floor restoration Archives - Warwickshire Tile Doctor

Tar-Covered Victorian Floor Restored in Nuneaton

Tar Stained Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Nuneaton

The photos below are of a Victorian Tiled Hallway at a property in Nuneaton, the owner of the property had decided the carpet was past its best and having removed it was pleased to find an original Victorian tiled floor underneath.

Tar-Covered Victorian Floor Before Restoration Nuneaton

However, the tiles were thoroughly stained with Tar of all things and so we were called in to do restore it. Tar and Bitumen are waterproof and were traditionally used to prevent damp from coming up through the floor. Old floors like this one were laid before Damp Proof Courses were invented. The trouble with this approach however is it pushes the damp problem elsewhere such as the walls which can lead to rising damp. The best solution is to let the floor breath so the moisture can evaporate at the surface of the tile.

Another problem with this floor were several loose and broken tiles which would need replacing however the tar staining made it difficult to order replacements as I couldn’t be sure about the colours and how many to order.

Cleaning and Repairing a Dirty and Damaged Victorian Tiled Floor

Deep cleaning the Victorian tiles was very hard work and had to try different combinations of solvents to remove the tar and deep clean the floor. I started with Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with Nanotech HBU and leaving it to soak in for fifteen minutes before working it in with a coarse diamond encrusted burnishing pad. I had to use several burnishing pads of different grits to get the Tar off the tiles and they were clogged with Tar once completed. I had to work in stages and all the soil generated was extracted with a wet vacuum.

To keep the moisture levels of the floor low I followed up with an application of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which being a Gel cleaner its very east to manage and only needs a small amount of water to rinse it off with afterwards. The gel was worked into the floor with another burnishing pad and the soiling extracted afterwards with a wet vacuum as before.

The next consideration was a build-up of efflorescence in the pores of the tile, this happens where alkaline salts held in moisture under the floor get left on the surface as unsightly white deposits when it evaporates at the surface. Basic chemistry will tell you that you can counter an alkaline with an acid and to do this I gave the whole floor an acid wash using another Tile Doctor product called Acid Gel which again being a Gel keeps the use of water to a minimum.

By the end of the first day the old tiles were clean and I was able to work out how many tiles I would need and of course what colour I would need. The restoration project was therefore put on hold until I can source the replacement tiles and install them.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

With the cracked and broken tiles replaced I was able to return and apply a fresh sealer that would protect the floor from staining and merge the appearance of the old and new tiles together and make it easier for the property owner to keep the tiles clean going forward.

I knew from the history of this floor I would need a fully breathable sealer that could cope with potential damp that could still be trapped under the floor. The carpet has only been removed a few ago so I applied Tile Doctor X-Tra seal which can be used internally and externally. It leaves a matt finish but was the ideal product for a floor like this one.

Tar-Covered Victorian Floor After Restoration Nuneaton

For aftercare I advised the owner to use Tile Doctor Neutral Clean, it’s an effective day to day tile cleaning product which is gentle enough that it can be used regularly on a sealed tile floor. You do have to be careful with supermarket cleaners as many contain bleach which can strip the sealer off a tiled floor leaving it vulnerable.

Professional Restoration of a Stained Victorian Tiled Floor in Warwickshire

Tar Stained Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Nuneaton Read More »

Classic Edwardian Hallway Floor Renovated Earlsdon Coventry

Classic 1920’s Edwardian Hallway Floor Restored in Earlsdon Coventry

1 Comment / Coventry Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Mick Gayton

This 1920s single bay house in Earlsdon had been restored by the builder from top to bottom. The hallway floor had been covered in laminate flooring which had been removed, revealing an Edwardian tiled floor beneath. Unfortunately, the plasterer had not covered the floor when working on the walls, so the tiles were now covered in plaster!

Edwardian Hallway Floor Before Restoration Earlsdon Coventry

The client was keen to keep as many original features as possible and called me in to see if the original 100-year-old floor could be renovated in keeping with the rest of the house. I visited the property to survey the tiles and explained that it certainly could be and having worked on hundreds of these renovations before I was confident of getting a good result. They were happy to go with my quotation and we arranged a time to carry out the work.

Edwardian Hallway Floor During Restoration Earlsdon Coventry

Cleaning an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor tiles themselves were in good condition, but I had to hand carefully scrape the plaster off the tiles before starting on the deep clean. With the plaster removed from the floor I applied Tile Doctor Acid Gel and worked it into the tiles with a coarse 100-grit pad. The floor was then rinsed, and the waste extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum. The process was then repeated with a 200-Grit and then a 400-grit pad until I was happy.

The floor was then speed dried with fans whilst I worked on a repair around the threshold of one of the doors. The repair was relatively straight forward, and I managed to restore the tiling, so the repair was unnoticeable.

Edwardian Hallway Floor During Repair Earlsdon Coventry

The floor was then left overnight to completely dry out. Floors of this age don’t have a damp proof membrane so moisture can build up if they have been covered as in this case. The next stage in the restoration would be to apply a sealer and the floor needs to be dry before you do this otherwise the result can be patchy.

Sealing an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning the following day, I first tested the floor with a damp meter to check the moisture levels in different parts of the floor to ensure it was dry enough to seal. The fans had done a good job and I was pleased to find that the floor was dry.

To seal this floor, I used Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra, it’s a breathable acrylic based sealer that allows for moisture vapour to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface. This makes it ideal for situations where no damp proof membrane has been installed and there is a low risk of mineral salt deposits being formed (efflorescence).

Once completed the transformation was huge and he Victorian tiles looked well suited to the hallway. Feedback from my client was they were over the moon with the newly restored floor!

Edwardian Hallway Floor After Restoration Earlsdon Coventry

For regular cleaning, I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this is a gentle pH neutral cleaner that will ensure the newly applied seal is retained and not eroded prematurely. This can be the problem with most household cleaning products which contain strong chemicals like bleach which can break down the sealer over time. Without a sealer dirt gets back into the pores of the tile which will mean the homeowner will need to get the floor cleaned and sealed again – a vicious circle!

Professional Restoration of an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor in Coventry

Classic 1920’s Edwardian Hallway Floor Restored in Earlsdon Coventry Read More »

Victorian Craven Dunnill Floor Renovation Stoke Golding Nuneaton

Craven Dunnill Floor Restoration in Stoke Golding Nuneaton

1 Comment / Nuneaton Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Mick Gayton

The Victorian Floor was in Stoke Golding a small village near Nuneaton Warwickshire. Some years ago, the client had decided to tile over the original Victorian geometric tiled floor with a modern tile. Back to the present day and their tastes had changed and so they decided they preferred the classic look after all and wanted the old floor restored. The process of removing the modern tiles however caused quite a bit of damage to the old floor and in the process managed to damage a large section of the sub floor.

Victorian Hallway Before Craven Dunnill Tile Rebuild Stoke Golding Nuneaton

After surveying the floor, I could see that as well as the obvious, the floor had dropped by the door to the lounge so this would need repairing and the tiles by the kitchen door had been removed and would also need replacing. Happy for me to do the work I worked out how many replacement tiles would be needed to renovate the floor. The tiles were then ordered from Craven Dunnill who have been in operation since 1872 and still make the same tiles to this day.

Cleaning and Repairing a Craven Dunnill Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first day on the job involved removing tiles and screed from the damaged sections, cleaning up the rubble as I went. The now exposed subfloor was built up to the right height by adding self-levelling screed which was left to set before more work could be done. Once the new screed had set the replacement tiles were cut and laid using a flexible adhesive. The damaged tiles in the floor where also removed and replaced where needed.

Victorian Hallway During Craven Dunnill Tile Rebuild Stoke Golding Nuneaton

The next step involved deep cleaning the whole hallway floor, first using Tile Doctor Remove and Go and then followed up with Tile Doctor Acid Gel using 200 and 400-Grit burnishing pads to really get the tiles clean and bright again. I hand finished the corners and edges with handheld burnishing blocks of different grades and then left the floor to dry overnight.

Sealing a Craven Dunnill Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next morning, I inspected the floor to check it was clean and dry however, it also revealed a few more cracked tiles that were not obvious the day before. These were removed and replaced as before.

The floor was then pre-sealed using a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer followed up with a few coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. The combination of the two sealers brings out the colours in the tiles whilst providing hard wearing protection that will keep the dirt out of the tiles. Both sealers are breathable which is an important consideration when sealing old floors like this one which don’t usually have a damp proof membrane.

Victorian Hallway After Craven Dunnill Tile Rebuild Stoke Golding Nuneaton

Due to the amount of tiling work needed that job was completed over a two-week period however the floor looked amazing when finished and well worth the effort. Given the history of the floor I’m sure the fully restored floor will add a lot of value to the property, certainly my client was very happy with the finish.

Professional Craven Dunnill Victorian Hallway Restoration in Warwickshire

Craven Dunnill Floor Restoration in Stoke Golding Nuneaton Read More »

Black Limestone After Cleaning Pillerton Hersay

Restoring a new laid black Limestone floor in Pillerton Hersey

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Stratford-upon-Avon Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

This is the second black limestone tiled floor we have dealt with this year where the tiler struggled to get the right finish. In this case the floor tiles were newly fitted but unfortunately the tiler had decided not to seal the tiles prior to grouting which resulted in grout becoming trapped on the tile surface (aka Grout Haze). To remedy this problem brick acid was used which removed the grout but this stripped off the black finish turning the tiles grey then in a further attempt to improve the appearance the tiles were covered in boiled linseed oil which just sat on top locking in the grout haze. Linseed oil is a traditional method of sealing stone tiles and is normally used with Terracotta tiles but it’s not ideal and does not have the performance of a modern sealer, certainly in this case it didn’t help at all.

Black Limestone Before Cleaning Pillerton Hersay

Removing Oil and Grout from Limestone Tiles

To resolve the problems with the floor it had to be fully stripped back to remove the linseed oil so the grout haze problem could be tackled. This was done by applying a solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was mopped on to the floor and left to soak in for a while before being scrubbed using a rotary machine fitted with a black pad. This process lifted the linseed oil off the tiles and was removed using a wet vacuum.

Once the Linseed oil was gone I could get to work on the grout haze and for that we have a special product called Grout Clean-Up, it’s a very strong acid based product and normally you would need to be very careful using it on stone as it can damage the stone, in this case however the surface of the Limestone had already been damaged by the brick acid. Once the floor was free of coatings and the grout haze problem had been treated I gave the floor a thorough rinse down to make sure all trace of products had been removed from the floor before the next step.

Sealing Limestone Floor Tiles

There was a lot of Limestone to cover so on the first day I focused on the kitchen and on day two the lounge, hallway and toilet. On the third day I went over the whole area applying Tile Doctor Stone Oil to restore the black colour of the Limestone that had been damaged by the brick acid.

Black Limestone During Cleaning Pillerton Hersay

By the third day the Grout Haze was gone but was still looking washed out. To restore the colour back into the black limestone it was treated with stone oil which as you can see turned the tiles back to their original colour. Stone Oil is an interesting product, if you check the tin it will tell you it’s “an easy to apply pre-polish impregnating sealer, ideal for low porosity stone and terracotta designed to enhance the colour and texture of floors and improve mechanical strength once cured”. Certainly from the customer’s point of view the floor now looks how it was intended and they were much relieved.

Resolving Limestone installation problems in Warwickshire

Restoring a new laid black Limestone floor in Pillerton Hersey Read More »

Terracotta Deep Clean Warwick After Sealing

Dirty Terracotta Tiles Deep Cleaned in Warwick

1 Comment / Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Warwick Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

These photographs are from a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen at a house in the historic town of Warwick. You should be able to see from the photographs that the tiles had a heavy build-up of wax and oil coating which besides being very unsightly made them difficult to clean.

Removing Wax and Oil from Terracotta Tiles

I knew I was going to struggle to remove the build-up of wax and oil so I decided to go apply Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a product specifically designed to safely remove sealers and coatings from Tile and Stone. It was diluted and applied to the floor where it was left to soak into the tiles for a good twenty minutes before being worked in with a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad.

The resultant soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor washed down with clean water. At this point I could see more work was required so as well as applying more Remove and Go I also applied steam from a heavy duty steamer. Slowly but surely using a combination of the above tools and product the wax and oil was stripped from the floor.

Terracotta Deep Clean Warwick Wax Stripping

The next job was to give the floor a deep clean using a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was worked into the pores of the Terracotta tile and grout using a slow speed rotary machine fitted with another scrubbing pad. The dirty solution was removed and the floor rinsed thoroughly with water, again we used the wet vacuum to remove the water and get the tile as dry as possible.

Terracotta Deep Clean Warwick After Cleaning

Sealing Terracotta floor tiles

I left the floor overnight to dry overnight with the assistance of an air blower and then came back next day to seal the floor; I used a damp test meter first to verify the floor was dry and ready for sealing. Once happy I proceed to apply three coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a no-sheen, natural-look penetrating sealer that provides maximum stain protection by occupying the pores in the tile. It’s also highly recommended for use in in food preparation and serving areas

It was a tough job but the results were well worth the effot.

Terracotta tiled floor stripped, cleaned and sealed in Warwick

Dirty Terracotta Tiles Deep Cleaned in Warwick Read More »

Victorian Tiled Floor Refresh Radford After

Victorian Tiled Hallway Refreshed in Radford

1 Comment / Coventry Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

This Victorian Tiled Hallway at a house in Radford near Coventry had been well preserved under a carpet for many years and the owners of the house now wanted it brought back to life. Physically the tiles were in good condition however they did suffer from the usual issues of paint splashes and adhesive stuck to the surface.

Victorian Tiled Floor Refresh Radford Before

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

To clean up the tiles and remove the paint and glue I used a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. The edges of the floor was done first as this was where the most pain splashes were to be found due to the skirting being painted at some point in the past. The usual procedure still applied allowing the product to soak in and soften the paint before being scrubbed off by hand. Once the edges were done I moved onto the main part of the floor using the same process however this time I had the advantage of being able to use a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The dirty solution was rinsed away with water and removed with a wet vacuum.

To finish off and remove some signs of efflorescence (white salt stains) the tiles were then scrubbed in a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This did the trick but you can’t leave this product on the tiles for too long as its an acid so as soon as it had done its job it was washed off and then the tiles were then given a thorough wash down with clean water.

My work was done for the day so I left a fan running to help speed dry the floor overnight and left for the day.

Sealing Victorian floor tiles

I came back the next day to seal the floor using Tile Doctor Seal and Go sealer which provides stain protection as well giving a nice sheen to the tile, the tiles were quite porous and needed six coats before they were fully sealed.

Victorian tiled floor cleaned and sealed near Coventry

Victorian Tiled Hallway Refreshed in Radford Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Coventry After Cleaning and Sealing

Victorian Tilled Hallway Refurbished in Allesley

1 Comment / Coventry Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

Popular as they are in the UK it wasn’t long before I was called back to refurbish another Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor this time in the town of Allesley near Coventry. This tiles were heavily soiled and had been splashed with paint from decorating, on top of this there was evidence of adhesive from when the floor had been previously covered in carpet and there were a number of damaged tiles that needed replacing.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Coventry Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

To get the tiles clean of paint and dirt I decided to go straight for a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to soak into the tiles for around thirty minutes before scrubbing it in with a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The dirty solution was rinsed away with water and removed with a wet vacuum and stubborn areas and grout re-treated with a scrubbing brush by hand.

I wasn’t entirely happy with the condition of the tiles at this stage so the next step was to scrub in a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is an acid based product that removed grout haze, mineral deposits, rust stains and efflorescence. This did the trick but being an acid based product you can’t leave it on the tiles for too long and so was washed off soon after and the tiles washed down with clean water.

I scraped out the grout surrounding the damaged tiles and lifted them out, I had already arranged replacements so once that was done and tidied up it was just a question of putting the replacement in place with tile adhesive and re-grouting using a sympathetic grout colour to match the aged existing grout.

My work was done for the day so I left a couple of fans running to help dry the floor and left for the day.

Sealing Victorian floor tiles

I came back the next day to seal the floor using Tile Doctor High Shine sealer which provides stain protection as well as a very shiny finish; five coats were needed to get it fully sealed.

Victorian tiled floor deep cleaned, repaired and sealed near Coventry

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