Sealing Victorian Tiles Archives - Tile Doctor Lancashire

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation in Lancaster

Below is a great example of what we typically do to a restore an old Victorian tiled floor. This particular floor was installed in the hallway of at a house in Lancaster circa 1890 and now 135 years later it was still in place but the years had taken its toll with multiple damaged tiles needing replacement and some had been replaced with cement.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Restoration Lancaster

The floor was laid in an attractive geometric pattern with lovely detailed encaustic tiles with a rose at the centre of the pattern. These encaustic tiles will have been specially created with compressed cement and whilst we can usually source replacement Victorian tiles the encaustic tiles were custom made and very rare. The only way to find replacements for them would be by trawling reclamation yards or having them specially made at great expense. Fortunately, in this case most of the encaustics were still in good condition which is a testament to the Victorians.

Repairing a Damaged Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before cleaning the floor needed a lot of work to remove the damaged tiles and areas were tiles had been substituted for concrete. This involved using a hammer and chisel to carefully remove the old tile and then clean up the debris. This is delicate work as too much force can lead to more tiles popping out and making the whole project bigger.

Victorian Tiled Hallway During Restoration Lancaster

When the floor was ready new tiles were cut to fit the existing pattern and set in place using a rapid set adhesive. It was also necessary to reset quite a lot of tiles that had become loose. The tiles were then grouted in using a coloured grout to match the rest of the floor. They didn’t use grout back in the Victorian period, it was just cement fortunately I was able to replicate this perfectly.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

When the tiles were set and the whole floor was solid, we were able to move onto the cleaning. This started with the application of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel worked in with a 200-Grit Milling pad fitted to a rotary buffer. I recommend gel cleaners for this work as they use less water and excessive use of water on an old floor that doesn’t have a damp proof course will take much longer to dry out. After being scrubbed in the gel released the dirt from the tiles which was then rinsed off and vacuumed away with a wet vacuum.

Next step was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel scrubbed in with a deck brush. The acid gel further cleans the tiles, removes old grout smears, counters efflorescent salts and neutralises the floor after the use of Oxy-Gel which is alkaline. After another rinse and vacuum the process was repeated in the edges and corners using handheld diamond blocks.

Once the tiles were dry, I used a Burr Line pad fitted to a rotary buffer to further improve the appearance of the tiles. Often referred to as magic pads they are really good at finishing off the cleaning and is applied using only water.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was left to dry fully overnight and we called back then next day to seal the floor. Two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer were used for this which did a great job. It doesn’t give a shiny finish but the formula contains a colour enhancer that really lifts the colours in the clay. This sealer is also fully breathable which is important when sealing a floor that has no damp proof course as it will allow any moisture from the foundation to rise through the tile.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Restoration Lancaster

I think you will agree the floor was completely transformed by the work and the new sealer should keep it looking that way for some time to come. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of a Neutral PH cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Clean.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Restoration Lancaster

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor in Lancashire

Victorian Black and Red Floor Restoration Lancaster Lancashire

Original Red & Black Victorian Tiled Floor Fully Restored in Lancaster

1 Comment / Lancaster Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Russell Taylor

This old Red and Black Victorian tiled floor at a property in Lancaster was in a bit of a state and had numerous issues that needed resolving as part of the restoration. This included dealing with an old, tiled fireplace hearth, but as the fireplace had been removed years ago it was now a bit of an eyesore as it did not match the rest of the floor.

Victorian Black and Red Floor Before Cleaning Lancaster

Additionally, some of the tiles had been ripped up along one edge of the floor to make way for a gas pipe, but this was now capped off. This area would need replacement tiles matching the original to be sourced and put in place.

Lastly the whole Quarry tiles floor had previously been covered in carpet so there were adhesive stains all over the floor, not to mention the ingrain dirt that had accumulated in the tile itself.

We specialise in restoring old Victorian tiled floors like this one and you will find lots of examples of this sort of work on our website. Our service is quite unique as we generally find other companies either offer a cleaning service or just a repair service; Tile Doctors on the other hand offer a full solution.

Removing Carpet Adhesive from a Victorian Tiled Floor

The first job was to remove the carpet glue and old splashes of paint which we tackled by spraying the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. Designed for use on tile and stone this product is a coatings remover combined with a cleaning agent. This was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before it was worked in with a coarse 200-grit pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine. The floor was rinsed with water and then an industrial wet vacuum extracted all the soils away.

Stubborn marks were retreated and then once happy with the initial clean the tiles were treated to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. Not only does this product remove old grout smears from the tiles it also helps to restore the natural pH of the floor after the use of an alkaline cleaner such as Remove and Go. The acid in this product also slightly etches the clay tile which will allow for a better bond with the sealer later.

Lastly, I had noticed evidence of efflorescent salt staining which is a common issue on old Victorian floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane. It’s caused by salts being carried up through the floor as moisture evaporates from the subfloor and results in unsightly white salt deposits being left on the surface of the tile. An acidic cleaning product such as Grout Clean-up can counter the alkaline salts but for best results, we like to use Tile Doctor Acid Gel, it’s a slightly stronger product and being a gel allows it to sit in place for longer. After finishing the floor, it was given another rinse with water to remove any trace of product and then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

A lot of water was used in the cleaning process, so the floor was left for four days before returning to add the sealer. For best results, It’s not a good idea to apply sealer to a damp floor and to avoid any doubt use a damp meter to obtain a moisture reading and compare it with one taken before cleaning.

To seal the floor two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied, this is a fully breathable sealer and if the salts do come back this sealer will let the efflorescence breathe through to the surface where it can be easily mopped off the floor, we use Tile Doctor Concentrated Neutral Cleaner for this.

Victorian Black and Red Floor After Restoration Lancaster

In the after pictures, you will see the difference we have made to this floor, bringing it back to its former glory, the house was built in 1901 so the floor is original and that makes it 120 years old. not all floors would look this good after that length of time.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Floor in Lancashire

Original Red & Black Victorian Tiled Floor Fully Restored in Lancaster Read More »