Acid Gel Archives - South London Tile Doctor

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path Restoration Battersea

Restoring a Neglected Victorian Tiled Path in Battersea

Here we have an old Victorian tiled path in front of a property in Battersea which was very much worse for wear. Tiled in a red and black diamond pattern it had seen a lot of use and weathering and the owner now wanted it renovating or improving at the very least.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path Before Restoration Battersea

I was asked to pop over to the property, survey the path and provide a quote for its restoration. Hopefully you can appreciate from the photographs the numerous cracks and missing tiles. It was certainly going to need a lot of work to improve its appearance, which I was happy to do but I had to lower the expectations of the owner as it would never be perfect. We agreed a price for the work and booked the job in.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

Before starting work we tried to source salvaged tiles that would blend in with the originals, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find any that were a close enough match, so had to make do with modern tiles. These are still suitable but the metric sizing makes it a little tricker.

Work started by digging out the broken and loose tiles and then cleaning what could be salvaged. Once removed the base was then cleared of debris and where required rebuilt with cement. There were numerous affected areas, so it took quite some time to complete. Finally with the preparation done the tiles were re-laid using a mixture of original and new. The new tiles being metric had to be cut to shape as needed. The repair work was extensive and took two days to complete.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path During Repair Battersea

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Pathway

On day three the replaced tiles had set, and I was able to clean up the whole path by scrubbing in Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which being a gel cleaner doesn’t require a lot of water. This was then followed by giving the path an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which further cleans the tiles and again being in gel format doesn’t require a lot of water and is much easier to control. After each stage in the cleaning process the soils were extracted with a wet vacuum.

I recommend the use of gel cleaners on old tiles like this example as they were laid before the invention of the damp proof membrane and less water means it dries quicker. This was important as it was planning to apply a sealer the next day and the tiles must be dry to achieve the best result.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The weather held out and after leaving the path to dry overnight I confirmed they were dry the next morning with a damp meter. Two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer were applied to the tiles which is a fully breathable sealer that works by soaking into the tile, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. With the dirt forced to remain on the surface they are much easier to clean. This product also contains a colour enhancing formula which helps improve the deep Red and Black colours in the tile.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path After Restoration Battersea

The tiles responded very well to the treatment and transformed the appearance of the path. Expecting only a small improvement my client was over them moon with the difference.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Path in South London

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated Fulham

Restoration of an Unloved Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Fulham

I received a request to quote for the restoration of this Victorian tiled floor in the hallway of a property in Fulham which as you can see from the photographs was in a very poor condition.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Fulham

I visited the property to survey the floor and could see that except for a few loose tiles it was in good physical condition. From experience I knew it would respond well to a deep clean and seal so I carried out a test clean on a small area to demonstrate its potential. The tiles came up well and my client was satisfied it would be worthwhile to have it restored.

When you have period features such as this floor in a property it is a shame not to make the most of them, they are sought after and will increase its value. Having agreed my quote, we arranged to carry out the work the following week.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To get all the dirt out of the pores of the tiles I first applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and after leaving it to soak in for ten minutes was scrubbed in with a black pad. I also used a steam cleaner during this process to help lift the dirt out of the pores. From what I could tell the tiles had a variety of contaminants including paint, plaster, cement, and dirt. Luckily Tile Doctor Remove and Go can handle all of these. I had to repeat the process on the stubborn stains and then removed all the slurry and dirt using a wet vacuum.

I then moved onto the loose tiles which needed to have the old adhesive removed from the tile and the base. The original tiles were then cleaned up by hand before new rapid setting adhesive was applied to secure them back into the floor.

Once the loose tiles had set, I moved onto the next step of giving the floor an Acid Rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This cleans up the tiles further by removing old grout smears and dissolving efflorescent salts in the floor. This is a common in properties of this age which don’t have a damp proof membrane to stop moisture rising through the tile. This process also neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of strong alkaline cleaning products like Tile Doctor Remove and Go. The floor was rinsed again afterwards, and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum before leaving it to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day the moisture levels of the tiles were checked with a damp meter to ensure they were dry enough to be sealed. The readings were fine, so I was able to apply a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a breathable colour enhancing sealer. This is a super durable product which will give great protection to the floor, especially when it is in a high traffic area such as a hallway.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Renovation Fulham

My client was amazed with the transformation and said he never expected it to come out as good as it did. I must admit considering the state it was into to start with I can understand his expectations mustn’t have been that high.

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to maintain the floor, this is a pH neutral product which will ensure the longevity of the newly applied sealer and is mild enough to use every day. Its supplied as a concentrate so you only need a small amount of cleaning fluid to clean the floor and so a one litre bottle will last a while.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South London

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