Seal & Go Archives - South East Wales Tile Doctor

Red Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration in Penarth

This client from Penarth contacted Tile Doctor to see if their 100-year-old Quarry tiled floor which had broken and missing tiles could be salvaged. The property dated back to 1890 and had experienced many years of wear and tear and it certainly showed. One of the biggest problems however would be to renovate the area in front of the old fireplace where a hearth was once situated.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Restoration Penarth

It was clear the area in front of the fireplace would need to be rebuilt using matching replacement quarry tiles more of which would be needed for the other repairs that needed doing. Once that was done the floor would then need a deep clean and a fresh sealer applied to give the whole floor a consistent appearance.

I worked out a comprehensive quote which included the repairs and renovation work. This was accepted by the client and a date set for the work to start.

Cleaning and Repairing a Quarry Tiled Room

Work started with the tile repairs which involved breaking out the damaged tiles and those in front of the old fireplace and then cleaning up the floor ready for the replacement tiles to be installed.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Restoration Penarth

Quarry tiles are still very popular, so it wasn’t a problem finding matching replacements which I had manage to source before work commenced. The replacements were then laid in-line with the existing tiles using rapid set adhesive and grouted in.

Once the tiles had set, I was able to start the cleaning process which started with scraping off as much cement, paint, and plaster residue off the floor as possible. This was then followed up with a deep clean of the tile and grout using a mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined 50:50 with with Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU Cleaner.

After leaving these products to soak in for ten minutes I worked by hand scrubbing in 1m2 sections at a time, cleaning and rinsing with water and vacuuming up the waste with a wet vacuum as I progressed. Doing it this way ensures maximum attention to detail and ensures the floor is as clean as possible.

Once done, the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which was brushed onto the floor and extracted with the wet vacuum as before. Old floors like this don’t have a damp proof membrane and are susceptible to efflorescence, giving the floor an acid rinse like this counters salts and helps further clean the tiles.

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

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor in Penarth

The next morning the floor was tested for moisture with a damp meter and the readings confirmed it had dried sufficiently to accept a sealer. I don’t recommend sealing a damp floor as it impacts the sealers’ ability to cure and leads to a patchy finish.

Sealing started with the application of a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a very durable and breathable sealer which being an impregnator provides an excellent base. The customer wanted a shiny finish so this was followed up with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This product further protects the floor and adds a subtle shine which together with the Colour Grow really brought out the colours in the Quarry tiles. As you can see the red colour of the floor looks vibrant and stunning after the two different sealers were applied.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration Penarth

My client was delighted with the result and offered to recommended Tile Doctor to their family and friends which was nice. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective tile cleaner that’s ideal for cleaning sealed floors.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration Penarth

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Floor in South Wales

Red Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration in Penarth Read More »

Cleaning and Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Cardiff

A homeowner from Cardiff was in touch earlier this year regarding their 1930’s Geometric tiled floor more commonly referred to a Victorian. These floors are created using encaustic cement tiles benefit greatly from being sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the tile and in this case the sealer had worn off some years ago.

1930 Geometric Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Cardiff

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and come up with a restoration plan and produce a quote for work. It was clear that the floor had seen many years of heavy foot traffic since it had been last renovated and now you could see black staining building up on the tile. This had not gone unnoticed by the owner and wanted the floor restoring to its former glory.

1930 Geometric Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Cardiff

I worked out a quote which was accepted and we agreed a date for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To get the floor clean I created a 50:50 solution of two Tile Doctor products, Pro-Clean and Nanotech HBU Remover. The two products combine to create a very powerful alkaline tile cleaning product. The solution was applied neat to approximately one square meter at a time and after leaving it to soak for ten minutes it was worked in using a hand size scrubbing pad cut from a Black 17-inch floor pad.

This is an aggressive pad which helps shift the dirt with the help of the products which penetrate the pores of the tile to lift out the ingrained dirt. After working on the area for around five to ten minutes at a time it was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to repeat the process using Grout Clean-up which is an acidic cleaning product that helps to further clean up the tiles, removing old cement residues and will dissolve any efflorescent salts that may be present in the floor. After another rise and extraction, I was able to move on to the next square meter.

Hallways lend themselves well to this approach as you can start at one end and progress down the floor, working in this manner also ensures each meter is checked and any issues are resolved as you progress.

One the whole floor had been cleaned in this way it was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day I returned and first used the damp meter to check that the floor was dry enough to seal. Satisfied with the results I began with the application of the first coat of sealer which for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This sealer provides a satin shine finish which also enhances the deep vibrant colours of the tiles.

1930 Geometric Tiled Floor After Cleaning Cardiff

The customer was delighted with the results so much that they asked me to return later to restore the Red Quarry tiled floor in there dining room. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning for which I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this is a gentle but effective tile cleaning product designed for use on sealed floors that will ensure easy maintenance and keep the floor in great condition.