Deep Cleaning Old Victorian Tiles with Tile Doctor Remove & Go in Plumstead

The original tiled hallway floor at this Victorian house in Plumstead, London SE18 was in a sorry state. There had been some tile repairs done in the past, but no effort had been made to match the tiles or pattern. The only saving was that despite lots of broken and loose tiles the underlying base was still in good condition

Spurred on by other restoration work they had seen the owners wanted the hallway tiles restoring as an original feature and engaged Tile Doctor to do the work. Happy to assist I paid a visit to survey the floor and calculate how many tiles would be needed from reclamation or a reproduction manufacturer. Once repaired the floor would then need deep cleaning and then sealing to give it a uniform appearance and protect it.

I worked out a detailed quote for the work which was accepted and set about tracking down the tiles needed for the job.

Repairing a Neglected Victorian Tiled Hallway

Work started by removing all the loose, broken, or incorrect tiles saving as many originals as I could. The original tiles would be cleaned up to be used again during the repair. The next step was to tidy up the base and remove any rough edges before applying a primer.

While the primer was drying, I started building the patterns using a combination of the original and replacement tiles making cuts as needed. When ready the pattern was laid into the floor using fresh adhesive and grout.

Once all the floor was complete and set firm attention turned to cleaning the floor to remove the staining and years of dirt. I started with an application of Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor, this was applied neat to remove any old coatings applied to the floor over the years and break up grime and grease on the floor. The product was scrubbed in using a black pad fitted to a rotary machine and the dirty solution was extracted using a wet vacuum.

The next step was to apply Tile Doctor Acid Gel to the floor and work it in with several grades of Diamond burnishing pads, the pads work the acid deep into the pores of the stone giving the tiles a deep clean, the dirty solution was then vacuumed away as before. I then gave the floor a steam rinse to ensure all cleaning chemicals were out of the tiles before letting them dry prior to sealing.

Once the acid had been vacuumed up, I rinsed the tiles thoroughly with a steam cleaner, this lifts all the cleaning chemicals out of the tile and dries quickly.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

When the floor was totally dry, work moved onto sealing the tiles which will protect them going forward and ensure that dirt remains on the surface where it easily cleaned away. I use Tile Doctor Colour Grow to seal original Victorian floor tiles, this is an impregnating sealer, that enhances the natural colour of the tiles and leaves the floor with a natural matt finish. It’s also breathable so will allow moisture to rise through the tile and not become trapped underneath where it could reach out to the walls and cause rising damp.

The restoration completely transformed the floor and the customers were very happy with the result. For aftercare I recommend they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, which is safe to use on sealed tiles. Many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong and can remove the sealer so it’s always best to read the label.

Source: Tile Cleaning and Restoration Products and Services in Plumstead South East London