Hallway restoration Archives - Glasgow Tile Doctor

Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Repaired and Restored in Glasgow’s West End

We recently carried out renovation work to a Victorian Tiled Hallway floor at a period property in Glasgow’s West End. I went over to the property first to survey the floor and see its condition before quoting for the job. The floor was in quite a state and had pretty much collapsed around the door threshold. I suspect this was due to an old settlement issue.

Having put up with the condition of the floor for some time the owner had decided it was time to have something done about it. As well as a deep clean repair work would need to be done first; this would involve sourcing some replacement tiles which is not usually a problem as there are various suppliers I have sourced similar tiles from in the past.

Confident of achieving a good result for the customer I worked out a quote for the restoration, which was accepted, and a date arranged to complete the work which would take three days.

Victorian Floor During Restoration Glasgows West End

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first task was to remove the damaged subfloor around the door, carefully removing the old Victorian tiles for reuse however most were cracked and broken. What was left of the old subfloor was then removed and backfilled with a quick drying cement screed to a level ready for tiling.

Victorian Floor During Restoration Glasgows West End

I had managed to rescue a few of the old Victorian tiles however there would not be enough to complete the floor however I was able to find matching replacements that would blend in nicely with the original pattern. The replacements were fixed into place with a flexible adhesive in case there was any further movement in the floor.

There were several other areas that needed attention and were fixed down, the whole section was then re-grouted and left to set for a few days.

On our return the floor was deep cleaned using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was scrubbed in with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum. I repeated the process in a couple of areas that were particularly stubborn with ingrained dirt. The floor was left to dry out overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned the following day to complete the restoration starting by checking the moisture level in the floor with a damp meter. Floors of this age don’t have a damp proof membrane to prevent moisture rising through the sub floor so can take longer to dry out. Also, for best results sealers need to be applied to a dry tile so I always like to check first.

The readings were within tolerance, so I began sealing the floor with the first of two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This sealer was chosen as it’s a fully breathable impregnating sealer which is very hardwearing, perfect for high traffic areas such as hallways. It also enhances the natural colour of the floor without making it too shiny. The breathable nature of the sealant will ensure it copes well with moisture rising through the tiles and its colour enhancement properties really helped blend the old tiles in with the new.

Victorian Floor After Restoration Glasgows West End

The repair, deep clean and fresh seal transformed the Victorian Tiled floor which given its age exceeded the expectations of my customer who was very happy. For maintenance cleaning I suggested Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle tile cleaning product designed for use with sealed floors. I always recommend this product as many tile cleaners are very strong and you can end up stripping the sealer off if you’re not careful.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Glasgow

Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration Newton Mearns

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Fully Restored in Newton Mearns, Glasgow

1 Comment / Glasgow Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Steven Thomson

This old classic Victorian tiled hallway at a property in Newton Mearns, south of Glasgow, had seen a lot of wear over the years leading to a general degradation. Some of the major problems including loose and broken tiles and one area in particular under a radiator was so bad a previous owner had back filled it with cement instead of having it repaired.

I suspect the house had been reconfigured and central heating added at some point in its history, and this will have been when the damage was done. The current owner was aware of the value that original features can have on a property so decided it was time to have the whole floor restored.

Having worked on numerous Victorian floor restorations previously I knew the floor could be put back to its original condition if not better, so I was more than happy to take on work. Having visited the property and provided a quotation for the work I’m please to say we were intrusted to go ahead with the restoration.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On day one the work started by carefully lifting, grinding and fixing back down the original tiles, this included repairing areas that had been back filled with concrete using originals recovered from another part of the floor that was no longer required.

Victorian Hallway Floor During Restoration Newton Mearns

Once the adhesive had set the tiles were grouted and the floor left for a few days.

On our return the floor was given a deep clean using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go worked in with 100 and 200 grit diamond pads fitted to a rotary floor buffer. The soil generated was rinsed off and extracted using a wet vacuum. This process removes any old sealants and deep-seated dirt from the old tiles. This process was repeated, and some tiles needed to be spot treated by hand before they met the high standard I was looking to achieve.

The next step was to improve the tiles further by giving the floor an Acid Rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up. This final part of the cleaning process further cleans up the tiles by removing surface grout that can detract from the appearance of the tile and mineral salts. This is a common issue with floors of this age which don’t have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor and can lead to white salt deposits appearing as the tile dries out, a process called Efflorescence.

Victorian Hallway Floor After Restoration Newton Mearns

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was then left for a week so it could fully dry out before returning to seal the tiles. Its important that the tiles are dry before sealing otherwise you risk a patchy appearance. Due to the fact this floor had no damp proof membrane I chose to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow which being fully a breathable will could cope with any moisture rising through the floor. Three to four coats of Colour Grow were applied which as its name suggests also intensifies the colours in the tile as well as adding the high level of protection that a busy hallway floor needs.

Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that penetrates into the tile occupying its tiny pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained. You can always tell the sealer is working as it will repel liquids which will then form beads on the surface of the tile.

The floor looked amazing once finished and lifted the appeal of the whole property. The client was very satisfied with the work we had carried out and before leaving I made a point to recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to keep the floor looking in tip top condition. This product is pH neutral and will ensure that the newly applied seal is not compromised which is a problem when using stronger off the shelf cleaning products.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Glasgow

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