the fact there was a cellar below, I wanted to minimise the use of water, this would also help with drying times. The gel was spread onto the floor with a little water and then scrubbed into the tiles using a 100-grit diamond pad. Once the whole floor was cleaned in this manner the soiling was extracted as before with the wet vacuum.

The last step in the cleaning process was to treat the floor to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid-Gel. This is another specialist Tile Doctor gel-based product that has several benefits including the further cleaning of the tiles, neutralising the PH level of the floor and countering salts which are quite common with old floors.

Victorian Tiled Floor During Cleaning Heywood

The floor was now free of ingrained dirt and staining and after a final rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

I returned the next day to seal the tiles and started by taking moisture readings from the tiles using a damp meter. This confirmed the floor was dry and ready for sealing.

I was then able to move onto sealing the floor using Tile Doctor X-Tra seal which is a long-lasting oil-based impregnating sealer that improves colour in the tile and is fully breathable, an important consideration when sealing an old floor that was previously covered in carpet. This product is also rated for external as well as internal use so its ideal for hallways which can get wet.

Victorian Tiled Floor During Sealing Heywood

Once complete the floor looked new again, much to the delight of my clients who were very happy with the work and left the following comment on our feedback system:

”Kevin was fantastic – he was so helpful and knowledgeable and made our old, tired floor look brilliant. Would 100% recommend”

Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Heywood

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare for which I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, being pH neutral its ideal for the regular cleaning of sealed tiles. Many of the tile cleaning products you find in supermarkets are very strong and will strip the sealer off a floor so always read the label.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Heywood

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Lancashire

Carpet Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Heywood Read More »

Restoration of Victorian Hallway Tiles in Chorley

Joanna contacted us with regard her late Victorian (1893) L shaped tiled hallway at their large family home in Chorley.

They had discovered the floor under carpet during renovation work some years ago and had some work done to replace damaged and missing tiles. However, the floor had not had a deep clean an and therefore much of the floor had ingrained dirt so never looked clean. Having lived with this the problem which had only got worse over time we were asked to finish the renovation.

I went over to property to survey the floor and work out a plan to restore it. Whilst there I realised the property had a cellar and was concerned that water from the vigorous cleaning process may seep downstairs resulting in staining to the ceiling. To avoid this, I realised I would need to complete the cleaning using low moisture gel-based products. Whilst there I also took several moisture readings with a damp meter which indicated that it would be best to use a fully breathable non acrylic sealer to protect the floor.

Following the survey, I was able to work out a comprehensive plan for restoring the floor and provide the owner with an accurate quote for the work which was accepted.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Working in sections work commenced with a layer of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which was left to dwell before working it in with a low-speed weighted buffer fitted with a coarse 100-grit milling pad. The slurry generated was then vacuumed away before giving the floor a light rinse, working in small sections, and quickly vacuuming away the waste.

To further clean the tiles a thin layer of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was then applied and after five minutes scrubbed in using a 200-grit coarse milling pad, vacuuming the waste away afterwards.

With the floor showing great improvement we set about tidying up the edges using a set of diamond hand burnishing blocks. A scraper and a hand brush were used to remove paint splashes, carpet adhesive and dirt already loosened by the main clean. This was followed with the application of a 400-grit burnishing pad, again working in small areas to minimise water getting into the floor

Last step of the restorative cleaning process was to treat the tiles to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This was allowed to dwell for around five to ten minutes before being worked in with a Black scrubbing pad. The acidic nature of the product neutralises the alkaline cleaners used earlier and dissolves alkaline salts built up in the tiles which is a common problem on these older floors. The soiled solution was extracted as before and rinsed thoroughly with cloths and water to minimise moisture levels, vacuuming away the waste as I went.

The floor was allowed to dry thoroughly, and a damp meter reading confirmed the moisture levels back to where they started. A quick dry burnish using an 800-grit burnishing pad with dust vacuumed away was the final preparation before sealing could commence.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

After testing sealers, the preference was to revive the colours in the tile and give the floor a subtle sheen. Based on this I applied Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which was ideal for as first coat revived the colours in the tile and the second coat added a very subtle sheen finish.

After allowing the floor to partially dry, a light burnish with a soft white pad was the final part of the process.

Joanna stated she was very pleased with the results, and we discussed aftercare using Tile Doctor’s pH Neutral cleaner to prolong the life of the sealer. She also later gave a 5 Star review along with the following comment:

“Kevin was excellent. He responded promptly to my enquiry and answered all my questions. Delighted with my lovely clean floor!”

Victorian Floor After Renovation Chorley

Professional Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

Restoration of Victorian Hallway Tiles in Chorley Read More »

Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration Wigan

Restoration of Victorian Tiled Hallway in Wigan

1 Comment / Victorian Tile Cleaning, Wigan Tile Cleaning / Kevin Parry

Lyndsey and Mick from Wigan contacted Tile Doctor earlier this year after uncovering a beautiful Victorian tiled floor in their hallway. Keen to have it restored as an original feature they requested a quote to get a restorative deep clean, some minor essential repairs and sealing.

Victorian Hallway Before Restoration Wigan

I went over to the property to survey the floor and provide a quote for its restoration. I could see that the previous owners had glued carpet and underlay directly onto the tiles and though the new owners had managed to get a lot of that off there were some stubborn areas remaining. On top of that the tiles were very grubby and in need of a good deep clean. Finally, some loose tiles needed fixing, and they wanted the worst of the broken tiles sorted whilst retaining as much original floor and character as possible.

After discussing expectations, it was agreed to accept the history and disturb the original screed and fixed tiles as little as possible simply re-fixing where needed, replacing the missing and shattered ones, then cleaning and sealing to give an attractive, serviceable and useable floor in keeping with the age of property.

The quotation was to carry out a deep restorative clean of the hallway tiles to remove heavy soil and strip old sealers using both low moisture gels and a weighted low speed mechanical buffing machine fitted with suitable pads. All soiled gel being removed with a wet vacuum system. The edging was to be hand finished as necessary and the floor is then to be neutralised to prepare for sealing. The hall had a small number of broken/loose tiles that are to be reset or replaced (precise details to be provided by client). Once fully dry the floor would be protected with a breathable sealer to protect and enhance the floors colours.

Happy with the detailed quote and much encouraged that their hallway floor was going to be restored the quote was accepted and a date set for the work to begin.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Having unloaded our equipment, we started the cleaning process with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This product is a coatings remover which will breakdown the glue and other contaminants. It was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before carefully scraping the worst of the glue off with hand scrapers.

Victorian Hallway Restoration Equipment Wigan

This work continued with a 100-grit soft milling pad fitted to a weighted buffing machine running at slow speed. A wet vacuum was used to remove the waste generated and then it was followed up with an application of Tile Doctor Oxy Gel. This product was allowed to dwell for a little longer before buffing with a 200-grit soft milling pad and extracting as before.

Victorian Hallway During Restoration Wigan

The pads can struggle to reach into the perimeters so the edges and corners were cleaned by hand with diamond blocks as needed. Again, vacuuming away the waste afterwards.

Next, the floor was treated to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel to further clean the tiles and neutralise the floor after the use of alkaline cleaning products. As before it was left to soak in for a short time before being scrubbed in with a black pad. The floor was then rinsed with water, working in small areas and quickly vacuuming away the waste to minimise the moisture.

Victorian Hallway After Cleaning During Drying Wigan

Next, the floor was dried before carrying out a small number of tile resets and some repairs to the doorway. The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The following morning, I wanted to make sure the tiles were dry enough to take a sealer so several moisture readings were taken with a damp meter to confirm. The readings were fine so we were good to go.

The Victorian tiles were then sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal with the sealer applied in sections working through the hallway until complete. X-Tra seal is an oil-based impregnator that improves colour and works well on Victorian tiles, its also rated for external use so ideal for hallways.

Victorian Hallway After Sealing During Drying Wigan

Once touch dry a second coat was applied to give the floor a nice sheen. The final step was to gently buff the floor using a white pad to remove excess sealer and bring up the appearance. A couple of hours later we inspected the floor before leaving a very happy customer.

Lyndsey commented:

Great work, just finished sealing our floor, but it looks fantastic already. Kevin has been very informative along the way as well and I would recommend him, and this company, to anyone else who is thinking of having similar work.

For aftercare of sealed Victorian tiles, I recommend Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a gentle yet effective tile cleaner that’s safe to use on sealed tiles.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

Restoration of Victorian Tiled Hallway in Wigan Read More »

Victorian Minton Tiled Floor Restoration Wigan

Old Minton Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Repaired and Renovated in Wigan

Victorian Tile Cleaning, Wigan Tile Cleaning / abzdominise

Earlier this year I was contacted by a homeowner from Wigan who could not believe it when they took up the old hallway carpet to reveal a lovely, but neglected, Victorian Minton tiled floor. Although the carpet had offered some protection It was covered with paint splashes and marks and there were some loose, cracked, and missing tiles.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Renovation Wigan

Whilst the clients had removed as much paint of as possible, lots of splashes remained. They wanted it cleaned, made sound, and missing tiles replaced before sealing also, if possible, have the cemented door threshold replaced with matching tiles. Basically, they wanted to retain the character of the floor and only replace where necessary.

Deep Cleaning Old Victorian Floor Tiles

To begin, I took moisture readings over all areas due to be worked on; an old floor like this will have been laid before Damp Proof Membranes (DPM) were made standard so its useful to get a baseline moisture reading. Next the floor was cleaned using Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which was scrubbed into the tiles using 50 and 100-grit pads fitted to a rotary floor buffer running at slow speed. Gel cleaners are ideal for use on floors without a DPM as they use less water which keeps the moisture levels lower. The resultant soiling was then extracted using a wet vacuum and the floor inspected. Stubborn marks and inaccessible areas were spot treated by hand with more Oxy-Gel and Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU Remover.

The next step was to give the tiles an acid wash using another gel product by Tile Doctor called Acid Gel. A 200-grit pad was used to work this into the floor and then it was removed using the wet vacuum as before. This product serves two purposes, first it will counter any efflorescent salts in the tile and second it neutralises the pH level of the floor following the use of the alkaline cleaning products used earlier.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Floor

The floor was Left to dry overnight, and I returned the next day to make the tile repairs discussed earlier. Victorian floors are still popular to this day so finding replacement tiles that match the originals isn’t a problem although they do need to be cut to fit the original size and pattern.

Victorian Tiled Floor During Renovation Wigan

Using the replacements and unbroken original tiles I was able to re-sit the loose tiles and replace the missing and damaged tiles whilst maintaining the character of the original floor.

Sealing Old Victorian Hallway Tiles

The floor needed to be dry before applying the sealer and so before getting to work I checked the floor with the damp meter and compared it with my previous readings. The use of gel cleaners had worked a treat, and the readings were all within range.

The sealer applied was Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an impregnating oil-based sealer designed to occupy the pores in the tile so dirt can’t become ingrained there. This keeps the dirt on the surface where it can be easily removed. X-Tra seal is fully breathable and rated for indoor and outdoor used so will cope easily with any dampness rising through the floor.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Wigan

The job took three days in total and on returning home on the last day and seeing the results the customer immediately commented “I love it, great job thank-you”. They also left the following review the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“Kevin was very responsive and talked us through exactly what the job entailed. We’re extremely pleased with the end result, just how I wanted my 130 year old minton tiles to look.”For aftercare cleaning of sealed Victorian tiles, I recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild but effective tile cleaner that’s safe to use on sealed tiles. Its important to use a cleaning product like this as stronger product can erode the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Care Wigan

Victorian Floor Restoration in Greater Manchester

Old Minton Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Repaired and Renovated in Wigan Read More »

Stained Victorian Tiles Before After Renovation Ramsbottom

Restoring Badly Stained Victorian Floor Tiles in Ramsbottom

1 Comment / Ramsbottom Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

A customer from Ramsbottom contacted us to see if we were able to help with the renovation of a small section of Victorian tiling in their hallway. Another company had already tried to treat them chemically but without making any progress in removing the stains.

Stained Victorian Tiles Before Cleaning Ramsbottom

I visited the property to survey the problem tiles and recommend a way forward. In most cases we like to carry out a site visit to get an accurate idea of the problems before quoting for the work. Whilst there I ran a test clean on part of the tiles and slowly but surely, they responded to the treatment and they condition visibly improved. Impressed with the initial results I was asked to continue, fortunately my schedule was light that day, so I was able to work though without too much impact to my schedule.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

My initial thought for cleaning was to try using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a cleaner and stripper which is safe to use on tiles and stone. The previous company had used a chemical product, but it wasn’t clear what they had used. Tile Doctor Remove and Go usually works well in these situations but it was clear my result would not have been enough of an improvement so a different solution would be needed.

Stained Victorian Tiles During Cleaning Ramsbottom

To resolve this, I tried hand-held abrasive diamond blocks, first 400-grit without improvement, then 200-grit without improvement, 100-grit no improvement and then eventually 50-grit and I started to see a result. It was clear only a very abrasive 50-grit pad would improve these tiles. It was a small area, so I set about using a combination of small coarse 50-grit pads and followed up with 100, 200 and 400-grit pads and blocks to remove scratches and renovate the tiles following the use of the very abrasive grits. The tiles were also rinsed repeatedly during this process to remove the slurry generated. The waste was extracted using the wet vacuum. It took forever to get the tiles clean, but the results were brilliant.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Once I was happy all the Victorian tiles were as clean as they could I gently speed dried them using a heat gun. The last step in restoring the tiles would be to apply a sealer and so it was important the tiles were dry first. Once I was happy the tiles were dry, they were sealed them with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that protects from within by occupying the pores in the tile where dirt can become ingrained. The sealer gave the tiles a nice sheen without being too shiny, this product also allows the floor to breath, which is vital on a floor of this age where no damp proof membrane will have been installed. Whilst I was there I also did some work re-grouting the adjacent York Stone floor which was of a similar age and needed some TLC.

Stained Victorian Tiles After Cleaning Ramsbottom

The pictures really speak for themselves. The customer was beginning to think it couldn’t be done so I was glad to be able to get them in such a nice state, especially considering the previous company could not lift their appearance.

The customer was very happy and left the following feedback.

“Kamila was a very professional and friendly person who has done an amazing job on my floor! Both cleaning and grouting! They look amazing!! I still have no idea how she managed it with little mess leaving the rooms clean and tidy! Thank you Kamila! I have already recommended her to friends!!”

Professional Restoration of Stained Victorian Tiles in South Lancashire

Restoring Badly Stained Victorian Floor Tiles in Ramsbottom Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated for a Property Investor in Burnley

1 Comment / Burnley Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

A property investor contacted Tile Doctor to see if we could help renovate a property that was to be sold in few weeks’ time. To get maximum value from the investment she wanted to preserve the character and period features of the house including the Victorian Tiled Hallway floor, which as you can see from the photograph below was in need a bit of TLC!.

Victorian tiled floors and other period features have become very popular in recent years and are often discovered under hallway carpets covered in years of dirt. Fortunately, they are very resilient and with the right techniques and products can be restored back to their former glory.

Victorian Tiles Before Renovation Burnley

On our initial visit I conducted a survey of the floor to check its condition and work out the most suitable products and methods to employ to restore it. One of the main concerns we have with these old floors is damp as damp-proof membranes were not invented until relatively recently. I have a damp meter to check for this and it did indicate high moisture levels which isn’t really an issue for cleaning the floor but would restrict our choice of sealer to those which are fully breathable and allow moisture to rise-up through the tile. We agreed a price and schedule with the customer and within two weeks we were able to start the work.

Cleaning an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was in quite a state, made worse I suspect by recent restoration work by other contractors who unfortunately didn’t take as much care with the floor as the could have done.

After protecting the skirting boards and carpets with film work got underway starting by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the floor to strip away old sealers and other coatings. This product also helps to break down the paint stains on the surface of the tile, though I also used a handheld scraper, as well as a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad, to speed up the process. The resultant slurry was rinsed off the floor with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

With the floor clean of coatings, the next step was to deep clean the tiles with a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an effective Tile and Grout cleaning product that deeply cleans away ingrained stains. Again, we used a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine to make the job easier. Corners were tough to tackle with a machine, so we had to do them by hand.
The floor was given a final rinse to remove any soil and trace of cleaning product and the wet vacuum was used a final time to extract as much moisture out of the floor as possible. Upon finishing the cleaning, we left the floor for a few days, so it could dry out fully.

Dealing with Efflorescence

When we came back to seal the floor we noticed problems with white salt deposits coming to the surface of the tile a problem known as efflorescence. I had suspected this might become an issue but there was no indication of it happening before so was not overly concerned at the time. However, it meant I could not seal the floor as planned until the efflorescence had been dealt with. Fortunately salts like these can be treated and to resolve the problem I gave the floor a wipe with a solution of Tile Doctor Acid Gel which is a blend of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids in a gel form, formulated to remove grout haze (grout smears) and treat efflorescence. Once this was done the floor was given a light rinse and dried again.

Sealing an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I left the floor to dry again for a few more days and on my return, I was pleased to see the problem had not resurfaced and I was able to complete the restoration with the application of a sealer.

To seal the tiles, I used a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is a penetrating sealer designed to soak into the pores of the clay thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained whilst additionally enhancing the colours in the tile. The sealer really deepened the colours in the tile bringing them to life and with Colour Grow being fully breathable there shouldn’t be any issues with damp becoming trapped under the tile and causing issues later.

The customer was delighted with the results (see feedback below) and the work we did should more than pay for itself when the house goes on the market.

“Thoroughly impressed with Kamila, she was so lovely, professional and thorough! Our tiles look amazing and I was especially happy with how quick she sorted that floor out from the first email I sent. Janice M., Burnley”

Victorian Tiled After Renovation Burnley

Professional Restoration of an Old Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Lancashire

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated for a Property Investor in Burnley Read More »

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South Lancashire Tile Doctor

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