Tile Repair Archives - Staffordshire Tile Doctor

Victorian Floor Renovation Lichfield Cathedral School

Large Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated at Lichfield Cathedral School

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

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.