Sprucing up a Victorian Tiled Hall in West Yorkshire

Most stone and tile benefit from the protection that a sealer provides to stop dirt becoming ingrained into its pores. However, the act of walking on the tile causes wear and this over time will lead to the sealer wearing off and dirt reaching the pores; the worse thing is you rarely notice it happening because it takes a long time to wear down a sealer. Most of my customers have this problem and call on me to clean and reseal the floors every few years when it becomes difficult to clean effectively. The alternative which I do for a number of my clients is to have the floor lightly cleaned and a new layer of sealer added every six to twelve months. This Victorian tiled entrance at a period house in Ilkley was not in too bad a shape just a little dirty and dull and the owner was keen to have is renovated in the run up to the Christmas holidays. Ilkley is a lovely town in West Yorkshire which became very fashionable in the Victorian era due to the health benefits of the local water, this led to a lot of Victorian architecture and tiled entrance floors like this one are very typical in the area.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Entranceway

To get the dirt out of the tile and grout I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the tiles and left it to soak in for fifteen minutes. Pro-Clean is a very reliable cleaner for all types of tile and grout including natural stone, Limestone, Slate and Travertine, amongst others; additionally, when used in a strong dilution it will strip off old sealers. The solution was then worked into the tile using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine and the soil extracted using a wet vacuum. I gave the floor a light rinse with water to remove any trace of cleaning products and then inspected the floor to ensure it was up to standard. At this point I could see there were flecks of paint on the tile around the edges of the floor from previous decorating work and, so I removed carefully removed these with a scrapper and a hand-held diamond block. The floor was given a final rinse and the wet vacuum used to extract as much moisture from the floor as possible before leaving it to dry for the evening.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Entrance with a Matt Finish

I returned the next day to seal the floor first discussing the finish that the customer wanted for the tiles. Typically, I recommend using a satin sealer for Victorian tiles as it adds a nice sheen to the tile however surprisingly the owner wanted a matt finish. Tile Doctor has a full range of sealers available to cater for all requirements so for this floor I applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which leaves a matt finish whilst enriching the colours in the tile.


The tiles are now full of life and with the paint specs removed there is now a crisp black edge between the floor and the skirting which the customer also picked up on.



Source: Victorian Tile Cleaning and Restoration Service in West Yorkshire

How to Prepare Uneven Subfloors for Laminate Flooring

Before installing a laminate floor, you must make sure the subfloor is completely level. Not only is trying to install laminate over an uneven subfloor difficult, but also it can be dangerous. To make a subfloor suitable for installing laminate, check out this basic guide, first.

What You'll Need:

• Nails
• Hammer or nail gun
• Plywood
• Self-leveling compound
• Trowel
• Laminate pad
• Moisture barrier

Assessing the Subfloor

First, assess the severity of the uneven subfloor. If you have a concrete floor, you must use a self-leveling compound to level the floor out. If you have a wood floor, you can follow the same process. However, if the wooden floor is severely uneven, you should consider installing plywood over the top of the floor to create a smooth, level surface. Decide which leveling method suits your needs, and follow the directions for your chosen process below.

Applying Self-Leveling Compound

If you have a concrete subfloor, or a wood subfloor with only minor leveling issues, you can apply self-leveling compound to even it out.

Step 1 – Mix the Compound

Mix up the self-leveling compound in a bucket. Follow the directions provided on the bag to mix it properly.

Step 2 – Use a Trowel

Next, use a trowel to apply the self-leveling compound to the problematic areas. The compound will move into the valleys in the floor that need to be brought back up.

Step 3 – Allow to Dry

Give the compound adequate time to dry before proceeding to install laminate. If you need to, you can follow the above process again to apply a second coat of self-leveling compound to make the floor more level. Then, follow the directions below to install the pad.

Installing Plywood

If you are working with wood subfloor, and you find that there are some extremely uneven surfaces, you may want to apply new plywood over the top of the subfloor.

Step 1 – Lay the Plywood

First, take the plywood and lay it down on the floor. Plywood will be big enough to span the distance of any imperfections in the floor, making it level.

Step 2 – Use Nails

Then, hammer or use a nail gun to drive nails into the plywood. Make sure the nails are long enough to go through the plywood and into the subfloor.

Installing the Pad

Once you’ve leveled your floor, you can install the pad. If you’re on a concrete subfloor, you will need to lay down a moisture barrier before applying the pad. To help level out the floor even more, select the thickest pad you can. Then, place the pad and get ready to install your laminate flooring.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Restoring an Old Victorian Tiled Floor in the West Midlands

Sandwell forms part of an area in the West Midlands which is popularly referred to as the ‘Black Country’. This area industrialised rapidly during the Victorian period and, with the building of many new factories came the building of many new houses for workers.

A good number of these Victorian properties survive, complete with original Victorian tiled floors. However, homeowners aren’t always aware that these tiled floors exist, since they have often been covered up by carpet or linoleum. We find that when new homeowners discover these original tiles, they are usually keen to restore them to their best possible appearance. This requires professional assistance.


A customer who lives in the Warley district of Sandwell recently contacted me about the restoration of a 120-year old Victorian tiled hallway that they had discovered underneath an existing carpet. As expected, the tiles were caked in deposits of adhesive, cement and paint which had accumulated over several years. Making matters worse, the customer had also spilt more paint on the tiles during decoration work.

Cleaning an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway

I began the restoration by cleaning the tiles with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, a strong alkaline cleaner which is perfect for removing grime from heavily soiled and neglected natural stone. The product was applied liberally across the area and left to dwell for a short period. It was then worked into the tiles using a specialised rotary cleaning machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

The now soiled cleaning solution was subsequently rinsed away and the floor then rinsed with clean water. Stubborn paint marks and cement were carefully scraped off the tiles by hand. A solution which combined more Pro-Clean and Tile Doctor Remove and Go (a stripping agent) was applied to the tiles to help remove any old and now ineffectual sealer, as well to fully remove any of the particularly stubborn marks.

After being worked in again with a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine, the excess cleaning product was rinsed away using water and the floor was dried off with a wet vacuum.

As tiles of this age were usually laid without a damp membrane in place underneath them, they can be especially prone to efflorescence (salt) deposits. To help prevent this, Tile Doctor Acid Gel, which is a combination of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids, was applied. This will help to neutralise any alkaline salts that might threaten to penetrate up through the tiles to leave unsightly white marks. 

After the floor was rinsed once again, I proceeded to re-grout a few areas of the floor where the grout had worn away over the years. Once I was happy with the clean tiles and fresh grout, I left the floor to dry off overnight.

Sealing an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway

The next day the tiles had thankfully dried completely and were ready to be sealed. Since the customer had requested a sheen finish, as opposed to be a natural matte finish, I opted to use a combination of two different sealants.

The first to be applied – to bring out the colour in the tiles – was Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This product impregnates the tiles to protect them against ingrained dirt, but it leaves a matte finish. Therefore, I added five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to provide not only extra protection, but also a high-quality sheen finish.


I left the customer, who was delighted with the results, with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product will serve as a reliable cleaning product for the routine maintenance of the tiles, ensuring they continue to look fantastic.


Source: Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Birmingham

Deep Cleaning a Slate Tiled Floor after Building Work in Surrey

Converting a barn into a property can be an exciting project, but it certainly doesn’t come without a range of challenges. If done correctly, they can look amazing and are well worth the effort. A recent customer of mine had spent the last six months converting a barn into a residential property in the West Surrey town of Farnham. While the project had been a big success, the house had been subjected to high traffic from dozens of carpenters, electricians and builders. This had taken its toll on the newly installed Slate tiled floor – so the property owner asked me to restore it to its peak condition to complete the conversion once and for all.


Before accepting the job, I strongly advised the customer that I should be the last workman out of the door. In my experience few tradesmen are known to take care of other peoples work and any further work being done in the property could potentially spoil the appearance of the Slate tiles.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Floor

The customer was happy for me to proceed, so on the agreed date I returned and started the work by laying down a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean across the floor. Pro-Clean is an alkaline-based cleaner which breaks down all manner of dirt and grime. This was a large area of tiles, so I worked on individual sections of 3m2, first soaking the Slate in Pro-Clean and then waiting ten minutes for it to soak in and then following with a nylon black scrubbing pad fitted to a 17-inch rotary buffing machine to work the cleaning product into the stone. The tiles immediately came up looking much cleaner. Any excess water and chemical slurry was vacuumed up promptly with a wet vacuum. The tiler had done a good job of laying the floor and removing any excess grout as normally my next step at this point would be to give the floor an acid wash, but it wasn’t necessary. Once the tiles had been cleaned to the best of my abilities and given a thorough rinse, I left the property for 48 hours to allow any water that had seeped into the tiles to evaporate. This is important as excess moisture problems can prevent the tiles from being sealed correctly.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Floor

On returning to the property a couple of days later, I swept away any bits of dust and debris and then proceeded to seal the tiles with Tile Doctor Colour Grow.


This impregnating, colour-intensifying sealer enhanced the stunning natural brown, gold and orange shades in the stone. Two coats of the sealer were applied to achieve a brilliant natural-look finish and robust protection against future wear and tear. Restoring the appearance of these Slate tiles put the finishing touches on this fantastic barn conversion. Needless to say, the customer was very pleased with the results.




Source: Slate Floor Cleaning and Sealing in West Surrey

What Are the Drawbacks of Using a Self-Leveling Compound?

A self-leveling compound is ideal in smoothing out un-leveled wood floors and concrete floors. Concrete floors may have bumps, especially if poured incorrectly; wood floors often have problems with dips and bumps. It is important that the floor is leveled and smoothed when planning to do a ceramic floor tiling. When a floor that is to be placed with ceramic tile is uneven, there is a greater chance that the floor tiles will crack and not last over time; a self-leveling compound will prevent this, although it's not always a perfect solution.

Disadvantages
A self-leveling compound can dry extremely fast. You may only have about 20 minutes to mix, pour and even out the self-leveling compound. Therefore it's important for a person to have all the tools and materials needed in mixing, pouring and spreading the self-leveling compound.

self-leveling compounds do not provide stability on the subfloor or the surface where the tiles are to be placed. If the wood subfloor loosens, the self-leveling compound may break up, causing the loosening and eventual damage of the ceramic floor tiles. It is therefore important that the stability of the subfloor should be ensured first, before applying any self-leveling compound on it.

Another disadvantage of using a self-leveling compound is that it does not stick well to a subfloor with dust and grime. The subfloor needs to be cleaned from dust and grime before a self-leveling compound is applied; it needs to be spotless.

Preparation Concerns
self-leveling compound needs to be carefully mixed to the right consistency before it's poured in the subfloor. The self-leveling compound does not even itself out, so using a squeegee or trowel is essential in smoothing it out. Again, since there's only about 10 to 20 minutes before the self-leveling compound dries out, you have to move quickly to spread and even out the mixture.

Problems
A self-leveling compound can also break up easily when it's mixed with extra water. Never try to put additional water in the self-leveling compound mixture to try to loosen it up. Instead, focus on quickly working and spreading the material to the subfloor surface.

A self-leveling compound will be set after half an hour or so. In two to four hours, the surface that was applied with self-leveling compound can be walked on. Ceramic floor tiles, however, can be used 24 hours after the self-leveling compound was put on the subfloor.

self-leveling compounds can also remain glued on tools like the trowel and the bucket. It's important to immediately wash the tools used in applying and smoothing out the self-leveling compound, otherwise these tools will permanently have the compound affixed to them.

Health Hazards
Before using a self-leveling compound, read the directions first. Always ensure that safety procedures are followed while working with the it. Breathing in dust that comes from the application of the self-leveling compound can pose health risks.

You should know the drawbacks of using a self-leveling compound. Knowing these will ensure that you are better prepared when handling and using it.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Renovating a Dull and Dirty Victorian Tiled Floor in Yorkshire

As promised below are the photographs from the second floor I cleaned recently at a house in historic city of York. If you recall the first floor was Mexican Terracotta which proved pretty tough to clean as the rotary floor scrubber I use struggled to cope with the bull nose edges. You can find the article I created for that floor via the link below: Mexican Terracotta Tiles Deep Cleaned in York. The second floor was a Victorian tiled hallway which like its neighbour was dull, lifeless and now overdue a deep clean to remove ingrained dirt, part worn sealer and then reseal.

Cleaning Victorian Tiles Tiles

As with the Terracotta tiles I cleaned the floor using a strong 1:3 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with water. This is a strong dilution ratio which will not only clean the tile but also strip off what was left of the original sealer. You need to do this as the sealer will wear off first in the most commonly used part of the floor first which in this case is down the middle of the hallway. I left the solution it to soak into the tile for about ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. I the scrubbed along the grout lines with more pro-clean and a stiff narrow brush by hand to ensure the grout was also clean. The floor was rinsed with water and the soiled cleaning solution was extracted using a wet vacuum. I could then see those area’s that needed more work and re-treated them with more Pro-Clean until I was satisfied all the previous sealer was gone and the tile and grout was as clean as it could be. The tiles were given a final rinse with water and the wet vacuum used again to extract as much moisture off the floor as possible. The next step would be to seal, however the Terracotta floor tiles needed a longer drying time so I left both floors to dry out for two days before returning.

Sealing Victorian Tiles Tiles

Upon my return to the property I ran some quick damp tests, which revealed the tiles were ready to be sealed. I then applied four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which provided a beautiful satin finish that really improved the look of Victorian Tile.


The hallway tiles now looked clean and much brigher, needless to say my customer was very happy with the transformation.


Source: Victorian Floor Cleaning and Renovation Service in Yorkshire

Install Commercial Floor Tile

Q. Does anyone have any instructions or opinions commercial tile? I'm planning on 1/4 plywood over a very old linoleum floor that has only two "bad" spots - one from old coal stove "foot" other 4"'x4" area that looks like it cracked.

A. Directions for tile installation are usually found on the back of the box. Vinyl composition tile (VCT) requires a very smooth surface for installation because tile will show every imperfection. Check to see if you will need to undercut your door jambs so tile can slide beneath. You will want to undercut to accommodate the thickness of tile plus new underlayment if installing over wood subfloor. You will need to remove shoe mold from baseboards. If you plan on reusing it, number the pieces so you will know where they go back. Remove transition strips in doorways.

If installing over a wood subfloor, you should install 1/4" plywood underlayment for vinyl floors. Staple it rough side down. Nail or staple every 5-6 inches in the middle of the boards and every three inches on edges. Remember if you choose not to install new underlayment, tiles will show every flaw. If installing over concrete, it will need to be very smooth, clean, and dry. A leveling compound may be necessary if it is not flat and smooth.

Stagger seams of underlayment and leave a 1/4" expansion gap between boards. Set all nails or staples below surface of wood. Sand all seams between boards to make them smooth. Vacuum all dust from boards.

Mark the center of the room. Mark the center along walls. Snap a chalk line across the width and length of the room. Where the chalk line crosses in the middle of the room, check with framing square to make sure the marks are square. Then, test fit tiles. It's best if you don't end up with less than half a tile along walls. You can adjust your reference point if necessary.

Nail a scrap piece of wood to make sure your first row of tiles will be straight. Use 1/16" notched trowel to apply adhesive. (Read and follow manufacturer's instructions.) Don't spread more adhesive than you can cover with tiles in 15 minutes. Wear gloves to keep adhesive off hands. Make sure the area is well ventilated. The first tile is placed in the center of the floor in line with the marks on the floor. Lay tile down the length of the room. Align tile carefully and wipe away adhesive if it oozes out. Check for arrows on back of tile and make sure they all point in the same direction.

Once all the tiles are laid, go back and install edge tiles. These will probably need to be cut. Lay a tile on top the last full tile near the wall. Line up edges and pattern lines very carefully. Place a tile against the wall and let it overlap the loose tile you placed on top of the installed tile. Use a pencil to mark along edge of overlapping tile. This is where you will cut with a utility knife. It may take several times to cut through tile. Place cut tile in position in adhesive. Continue along edge of room making your cuts and installing edge tiles. Then, the floor is best rolled with a 100 lb roller to make sure tiles are well adhered to floor. Reinstall shoe mold or install new. Reinstall transition pieces in doorways.

Note: Tile and adhesive should acclimate for at least 24 hours in room where it is going to be installed before installation.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

New Life for Old and Yellowed Linoleum

Linoleum, or 'sheet flooring', is made by pressing various fillers, such as ground-up cork and wood dust, along with pigments, into a binding material, usually linseed oil and resins. This composition is applied to a canvas or felt backing. Unknown to most homeowners, linoleum is easily affected or damaged by hot water and strong alkaline cleaners, especially ammoniated ones in addition to the obvious factors like solvents and oils. According to experts, linoleum must be protected with a water-based sealer/finish.

Please follow these easy steps to upkeep a linoleum floor:

1. Strip floor with a mild solution of a non-ammoniated stripper diluted in lukewarm water according to directions. Test any chosen stripper in a corner of the room to make certain that it doesn't affect the floor in any way before using.
2. Rinse and neutralize with a new, clean mop and a white vinegar rinse (1 cup vinegar into 1 gallon of cool water)
3. Rinse again with a clean mop and just plain cool water.
4. Allow floor to dry.
5. Using fresh, clean rayon mop, apply MEDIUM coat of sealer/floor finish. Do not allow puddling or dripping of floor product onto floor.
6. Allow floor to thoroughly dry.
7. (Optional) Only if necessary, apply a second, THIN coat of sealer/finish. Allow floor to thoroughly dry.
8. Sweep the floor daily.
9. Damp mop weekly with a "neutral" floor cleaner diluted according to direction.

CAUTION: "HOT" water and/or any harsh ammoniated ( like "Mr.Clean ) or solvent-based ( like "Lestoil" ) will turn the linoleum "yellow" (or create "yellow spots") and degrade the bonding oils. If yours has yellowed it must be either lightened or removed through a bleaching action. You must "bleach" the floor, perhaps, back over several times. Dilute 1 part chlorine bleach with 3 parts cool water. Apply liberally and evenly onto floor and allow to stay for 30-45 minutes. If stain appears to be lightening, repeat process. If not, wet floor with bleach solution again and sprinkle scouring powder containing "chlorine bleach" onto it. Then scour floor. Immediately, rinse floor thoroughly with cool water. Neutralize floor with a vinegar rinse (1 cup of vinegar to 1 gallon of water). Then damp mop rinse with water one last time. You may have to repeat this process several times before a visible change is noticed. If nothing happens, you may have to get use to looking at yellowed linoleum.

Before attempting this suggestion on entire floor test an inconspicuous yellowed area with same procedure. If successful without harming floor, then proceed onto rest of flooring.

Source; www.DoItYourself.com