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Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Worcester

Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Worcester

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Worcester Tile Cleaning /

I received an enquiry regarding the restoration of an Encaustic Tiled floor in the hallway of an Edwardian property in Worcester. I arranged a visit to assess the floor and come up with a plan for its restoration.

Edwardian Tiled Floor Before Restoration Worcester

The client wanted the whole floor restoring to its original condition including retiling a section just behind the front door that had been dug up to install pipe work back in the 1980’s and then backfilled with screed.

I work on these sorts of projects all the time so happily agreed to the work on condition I could find matching replacement tiles. There are several suppliers in the UK and fortunately I managed to track down the necessary replacements from a reclaimed tile supplier I know. They confirmed I could get the required tiles, so I sent a quote to the client, which was accepted, and a date was arranged to start the restoration.

Cleaning and restoring an Edwardian Tiled Hallway

Day one was spent carefully removing the old screed as I would need to install one at the right level to allow for the replacement tiles to be in installed. This has to be done very carefully so as not to disturb the rest of the tiled floor. The rubble was then removed and a new cement base laid to the correct level in order to take the new tiles.

Edwardian Tiled Floor During Restoration Worcester

The next stage was to cut and dry lay the replacement tiles to match the original pattern and check everything fitted, making adjustments where necessary. Once I was happy with the lay out, I started fixing the tiles starting with the border and then the main patterned inset. This was meticulous work that required the new tiles to fit the existing geometric pattern exactly. This was completed over 2 days including grouting.

Once the floor had set overnight, I moved onto the restorative cleaning. This started with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was worked into the floor using a coarse 100-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine to remove what was left of the old sealer. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soiling extracted using a wet vacuum.

The next step was to give the floor an acid wash using using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which was pasted onto the floor and then worked in with a finer 200-grit diamond pad. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with the wet vacuum as before.

Sealing an Edwardian Tiled Hallway

The floor was left to fully dry overnight, and I returned on day four to apply a protective sealer. Sealer options were discussed earlier and for this floor we had chosen Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a durable impregnating sealer that contains a colour enhancer.

Impregnating sealers work by soaking into the tile, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from residing there. This ensures dirt remains on the floor where it can be easily cleaned away.

Edwardian Tiled Floor After Restoration Worcester

As you can see from the photos the floor was returned to how it should look, and the client was absolutely delighted.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is mild but effective tile cleaning product that won’t damage the sealer.

 

Professional Restoration of an Edwardian Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

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Edwardian Tiled Floor Renovation Kidderminster

Edwardian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Refurbished in Kidderminster

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Kidderminster Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning /

I was contacted regarding an encaustic tiled floor that was located in the hallway of an Edwardian property that dated back to 1905 in Kidderminster. The tiles were looking dull and the owner was keen to have them refurbished.

Edwardian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Kidderminster

Having discussed the floor on the phone with the owner I decided to pay the property a visit and survey the tiles which were in the hallway and interior porch. Although the floor looked in good condition it needed a few repairs and a good deep clean and seal. I worked out a price for the work, which was accepted, and a date was agreed for the work to start.

Edwardian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Kidderminster

Cleaning and Repairing an Edwardian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

On the first day the plan of action was to carefully cut out the damaged tiles and assess the screed foundation. It’s not unusual to see some movement in floors of this age and after the necessary repairs to the screed were made replacement tiles were fitted using colour matched reclaimed tiles that I had sourced earlier from our various suppliers across the UK. Once all the tiles were fitted, any grout gaps were filled and the floor left so the repairs could set fully overnight.

Day two focused on the cleaning part of the restoration. All areas that needed protecting were covered in protective dust sheets before I applied the Tile Doctor Acid Gel to the floor pasting it on and letting it dwell. During this time, I set up our Italian hyper grinder rotary machine which is a high spec floor cleaning machine that gives a superior result. The floor was very dirty, so I fitted a very coarse 100-grit diamond pad to the machine and used it to scrub the Tile Doctor Acid Gel into the tiles. I then switched to a 200-grit pad with the same process.

The slurry was then vacuumed up using an industrial wet and dry machine and the floor was wiped with microfibres and fresh water. I selected gel products to reduce the level of water required for the clean. There was no evidence of a damp proof membrane, which is to be expected with a floor of this age, so keeping the floor as dry as possible was key.

Sealing an Edwardian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

The floor was left to dry overnight and tested in the morning for a moisture level reading. The floor was good to go, and the sealing could commence. Foar coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were then applied, allowing thirty minutes drying time in-between each coat. The new sealer really made the colours pop and being fully breathable its ideal for a floor of this age.

Edwardian Tiled Floor After Cleaning Sealing Kidderminster

The sealer soaks into the tile occupying the pores and in doing so prevents dirt from becoming ingrained there. This keeps the dirt on the surface where it is easily cleaned away.

Edwardian Tiled Floor After Cleaning Sealing Kidderminster

Once dry the floor looked much cleaner and brighter, especially in the small vestibule which had seen the most wear.

Before leaving the happy customer, I took time to discuss aftercare which for this floor I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a pH neutral product and will keep the floor in the best condition, making maintenance easy and unlike some of the stronger products you find in supermarkets won’t impact or reduce the life of the sealer.

 

Professional Restoration of an Edwardian Encaustic Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

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Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation Stourbridge

Stained Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Stourbridge

1 Comment / Stourbridge Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning /

It is tricky to tell from the photos but this Terrazzo tiled floor at a property in Stourbridge was stained with various contaminates and the owner has decided to call us in to get it cleaned. Stourbridge is a small market town in the West Midlands about 20 miles north of my base in Worcester and once famous for its glass making.

Terrazzo Floor Before Renovation Stourbridge

To renovate Terrazzo, you ned to understand that it’s made up of thousands of pieces of crushed stone including marble, so you need to treat it like a stone floor and use a set of burnishing pads to grind off the dirt, old sealers and bring up the polish. Our client was delighted to hear that the floor could be restored and that we would be able to improve the staining and likely remove it. They were happy to go ahead with our quotation and we arranged to complete the work later in the month.

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor

On arrival work began by taping up the skirting boards and surrounding wood trims to ensure they were protected. To renovate the Terrazzo, no chemical products would be needed for the cleaning, just a selection of burnishing pads starting with a very coarse 100-grit 17-inch diamond encrusted burnishing pad. The coarse pads break out the deepest stains, removing dirt and old sealers and are passed over each tile four times. Water is used to lubricate the process and it isn’t long before this turn into a dark slurry. Once done the floor is rinsed with a little more water and the slurry extracted with a wet vacuum.

This process was repeated with the 200, 400, 800, 1500-grit pads. After a final rinse the last pad in the sequence which is a 3000-grit pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto to the floor. This last pad is a polishing pad that adds a slight shine to the Terrazzo.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor

Due to the fact the cleaning process involved minimal amounts of water and the last pad is applied dry the stone was dry in no time and therefore ready for sealing. For sealing I had selected Tile Doctor Colour Grow which met the owners’ requirements and adds a durable protection which is great for areas such as hallways that experience a lot of foot traffic.

Three coats were applied allowing each one to dry before applying the next. All stains had been removed and the natural colours in the crushed stone were improved by the sealer which has a colour enhancing formula. The floor looked great, and the client was very happy with the work we had carried out.

Terrazzo Floor After Renovation Stourbridge

For aftercare on a floor like this I recommended using Tile Doctor Stone Soap which we usually use on polished stone. It’s a mild cleaner with a neutral pH which is ideal for sealed stone and will also help add a slight patina.

 

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before After Builders Clean Worcester

Renovating a Paint-Stained Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor in Worcester

1 Comment / Victorian Tile Cleaning, Worcester Tile Cleaning /

This Edwardian property in Worcester laid in a herringbone tile pattern had been subjected to substantial renovations resulting in a crew of builders treading dirt and building materials through the Victorian tiled hallway. The tiles were now looking very dark and grubby with straining from what cement or plaster. Someone had tried to wash the floor but having realised it wasn’t as easy as it looked reached out to us to have it done professionally.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Builders Clean Worcester

I decided the best thing to do was to give the tiles a deep clean to remove the old sealers and dirt and then to apply a fresh sealer that would put some life back into the tiles. My quote was accepted and a date agreed for my return and more importantly once all the builders had gone.

Renovating an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

To clean up the tiles, remove the staining and strip off the old sealer I sprayed Tile Doctor’s Remove and Go onto the tile, this product is a multi-purpose stripper formulated with a long dwell-time to remove most sealers, epoxy grout haze, adhesives and even paint.

After leaving it to soak in for ten minutes the Remove and Go had broken down the soiling and was ready to be scrubbed in. I use a Black scrubbing pad to do this fitted to a rotary buffing machine and adding water along the way to help lubricate the process. Once done the soil generated was extracted using a wet vacuum. This process was then repeated until I was satisfied.

Old Victorian floors don’t have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor so the next step was to treat any dormant alkaline salts in the floor using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. These can materialise as white spots on the tiles as the moisture rises through the tile and evaporates on the surface leaving the salt behind. The process is known as efflorescence and you can neutralise the salts by giving the floor an acid wash. The Acid Gel is scrubbed into the tiles as before and then rinsed off with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Once I was done the floor was looking so much better and after more drying with the wet vacuum, I was able to leave it overnight to dry off fully.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning three days later, I took some moisture readings with a damp meter first. The readings were fine so satisfied that the tiles were sufficiently dry, I began applying what Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This product was chosen for its ability to improve the colours in the tile and because its fully breathable which is an important consideration when sealing floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Builders Clean Worcester

As you can see from the photos, the floor looks so much fresher and 100% cleaner, not bad for a hundred-year-old floor.

Before leaving I took time to discuss how to look after the floor including the importance of avoiding harsh tile cleaning products on the floor as they can reduce the life of the sealer. For the regular cleaning of sealed Victorian tiles, I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner.

 

Professional Cleaning of an Edwardian Tiled Hallway and in Worcestershire

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