How to Deep Cleaning and Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor by Middlesex Floor Care Expert

This lovely Victorian tiled hallway floor in Hampton had been covered with carpet for over 30 years. Having removed the carpet, the owner was keen to restore the floor back to its original appearance. As you can see from the pictures the tiles had some lovely traditional colours which have been hidden away. During that time the tiles had absorbed a lot of soil and were stained by rubber from the underlay causing the colours to fade.

Fortunately, the gripper rods had only been lightly glued onto the tiles and not held down with nails, sometimes with older floors the rods are hammered in place right through the tile causing them to shatter, which makes for a much larger restoration job. I gave them a price for the work which they were happy with, and we arranged a time to return.

 

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To remove the traces of rubber backing, adhesive and years of stubborn soiling from the tiles the whole floor was soaked in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. After a short dwell time we then machine scrubbed with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to restore the tiles to a very clean condition.

The soiling and products were pressure rinsed and vacuumed away, leaving the Victorian tiles much cleaner. I found the best method was to work in large sections of flooring at a time which allowed for the tiles to dry whilst I worked on another section. I was then able to go back and review my work and spot clean stubborn areas until I was satisfied with the result. The wet vacuum removes a lot of the moisture but it needs to be dry before sealing so the floor was then left to dry off overnight.

 

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day we returned and using the damp meter tested the tiles were dry and ready to be sealed. For this we selected to use seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, these were applied leaving each coat to dry before the next one was administered. This left a nice sheen finish on the floor and does a lovely job of enhancing the colours making the tiles look vibrant again. The floor looks great and the hallway is now very inviting.

 
Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare with the owner and recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Fact is most supermarket products are for cleaning Vinyl or Ceramic tiles contain bleach and are simply too strong for use on sealed surfaces such as this floor, using them can prematurely erode the sealer and once that’s gone the floor will have no protection and begin to accumulate dirt.

 

Source: Victorian Tile and Grout Cleaning and Renovation in Hampton South Middlesex

Expert Reveals Insider Knowledge of Edwardian Floor Restoration

I took these pictures earlier in the year when a homeowner got in touch requesting repairs to a Geometric Tiled Hallway floor at their property in Birstall, Leicestershire.

The tiles were made by Craven Dunhill back in the Edwardian Era, a company which is still in operation today. They are an original Victorian Geometric & Encaustic Tile manufacturer and have been operating from their facility in Jackfield, Telford since 1872. The tiles were a lovely example of their work but clearly the tiles were now in need of some work to bring them back to their former glory.

I popped along to the property to have a look at the floor in person, survey the floor and produce an accurate quote for renovating it. I could see there was damage to border tiles from tacks, fixing holes and resin adhesive which indicated the floor had been covered by a carpet at some point in its long history. The main body of the floor also had movement cracks, and a section in front of the stairs had dropped considerably. This was loose underfoot and a trip hazard.


After surveying the floor, I was able to give the owners an accurate quote for repairing and restoring the floor back to its original condition. They were happy with the quote and we agreed a date for my return. Original features like these are well worth preserving as they are very sought after and add a lot of value to a property, especially when the tiles are from a respected manufacturer like Craven Dunhill or Mintons.

Cleaning and Repairing an Edwardian Era Geometric Tiled Hallway Floor

Arriving on the first day, we prepared the area by taping off the surrounding areas with dust sheets. We then began the careful process of repairing the floor starting with the removal of the damaged and loose tiles.


With the tiles removed the next step was to repair the damage to the subfloor using cement to fill the voids and raise the lowered section. Once this has dried the tiling was replaced using a combination of original and replacement tiles. As the manufacturer was still in business the client had managed to source some replacements tiles which made the job a lot easier to complete and would ensure the heritage of the restoration.


Once the tiles had been replaced you could really see the floor was starting to come together and I we were all looking forward to seeing the finished result.

With the repairs completed we carried out a low-moisture restorative clean and seal using Tile Doctors Remove and Go and Acid Gel products along with light diamond pads. This two-stage process remove the build-up of soiling and sealers. Following this the floor was thoroughly rinsed, and the waste extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was then left for a few days to dry out.

Sealing an Edwardian Era Geometric Tiled Hallway Floor

We retuned a few days later and tested the floor with the damp meter to check the floor was ready for the seal. The readings were acceptable and so we were able to finish the floor by apply a protecting sealer. For this floor we selected to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile intensifies the colours and providing durable protection from within. Colour Grow is fully breathable sealer which is a vital consideration for floors of this age which do not have a damp proof membrane installed.


The work took us a week to complete and by the end floor was level and the lovely patten, colours and appearance of the floor was restored as promised. The owners were very happy with the results and new sealer will help protect the floor for up to 5 years if properly maintained with our Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaning Concentrate.




Source: Victorian Floor Cleaning and Restoration in Leicestershire