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Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation Formby

Neglected Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Formby

This client from Formby got in touch about the Victorian tiled floor in a property they were renovating. As you can see from the photographs the flooring had been completely neglected and had seen a lot of wear resulting in years of ingrained dirt.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Formby

I went over to Formby to survey the floor and come up with a plan for its restoration which I calculated would take two days. The first day to deep clean the tiles several times to extract all the dirt and the second to apply a protective sealer that would keep the dirt out of the floor and ensure it maintained its restored appearance.

Happy with my quote we agreed a date for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Due to the deep-seated dirt I decided to start with a very strong cleaning concoction by combing Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This makes a very powerful alkaline cleaning/stripping agent that should deal with the staining and break down the ingrained dirt.

The solution was mopped onto the hallway floor and left to dwell for twenty minutes before being scrubbed in using a black pad fitted to a weighted buffing machine. Water was added to increase lubrication and the extra weights added to the buffer ensured increased traction with the tiles.

The process released the dirt from the pores and surface of the tile into the solution which was then removed with a wet vacuum. Once done, I inspected the floor and then spot treated any areas that needed more work using the same process.

The initial clean removed the paint splashes and dirt and to further improve the condition of the tiles even further I decided to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This is brushed into the removing old cement residue and dissolves any efflorescence in the floor which can be an issue with old Victorian tiled floors that don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane. After another rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next morning, I took several moisture readings with a damp meter to make sure the floor was sufficiently dry and ready to seal. For this floor I had chosen to use Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an oil based breathable impregnating sealer that is rated for external use and therefore ideal for a hallway. Two coats of X-Tra Seal were applied, the first coat revives the colour in the tiles and the second adds a nice subtle sheen to the tile.

The floor was completely transformed by the work and on returning home after work the customer sent me a message to say the hallway had made a great finishing touch and was the final part of the house renovation.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Formby

For aftercare cleaning I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is specially formulated for cleaning sealed tiles. We don’t recommend tile cleaning products you find on supermarket shelves as the are usually too strong and can strip a sealer off the floor prematurely. If your choosing another product to clean your floor always read the label to make sure its compatible.

Victorian Hallway Floor Deep Cleaned and Renovated in Merseyside

Neglected Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Formby Read More »

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated Formby

Cleaning a Large Terracotta Tiled Floor in Formby

We were asked to quote for the cleaning of a large Terracotta tiled floor in at a property in Formby which consisted of a Kitchen/Diner and Conservatory. The client reported that the floor was grubby and had lost its shine so I organised a visit to the property to survey the floor and work out a solution for them.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Renovation Formby

I always prefer to arrange a site visit so I can assess the work required and come up with a more accurate quote should the client decide to go ahead. I’ve seen floors in worse condition and the photos below on this page don’t highlight the problems that much, but it was clear to me that dirt was penetrating the pores of the tile making difficult to keep clean.

I carried out a test clean on a small area of tiling which came up very well. The client was suitably impressed and was happy to go ahead with the quote which would take two days, one to clean and one to apply a fresh protective sealer.

Cleaning Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Diner and Conservatory Floor

On day one the first job was to spray the floor with Tile Doctor Wax Away which is designed to remove the wax and old polish that was previously in place. This was left to dwell and soak into the tile and grout for twenty minutes and was then scrubbed in with a weighted floor buffer fitted a black pad and lubricated with water.

The grout lines were hand scrubbed with a wire brush and the resulting slurry was then removed with a wet vacuum. Once done the floor was inspected and any further areas were spot treated as required.

When I was satisfied the Terracotta tile and grout were as clean as they could be I gave the floor a final rinse with water to remove any trace of cleaning products and dried the floor as much as possible using the wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Diner and Conservatory Floor

The following morning, moisture readings were taken from the floor to make sure it was dry enough for sealing. The readings were satisfactory so we began the process of applying the sealer.

For this floor Tile Doctor Seal and Go was applied using a paint pad leaving each coat to dry before applying the next. Seal and Go is a water-based sealer that results in a pleasant low sheen finish that’s ideal for Terracotta floors, it took seven coats of sealer to fully seal the floor.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Renovation Formby

The clean floor and new subtle shine went down well with our client who was over the moon with the appearance. Before leaving we discussed how to maintain the floor for which we recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is pH neutral and will not damage the newly applied seal unlike some of the stronger regular household cleaners on the market. Kitchens and Conservatory floors tend to get a lot of use so it’s worth having the right cleaning regime in place to keep it in great condition.

Professional Renovation of a Large Terracotta Floor in Merseyside

Cleaning a Large Terracotta Tiled Floor in Formby Read More »

Restoring a Cement Covered Tiled Floor in Formby

1 Comment / Crosby Tile Cleaning, Formby Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Andrew Robb

We were contacted by a client from Formby asking for advice on how to remove a thick layer of floor leveller from her Quarry tiled floor. I suspect at some point in the past a previous owner had decided to cover the tiles with lino and a cement-based levelling compound was applied to level the floor first. My client had tried to remove it herself but found it very hard going and after realising she had quite a project on her hands decided to call us instead and see if we could help with the restoration.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Self-Levelling Compound Removal Formby

I worked out a quote for the client which would include removing the self-levelling compound, cleaning up the tiles and then sealing them to improve its appearance and protect it going forward. The quote was accepted, and a date agreed for the restoration to be completed which would take two days.

Cleaning and restoring a Stone Tile Kitchen Floor

We have a variety of tools that we can use for removing cement but in this case, I decided to use an air operated pin gun. The head of the gun has long pins of different length which are fired at the floor gently chipping away at the floor compound, this made short work of breaking up the cement so it could be swept away. A lot easier than the method the client had previously tried.

With the floor clear of cement, it was given an acid wash with Tile Doctor Acid Gel scrubbed in with a buffing machine fitted with a black pad. The acidic formula cleans up the stone of old cement including fine particles of dust. Afterwards the gel was rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Stone Tiled Kitchen Floor

We let the floor dry out overnight and returned the next morning to apply the sealer. For the best results, the stone needs to be dry so before sealing I always take several moisture readings with a damp meter to make sure. The results were good so the first of what would be three coats of sealer were applied to the floor. I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow for sealing, it is an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the pores in the store thereby protecting it from within, it also brings out the colour in the stone.

Once done the floor looked great, the old self-levelling compound was gone and the rich colours in the tile had been restored. In fact is was only when finished did we realise these were in fact Baked Clay Quarry Tiles, minerals are added during manufacturing to give then colour, although 95% clay they are very tough like stone. The client was over the moon with the outcome, the floor had been restored to its’ former glory.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Self-Levelling Compound Removal Formby

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to keep the floor in good condition. It is pH neutral so will ensure the newly applied sealer is not compromised and the floor will continue to look good for a long while to come.

Professional Restoration of a Tiled Floor in Merseyside

Restoring a Cement Covered Tiled Floor in Formby Read More »