Grout Clean-up Archives - Glasgow Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration Glasgow West End

Neglected Victorian Tiled Floor Repaired and Restored in Glasgow’s West End

The photographs below are of a large Victorian Tiled floor at a property in Glasgow’s West End. The floor had been sadly neglected over the years leaving it dull, dirty and damaged with several cracked tiles.

Victorian Tiled Floor Glasgow West End Before Restoration

I visited the property to discussed with the client the work needed to carry out a full restoration which included replacing the broken tiles and renovating the whole floor. From the survey I worked out a restoration plan which in turn was converted into a quote for completing the work which would take three days. Happy with the plan and my quote I was given the go ahead and a date scheduled.

Repairing a Damaged Victorian Tiled Floor in Glasgow

Work started with replacing the broken tiles and loose tiles that we identified during the survey. These had to be removed very carefully so as not to disturb more than was necessary. Once removed the base was cleaned up and all the old adhesive removed.

Victorian Tiled Floor Glasgow West End During Restoration

Replacement tiles, that we had sourced before arriving, were then cut to shape and dry fitted into the gaps until I was happy that the original pattern had been replicated. Only then were the replacements fixed in place along with any salvageable loose tiles. Once the repairs were carried out, we then left this to set and fully dry out before returning to begin the cleaning.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor in Glasgow

On the second day we arrived and after checking the work from yesterday had set correctly started setting up to deep clean the floor. This commenced with pasting Tile Doctor Acid Gel onto the tiles and then after ten minutes scrubbing it in with a coarse 200-grit diamond pad. This process released the dirt from the Victorian tiles into the solution turning it a black slurry.

The floor was rinsed with a little water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum. Once the whole floor had been cleaned the tiles were further refined using finer diamond burnishing pads of 400, 800 and 1500 grit. The pads are applied with water to help lubricate the process and the soiling generated is extracted with the wet vacuum after each pad.

To finish the cleaning process the floor was given a final clean using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and after a final rinse and extraction were left for a week to dry.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor in Glasgow

The tiles were left for a week as I wanted to ensure they were completely dry before applying the sealer. Applying sealer to a damp tile can result in a patchy appearance.

Given the age of the floor, I decided to apply a fully breathable sealer called Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This is an important consideration when sealing old, tiled floors as it will allow for any moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface, otherwise moisture can become trapped until the floor resulting in damp issues. X-Tra seal is oil-based so helps add structure to the tile and being an impregnator that soaks into the tile it provides very durable protection.

Victorian Tiled Floor Glasgow West End After Restoration

The client was very pleased with the newly restored floor, and for ongoing cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product has a neutral Ph which is ideal for sealed surfaces; stronger bleach-based cleaners are simply too strong for use on sealed tiles and will erode the sealer prematurely.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Floor in Glasgow

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Geometric Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway Renovation Glasgow West End

Having completed some similar projects in Glasgow’s West End we were asked to look at renovating a small Encaustic Tiled Hallway. Tile Doctor are specialists in the restoration of period floors so we were more than happy to help and so arranged a time to pop over.

The tiles were laid in a classic geometric pattern quite common for the age of the property which was Victorian. It certainly made for a grand entrance and was once full of colour; however, being at the front of the property the tiles were exposed to a lot of soiling being trodden in off the street. Normally this is easily cleaned away however encaustic tiles like these need to be protected by a sealer and this had long since worn off. Without a sealer in place dirt becomes ingrained in the pores of the tile and this made effective cleaning impossible.

Geometric Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway Before Cleaning Glasgow West End

To restore the beauty to the floor I recommended giving it a deep clean and then re-sealing with a hard-wearing sealer that would enhance the colours in the tile, a process which would take two days, one to clean and one to seal. Happy with my price I was given the go-ahead and we worked out a convenient date for the work to start.

Restorative Cleaning of an Original Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor

Victorian period floors were laid before the invention of plastics and so don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane. Because of this they need to be allowed to breathe so that moisture can rise through the floor and evaporate at the surface. This can cause a problem though as the excessive use of water during cleaning can result in the appearance of efflorescent salts as the floor dries. We are aware of this and Tile Doctor has developed low moisture gel cleaning products specifically to avoid this problem.

With this issue in mind work started by covering the tiles in a generous coat of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. This is left to soak into the tile for fifteen minutes before being scrubbed into the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a coarse 200-grit diamond pad. The combination of the gel and the pad visibly lift the dirt out of the floor bringing it to the surface where it is removed with a wet vacuum.

Geometric Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway During Cleaning Glasgow West End

Next step was to give the floor a wipe with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This further cleans up the tiles and being acid will dissolve any salts that maybe in the floor. Again, the product is left to soak into the tile before being scrubbed in the with the pad.

The floor was then inspected and any areas such as the edges and corners where the pads can struggle were spot cleaned by hand.

To 200-grit pad is very effective for cleaning however its very coarse so to further refine the appearance of the tiles they were given a polish with a series of finer diamond burnishing pads including 400, 800 and 1500-grit. These pads smooth the surface of the tile and close the pores making them more resilient.

Once done the floor was given a final wipe down using more Grout Clean-up and then the floor was left to dry out for several days.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

After three days we returned to seal the floor checking first that it had dried using a damp meter. Once I was satisfied it was given a coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a modern oil-based impregnator that enhances the colours in the tile and adds long lasting protection. X-Tra Seal is also rated for external as well as internal use so more than capable of dealing with bad weather.

Geometric Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway After Renovation Glasgow West End

I should mention that X-Tra Seal is a fully breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the floor and evaporate at the surface. This is a very important feature when selecting a product for old floors like this one, use of a non-breathable sealer can lead to moisture becoming trapped under the floor where it could spread into the walls leading to rising damp.

The new sealer will ensure that dirt remains on the surface going forward where it can be easily cleaned away. Oh, and on the subject of maintenance cleaning I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor.

Professional Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Glasgow

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Johnstone

Dirty Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles Renovated in Johnstone

1 Comment / Johnstone Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Steven Thomson

This is another Victorian hallway floor we deep cleaned in Johnstone which is located to West of Paisley. Before quoting I visited the property to survey the Victorian tiles and ensure I had a complete idea of what would be needed to fully renovate floor.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Johnstone

After inspecting the floor, I could see there were no surprises such as loose or cracked tiles that would need replacing and that the main issue was it was just incredibly dirty. All that it needed would be deep cleaning including stripping of any remaining sealer, then cleaning and ultimately sealing.

This is a typical Tile Doctor job for us to carry out and having worked on many Victorian floors before I was very confident of a great result. The client was happy to go ahead with the quotation and we arranged to return a few weeks later.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was given a pre spray of Tile Doctor Remove and Go diluted 50:50 with water and then left to soak in for10 minutes to give it time to break down the dirt and any previous coatings that may have been present on the floor. Then the floor was scrubbed using a rotary bonnet machine fitted with a silicon carbide brush. This is an effective brush that in combination with the Remove and Go released a lot from the pores of the tile to the surface where it could be extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was dirtier than anticipated and the process was carried out three times to ensure floor was as clean as possible.

Once the chemicals had done as much as they could the Victorian tiles were resurfaced using Tile Doctor 100 and 200 grit milling pads that remove stubborn ingrained dirt and staining. This process was carried out twice rinsing with water and extracted the soiling with a wet vacuum afterwards.

Last process was to give the tiles a mild Acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This was scrubbed in using soft brushes fitted to the bonnet machine and then extracted as before. This process further cleans up the tile and will counter any efflorescent salts that can build up in floors of this age which won’t had a modern damp proof membrane in place.

The floor was left to dry out for a few days with a fan left in place to speed up the drying times. The floor looked so much cleaner than when we started, and my client was already pleased with the results.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On my return the I took a few moisture readings with a damp meter to check it was dry enough to accept a sealer. We don’t recommend applying a sealer to a damp floor as from experience the results can be inconsistent so always best to check first.

The meter readings were fine, so I started applying the sealer, which for this floor Tile Doctor Colour Grow was chosen. Three coats were applied to fully protect the floor and bring the colours back after being cut back with the milling pads. This sealer works by soaking into the pores of the tile, occupying the pores, and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there going forwart. As the name suggest it’s a colour enhancing product that is also fully breathable which is important for floors with no damp proof membrane.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning Johnstone

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is a mild pH neutral tile cleaner that is gentle enough for daily use and will ensure that the newly applied seal is not compromised and kept looking good, especially in such a high traffic area.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Glasgow

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