Neutral Tile Cleaner Archives - Tyneside Tile Doctor

Large Victorian Tiled Hall Floor Restoration Hebburn

Water Damaged Victorian Tiled Village Hall Floor Fully Restored in Hebburn

I was asked to quote for restoring a heavily marked and dirty Encaustic tiled Victorian floor at a village hall outside Hebburn. I was told there had been water damage and the tiles were in a very sorry state however these old floors can take a lot of punishment, and it never fails to surprise me just how well they can be recovered.

Large Victorian Tiled Hall Floor Before Restoration Hebburn

I arranged a site visit to inspect the floor and discussed with the client the process I would use to restore it to its former glory. Having taken detailed notes and measurements, I was able to work out a plan for its restoration and from this provide a detailed quotation. The management team of the hall were keen to have the work done and I was given the go-ahead.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Having agreed a date for the work to start I began by giving the floor a good vacuum to clear any loose debris on the floor. I then applied a gel-based product called Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel to the tiles to keep moisture levels to a minimum. Old floors like these don’t have a damp proof membrane so you must take care not to exacerbate any damp issues. These tiles would be very porous after years of neglect and lack of sealer.

With the gel applied I used carbide brushes of increasing grits to start the cleaning and scrub away the worst of the stubborn dirt stuck to the tiles. This was then rinsed off and the slurry removed with a wet vacuum.

This improved the condition of the tiles, but more work was needed so another coat of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel was applied and the scrubbing repeated but this time using a coarse 200-grit diamond pad. This did the job, and you could really see the tiles coming back to life. Again, this was rinsed off and extracted as before.

The floor was then given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which further cleans the tiles and neutralises the pH level of the floor which would have been high due to the use of Oxy-Gel which is alkaline. The gel was scrubbed in with a brush and then rinsed off and extracted as before. The acidic nature of this product also dissolves any efflorescent salts which can be a common issue with old floors like this one, especially if they have been damp in the past.

The floor was then left to dry over a two-week period; they needed that long as this work was completed in the middle of winter. As mentioned before there was no damp-proof course and the tiles had experienced previous flood damage, so they took quite a while before they were fully dry ready for sealing.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

I went back after two weeks, and after confirming the tiles were dry with a moisture meter proceeded to apply the first of what would be two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This was chosen as it contains a colour enhancer that did a lovely job of improving the colours in the tile, it’s also fully breathable which will help with any damp issues going forward.

Large Victorian Tiled Hall Floor After Restoration Hebburn

As you can see this old Victorian tiled floor was vastly improved by the process and should keep that way for many more years to come. For aftercare I advised the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which won’t harm the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Floor in Tyneside

Water Damaged Victorian Tiled Village Hall Floor Fully Restored in Hebburn Read More »

Varnished Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in South Shields

This customer from South Shields had been maintaining their Terracotta tiled kitchen floor with some sort of varnish or polish. This had continued over twenty years and resulted in dirt becoming locked into the floor and the tiles becoming very dark. The owner felt the floor had lost its original appeal and wanted the whole floor stripping, deep cleaning and then re-sealing.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning South Shields

I went over the property to survey the floor and advise on the steps required to renovate the floor. From this plan I was then able to work out a quotation for doing the work which would take two days. My quote was accepted and a date scheduled for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

On my return the first task was to start cleaning and stripping the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then Remove and Go. These products work best when left to soak into the tile for ten minutes as this gives the product time to breakdown the soils and old sealers.

A Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine was then used to scrub the solution into the tile and grout. I also worked a stiff brush along the grout lines by hand to get them as clean as possible. The floor was rinsed, and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning South Shields

Once done the Terracotta tiles and grout were inspected and any stubborn areas re-treated using the same process until I was satisfied the tile, and grout was as clean as possible and free of previous coatings. After a final rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product the wet vacuum was used to remove as much moisture as possible. The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning South Shields

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

The next day the floor was checked for moisture to ensure it was dry enough to be sealed. The results were acceptable so I made a start on applying the sealer which for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal & Go.

Terracotta is made from clay and as a result is a very porous material, because of this it took ten coats sealer before it was fully sealed. Seal & Go is a water-based product and so doesn’t leave a smell as it dries, it works well on Terracotta and resulted in an appealing satin finish. The sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it is easily cleaned away.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing South Shields

Once complete the Terracotta floor looked so much cleaner, lighter and fresher with a subtle sheen. For maintenance, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner for regular cleaning which will ensure the newly applied sealer retains its integrity. Many household cleaning products are simply too strong and will strip away the sealer with use.

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