Victorian Tile Cleaning Archives - Suffolk Tile Doctor

Victorian Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Victorian tiles carried out in Suffolk

Commonly found in the hallways of oldder UK properties Victorian tiles are very hard wearing and can provide a classic look to any space. We often find that the beauty of these tiles are hidden under years of grime and neglect and are often covered up with carpets etc as tastes have changed over the years. If this sounds familiar then all is not lost as they can be restored.

The standard bearer for quality Victorian tiles was a firm called Minton Hollins, an English manufacturer who made a very good product which lasted the test of time. Victorian building practices however did not include the use of damp proof membranes and we often find damp can be a major issue with these old floors leading to salt problems known as efflorescence.

Common problems we face when restoring Victorian tiles are the removal of carpet glue, paint splashes and cement. Loose and cracked tiles can also be a problem however due to their popularity we usually find finding replacement tiles isn’t a problem.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration

This original Victorian quarry tiled floor was laid in the hallway of an old 1897 cottage dating back to built in the Norwich village of Great Melton. The owner was able to show me pictures from the early 1900s showing the then owner and the floor. It had been covered by carpet for several years and was covered in paint and other debris from the renovation work being carried out.

Cleaning the Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor

You can see from the pictures above that the floor was in quite a state and it took a day to whole day to clean. The floor area was only around 6m2 but consumed two litres of Tile Doctor Remove & Go which is a very strong tiled floor stripper that will just about shift anything and a further 2 litres of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean getting it clean. Once that was done we washed down the floor to neutralise the floor and left it to dry so it could be sealed the next day

Sealing the Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor

We returned the next day to seal the floor, for this we used four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which gives a nice low sheen finish and is recommended for these types of floor, one litre of sealer was sufficient to do the job. You can see a huge improvement from the photographs which clearly show a stunning transformation.