Neutral Tile Cleaner Archives - Staffordshire Tile Doctor

Victorian Chequer Tile Floor Renovation Leek

Classic Chequered Encaustic Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Refurbished in Leek

At this Victorian property in Leek I was asked to renovate the encaustic tiles in the hallway which were laid in a classic Black and White chequer pattern. They had previously been covered in carpet for many years and the owner now wanted the floor brough back to life as a period feature in keeping with the age of the property.

Victorian Chequer Tile Floor Before Renovation Leek

The carpet had been glued down and you could see a lot of discolouration around the edges where the glue was still present on the tile. Also, I could see there were several sections of loose tiling that needed to be secured.

I worked out a restoration plan and quote which the owner was happy with and a date set of my return to do the work which would take three days.

Renovating Black and White Victorian Floor Tiles

The first day was spent repairing the loose tiles in the two doorways and a section next to the stairs. The tiles had become debonded with the floor, so the base needed to be cleaned out and the tiles fixed back into place with fresh adhesive. The next step would require the use of machinery so I waited until the next day to start that in order to give the tiles time to set firmly overnight.

Victorian Chequer Tile Floor During Repair Leek

On then second day cleaning started by wetting the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. A strong dilution was needed to help breakdown the soiling and adhesive. This was left to soak in for fifteen minutes before starting the process of scrubbing the floor.

The bulk of the scrubbing was done using a rotary machine fitted with a coarse 50-grit diamond pad which was needed to remove the patination that the carpet had pressed into the tile surface. These circular pads can struggle to get into the edges and corners so this was followed where needed with a handheld 60-grit diamond block until I was satisfied. The soiling was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Victorian Chequer Tile Floor During Cleaning Leek

Next step was to give the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This is simply mopped onto the floor and brushed in before being rinsed off as before with the wet vacuum. The Pro-Clean used earlier is alkaline so the acidic nature of Grout Clean-up neutralises the floor, it also further cleans up the tiles and will dissolve any salts that may be present in the tile and could result in the appearance of efflorescence later. This is a common problem with old floors like this one which don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane.

Last job of the day was to dry the floor as much as possible with the wet vacuum and add grouting using a matching grout where needed.

Sealing a Black and White Encaustic Tiled Victorian Floor

I then left the floor for four days to dry out. It’s not a good idea to apply sealer to a damp tile as you can get a patchy result so I wanted to be sure it was dry before sealing. On my return I checked the floor was dry and then started the sealer application with four coats of Seal and Go which is a water-based sealer that doesn’t give off a smell as it dried. I chose this product as the client wanted the tiles to have a deep shine and this product certainly achieves that.

Victorian Chequer Tile Floor After Renovation Leek

I think you will agree the floor looked amazing once complete, the tiled looked lighter, brighter and overall made the whole hallway look very inviting. It definitely added the period wow factor.

Before leaving I took time to discuss maintenance cleaning and recommended they use Tile Doctor’s Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is a gentle but effective tile cleaner that won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Encaustic Floor Tile Restoration in Staffordshire

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Victorian Floor Renovation Lichfield Cathedral School

Large Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated at Lichfield Cathedral School

1 Comment / Lichfield Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Trevor Preece

I was recently invited over to Lichfield Cathedral School to look at restoring the large Victorian Tile Hallway at the entrance to the school. The school is in the magnificent grounds of Lichfield Cathedral and has a long history.

Lichfield Cathedral

The Victorian tiled floor was certainly testament to that history and had clearly seen a lot of wear of the years with many damaged or missing tiles that would need replacing.

Victorian Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Lichfield Cathedral School

Surveying the floor, I took measurements and made a detailed note of the number of tiles that would need replacing. From this I was able was able to create a quote and was able to re-assure them about their concerns about the replacement tiles.

Victorian Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Lichfield Cathedral School

Happily, my quote was accepted and the work scheduled for the summer holidays when I would have the floor to myself and so it would be ready for the new term. Before my arrival I contacted a specialist supplier and ordered the tile replacements.

Replacing Damaged Victorian Floor Tiles

The first couple of days was spent repairing the tiles at the front entrance. They wanted to keep the floor as original as possible so I only replaced broken and missing tiles.

This process involves removing the damaged tiles and scrapping out the subfloor to remove old adhesives and grout. This has to be done very carefully as removing one tile can dislodge others and before you know the job becomes much bigger than anticipated. Once done the replacement tiles are cut to size and fixed in place using a flexible adhesive.

Day 2 – Deep Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

Once the tiles had set I moved onto giving the tiles a good deep clean using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which a very effective alkaline cleaning product that’s safe to use on tile, stone and grout.

The Pro-Clean was applied to the tiles in the hallway and entrance working in large sections at a time. For best results the solution is left to soak into the pores of the tile for about ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with extra weights and a coarse 50-grit diamond pad.

Victorian Hallway Floor During Cleaning Lichfield Cathedral School

The scrubbing action pulls the dirt out of the tiles and turns the cleaning solution black. The soiled solution is then extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum and the process repeated in areas that I felt could do with further attention.

Next the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and worked in with a Black scrubbing pad. This process neutralises the floor after the use of an alkaline cleaner whilst further cleaning the tiles to removes old grout smears and other mineral deposits. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted again using the wet vacuum.

I scrubbed the product into the tiles using a deck brush and then rinsed it off with water and extracted with the wet vacuum. Being an Acid, we don’t recommend you leave it on the floor for too long.

Day 3 – Sealing Victorian floor Tiles

A lot of water is used in the cleaning process and I wanted to be sure the tiles were dry before sealing, so I left it five days before returning to apply a sealer.

The tiles were sealed with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra allowing 30 minutes drying time between coats, there were a lot of tiles to cover so it took some time to complete the whole floor. The seal enhances the appearance of the tiles giving them a subtle sheen and will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Victorian Hallway Floor After Renovation Lichfield Cathedral School

On the topic of cleaning, I always recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is designed for the cleaning of sealed tile and stone. Unlike the stronger products you usually find in supermarkets it has a pH neutral formula that won’t degrade the sealer prematurely with use.

Victorian Hallway Floor After Renovation Lichfield Cathedral School

Professional Restoration of Victorian Vicarage floor in Staffordshire

Large Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated at Lichfield Cathedral School Read More »

Geometric Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration Stoke-on-Trent

Geometric Victoria Tiled Hallway Repaired and Restored in Stoke-on-Trent

1 Comment / Stoke-on-Trent Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Trevor Preece

These pictures are of a Victorian tiled hallway floor laid in a striking geometric pattern at a property on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent.. The house was being renovated and the restoration of the floor was one of the remaining projects.

Geometric Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Stoke-on-Trent

Hopefully you can see from the photographs that as well as being deeply ingrained with dirt the tiles were also stained with plaster dust and paint splatters from the renovation works. Although structurally sound there was some reconstructive tiling work required around the foot of the stairs where there were missing tiles and gaps in the flooring.

Geometric Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Stoke-on-Trent

After visiting the property to survey the floor, I was able to come up with a plan for its restoration. The work would take four days and would address the tiling issues, deep cleaning of the floor to remove the dirt and staining and then sealing to protect it going forward. I was confident the work would transform the floor and happy with my quote I got the go ahead to start the work.

Cleaning and repairing a Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first two days were spent repairing the flooring at the bottom of the stairs. I had to carefully remove the damaged tiles and level the floor with a self-levelling compound. This is tricky work as you need to take extra care not to upset the adjacent. The new base was left to set overnight and then the next day matching tiles were cut to size and laid into the prepared section of flooring with fresh adhesive. The replacement tiles were then left to set overnight.

With the floor now complete and intact I was able to start the restorative cleaning of the Victorian tiles on day three. To achieve this a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean (which is a strong alkaline cleaning product) was applied to the floor and left it to soak in for about fifteen minutes. This allows the product time to break down the soils and stains in the floor. A coarse 50-grit diamond pad was then run over the floor to scrub the Pro-Clean deep into the tile and bring the ingrained dirt and staining to the surface.

The floor was rinsed with water and the now dirty cleaning solution extracted with an industrial wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected, and the process repeated until I was happy the tiles were free of plaster, paint spots and dirt. A little bit of spot cleaning was required in some stubborn areas.

The last process was to give the floor an acid rinse using another Tile Doctor product called Grout Clean-up. This product further cleans up the tiles and neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Pro-Clean. Another advantage of giving the floor an acid rinse is that it will counter any alkaline salts that may have built up in the floor over time. Commonly known as efflorescence this is a common problem with old Victorian tiled floors. Once done the floor was given another rise and extract with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway

The tiles needed to be completely dry before sealing so I left the property for six days before returning. Sealing a damp floor can lead to issues with the sealer curing and result in a patchy appearance.

Geometric Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Stoke-on-Trent

To seal the tiles, I applied five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a water-based sealer that leaves a lovely satin finish. The sealer will protect the floor and ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed.

Geometric Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Stoke-on-Trent

For aftercare I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which as its name suggests has a neutral pH. This is important as many floor cleaning products contain bleach which can strip the protective sealer off a floor leaving it vulnerable to ingrained dirt.

Professional Restoration of a Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway in Staffordshire

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Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration Shenstone Lichfield

Detailed Classic Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Shenstone

1 Comment / Lichfield Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Trevor Preece

The pictures below are of a very detailed Victorian tiled hallway at a period property in Shenstone near Lichfield. As you can see the floor was in a really bad state, fortunately the owner wanted it restored as it was part of the history of the house.

Victorian Hallway Floor Before Restoration Shenstone Lichfield

It’s certainly an impressive floor, the pattern was very detailed and very intricate so well worth preserving as it must have taken a craftsman some time to create. Additionally, there was a section of floor under a door threshold that had been filled with concrete. The owner was unhappy with how that looked and wanted it removing and replacing with tiles to match the hallway.

I suspect there may have been some movement in the door threshold at some point in the floors long history so instead of repairing the tiles it was simply removed and back filled with concrete.

Repairing and Deep Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

Work started with the repair of this section by carefully digging out the cement screed and removing the rubble. A quick setting self-levelling compound was then poured in to provide a flat base on which I could tile.

You will see from the after photos below that I had managed to source some tiles that matched the colour of the original floor and so once the compound had set these were fixed into place with a rapid setting adhesive. The tiling wasn’t as intricate as the main floor but I thought it blended well.

Once the replacement tiles had set, I moved onto to deep cleaning starting with an application of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. I used a strong dilution for maximum effect spraying it onto the floor and leaving it to soak in for ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a weighed rotary floor buffer fitted with a 100-grit pad. The soil generated was then rinsed off the tiles and extracted with a wet vacuum.

I followed this up with an acid wash which involves applying an acidic cleaning product called Grout Clean-up and then scrubbing it in using the 100-grit pad and weighted floor buffer as before. This is a beneficial treatment for tiled floors as not only does it remove further contaminates and grout smears from the tiles it also deals with Efflorescence issues which can be a real problem with old floors that have no damp proof membrane. Again, the floor was rinsed with water and the soils removed with a wet vacuum.

Sealing Victorian Floor Tiles

I then left the floor to dry off overnight and came back the next day to seal the tiles, however having checked the moisture level of the floor with a damp meter I realised it was still too damp and applying a sealer now would only result in a patchy final appearance.

This work was done in December 2022 which being a wet and cold month didn’t help, in fact I had to leave the floor for a week until it was completely dry and able to take a sealer. Once dry though I applied four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which gave it a nice shine.

Victorian Hallway Floor After Restoration Shenstone Lichfield

As you can see from the photos on this page the old Victorian tiles responded extremely well to the treatment and needless to say my customer was very happy with the outcome. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Clean which is a gentle yet effective tile cleaning product that’s ideal for use on sealed floors.

Professional Victorian Tile Restoration service in Staffordshire

Detailed Classic Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Shenstone Read More »

Black Yellow Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Barton-under-Needwood

Victorian Tiled Hallway Extended and Renovated in Barton-under-Needwood

1 Comment / Burton on Trent Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Trevor Preece

This customer from Barton-under-Needwood had a classic Black and Yellow tiled Victorian floor needed extending to the bottom of the stairs. The original floor also needed a deep clean and seal which would help the new and old tiles blend once done.

Black Yellow Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Barton-under-Needwood

We don’t tend to do tiling jobs at Tile Doctor unless as in this case it’s part of bigger renovation or restoration work. I was certainly happy to help and after paying the customer a visit to fully understand the requirements I provided a quote and a date was set for the work to begin.

Extending a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first job was to dig out the concrete out and a metal surround where a sunken mat had originally been at the bottom of the staircase. After doing I applied self-levelling cement to level the floor off ready to lay the tiles the next day.

I had managed to source replacement tiles that were a very close match to the original but due to the different in the modern metric and the original imperial sizes work was needed to cut them to size. Because of this the next 2 days were spent carefully cutting and laying the tiles in a matching pattern followed by grouting the whole floor.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the following day with the extended floor now set I moved onto to cleaning and renovating the original floor. It had the usual issues relating to a worn out sealer allowing dirt to become ingrained in the pores of the tile.

To resolve the problems, I washed the floor with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbed in with a coarse 100-grit pad. These pads are encrusted with industrial diamonds and really cut through the dirt and clean up the tiles. The released dirt was then rinsed off the floor with water and a wet vacuum.

This was followed by an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is designed to remove old grout smears and salts from the tile. Salts can be a real problem on old Victorian floors with no damp proof membrane as there is nothing to stop salts being caried up through the tile from the subfloor and being left as white deposits as the moisture evaporates, a process commonly known as Effloresence.

After another rinse and extract with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I went back the next day to seal the whole floor but having taken several moisture readings with a damp meter I decided to leave it a week to dry as parts of the floor were not dry enough for a seal.

Black Yellow Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Barton-under-Needwood

I then went back the following week to seal the floor with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which leaves a nice satin finish. The customer was delighted with the finish. For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is a gentle but effective product that is safe to use on sealed tiles.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Professionally Extended and Renovated in Staffordshire

Victorian Tiled Hallway Extended and Renovated in Barton-under-Needwood Read More »

Red Quarry Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Barlaston

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Stoke-on-Trent Tile Cleaning / Trevor Preece

The Red Quarry tiled floor shown below are from the hallway of a house in the village of Barlaston that dates to the early 1900’s. Hallways get a lot of use and over the years the tiles had seen a lot of wear and were now looking patchy with various levels of staining and dirty grout.

Quarry Tiled Floor Barlaston Before Cleaning

After surveying the floor and running a few tests I was able to give the homeowner a quote for the work which would take two days, the first to clean and the second to apply a sealer that would protect the tiles from staining going forward. Happy with the quote we scheduled a date for the work to commence.

Deep Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Hallway in Barlaston

To clean up the tiles I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is our go to tile and grout cleaning product. Its best to leave it on the tile and grout for ten minutes or sometimes longer to give it time to break down the dirt and coatings. The floor was then scrubbed with a rotary machine fitted with a poly brush attachment and a stiff grout brush along the grout lines.

The combination of the cleaning agent and mechanical scrubbing releases the dirt from the tile to the surface where its removed with a wet vacuum. Once the floor was clear the tiles were then inspected and the process repeated where needed.

Last step of the cleaning process was to treat the tiles to an acid wash with grout clean-up. I highly recommend this for old floors like this one which were installed before the invention of the damp proof membrane. The problem is without a DPM moisture can rise through the tiles and deposit salts on the surface of the tile as it evaporates, a process known as efflorescence. If you look closely at the photos above you can spot white staining as a result. As well as countering the alkaline salts the acid will also remove old grout smears and neutralise the use of the alkaline Pro-Clean used earlier.

After a final rinse and vacuum the Quarry tiles were left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor in Barlaston

Applying sealer to a damp floor can result in a patchy appearance so on my return I first tested the floor with a damp meter to ensure it was dry. All was well so I able to move onto applying the sealer and for this floor I chose to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go.

Seal and Go works very well on Quarry Tiles improving their appearance and adding an appealing satin finish. The tiles really soaked up the sealer and I had to apply four coats before I was satisfied it was fully sealed.

Quarry Tiled Floor Barlaston After Cleaning

Once done the tiles were transformed and my client was very pleased with their new hallway floor. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning for which I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is a gentle but effective product that won’t harm the sealer.

Professional Restoration of an Old Quarry Tiled Floor in Staffordshire

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