If you follow my activities, you will notice I have a reputation for being a Church Restoration specialist for tiled floors. In this example the church was St’ Andrew’s in the old village of Shilton which is a couple of miles North of Coventry.
The village of Shilton is listed in the Domesday book of 1066 and the Grade II listed parish church has been in existence since the 13th century. It was rebuilt twice in the 14th and 15th centuries and benefited form major work in 1865. The tiled floor installed throughout the church were manufactured by Milton so it’s probable the floor was laid at that time.
Exposing and Renovating a Milton Tiled Church Floor
My first call out to the church was to carefully remove the expansive carpet which had been put down over the tiled floor in the 1970. It had been fixed with some very strong adhesive and it had become clear that the carpet and the glue had formed a barrier over the tile sealing moisture into the floor. In some places the moisture had spread out to the walls of the Church causing rising damp. The damp resulted in plaster lifting off from the walls because it could not escape through the floor. I had to call in some assistance with this job and between us managed to remove the old carpets which were cut up and placed into black bags for disposal.
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With the tiled floor now clear the next job was to remove the old adhesive. To do this, large sections of tile were soaked in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. To enhance this further the section was covered in plastic sheeting and left overnight. Doing it this way prevents the Remove and Go from drying out making it work harder and for longer. The next morning was spent carefully removing the glue with hand using scrapers and a buffing machine fitted with brush.
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Once the adhesive was gone and the tiles exposed, they were given an acid wash which involved scrubbing with Tile Doctor Acid Gel. Being an acidic product, it counter acts any alkaline efflorescent salts inherent in the floor and deals with any grout hazing issues as well improving their appearance. After scrubbing the soil generated was extracted using an industrial wet vacuum and then the floor was given a quick rinse with water which again was extracted using the wet vacuum.
Sealing a Milton Tiled Church Floor
Before sealing the previously cleaned section of tiling it was left for a few days to dry out and checked with a damp meter beforehand. Once dry the section was sealed using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating hard wearing sealer that improves colour. Colour Grow is also a fully breathable making it ideal for sealing old floors like this one that have no damp proof membrane and will allow moisture to rise through the tile so it can evaporate at the surface.
The work was done over seven days with the various sections roped off, so it was obvious to the parishioners. In total it took seven days to complete the restoration and I think you will agree from the photographs the church looks transformed.
Efflorescence can be a real problem with old floors that have no Damp Proof Membrane or have seen water damage. It manifests itself as white salts which are deposited on the surface of the tile as moisture evaporates. For more information about and how to treat it please visit https://www.tiledoctor.co.uk/shop/custom.aspx/efflorescence/10/