swindon Archives - Wiltshire Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Lobby Before and After Cleaning in Swindon

Worn and Dirty Victorian Tiled Lobby Rejuvenated in Swindon

1 Comment / Work History / Wiltshire Tile Doctor

Victorian tiled floors are a popular feature in period houses and new builds trying to get that classic look. While they originated in the 19th century, they have a certain timeless quality that property owners love. Historically due to their hard wearing qualities they were most commonly used for flooring high traffic areas such as lobbies and hallways, however Victorian tiles are porous and without the correct maintenance the tiles can start to lose their appearance very quickly.

This customer from Swindon has an original Victorian tiled lobby at the front of their house that was suffering from this very same problem. Years worth of ingrained dirt and muck had completely sapped all colour and character from the tiles, and the customer was keen to get them back to looking their best.

Victorian Tiled Lobby Before Cleaning in Swindon

Whilst I was there inspecting the floor I agreed to run a test on the tiles to ascertain the results that could be achieved, this worked out well and the customer quickly booked me to carry out the full restoration.

Cleaning Dull and Dirty Victorian Tiles

To provide the deep clean these tiles desperately needed, I opted to use a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean. Pro Clean is our go-to cleaner for most natural stone tiles since it is highly versatile. It is alkaline-based and therefore can be used on acid-sensitive tiles to break down ingrained dirt and any existing seal.

We soaked the floor completely with the product and left it to dwell for roughly 15 minutes. This allows the Pro Clean to seep into the pores of the stone, get underneath and lift any ingrained dirt to the surface to be easily removed. I then attached a soft brush to a rotary machine and scrubbed the area throughly, with the tiles coming up very well. Once satisfied with the appearance of the tiles, I removed the dirty cleaning slurry with a wet vacuum and rinsed.

Having removed many layers of muck it came as a surprise to find that there were a number of paint splashes that have previously had been hidden. I was able to promptly remove them using a hand razor scraper, before rinsing the area again several times to remove any surface contaminants and neutralise the area. I then left it to dry fully overnight.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

Upon my return to the property the next day I ran a few damp tests to check for excess moisture in the area. This is really important to check for as excess moisture can cloud the sealer and damage its ability to provide protection for the tiles.

Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry, I sealed the floor with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that penetrates into the pores of the stone to act as a robust barrier against ingrained dirt. It also contains colour intensifying properties that really worked to enhance the fantastic coloured patterns of these Victorian tiles.

Victorian Tiled Lobby After Cleaning in Swindon

With a thorough clean and a fresh seal applied, these tiles are now well prepared to endure further wear and tear, which is especially important in this high traffic area of the house. Certainly the customer was relieved and pleased to know that their fantastic Victorian tiles are protected for the long-term. Another satisfied customer for the Wiltshire Tile Doctor.

Professional Victorian Tiled Entrance Restoration in Wiltshire

Worn and Dirty Victorian Tiled Lobby Rejuvenated in Swindon Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Swindon Before and After Cleaning and sealing

Victorian Tiled Hallway Cleaned and Sealed in Swindon

1 Comment / Work History / Wiltshire Tile Doctor

We were contacted by a home owner in Swindon who had discovered a black and white Victorian tiled floor underneath carpet in their hallway and wanted to make it a feature. I took a look at the floor and can see it was in good condition considering the carpet glue and arranged an appointment to come back and do the work.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Swindon Before Cleaning

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

First we started with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was smothered over the floor and left to dwell for twenty minutes so it could get to work breaking down any remaining sealer and dirt build up etc. Then after we attached a black scrubbing pad to a rotary machine and worked the solution into the tile to release the dirt. This caused the cleaning solution to become black with the soil which was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed thoroughly with cold water.

Upon further inspection it had become evident that the edges still had a build-up of carpet adhesives and yellowing sealer so something stronger would be required to get rid of it. These areas were spot treated with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was brushed to the edges and let it dwell as before. A hand scraper was then used to remove the adhesive and stubborn sealer. The floor was rinsed thoroughly once more using the wet vacuum to remove as much water as possible.

Another inspection of the tiles revealed slight staining which was most evident on the white tiles so we used a 120grit hand pad with a little water to remove as much staining as possible and rinsed several times. Once we were satisfied we then left the floor to dry over 3 days.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

Upon our return we tested the floor for damp by using a damp meter; the test was fine so we proceeded to seal the floor using five coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which will protect the floor from further staining and also adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles which always looks attractive on Victorian tiles.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Swindon After Cleaning

Our customer said that the tiles had come up cleaner than she had ever imagined possible and was so happy that they now have a ‘feature’ hallway.

Maintaining Victorian Tiles in Swindon

Victorian Tiled Hallway Cleaned and Sealed in Swindon Read More »

Quarry Tiles Swindon Before and After Cleaning

Quarry tiled floor hidden under Ceramic tiles restored in Swindon

1 Comment / Work History / Wiltshire Tile Doctor

The history of this Quarry Tiled floor at a house in Swindon is a little unusual in that the owner had discovered the Quarry tiles underneath cracked ceramic tiles which had been laid over the top for several years. The customer wanted to bring the Quarry tile back to life to match the existing hallway from the kitchen and so we got a call. Incidentally the practice of laying new tiles on top of old is not unusual as an existing tiled floor provides an ideal level on which to lay new tiles.

Cleaning Quarry Tiles

We started by using a floor scraper to scrape off as much tile adhesive as possible. Once this was done we mixed a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up and brushed it all over the remaining tile adhesive and used a black scrubbing pad attached to a rotary machine to remove the glue. This took several attempts using more Grout Clean-up, a floor scraper and a black scrubbing pad to remove all traces of the adhesive. Next we rinsed off any trace of product using clean water and then removed it using a wet vacuum.

The floor was free of glue at this point but we still needed to remove any existing sealer from the tiles and give them a deep clean to remove ingrained dirt so a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-clean mixed 50/50 with Nanotech Ultraclean was applied to the tiles and left to dwell for twenty minutes. (The Nanotech product adds tiny abrasive particles to the mix making a more effective cleaner). The solution was worked into the tile using a black pad attached to a rotary machine and the floor thoroughly scrubbed. Once satisfied the tiles were rinsed with clean water several times to remove any trace of cleaning product and the water removed using a wet vacuum. A lot of work had gone into the floor at this point and it needed time to dry before sealing so we left for the evening.

Sealing Quarry Tiles

We returned two days later and after testing the tiles were dry using a damp tester, which came back as OK, we processed to seal the Quarry tiles using six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is an ideal sealer for Quarry tiles as it adds a nice sheen to the floor as well as providing future surface protection. Seal and Go is also water based so there’s no smell as it dries.

Wiltshire Quarry tiled floor restoration

Quarry tiled floor hidden under Ceramic tiles restored in Swindon Read More »