Removing Efflorescence Salts from a Classic Victorian Tiled Floor with Tile Doctor Acid Gel in Clondalkin Dublin

I thought you might be interested in these pictures of a beautiful Victorian tiled hallway I was asked to review at a period property in my hometown of Clondalkin. It’s probably difficult to appreciate from the photos on this page as the tiles look to be in good condition but there was an issue with salts appearing that the owner was unhappy with.

The property was built in the 1800’s, well before the invention of damp proof membranes and without this barrier floors of this age can have damp issues. This in turn leads to salts being drawn up through the tile from the ground, the salts are drawn up with the moisture and deposited on the surface as a white haze as the moisture evaporates. This process is known as efflorescence.

In this case the floor had been cleaned and sealed only a month prior by another firm who I suspect used a lot of water in the process. The floor had then been sealed with a product that didn’t allow for vapour transmission and as the tiles dried and evaporated the sealer started to break down.

The solution was to strip the floor of the old sealer, treat the efflorescence and then re-seal using a fully breathable sealer that would cope with excess moisture. Happy with my explanation and plan I was asked to do go ahead.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To remove the old sealer, I used a Tile Doctor product called Remove and Go, which as its name suggests removes coatings from tiles. This is done by spraying a strong dilution of the product onto the floor, letting it soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbing the floor with a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. Once done the soiling is rinsed off with minimal water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to treat the salts using a Tile Doctor Acid Gel which being acid dissolves salts and being a gel requires minimal water. This product is brushed on with a deck brush and then rinsed and extracted as before.

The floor needed several treatments over the course of a few days to ensure it had dried out and the salts had been removed.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Once I was satisfied the floor was dry, which was confirmed using a damp meter I was ready to apply the new sealer. Due to the age and concerns about damp in the floor Tile Doctor X-Tra seal was chosen, this is an oil-based sealer that is fully breathable and is externally rated making it perfect for hallways.

The sealer is hard wearing and will protect the tiles from ingrained dirt ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed. The oils in the sealer improve the appearance of the Victorian tiles leaving a lovely attractive finish which allows the vivid colours to shine through.

For aftercare I recommended using Tile Doctor’s Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective floor cleaner that can be used daily without impacting the sealer. I’ve embedded links to this product and others used in this case history all of which can be sourced from Tile Doctor direct or from myself.

Source: Victorian Tile Restoration Products and Services in Clondalkin Dublin