Victorian Floor Restoration in Hale, Cheshire

A video about a Victorian tiled floor that we restored at a house in Hale, Cheshire, you can see from the photographs in the video how bad the condition is. In spite of it, the tiles were structurally sound so we set about restoring it.

Victorian Floor Thorough Cleaning

The tiles were plastered with old resin, glue, trapped dirt, possibly wax as well, so the best system for Victorian Floor Tiles is to cover the Tiles with a 50/50 mix of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and NanoTech Ultra-Clean; the Remove and Go breaks down the wax, glues etc. while the Nano-Clean works deeper in to the tiles and encapsulates the trapped dirt. It does take time for this process to work however so to help the process along we soak the area with these products, cover over with a plastic sheet and then leave it. The plastic sheet stops the products from drying out and also makes the floor sweat which works like a sauna to open up the pores of the Tiles. We then cover the plastic with Cotton Dust sheets and leave it like that overnight, the customer can still walk on the Floor area while the Treatment is in place.

The following day we removed the plastic and steamed the whole surface to help release the old trapped dirt and grime etc., the floor is then given a good rinse with clean water and we use a wet vacuum to remove the resultant slurry. We couldn't seal the floor that day as it was still wet so the cotton sheets were put back on and switched on a dehumidifier to help speed up the drying process.

Victorian Floor Sealing

We returned the next day and after testing the floor with a damp meter to ensure it was dry, we began to seal it using five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. Seal and Go is a sealer for Victorian floor tiles as it function as a stain resistance as well as giving a low sheen finish.

The customer was very happy with the results and as you can see from the photographs, we have managed to completely transform the floor.

Cleaned Terracotta Tile and Grout Following a Freezer Leak

This small Terracotta tiled floor with tumbled travertine inserts at a house in Middlemarsh, Dorset was around 25M² and had been in place for over ten years, way before the owner moved in. After a recent freezer leak caused the tiles and grout to become stained in the utility area; the client was looking to either clean them or replace them as she wasn't that keen on them anyway.

After a demonstration of what could be achieved she was happy to go ahead and have them stripped and resealed as opposed to the more expensive replacement option.

Cleaning Terracotta Tiles

The entire floor was covered in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and this was left to dwell on the floor to allow it to soak into the tile and get to work on the dirt and breakdown any remaining sealer. The solution was then worked into the tile and grout using a heavy 17″ rotary scrubbing machine and then rinsed down using a high pressure wash to remove the soiled solution and neutralize the floor of any remaining cleaning solution before sealing. The grout proved to be stubborn to clean so we had to do the process a second time around and used a stiff hand brushes along the grout lines to get them clean.

You should be able to appreciate from the photographs below how we have managed to get the floor back to its original state and the difference in the grout particularly which was looking very dark prior to cleaning.

Sealing Terracotta Floor Tiles

The client had decided to seal the floor themselves with Tile Doctor Seal and Go naturally I was keen to see how it came out so I asked them to send me some photographs a couple of which are shown below. The final result is a practically new floor and the customer is more than happy with it.

Restored Quarry Tiles Patio in New Cross, SE London

This particular client based in New Cross South East London had a significant issue with their patio. Their home is a period Victorian property so when choosing a stone for the patio, they bought reclaimed quarry tiles to marry up with the period of the house, and proceeded with their DIY project. Unluckily, they were not aware that quarry tiles are porous until sealed, and grout left on the tile and not wiped off immediately, will leave a grout haze or in this case stick to the tile altogether.

I inspected the tiles and confirmed this was the worst case of grout haze I had ever seen; unafraid, I proceeded to carry out a test clean (you can see this reflected in the video above) and this demonstrated successfully that the tiles could be restored.

Cleaning Patio Quarry Tiles

Contented with the results of the test clean I proceeded to clean the rest of the floor. For this I used Tile doctor Grout Clean-Up which contains concentrated acid and is designed to penetrate below the surface to remove grout smears; this was diluted 1 to 1 with water which is a very strong mix. I sprayed the solution onto the tiles, working 1sqm at a time, leaving it to dwell on the tiles for a few minutes before scrubbing the tiles by hand with a rough pan cleaner. I then rinsed the area off with water and used my wet vac to remove the soiled solution. The strong mix had the desired effect on the Quarry tiles but it was necessary to go over the area again after spotting some of the worse stains the first application had missed. Happy with the result, I carried out this process across the rest of the patio, working 1 sqm at a time.

Sealing Kitchen Quarry Tiles

When I was done the customer was very happy with the result, and now had a patio they could use. The customer was keen to carry on with their DIY project, and wanted to seal the patio themselves, so I advised them to use Tile Doctor Color Grow, which is a color intensifier and impregnated sealer; this will both protect and enhance the reclaimed quarry tile into the future.

Restoring a Victorian tiled porch

I was asked to take a look at restoring a Victorian Tiled Floor in the Cumbrian town of Barrow in Furness where the floor had been covered in black bitumen; the bitumen was so thick it was difficult to gauge the condition of the floor underneath. I did a test clean which came out well but I had to explain there could be tile damage and other hidden problems so very difficult to quote for however we agreed a date and price and I came back a couple of weeks later to do the job.

Removing Bitumen form Victorian Tiles

Removing the bitumen from the floor without damaging the tiles underneath was a slow process involving spraying on a strong solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, letting it soak in, applying steam and then carefully scraping off the bitumen. The floor was treated in this manner a small area at a time and a wet vacuum was used to rinse and remove the resulting slurry. This process took up the whole day and was completely successful at removing the bitumen, before finishing I gave the floor a thorough rinse with clean water and used the wet vacuum to dry the floor was much as possible before leaving.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

I had used a lot of water cleaning the floor so I agreed with the owner to leave the floor for a few days before sealing it so it could thoroughly dry out. When I did return I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow to seal the tiles, the customer had wanted a satin finish but having weighed up the options including the fact that there was a damp problem in the house I felt Colour Grow which is a penetrating and breathable sealer would have the best longevity.


The customers were very happy with the results and before leaving we discussed aftercare cleaning, with sealed surfaces you have to be careful not to use acidic products as this can reduce the life of the sealer.



Source: Professional Victorian Tile Restoration advice

Resolving Furnishing Issues with a Black Limestone Tiled Floor

This customer had recently had a black limestone tiled floor installed in the kitchen and dining area in his home on the northern border of Warwickshire. Unluckily however, the tiler had not sealed the tiles prior and had a hard time to remove the grout taint from the Limestone surface. The tiles were then sealed trapping the grout haze under the sealer; naturally the client was far from happy and was instructed to remove the grout using an acid wash.

The acid things turned the floor grey removing the oils in the floor from the factory and also caused the natural salts within the tile to rise to the surface. The tiles were then sealed with an external patio sealant without removing the existing surface sealer. All this compounded the problems in the floor causing it to mark easily and lose its colour; on top of that it had big cloudy white patches all over from the trapped salts.

Stripping sealer from a Limestone Floor Tiles

In order to resolve the problems with the floor, it had to be fully stripped back and cleaned of all sealants and salt etc. which was done by applying a solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with Nanotech UltraClean mopped on to the floor in two square meters at a time. The solution was allowed to seep into the floor for thirty minutes to allow the chemicals break down and then scrubbed using a rotary machine fitted with a black pad. The soiled solution was then extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum. This process was repeated across the entire floor until all the sealer had been removed.

Removing Salts from Limestone Tiles

To remove the salts and remaining grout haze the floor was treated with Grout Clean-up which is an acid based cleaning product that is designed to penetrate below the surface and remove light grout smears (grout haze) as well as mineral deposits such as salts and efflorescence, again this treatment was applied two square meters at a time, quickly worked into the floor and removed with the wet vacuum. Once this process was complete the whole floor was washed at high pressure rinse three times to ensure all trace of chemicals had been removed.

The floor was then left to dry and when we came back the next day it was noticeable that there were still some salts coming through to the surface of the Limestone, these areas were re-treated and the floor washed down again and left to dry as before.

Sealing Limestone Floor Tiles

The floor looked much improved on the third day although it was still looking washed out. To put the color back into the black limestone it was treated with stone oil with turns the floor back to black and then sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Color Grow which will protect the tile going forward.

The floor now looks how it was intended and certainly the customer was pleased and left the following comment on our feedback system.

"We are so pleased with the work carried out by the tile doctor to our kitchen, utility and family room. The floor now looks exactly how we hoped it would look when we originally purchased it. We've struggled to get it looking right since then and now we feel we finally have a floor we can enjoy at last! We also found Mick to be professional and highly knowledgeable on our floor. He has given us really good advice and has been really easy to contact and has also been happy to give us further help and advice over the phone even when the job's been completed.” - L. Nash

Chinese Slate Floor Cleaning and Sealing in Kingsthorpe

Below you will find a good selection of photographs taken during the cleaning and sealing of a Chinese Slate tiled floor in the village of Kingsthorpe, Northampton. The floor had been furnished in the kitchen and the lounge and both the slate and the grout was in need of a deep clean.

Cleaning Chinese Slate Tiles

The first thing we needed to do was to protect anything that can't by moved by wrapping it in a plastic sheet once this was done we set about scrubbing the slate tiled floor with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a rotary machine fitted with a black pad, we used a grout brush to clean out the grout lines and then rinsed the floor thoroughly with clean water.

It's not until the floor has been washed down that you can spot any stubborn or missed areas so it's not usual to have to repeat this process until a satisfactory result is obtained. We had both the kitchen and lounge to do and this took most of the day, before leaving for the evening we turned on an air blower to help the floor to dry.

Sealing the Slate Tiled Floor

We came back the following day and checked if the floor was dry, fortunately the air blower had done its job and we were able to get on with the sealing the floor.

To seal the floor, five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were applied using a paint pad applicator. Seal and Go is recommended for Slate tiles and provides good stain protection with a low sheen finish that really does bring the floor alive.

Using Floor Leveler on Hardwood

Floor leveler is a cement-like product that is used to smooth floors with dips, humps and holes in them. The four easy steps below will explain how to mix and apply this product to a hardwood floor.

What You'll Need

• Power Drill
• Cement Mixing Bit
• Primer
• Long Handle Paint Roller
• Long Handle Squeegee
• Trowel
• Floor Sander
• Dust Mask
• Bucket
• Level

Step 1 – Sand the Floor

Before any leveler can be applied the finish on the top of the hardwood must be removed. If not, the leveler may have trouble bonding to the wood. Use a floor sander and walk it back and forth across the area of the floor that is going to be leveled until the finish is completely removed. Don’t forget to wear a dust mask.

Step 2 – Apply a Primer

With the finish gone, a primer can now be applied to the wood. The easiest way to do this is to use a long-handle paint roller. A long-handle paint roller eliminates the need to crouch or kneel down as the primer is applied. Simply cover the roller end with the primer by rolling it in a tray with the primer in it, and then run it back and forth across the area of the floor that needs to be leveled until it is evenly covered. Let the primer dry.

Step 3 – Mix the Leveler

Most levelers are just mixed with water, but it is important to know what kind of leveler is going to be applied. Trowel-on type levelers will mix up thick like a peanut butter or toothpaste. Generally, trowel-on levelers are used for very small areas or to patch holes. Self-leveling levelers, on the other hand, will be very thin once mixed much like syrup. This type of leveler is usually used when large areas need to be covered. If using a self-leveling leveler, use duct tape or cardboard to dam up the bottoms of any doors or the openings of any vents. Since this type of leveler is so runny, not doing so could result in the leveler running underneath a door and into a hallway or into a vent before hardening. Once the type of leveler is determined, pour the powder into a clean bucket and add water. Colder water will lengthen the hardening time of the product. Use a power drill equipped with a cement mixing bit to mix the leveler for about 2-3 minutes. Remember to scrape the sides of the bucket while mixing to make sure all of the powder fuses evenly with the water rather than in clumps on the side.

Step 4 – Apply the Levelers

When ready, pour the leveler onto the area in which it is needed. At first, let the leveler spread out a little bit on its own. Then, use a trowel or a long handled squeegee to spread it across the area that needs filling. Use a trowel to taper the edges of the puddle so that the leveler transitions smoothly to the old floor. As the product begins to harden, check it with a level to ensure the new surface is perfectly flat.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com