Victorian Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Victorian tiles carried out in Dorset

Cleaning and Renovating Victorian Tiles

Commonly found in the hallways of oldder UK properties Victorian tiles are very hard wearing and can provide a classic look to any space. We often find that the beauty of these tiles are hidden under years of grime and neglect and are often covered up with carpets etc as tastes have changed over the years. If this sounds familiar then all is not lost as they can be restored.

The standard bearer for quality Victorian tiles was a firm called Minton Hollins, an English manufacturer who made a very good product which lasted the test of time. Victorian building practices however did not include the use of damp proof membranes and we often find damp can be a major issue with these old floors leading to salt problems known as efflorescence.

Common problems we face when restoring Victorian tiles are the removal of carpet glue, paint splashes and cement. Loose and cracked tiles can also be a problem however due to their popularity we usually find finding replacement tiles isn’t a problem.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Reproduction Victorian Tiled Floor Before and After Cleaning

Reproduction Victorian Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed

Dorchester Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History /

This reproduction Victorian tiled floor comprised around 20sqm in the hall and dining room. It had previously been sealed using a rubber based sealer that had got dirty over time, the problem with wax and rubber based sealers especially is that dirt eventually gets ingressed in the sealer and then it just becomes un-cleanable.

Reproduction Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning

Cleaning the Victorian Tiled Floor

The first step was to remove the old sealer with a product called Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a powerful coatings remover, once applied its best to leave it for a while to soak in before scrubbing the floor with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad; A steamer was used to deal with stubborn areas. The floor was then deep cleaned using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline tile cleaner and the floor scrubbed again using a rotary machine fitted with black scrubbing pad to work the cleaning solution into the floor. The soiled solution was removed from the tiled floor using a wet vacuum and then washed down using a hot pressure wash.

Reproduction Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

We left the floor to try for a few days before coming back to seal it using Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour intensifying penetrating sealer providing durable surface protection whilst allowing the surface to breath.

Reproduction Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning
 

Reproduction Victorian Tiled Floor cleaned and re-sealed in Dorset

Reproduction Victorian Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed Read More »

Victorian Tiled Floor Before and After sealing with colour grow

Victorian Tiled Floor hidden under Carpet restored

Victorian Tile Cleaning, Wimborne Tile Cleaning, Work History /

This Victorian tiled floor had been discovered under a carpet in a house in Blandford Forum by the customer and they wanted it restored back as close to its original condition as possible. The floor had been preserved well under the carpet although it had lost its vibrance and there was evidence of adhesive staining along the perimeter so I suspect the carpet had originally been glued to floor.

Victorian Tiled Floor before Cleaning

Cleaning the Victorian Tiled Floor

Cleaning the floor was straightforward and just needed a deep clean using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline tile cleaning product together with a rotary machine fitted with black scrubbing pad to work the cleaning solution into the floor. The soiled solution was removed from the tiled floor using a wet vacuum and then washed down with a hot pressure wash. To remove the adhesive staining we used Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a multi-purpose coatings stripper that will usually remove pretty much anything, unfortunately even when applied with a steamer we couldn’t remove the staining completely; sometimes damage and stains to old tiles like this are permanent and you can never guarantee removal of everything all you can do is your best.

Victorian Tiled Floor Midway through cleaning

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

In order to blend in the stained tiles we choose to seal the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour intensifying penetrating sealer providing durable surface protection whilst allowing the surface to breath, overtime further coats of Colour Grow will help to blend in the staining. All in all the results were fantastic and the floor was well worth restoring despite the permanent stain.

Andrew was very polite, turned up when he said he would, rang the day before to say what time etc he would be here. He explained everything very well. – Mrs. Clarke

Victorian Tiled Floor after sealing with colour grow

Victorian Tiled Floor cleaned and sealed in Blanford Forum

Victorian Tiled Floor hidden under Carpet restored Read More »

Sealed with Pro-Seal

Sealing Reproduction Victorian Tiles

Dorchester Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History /

These Victorian Tiles had been laid in a hallway floor of a house in Dorchester ten years prior and sealed with what turned out to be an impregnator that had long ago lost its strength through oxidation and years of cleaning with flash which is far too strong and attacks sealers. What was left of the sealer was easily stripped off with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean agitated using a rotary scrubber and then washed down with a hot pressure wash.

Before Restoration During Cleaning

Sealing Victorian Tiles

We offer the customer a choice when it comes to choice of sealer as there are a number of sealers we recommend and each one can leave a different finish, we can also apply a sample of the different sealers to a few tiles but it isn’t always a reliable way of telling the difference. In this case we sealed the Victorian tiles with 8 coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which is ideal for Victorian tiled floors and leaves a low sheen finish.

Sealed with Seal & Go for a traditional finish
However the story doesn’t end there, the customer decided the Victorian tiles looked too shiny and wanted a more matt finish. It’s the customer’s choice in the end so we removed the Seal and Go and sealed the tiles again using Tile Doctor Pro-Seal which is a no-sheen, natural look penetrating sealer and the results were great. For regular cleaning of sealed floors we recommend using a Neutral PH cleaner such as Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner.

Sealed with Pro-Seal

Cleaning and Sealing Reproduction Victorian Tiles in Dorchester

Sealing Reproduction Victorian Tiles Read More »

=================================

Bournemouth Tile Cleaning, Bridport Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Christchurch Tile Cleaning, Dorchester Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Ferndown Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Lyme Regis Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Poole Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandbanks Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Sherborne Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Swanage Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Weymouth Tile Cleaning, Wimborne Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History /

Dorset Tile Doctor

================================= Read More »

╳
Scroll to Top