Acid Gel Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation Uppermill

Deep Cleaning and Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor in Uppermill

The photographs below are from a property in a Victorian terrace in Uppermill with an original tiled hallway floor. The client had been renewing the flooring in the house and discovered the tiles under the hallway carpet. Realising the tiles were original from when the terrace was built it was decided to see if they could be restored as an original feature.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Victorian Uppermill

I popped over to survey the floor and was able to report that the carpet had kept the tiles in good physical condition albeit there were some holes from where the carpet gripper rod had been secured through the tile. I created a quote for repairing the damage and a low moisture clean and seal which was accepted, and a date agreed for the work to start.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Victorian Uppermill

Old floors like this don’t have a damp proof membrane to prevent moisture rising from the foundation so they can suffer from damp and with it the appearance of efflorescent salts. Using a lot of water during intensive cleaning can make this worse so we opt to use gel cleaning products that reduce the use of water.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

In this case work started by applying Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel to the floor, leaving it to dwell and then scrubbing it in with a rotary floor machine. This was then quickly rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum.

During the cleaning I realised some of the carpet must have been secured with glue and to deal with this I spot cleaned along the edges and glue staining with handheld burnishing blocks and Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a stripper that’s safe to use on tile and stone. The floor was inspected again and stubborn areas re-treated using this process.

Last step in the cleaning process was to give the tiles an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid-Gel which is another gel cleaning product. This was pasted on as before, left to soak in and then scrubbed in using the rotary fitted with a black pad. The acidic nature of this product has several advantages; it cleans the tile of grout smears and neutralises alkaline salts lurking in the floor that could lead to efflorescence appearing later. The floor was rinsed and extracted again and then left of several days to dry out.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor During Cleaning Victorian Uppermill

Before leaving for the day, I spent some time going around the floor and filling the gripper holes with a specialist colour matched filler.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

When I returned some days later, I checked the floor for damp using a moisture meter. The readings were good, so we started with the sealing. For this I applied a couple of coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal which is a modern fully breathable oil-based sealer that adds texture to encaustic tiles, improves colour and generally lifts their appearance. I tend to mix in a little Tile Doctor Colour Grow into the X-Tra seal before application as this makes it more manageable.

Once done the floor was buffed with a white pad to remove excess sealer and bring up the appearance of the tiles further. X-Tra Seal is a hard-wearing impregnator that works by occupying the pores in the tile thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there, keeping it on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Victorian Uppermill

My client was very pleased with the result and left the following feedback:

“Kevin was a very friendly and helpful person. He made my hall tiles come up almost like new. Where I used to be ashamed of my hallway, I now want to show everyone them. They look amazing now, thanks to Kevin. I will not hesitate to recommend to my friends and family. Thanks, you so much Kevin.”For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor’s Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective product that won’t impact the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Victorian Uppermill

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Lancashire

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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

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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.

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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

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