tile sealing

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

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Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Renovation West Kirby Merseyside

Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in West Kirby

We were contacted by a customer in West Kirby who needed help renovating a Victorian tiled hallway in a house they had just purchased. Kirby is a desirable seaside location North of Heswall that expanded with the arrival of the railway in 1848. The railway brought a demand for property and so it’s not unusual to find housing stock in this area dating back to the Victorian era.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Renovation West Kirby

The Victorian tiles at this property appear to have been neglected by the previous owner and were now looking very dull and marked by paint from decorating; all the colours looked washed out and the floor was now looking very unappealing.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Renovation West Kirby

The good news however is that this problem is not uncommon and with a deep clean and a fresh sealer applied it can be transformed. I gave the owner a quote which was accepted a date agreed for my return to do the work.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Renovation West Kirby

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the first day the floor was sprayed with a neat solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a powerful alkaline cleaning and stripping agent used to remove old seals and paint. The solution was left to dwell for about twenty minutes so it could soak in and get to work. It was then scrubbed into the tiles using a coarse 200-grit pad fitted to a heavy buffing machine. Water was then added to the floor for lubrication and the soils released from the pores of the tile during scrubbing was removed by with a wet vacuum.

To treat the stubborn paint stains and remains of what I suspect was carpet adhesive a hand scraper and wire brush was used, this was made easier by the Remove and Go which had softened the paint etc.

The next stage was to give the Victorian tiles a mild acid wash using Acid Gel which is applied to the floor, scrubbed in, and rinsed off with a little water then extracted using the wet vacuum. We always recommend an acid wash for old floors like these as it will counter any efflorescent salts resident in the tiles and helps to remove other mineral contaminates and old grout that can mask the true beauty of the tiles.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I left the tiles to dry out for two days before returning to apply the sealer, first checking it was dry by testing for moisture in various places with an electronic damp tester. It’s not a good idea to apply a sealer to a damp floor so we always check first.
Satisfied the floor was dry, I started applying a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that helps to bring out the true colours in the tile. This was allowed to dry for thirty minutes and then followed up five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a breathable sealer that leaves a lovely satin finish and builds on the protection.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Renovation West Kirby

Once done the Victorian hallway tiles looked so much cleaner and healthier. It was quite a transformation and the new sealer had given the floor a nice low sheen shine which the customer was very happy with.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Renovation West Kirby

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 Sealed in Merseyside

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Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration Formby

Restoring a Cement Covered Tiled Floor in Formby

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.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Self-Levelling Compound Removal Formby Quarry Tiled Floor During Self-Levelling Compound Removal Formby

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

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Cleaning an Old Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Runcorn

Cleaning an Old Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Runcorn

This post comes from a job I did for a customer in who lives in the town of Runcorn on the south bank of the River Mersey. The request was to restore the Terracotta floor tiles in the kitchen of a property which dated back to 1773 and still had all its original features inside and out. You can see from the photograph below that the tile and grout were looking very dull and well overdue a deep clean and seal.

Old Terracotta Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Runcorn

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

To clean the floor, I soaked the floor in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong stripping and cleaning solution which removes sealers and also draws out ingrained stains and also the heavy grease build up that was present around the cooker.

After twenty to thirty minutes the solution was worked into the tiles using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. The soiled solution was then removed with a wet vacuum and this was followed by scrubbing the grout lines with more Remove and Go and a grout brush until they were clean. The whole floor was then rinsed with water to remove any soil and trace of cleaning product. The water was then extracted using the wet vacuum. The floor was then checked to make sure it was as clean as it could be and stubborn areas spot treated.

Once I was happy the floor was clean it became apparent that some of the grout was loose and would need replacing so I took care of that using a matching grout before calling it a day and leaving the floor to dry out overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

We returned next morning and tested the tiles with a damp meter making sure it was dry before we could seal it. To seal the floor, I used Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice sheen to the tiles and works really well on Terracotta.

Old Terracotta Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Runcorn
I took some time to complete though as due to the porosity of the clay it required eight coats to fully seal the tiles. You have to wait between coats to allow them to dry however I was able to speed up the drying process though using an air blower.

 

Restoring an Old Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Cheshire

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