Hyndland Road

The photographs below are of a Victorian tiled floor in the hallway of a property on the Hyndland Road area of Glasgow. You can see from the photographs that the tiles were in good physical condition but generally very dirty. Tiles of this type need to be sealed to ensure dirt doesn’t become ingrained into the tile, however over time the sealer wears down and dirt starts collecting in its pores making it very difficult to keep clean.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and concluded it simply needed a deep clean and then re-seal to restore its appearance. Having worked out a quote for the work which was accepted a date was set for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Glasgow

Older floors like this one don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane and so damp can be an issue, to avoid exacerbating this it’s important to keep the use of water to a minimum. Because of this I like to use gel cleaning products and in this case the floor was cleaned using Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel worked in with a 200-grit diamond pad to get deep into the pores of the tile.

The pads I use are typically 17” and fit to a weighted rotary bonnet machine, the extra weight helps increase traction with the floors. As well as dirt the cleaning process also removes old sealers/coatings that may be present. Once done the gel darkens with the dirt released from the tiles and then this slurry extracted using a wet vacuum.

Work then progressed onto acid washing the floor using another Tile Doctor gel cleaner called Acid Gel. This further cleans the tiles, neutralises the ph level and counters any efflorescent salts that may have formed in the floor and can appear as white salts deposited on the surface of the tile as the floor dries. The Acid Gel was worked in with a finer 400-grit diamond pad on the rotary machine again with the slurry extracted using wet vacuum and tiles wiped with cloths afterwards.

The tiles were then finished off with 1500-grit diamond pad and a diluted solution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to help resurface and close the pores in the tiles further before being wiped with cloths.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Glasgow

Sealers work best when applied to dry tiles so the floor was left to dry for a week before returning to seal. The sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which ticks a lot of boxes for an old floor like this one. First, it’s a matt finish sealer which matches the requirements of the owner; second it contains a colour enhancer that improves colour and third it’s fully breathable so moisture can rise though the tiles and evaporate at the surface. Allowing a floor to breath as otherwise the moisture can build up under the floor and eventually reach out to the walls where it can result in rising damp.

Two coats of Colour Grow were applied, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. This sealer works by soaking into the pores of the tile, occupying the space, and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. This makes the floor much easier to clean going forward and adds durable protection which will last for years to come.

As you can see from the photos the Victorian tiled hallway as restored back to its original condition and my client was over the moon. Finally, I like to recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to keep the floor looking in great condition, its pH neutral so will not damage the newly applied seal.

 

Professional Cleaning of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Glasgow