Penarth

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Penarth

Restoration of a Classic Victorian Tiled Hallway in Penarth

Tile Doctor were approached by a homeowner in Penarth hoping something could be done to improve their beautiful Black and White Victorian tiled hallway floor which had been patched up with concrete during the installation of pipework under the floor.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the tiles, recommend a way forward and provide a quote for the restoration of the floor. It was clear the patched section was backfilled with cement and that would need to be cut away and then re-tiled with replacements. Then to ensure the whole floor looked uniform it would need deep cleaning and sealing.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning in Penarth

Keen for the floor to be restored back to its original appearance I was given the go ahead and so I started the search for replacement tiles that would be a good match to the existing. Fortunately, I was able to source some replica tiles from Tile Doctor who had a selection of similar tiles available from other jobs they have done.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning in Penarth

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Work started by removing the old mat and carefully cutting out the concrete backfill that went across the floor. The floor tile replacements were then cut to shape and fixed in place with rapid setting adhesive and grouted in using a grey grout similar to the original colour. They were a good match and blended in well.

Once set, the floor was thoroughly cleaned with a handheld black pad using a mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, Tile Doctor Remove & Go, and Tile Doctor HBU Nanotech Cleaner. These cleaning products all have different qualities and together produce a very effective tile cleaner. Afterwards the floor was rinsed thoroughly with water and the soiling extracted using a wet vacuum cleaner.

Next the floor was treated to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is a mild acid that removes old grout and cement smears bringing up the appearance of the tiles even more. Finally, after another rinse with clean water and the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Retuning the following morning, the floor looked nice and dry, however, to be sure we tested with the damp proof meter. The readings were good, so we were ready to apply the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Cleaning in Penarth

The sealer chosen for this floor was Tile Doctor Colour Grow, the is an impregnator which soaks into the surface of the tiles and provides a matt look and a very hard-wearing protective seal. The floor looked great, the bold black and white pattern really stood out. Colour Grow is also a breathable sealer which is an important consideration when dealing with old floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Cleaning in Penarth

The client was very pleased with the work we had completed. We recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for ongoing maintenance; this is a pH neutral cleaner which is mild enough to be used daily and will ensure that the sealant is kept in place.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Cleaning in Penarth

 

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Victorian Terrazzo Kitchen Floor Before and After Restoration Penarth

Renovating an 1890’s Terrazzo Floor at a Church Vestry in Penarth

Detailed below is a fine example of what can be achieved restoring old Terrazzo flooring. The work took place earlier this year in the Kitchen of a Church Vestry in Penarth where the floor dated back to the Victorian 1890’s. Penarth is the wealthiest seaside resort in the Cardiff area and the second largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan, next only to the nearby Barry.

Terrazzo Tiled Floor During Cleaning Church Vestry Penarth

During the Victorian era Penarth was a popular holiday destination, known nationally as “The Garden by the Sea” and was often packed by visitors from the Midlands and the West Country. Along with the day trippers from the South Wales valleys, mostly arriving by train. Today, the town, with its traditional seafront, continues to be a regular summer holiday venue but with fewer visitors.

The client wanted a deep clean and shine finish, the floor had never been cleaned properly and as you can imagine it had a lot of footfall over the years and it really needed doing professionally. I visited to look first and carried out a small test clean to see how it would come up. Satisfied with this they were happy to accept my quote and we booked to return the following month.

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Vestry Floor

With the aid of a rotary floor buffer I started the cleaning process with the application of a coarse 50-grit pad. The pad was run over the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean for lubrication. Pro-Clean is a concentrated, multi-purpose alkaline cleaner, which strips and degreases the floor. It is first left to dwell for 10 minutes or so and then agitated with the machine. Applied with the pad it cuts through old sealers, coatings, and of course ingrained dirt.

This process generates a lot of soil which is rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. This was then followed by repeating the process with a 100 and then 200-grit pad. The area was given a thorough rinse with water and then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum.

Terrazzo Tiled Floor During Cleaning Church Vestry Penarth Terrazzo Tiled Floor During Cleaning Church Vestry Penarth

Some repairs were then carried out at the edges of the Terrazzo floor which involved sympathetically filling with cement. Once this had hardened the floor was treated to a burnish using finer grits of Tile Doctor burnishing pads ranging from 400, 800 and 1500 grits rinsing and extracting with water after each one.

Terrazzo Tiled Floor During Cleaning Church Vestry Penarth Terrazzo Tiled Floor During Cleaning Church Vestry Penarth

After a final rinse, the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum and then left to dry off fully overnight, we would return the following day to carry out the sealing.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Vestry Floor

The next day I was concerned the floor might not be dry enough after using so much water to clean it previously so before applying the sealer I checked the moisture levels with a damp meter. The readings were within tolerance however my next step was to give the Terrazzo a further polish with a 3000-git pad which is applied dry so would further dry the floor and bring up the surface appearance.

The last task was to seal the floor and for this we selected to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow, this is a colour intensifying impregnating sealer which soaks into the pores of the stone and provide durable stain protection. This product will cope well with the needs of a kitchen and is fully breathable which is important when choosing a sealer for old floors which do not have a damp proof membrane installed.

Two coats of colour grow were applied to the Terrazzo, allowing about thirty minutes drying time before applying the next. After the second coat had dried the floor was treated to an application of Tile Doctor Shine Powder which is buffed into the floor using the rotary machine to achieve a super durable and deep lustre to the floor.

Terrazzo Tiled Floor After Cleaning Church Vestry Penarth Terrazzo Tiled Floor After Cleaning Church Vestry Penarth

The Terrazzo responded very well to the treatment and the sealers applied will ensure it keeps its appearance for many years to come.

 

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Victorian Hallway Penarth Before and After Restoration

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Penarth

This Victorian tiled hallway floor at a house in Penarth needed a deep clean and seal but also there was the added complication of what to do with the under stairs area as you will see in the photographs below. There were many options to consider and after many visits to the property to discuss various options we finally decided on adding new replacement tiles that complimented the main colour in the floor.

Victorian Hallway Penarth Before Restoration
This floor was in quite a bad state covered in paint splashes and cement after new damp proofing also under the staircase there were no tiles just cement which the customer hoped could be tiled. I assured the customer that they made the right choice by contacting Tile Doctor that they would be very happy with the outcome of their project.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Using a Kango hammer I first removed all the cement from area under the stairs that was to be retiled to get the main mess out of way then scraped off as much cement and paint off the tiled surface as possible. Once this was done and the area clear I was able to re-cement the area to be tilled to the right level and once dry tile the area with tiles in the chosen colour from a company known as Original Style which produce good tile replicas.

Victorian Hallway Penarth During Restoration Victorian Hallway Penarth During Restoration

Deep Cleaning Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles

The floor was checked for moisture which proved dry and then cleaned with a mixture of Tile Doctor products including NanoTech HBU Remover (HBU stands for Heavy Build-up), Remove and Go to tackle the paint splashes and to ensure any sealers were removed and Pro-Clean which is another powerful cleaning product. All these products are safe to use on tiles floors and were worked into the tile and grout using a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine.

Once the floor was clean the soiled cleaning solution was extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum and the floor then thoroughly rinsed down with water, again extracted using a wet vacuum. Problem areas were re-treated by hand and scraped using wire wool and Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is an acid product designed to remove cement stains and grout smears. The floor was then rinsed again to remove any product traces, dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum and left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

I came back the next day to seal the floor, checking the tiles for moisture first using a damp meter. To seal the tiles, I used Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds that protective layer and a nice sheen to the floor.

Victorian Hallway Penarth After Restoration Victorian Hallway Penarth After Restoration

The replacement tiles blended in well with the original Victorian floor tiles which now following the deep clean and re-seal looks like a new installation.

Victorian Hallway Penarth Before Restoration
 

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Versatile Tile Cleaning Penarth After Cleaning

Cleaning Red and Black Versatile Ceramic tiles in Penarth

This Ceramic Tiled Floor was in Penarth near Cardiff, the tile were 150 mm x 150 mm red dust pressed composition, known as versatile as it can be laid on both sides sometimes found around swimming pool areas due to their non-slip raised definition. The floor was looking a bit tired, so the customer asked if they could be revived. I did an inspection of the floor and noticed the grout was lose at the lounge doorway and this had to be re-grouted after my wet vacuum sucked it out part way through the cleaning process.

Versatile Tile Cleaning Penarth Before Cleaning

Cleaning Ceramic Tiles

First of all I tested for moisture which read very low, which was good news as it meant I was not going to have any issues with moisture in the tiles. I then applied masking tape to the skirting and carpet riser at the bottom of the staircase; I always protect these areas as once I removed a little paint on another customers skirting with Tile Doctor Remove and Go and so I deducted £50 .00 off the bill by way of compensation.

Versatile Tile Cleaning Penarth Masking
I then covered the floor with Tile Doctor Remove and Go let it soak in for half an hour, the floor was then rinsed twice and then to clean the grout I applied with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was then scrubbed into the grout joints; it was at this point some lose grout came away. The floor was rinsed twice again and I re-grouted the areas which needed it. The floor was dried with a wet vacuum and then it was left to dry for two days.

Versatile Tile Cleaning Penarth Grouting Versatile Tile Cleaning Penarth During Cleaning

Sealing Ceramic Versatile Tiled Floor

On my return I checked the damp levels again before starting to seal the floor with three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which also adds a nice shine to the tile. Caution should be applied to this type of tile as streak marks can be prominent when applying the sealer, in my experience I find as soon as the sealer is applied to the tile with a paint pad a cloth or any other method it marks the tile. It’s possible I’m just a being a perfectionist as the customer was thrilled with the finish.

Versatile Tile Cleaning Penarth After Cleaning

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White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth After

Starburst Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Cleaned in Penarth

This Black and White Victorian Tiled hallway floor laid in a “Starburst” pattern at a house in Penarth which had been previous restored in 2011 by another Tile Doctor however the house had recently been subject to some renovations and unfortunately the builders did not cover the hallway floor (typical) so the floor was looking rather tired when I came round to take a look. Whilst I was there I took a damp meter reading which showed the floor to be bone dry which given the hot weather was to be expected; a dry floor and hot weather works in our favour as restoring a tiled or stone floor in hot weather is much more efficient as everything dry’s so quickly.

White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth Before White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth Before

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor

My first job was to apply masking tape to the Slate step at the front doorway as the customer was very proud of it and I certainly didn’t want to get any Tile Doctor Remove and Go on it which would of stripped of the sealer. I then cut out a few tiles which were to be replaced before cleaning the whole floor with a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go mixed 50/50 with NanoTech UltraClean to make it more effective. The solution was left to dwell for around ten minutes before being scrubbed into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a black coarse pad.

This process not only removed any previous sealer but really thoroughly cleaned the tiles as the small abrasive particles in the NanoTech UltraClean gave the floor a light abrasive deep clean. I should mention that during the cleaning stages I rinse the floor at least four times with clean water and then steam clean the whole floor to open up the pores to ensure that there is no cleaning agents present. I then give the floor a final rinse using a wet vacuuming to remove the water and make the floor as dry as possible prior to sealing. Before leaving for the day I carefully fitted the replacement tiles.

White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth After White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth After

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

I cleaned the floor on Friday so it was left to dry out over the weekend coming back on Monday to ensure it was dry and then sealing it with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works very well on Victorian floor tiles as it gives a nice satin sheen as well as providing stain protection.

White Victorian Floor Tiles Penarth After
 

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