victorian tiles

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Cleaned Sealed Hampton South Middlesex

Victorian Hallway Tiles uncovered in Hampton

This lovely Victorian tiled hallway floor in Hampton had been covered with carpet for over 30 years. Having removed the carpet, the owner was keen to restore the floor back to its original appearance. As you can see from the pictures the tiles had some lovely traditional colours which have been hidden away. During that time the tiles had absorbed a lot of soil and were stained by rubber from the underlay causing the colours to fade.

Victorian Hallway Tiles Before Cleaning Hampton Victorian Hallway Tiles Before Cleaning Hampton

Fortunately, the gripper rods had only been lightly glued onto the tiles and not held down with nails, sometimes with older floors the rods are hammered in place right through the tile causing them to shatter, which makes for a much larger restoration job. I gave them a price for the work which they were happy with, and we arranged a time to return.

Victorian Hallway Tiles Before Cleaning Hampton

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To remove the traces of rubber backing, adhesive and years of stubborn soiling from the tiles the whole floor was soaked in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. After a short dwell time we then machine scrubbed with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to restore the tiles to a very clean condition.

The soiling and products were pressure rinsed and vacuumed away, leaving the Victorian tiles much cleaner. I found the best method was to work in large sections of flooring at a time which allowed for the tiles to dry whilst I worked on another section. I was then able to go back and review my work and spot clean stubborn areas until I was satisfied with the result. The wet vacuum removes a lot of the moisture but it needs to be dry before sealing so the floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Victorian Hallway Tiles During Cleaning Hampton

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day we returned and using the damp meter tested the tiles were dry and ready to be sealed. For this we selected to use seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, these were applied leaving each coat to dry before the next one was administered. This left a nice sheen finish on the floor and does a lovely job of enhancing the colours making the tiles look vibrant again. The floor looks great and the hallway is now very inviting.

Victorian Hallway Tiles After Cleaning Hampton

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare with the owner and recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Fact is most supermarket products are for cleaning Vinyl or Ceramic tiles contain bleach and are simply too strong for use on sealed surfaces such as this floor, using them can prematurely erode the sealer and once that’s gone the floor will have no protection and begin to accumulate dirt.

Victorian Hallway Tiles After Cleaning Hampton

 

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Middlesex

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Renovating Victorian Hallway Floor Twickenham Middlesex

Dirty Victorian Floor Tiles Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Twickenham

This Victorian floor in Twickenham, Middlesex was in good physical condition for its age but needed a good deep clean. Our customer had informed us that they had never cleaned or sealed the floor in the sixteen years that they had lived there so it was well overdue.

I went over to survey the floor and completed a test clean on a small section of tiling to see which products/techniques would work best. I like to do this as it demonstrates to the client what can be done, and it allows me to come up with an accurate price for doing the work.

Dirty Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham

As you can see from the pictures, there was quite a difference in the test patch compared to the rest of the floor. Years of foot traffic from the street had taken its’ toll and the floor was very dirty. Luckily, the floor was in very good condition and had not worn too badly.

Once they had seen the test patch, they were confident that it would be worth go ahead with my quote. It would ensure that the period feature was retained for many years to come. The colours on the floor were quite faded so it would be nice to get it restored.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I started the cleaning process by first taping up the surrounding skirting boards and doors to ensure they were protected from potential splashing. Cleaning involved spraying the Victorian tiles with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a dedicated Tile and Grout cleaning product. This was left to soak in for about ten minutes and then scrubbed in using a black pad fitted to a heavy-duty rotary scrubber.

This gives the floor a good mechanical scrub and works wonders releasing the ground-in dirt and soil from the tiles. The strong dilution of Pro-Clean will also remove any remaining sealers from the tile, however after sixteen years I doubted there would much trace of sealer left. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and all the soils removed with a wet vacuum.

Following the initial clean the colours were already much stronger. Next step however was to improve on that by giving the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This removes mineral deposits and generally brightens up the appearance of the tile. After another round of scrubbing the floor was rinsed with our high-pressure washer and then vacuumed, extracting all of the dirty water and dirt away in one go. The floor was looking a lot better and was left to dry overnight.

Dirty Victorian Floor During Cleaning Twickenham

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

After allowing the floor to dry overnight, we returned the next day to seal the floor. First, checking the floor was dry using the damp meter. Floors of this age can take a little longer to dry as there is no damp-proof membrane so it’s always worth checking as applying a sealer to damp tiles is not a good idea.

Dirty Victorian Floor After Cleaning Twickenham

Once I was satisfied it was dry eight coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go sheen finish sealer were applied. This takes a while to do as each coat needs to dry before applying the next. The sealer will protect the Victorian tiles for dirt and stains, it also enhanced the colours in the tile and will make it easier to keep the floor clean going forward.

My client was very pleased with the floor and mentioned that they should have called me in sooner! For aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Clean which is an effective cleaner with a neutral pH, its designed for cleaning tiles without degrading the sealer.

 

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Middlesex

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Before After Cleaning Hampton

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Stripped and Sealed in Hampton

These photographs are of a Victorian tiled hallway at a house in Hampton, Middlesex which is South West suburb of London. The tiles had suffered during the completion of extensive building works and as you can see from the picture below, the tiles were looking dull and had lost their vibrancy.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Hampton

On top of that the floor was heavily soiled with plaster dust as well as general soiling from wear and it had not been cleaned or sealed for nearly eight years. Victorian tiles are very hard wearing however and I knew I could put new life into the floor by giving them a good deep clean and re-seal.

Cleaning Victorian Hallway Tiles

To get the tiles clean and remove unwanted coatings we applied a 50/50 combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Tile Doctor Remove and Go.
This combination of products is effective at breaking down old sealers and coatings as well as cleaning the soil away from the tile.
The products were left to soak in for ten minutes before using a heavy-duty machine fitted with a scrubbing pad to work the solution into the pores of the tile. This did the trick and the soil and products were then flushed away using our special flushing tool which fires a jet of water onto the tile whilst extracting it at the same time with a vacuum (so no mess!)

Sealing Victorian Tiles

After allowing the tiles to dry overnight with some heating on, the floor was ready the next morning to accept a fresh sealer. Our customer wanted to have a sheen finish so we opted for Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works really well on Victorian tiles. Seven coats were applied to the floor before it was completely sealed and protected.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning Hampton

As well as improving the appearance of the tiles new sealer will also make cleaning much easier for the customer.
 
 

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Middlesex

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Victorian Hallway Hampton Court After Sealing

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Stripped and Sealed in Hampton Court

This was a straight forward strip and re-seal of a Victorian tiled hallway floor at a residence near the historic Hampton. The floor I suspect was an original feature of the house and the owners had maintained it well but like any Victorian floor they will show the effects of wear especially in high traffic areas like a hallway and benefit from a good deep clean and reseal every few years.

Victorian Hallway Hampton Court Before

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

The floor was washed down in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a multi-purpose alkaline cleaner/stripper which is safe to use on tile, stone and grout. This was left to soak into the floor tile for about twenty minutes before scrubbing it deep into the tile using a rotary floor machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This did a great job of cleaning up the floor and removing what was left of the previous sealer. The soiled solution was removed with a wet vacuum and then washed down with clean water to remove any remaining product and neutralise the floor before sealing. There were a few stubborn areas that needed further attention and so I treated them with neat Pro-Clean and a steamer until I was satisfied it was a good I could get it, again once I had finished I gave the floor a good rinse with clean water.

Victorian Hallway Hampton Court After Cleaning

Sealing Victorian Tiles

I left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal the tiles which for Victorian tiles I usually use Tile Doctor Seal and Go. It’s a water based sealer so it leaves no smell add a nice shiny finish to the floor, six coats were require in the end which is not unusual for Terracotta due to the porosity of the tiles.

Victorian Hallway Hampton Court After Sealing
 

Restoring Victorian Tiles in Middlesex

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Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington After Cleaning

Victorian Tiled Kitchen and Hallway Floor Deep Cleaned in Teddington

This Victorian tiled hallway and kitchen floor in Teddington, Middlesex, was in need of a deep clean including stripping out the old sealer and re-sealing to ensure easy maintenance in the future. Being a high traffic area the tiles had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years, there was also a lot of glue that had been used to stick carpet down in the past which had to be removed and there was heavy staining to the kitchen tiles from spillages over the years. If that wasn’t bad enough the owners of the house were in the middle of renovating the property so there was paint and plaster on the surface which would also need to be treated prior to sealing.

 

Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington Before Cleaning Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

In order to break down the glue and paint the affected areas were sprayed with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was then left to soak in. Following 10 minutes dwell time I then proceeded to scrub off the glue and paint and the resulting soiled solution was rinsed away.

The next step was to scrub the entire tiled floor using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad and a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean high alkaline cleaner. This broke down the soil ingrained in the tile and released it along with the remaining old sealer; the floor was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores and stubborn areas re-treated.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

The floor was then left alone to dry for twenty four hours before I came back to seal it for which I used four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This is a water based topical sealer that leaves no smell and provides a nice sheen to the floor; it will also repel liquids and dirt making it easier to maintain the tiles in the future.

 

Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington After Cleaning Victorian Hallway and Kitchen in Teddington After Cleaning

You can see from the photographs how the sealer has gives a high sheen finish to the tile which reflects the light and enhances the colours of the stone leaving the floor looking as good as new and very vibrant.

Restoring Victorian Tiles in Middlesex

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Victorian Tiled Porch in Twickenham After Cleaning

Victorian Tiled Porch cleaned in Twickenham

Details below of a Victorian tiled porch in Twickenham which was ingrained with dirt and in need of a deep clean, there was also evidence of paint splashes from decorating work which would also need to be removed.

Victorian Tiled Porch in Twickenham Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

We set about cleaning the Victorian tile using a steamer in conjunction with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a very effective Tile Cleaning product worked. It was a small space so the tile and grout were scrubbed by hand wand using a stiff brush, it wasn’t long before we could see the dirt coming out of the floor. The soiled cleaning solution was picked up with a wet and dry vacuum and then Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied to the paint spots leaving it to dwell for a while before further scrubbing. Once I was happy the tiles were now clean the floor was given a thorough rinse with fresh water to remove any leftover chemical and then left to dry.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

Once the floor had dried four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go was applied to the tile and this gave it a high sheen and durable finish. Seal and Go will provides good stain protection and really enhances the appearance and colour of Victorian tile.

Victorian Tiled Porch in Twickenham After Cleaning
I think you will agree from the photographs that the appearance of this beautiful tiled floor had been much improved. If you have a similar issue with your floor do get in touch for a free quotation, Tile Doctor can service all types of natural and man-made stone flooring covering most of the UK.

Maintaining Victorian Tiles in Twickenham

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