Victorian Tile Restoration Archives - South London Tile Doctor

Neglected Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration in Kensington

Deep Clean and Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Kensington

The photographs below are of a Victorian tiled floor at a property across the Thames in Kensington which as you can see was in quite a poor state, especially along the edges. The property was being renovated and the walls recently plastered following a rewire resulting in all sorts of building materials being trod into the tiles leaving them looking very neglected.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Floor Before Restoration Kensington

The biggest problem were the border tiles where many had become damaged and cracked over the years. It would be a straight-forward task to replace them however, and I was confident of finding matching replacements.

I worked out a quote for the work which would include replacing the damaged tiles, deep cleaning the floor and then sealing to protect it. The quote included sourcing replacement reproduction tiles for which there are several suppliers, and I was confident that after a clean and seal the new tiles would blend in well with the original.

Cleaning and Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The room was completely empty due to the house being renovated so I was able to crack straight on starting by giving the floor an initial clean using Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. Normally I would do the repairs first but with the floor being so dirty I wanted to be sure I could see all the tiles that needed replacing.

Old Victorian floors don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane so it’s important to keep the use of water to a minimum and avoid the appearance of white efflorescent salts which can rise through the tile as it dries. The gel was applied neat to the Victorian tiles and allowed to soak in for about ten minutes before being worked in using a 200-Grit pad fitted to a rotary buffer. The combination of the coarse pad and the cleaning gel does a good job of bringing the dirt to the surface where it was then removed with a wet vacuum.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Floor During Repairs Kensington

With the floor clean I set about removing the broken tiles which was done carefully to avoid disturbing more tiles than necessary. The rubble was removed, and the foundation was rebuilt with self-levelling compound to the correct level. Once that had set, the replacement tiles were shaped and secured in place with fresh adhesive and grout. When complete I left for the day to allow the repairs to set overnight.

The following day I completed the cleaning process using another gel product called Tile Doctor Acid Gel. The acidic nature of the product also neutralises any salts that may be present and then leaves a microscopic etch on the clay tiles which helps to achieve a better bond with the sealer. The gel was then rinsed off and extracted as before and the floor left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The next day we started sealing the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a fully breathable sealer which is an important feature when sealing old floors like this, it also contains a colour enhancer. The sealer protects the tiles from ingrained dirt ensuring it remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Floor After Restoration Kensington

Once complete the floor was completely transformed and unrecognisable from before, hopefully the decorators who will be working on the property next will ensure it stays that way. For aftercare cleaning I recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective tile cleaner that’s designed for use on sealed floors.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Floor After Restoration Kensington

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in London

Deep Clean and Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Kensington Read More »

Dirty and Stained Victorian Hallway Tiles Rejuvenated in Streatham

If you like in an older property in the UK and never looked under the carpets you might want to take a minute and have a look. I still find it surprising how many of my customers had no idea they lived in a house with a classic tiled hallway.

We were recently asked to restore a fantastic geometric-patterned Victorian tiled floor which had been found underneath carpet during decoration work in the hallway of a property in Streatham.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Restoration Streatham

The once black and white tiles were now absolutely caked in dirt, glue deposits, cement, paint stains and plaster. It would be no small feat to get the tiles back to looking their best again. Fortunately, Victorian tiles are very resilient and we have a lot of experience in their restoration so I was confident that with the right products and techniques we could get the job done to a high standard.

Cleaning Dirty and Stained Victorian Hallway Tiles

The tiled hallway was quite long, yet only around a metre wide, so I felt the best approach would be to work in small sections at a time. Our method was to soak the tiles with Tile Doctor Remove and Go and leave the product to work its magic for roughly ten minutes, before scrubbing the surface to remove the muck. Some of the more viscous and stubborn stains were scrapped away carefully by hand within the assistance of a steam cleaning machine. The resulting residue was extracted using a wet vacuum. Remove and Go is a particularly effective cleaner in scenarios like this, as it is specially formulated to strip away old sealers, adhesives and even paint without harming the tile itself.

The next step was to run a rotary machine fitted with a Coarse 200 grit burnishing pad lubricated with water over the floor to achieve a consistent finish. The floor was then rinsed to remove the soil generated in the process.

Old floors like these laid before the invention of damp proof membranes can be a concern as damp rising up through the tile as it dries can leads to efflorescence salt deposits appearing on the tile surface. So, to avoid potential issues Tile Doctor Acid Gel was applied to the floor to neutralise any salt deposits and the floor given a final rinse to remove any trace of cleaning products.

Sealing Victorian Hallway Tiles

After finishing the clean, we left the floor to dry out over the weekend. With old floors like this one, we tend to recommend allowing a drying period of at least 48 hours to ensure the floor is completely dry before applying a sealer.

Upon arriving back at the property, we ran a few quick damp tests and once satisfied the floor was dry proceeded to seal the tiles using Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Colour Grow is a colour-intensifying, impregnating sealant that leaves a natural-look matte finish. It works by occupying the pores in the clay and it’s also a fully breathable sealer which is important for these old floors where damp may be any issue.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Restoration Streatham

The customer was absolutely thrilled with the results. She even went as far as to leave a review expressing how pleased she was during the weekend before we had chance to seal the tiles.

Bill and Wayne were brilliant! On time, got to work straight away, lovely and friendly and very professional. They have done a lovely job and I’m looking forward to them coming to seal the tiles to finish it o f tomorrow afternoon. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Thanks guys!

Victorian Tile Restoration