Wyre Forest

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before After Restoration Rushock

St Michaels Church Floor Restoration Rushock

I recently completed a Victorian floor restoration at St Michaels Church in Rushock which is a very small village in Worcestershire in the Wyre Forest District. The church is a listed building that dates to 1758 however I suspect the floor was installed in 1872 when the building was subject to a major restoration. Interestingly its most famous as the resting place of Jon Bonham from Led Zeppelin who is regarded as one of most influential rock drummers in history.

I was contacted by the church as the floor had become dull and the floor was experiencing efflorescent salt issues. The chairman of Rushock church was unhappy with its appearance and was keen to have it restored to ensure the church looked it’s best for the residents and the churches parishioner’s.

I completed the inspection of this beautiful church and you can see from the pictures why the chairman was so keen to have the floor renovated. Confident we could significantly improve the floors appearance and restore the feature aisle for them I costed out a plan for the work.

Victorian Floor Before Cleaning St Michaels Church Rushock Victorian Floor Before Cleaning St Michaels Church Rushock

The quote was accepted, and we arranged a mutually convenient date to fit round their service schedule. An extra pair of hands would be required to meet their schedule, so I arranged to work on this floor with the Warwickshire Tile Doctor Mick Gayton. Mick has a wealth of knowledge and experience and we often team up on bigger projects. With over sixty Tile Doctors in the UK it’s hugely helpful to have a network of Tile Doctors you can call upon when you need extra help.

Cleaning and Restoring a Church Tiled Floor

The first day was spent cleaning the floor both by hand and with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad paying particular attention to the salt issues. Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied first to tackle the dirt and remove what remained of the previous sealer. This was then rinsed off the floor and the soil extracted using a wet vacuum.

We then treated the floor to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel, this was applied to the floor and left to dwell for a short time before more scrubbing in with the rotary machine. This made short work of cleaning the salt minerals and grout haze, it would also neutralise any alkaline salts inherent in the tile that could cause problems later. The wet vacuum was employed again to remove the resultant slurry.

We also used a steam cleaner on some of the stubborn areas where the dirt had been ingrained for some time! Once we were happy the floor was clean, we left the floor to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Church Tiled Floor

We returned the next day and got to work on some areas where the grout had perished, replacing as needed with a matching flexible grout. Once the grout had dries and any haze polished off the tiles the floor was ready for the application of a protective sealer.

The sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating colour enhancing product that works by occupying the pores in the tile preventing dirt from becoming lodges in there. This sealer is also fully breathable which is an essential feature for old floors that were laid without a damp proof membrane. Using a non-breathable sealer would trap moisture under the floor where it can spread to the walls resulting in rising damp. Four coats of Colour Grow were required in total and the colour enhancing nature of the product really brought out the colours in the tile restoring it to its original condition.

Victorian Floor After Cleaning St Michaels Church Rushock Victorian Floor After Cleaning St Michaels Church Rushock

The chairman was extremely satisfied with the restored floor and he was sure the parishioners would be to.

 

Professional Restoration of a Church Tiled Floor in Worcestershire

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Quarry Tiled Floor Before After Extension Blakedown

Quarry Tiled Floor Blakedown, Kidderminster

We received an enquiry requesting we take a look extending a Quarry Tiled hallway floor at a property in Blakedown which is a small village in the Wyre Forest District of North Worcestershire. The house had an extension to the front of the property added previously which increased the size of the hallway however this had not been tiled to match the existing, simply backfilled with screed.

Quarry Tiled Floor Extension Blakedown Kidderminster Before Quarry Tiled Floor Extension Blakedown Kidderminster Before

The owner had decided to have the extension floor tiled to match the existing Quarry tiled floor which would also need renovating due to it being covered in part with a variety of paint, glue and screed. Whilst most of our work is repairs and cleaning my background in tiling means I’m also able to lay new tiled floor so this job was a perfect match for my skills.

I arranged a site visit to view the floor as it is difficult to tell from the photos the work that would be needed. The floor would require extensive restoration and then extending into the extension so after visiting the property and assessing what was required, I wrote out a detailed quote and the quote was accepted. We booked a date in to complete the works which would be carried out over a few days.

Cleaning and Extending a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor

The first job was to break up the existing screed that the builder had laid in the extension. It was a lot of work, so I enlisted the help of Mick Gayton the Warwickshire Tile Doctor. Together we broke up the screed, removed the rubble and then used Bal self-levelling compound to prepare the surface for tiling.

Quarry Tiled Floor Extension Blakedown Kidderminster Removing Existing Screed

The customer had decided to go with a slightly different shade of tile for the extension as the original front door step had been left in the existing floor and would create an interesting feature between new and original. It turns out that the step penetrated deep into the substrate and could not be removed.

I waited for the new surface to dry before laying out the tiles to find the best layout, then satisfied with the pattern the tiles were fixed in place using a flexible adhesive and grouted in.

Quarry Tiled Floor Extension Blakedown Kidderminster Laying Tiles Quarry Tiled Floor Extension Blakedown Kidderminster Tiles Laid

The next day we returned to restore the original Quarry tiled floor, firstly using Tile Doctor Remove and Go to break down any old sealer and paint. The product is sprayed on and allowed to dwell for a short time giving it time to penetrate. The product is then worked into the tile and grout using a rotary floor machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The soil generated is rinsed off the floor with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

Next, I decided to give the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel to remove any old grout smears and other mineral deposits that were affecting the appearance of the Quarry tiles. Again, the product was scrubbed in and then removed using water and the wet vacuum. Once that was done the floor was left overnight so it could dry out ahead of the sealing process.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day the floor was check for moisture and then sealed with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This has a special acrylic-based formula which being fully breathable copes well with locations such as hallways where damp conditions are more likely. Seal and Go Extra also adds a nice subtle sheen to the Quarry tiles which enhanced their appearance and made the difference between the original and new tiles less conspicuous.

Quarry Tiled Floor Extension Blakedown Kidderminster After Quarry Tiled Floor Extension Blakedown Kidderminster After

The customer was very happy with the new floor and pleased that we had been able to match it so well to the existing.

 

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

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