Using Low Moisture Oxy-Gel Tile Cleaner on an Old Victorian Floor in Milngavie Glasgow

The pictures below are of Red and Cream Octagonal Encaustic tiled hallway floor at a Victorian property in Milngavie North of Glasgow. The tiles were in good condition but being made of encaustic cement they are porous and need to be sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores. Once dirt becomes ingrained it makes it very difficult to keep it clean and in this case the sealer had worn off after years of use and the floor needed cleaning and re-sealing.

After visiting the property to take a closer look and measure up I was able to work out a plan for its renovation and craft a detailed quote for the work which would take two days, one to clean and one to seal. The quote was accepted and a date set for the work to start.

Cleaning an Encaustic Victorian Tiled Hallway

On the first day we set about removing years of ingrained dirt from the tiles using a specialist low moisture product called Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. Old floors like this don’t have the benefit of a damp-proof membrane under the floor so we have learned from experience its best to keep the use of water down to a minimum. Using a lot of water to clean a floor like this can lead to long drying times and increases the chances of efflorescence appearing which results in white salt deposits.

The gel was brushed onto the tiles using a deck brush and then left for around 10-15 minutes before being scrubbed into the tiles using a 200-grit diamond pad. This proved very effective at bringing the ingrained dirt to the surface where the gel turned into a slurry that could be extracted using wet vacuum.

This process was carried out a couple of times before replacing the coarse 200-grit pad with a finer 400-grit. This pad is run across the floor using water for lubrication and further cleans the tile. After another extraction with the wet vacuum the process was repeated with an 800 then 1500-grit pad to further clean the tiles and bring up the surface.

The tiles were then given a couple of wipes over using microfibre cloths and then given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to neutralise the floor and counter any salts in left before being left to fully dry out for a week with a fan.

Sealing an Encaustic Victorian Tiled Hallway

On the second day we returned to seal the tiles. This was carried out using a single coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a modern oil-based sealer which helps restore structure and colour to the tiles. The sealer was applied with a paint pad and left to soak in for twenty minutes before being buffed in using microfibre cloths.

The X-Tra Seal added colour and tone to the tiles, it’s also very hard wearing, fully breathable and externally rated so ideal for a hallway. Once complete the floor looked so much brighter and inviting.

For aftercare I recommended cleaning the floor with Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is mild yet effective and won’t impact the sealer

Source: Professional Victorian Floor Tile Restoration Services near Milngavie Glasgow