quarry tiles Archives - Gloucester Tile Doctor

Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Dursley

Edwardian Hallway Floor Tile Restoration in Dursley

This client from Dursley got in touch regarding their hallway floor tiling which had been badly damaged in two sections during the installation of heating pipework. With the tile and base chopped out the pipes has been laid and backfilled with concrete up to the level of the original floor so it could be covered with laminate. The property was Edwardian and now unhappy with the laminate wanted the floor restored to its original state.

Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Dursley

I’m based in Dursley so it wasn’t long before I was able to head over to the property and recommend a way forward. Having inspected the problems first hand I was able to create an accurate quote that would involve removing the backfilled concrete, bringing up the base to the right level and then replacing the missing tiles with matching. The whole floor could then be deep cleaned and sealed to ensure the new tiles matched perfectly with the existing. My quote was accepted, and a date agreed for the work to commence which would take four days.

Cleaning and Repairing an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting the work, I had managed to source replacements, sizing can be a problem with these older imperial sized tiles however they are usually not too difficult to find.

The first day started with the removal of concrete from the damaged area, this proved difficult as there were water pipes just under the surface and naturally, I didn’t want to disturb these. So with just the use of hand tools I moved slowly and carefully to remove the concrete. Before leaving I brought up the level of the exposed subfloor using self-levelling cement which covered the exposed pipework and formed a level flat base on which I could fix the replacement tiles

Day two was spent tiling, followed by grouting. It wasn’t a large area but there were some intricate cuts to manage and a black and white chequered border to replace. Needless to say, this took up most of the day.

Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor During Restoration Dursley

I left the floor to settle a couple of days then returned to deep clean the hallway using Tile Doctor Acid Gel worked in with a 200-grit pad fitted to a buffing machine. This was then rinsed off with minimal water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was inspected and any stubborn areas re-treated. After a quick final rinse and extract the floor was left to dry off fully.

You do have to be careful with these old floors which don’t have a damp proof membrane though as using too much water can take a long time to dry out, hence the use of a gel cleaning product and minimal water.

Sealing an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

Once cleaned I left the floor to dry out for 2 days before returning. I know from experience its not a good idea to apply sealer to a damp floor as the results can be patchy so its always a good idea to allow plenty of time for this.

To seal the floor, I used multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which has a modern acrylic formula that will allow the floor to breathe and ensure any moisture can pass through the tile and evaporate at the surface. The sealer will protect the tiles from dirt becoming ingrained in its pores and enhance their appearance; the new sealer also makes it easier for the new and old tiles to blend better.

Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Dursley

My client was very pleased with the transformation and so happy that the floor had been restored to its original condition. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and for this floor I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a mild but effective cleaner that is ideal for maintaining sealed tiles.

Professional Restoration of an Edwardian Tiled Hallway in Gloucestershire

Edwardian Hallway Floor Tile Restoration in Dursley Read More »

Heavily Stained Red Quarry Porch Tiles Cleaned and Sealed in Moreton-in-Marsh

A tiled entrance porch is a great asset to any property after all first impressions do count, but since this type of feature will experience heavy traffic, it can be particularly difficult to keep it clean.

This red Quarry tiled porch at the entrance to this house in the old town of Moreton-in-Marsh was in particularly bad condition and in desperate need of restoration. It appeared to me that some decoration work has taken place recently because the tiles were marked with all kinds of staining, including paint, cement and even glue.

Quarry Tiled Porch Before Cleaning in Moreton-in-Marsh

I was asked to deep clean the tiles, remove the staining and basically restore the appearance of the tiles back to their origianal condition.

Cleaning Stained Red Quarry Tiles

Due to the fact that the tiles were heavily soiled with paint and adhesives, I decided to clean them first using two of our most powerful cleaning products: Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU and Tile Doctor Remove and Go.

NanoTech HBU uses nano-sized cleaning particles to penetrate deep into difficult-to-reach areas of the stone and tackle ingrained dirt and staining. Remove and Go is specially designed to strip away paints and glues, as well as any old sealer on the tiles, combined together they produce a powerful tile cleaner.

Both products were applied across the tiled porch and left to dwell for 45 minutes. Next, I used a 17″ black scrubbing pad fitted to a buffing machine (on the main surface) and a 6″ pad fitted to a hand held buffing machine around the edges. This way I able to effectively get the products into the tiles and give them a deep clean. I repeated the process several times, rinsing with water in between and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum to ensure a deep and thorough clean.

Some stubborn paint and cement markings remained in places, and I resolved to spot clean these using more NanoTech HBU in combination with a handheld steamer.

Sealing Red Quarry Tiles

When I was happy with the cleaning results I rinsed and neutralised the floor with water. Given that it was only a small area of tiles I was able to dry them with a heat gun, leaving it ready to be sealed.

My choice of sealer was Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which was the perfect fit for these deep red Quarry tiles. Colour Grow not only seals the tiles, it also intensifies the natural shades in the stone to enhance the overall appearance of the feature. I applied four coats of the sealer to ensure the tiles will be protected and easy to keep clean for the long term.

Quarry Tiled Porch After Restoration in Moreton-in-Marsh

Both myself and the customer was very pleased with the transformation of the porch floor.

quarry tiles