X-Tra Seal Archives - Glasgow Tile Doctor

Octagonal Encaustic tiled Victorian Floor Renovation Milngavie

Octagonal Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Renovated in Milngavie

The pictures below are of Red and Cream Octagonal Encaustic tiled hallway floor at a Victorian property in Milngavie North of Glasgow. The tiles were in good condition but being made of encaustic cement they are porous and need to be sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores. Once dirt becomes ingrained it makes it very difficult to keep it clean and in this case the sealer had worn off after years of use and the floor needed cleaning and re-sealing.

Octagonal Encaustic tiled Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Milngavie

After visiting the property to take a closer look and measure up I was able to work out a plan for its renovation and craft a detailed quote for the work which would take two days, one to clean and one to seal. The quote was accepted and a date set for the work to start.

Octagonal Encaustic tiled Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Milngavie

Cleaning an Encaustic Victorian Tiled Hallway

On the first day we set about removing years of ingrained dirt from the tiles using a specialist low moisture product called Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. Old floors like this don’t have the benefit of a damp-proof membrane under the floor so we have learned from experience its best to keep the use of water down to a minimum. Using a lot of water to clean a floor like this can lead to long drying times and increases the chances of efflorescence appearing which results in white salt deposits.

The gel was brushed onto the tiles using a deck brush and then left for around 10-15 minutes before being scrubbed into the tiles using a 200-grit diamond pad. This proved very effective at bringing the ingrained dirt to the surface where the gel turned into a slurry that could be extracted using wet vacuum.

Octagonal Encaustic tiled Victorian Floor During Cleaning Milngavie

This process was carried out a couple of times before replacing the coarse 200-grit pad with a finer 400-grit. This pad is run across the floor using water for lubrication and further cleans the tile. After another extraction with the wet vacuum the process was repeated with an 800 then 1500-grit pad to further clean the tiles and bring up the surface.

The tiles were then given a couple of wipes over using microfibre cloths and then given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to neutralise the floor and counter any salts in left before being left to fully dry out for a week with a fan.

Sealing an Encaustic Victorian Tiled Hallway

On the second day we returned to seal the tiles. This was carried out using a single coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a modern oil-based sealer which helps restore structure and colour to the tiles. The sealer was applied with a paint pad and left to soak in for twenty minutes before being buffed in using microfibre cloths.

Octagonal Encaustic tiled Victorian Floor After Cleaning Sealing Milngavie

The X-Tra Seal added colour and tone to the tiles, it’s also very hard wearing, fully breathable and externally rated so ideal for a hallway. Once complete the floor looked so much brighter and inviting.

Octagonal Encaustic tiled Victorian Floor After Cleaning Sealing Milngavie

For aftercare I recommended cleaning the floor with Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is mild yet effective and won’t impact the sealer

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor in Glasgow

Octagonal Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Renovated in Milngavie Read More »

Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration Glasgow West End

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

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

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

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

Geometric Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway Renovation Glasgow West End

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

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

Geometric Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway Renovation Glasgow West End Read More »