After seeing some of the work we had completed previously on-line a homeowner in Glasgow’s West End enquired about the restoration of their Victorian Tiled hallway floor. The tiles were original to the house which was well over 100-years old and parts had badly deteriorated with salt damage and wear, there was also a section which had been backfilled with cement.
The customer appreciated the value a period feature like this can give to a property and so wanted the floor sympathetically restored with original tiles and as few reproduction tiles as possible. Having surveyed the floor it was clear some replacement would certainly be required but I was able to assure them that by the time the floor was completed it would be impossible to tell the difference.
Later that day I worked out a detailed quotation for the restoration which would take four days and included the sourcing of replacements. Happy with the quote I was given the go ahead and so I started ordering the replacements from Original Style.
Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor
The first and second day involved carefully grinding out the cement and badly damaged tiles that the customer had specified whilst keeping in place the rest of the original tiles. This is done very carefully to avoid making the job bigger than it already was. Once these had been removed and the area cleared the matching reproduction tiles were carefully fitted into the floor to continue the existing pattern.
 |
 |
The floor was then left to set for a couple days before returning to carry out the restorative cleaning.
Restorative Cleaning of an Original Victorian Hallway Floor
The first job was to give the floor quick clean and scrub to remove any surface dirt and soiling using a combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Remove and Go. These two alkaline products combine to form an effective tile cleaner/stripper which can digest dirt and old sealers.
The solution was left to soak in for ten minutes before being worked into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The pad is run over each section of flooring to pull the dirt into the solution before rinsing and extracting with wet vacuum.
The next step was to counter salts in the floor by giving it an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. Once applied the floor was scrubbed again this time using a 400-grit diamond burnishing pad with weight added to the machine for extra traction. We usually use these pads on stone floors but we have found they also work well on Victorian tiles. This process generates a fine slurry which was extracted with the wet vacuum as before.
Using only water this time the same process was repeated using an 800-grit burnishing pad and then another acid cleaner called Grout Clean-Up worked in with a 1500-grit pad rinsing and extracting each time.
Once tiles were as clean as we could get them, the floor was given a final wipe over using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner and microfibre cloths before being left to dry out for a week.
Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor
To seal the Victorian Tiles a 50:50 combination of Tile Doctor sealers was used to provide maximum protection. The sealers were Colour Grow which improves colour and X-Tra Seal which is an oil-based product that is externally rated and ideal for wet areas like hallways. Both sealers are impregnators and fully breathable which is important consideration when choosing a sealer for an old floor that doesn’t have a damp proof membrane.
This brought all the colour back into the tiles whilst also providing a durable seal that will protect the tiles and make future cleaning easier. On to topic of cleaning, I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild but effective tile cleaner that won’t harm the new sealer.
Once completed the floor looked amazing and made a great first impression as you enter the property.
Source: Victorian Tile Repair and Restoration in Glasgow West End