Taunton Archives - Somerset Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Taunton

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Repaired and Fully Restored in Taunton

A homeowner from Taunton contacted us after finding an old Victorian tiled floor underneath the carpet in the hallway. The tiles were in poor condition, with many loose and cracked tiles as well as staining from substances like cement and paint.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Taunton

Having discussed the floor over the phone I agreed to pop over to the property and survey the floor in detail and create a quote for its restoration. Whilst at the property I made detailed notes of the problems and worked out the quantities of products I would need to restore the floor.

The damaged tiles were discussed including obtaining matching replacements and it was agreed that we would keep all the original tiles and repair and re-secure them instead; we wouldn’t be able to make the floor look perfect using this method, but a few scars are to be expected in a floor of this age. A quote was worked out which included stripping the floor of the staining, relaying the areas of loose tile, regrouting where needed and then adding a protective sealer. This was duly accepted and dates scheduled.

Cleaning and repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Upon my arrival, I first set about lifting loose tiles and cleaning out the exposed foundation. After this was complete, I mixed up the tile adhesive and began refitting all the loose tiles repairing broken tiles with more adhesive as well as possible. The whole middle section of the floor was loose and so I had to ensure this was done bit by bit, to keep the spacing tight. Removing too many at a time, can create problems when refitting.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor During Restoration Taunton

I returned the next day and began cleaning the floor using Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which being a gel doesn’t require much water. This was allowed to dwell and then scrubbed into the floor using a 200-grit soft milling pad. This was extracted and rinsed off. Any stubborn areas were removed by hand. Tile Doctor Acid Gel was then used to further clean the floor and worked into the floor using a black pad, this was then extracted and rinsed off with water. The floor was then left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

I returned the next day and sealed using Tile Doctor X-tra Seal which is a fully breathable hard wearing sealer that’s ideal for old floors like this one that don’t have a damp proof membrane. The excess was clothed off thoroughly and then buffed using a white pad to give the floor a subtle sheen. The sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be cleaned away.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Taunton

Once complete the floor looked transformed and my client was delighted with the result. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this is a pH neutral cleaner which is effective yet mild enough not to impact the newly applied sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Somerset

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Unsealed and Dirty Sandstone tiled floor Cleaned and Sealed in Taunton

The photographs below are of a very dirty Sandstone tiled floor which was installed throughout the ground floor of a property in the village of Taunton which lies in one of the most picturesque areas of Somerset if not the entire UK.

It appears the tiles had never been sealed following installation and as a result dirt had over the years become ingrained into the pores of the Sandstone making it increasingly difficult to clean eventually causing it to lose all colour.

Sandstone tiled floo -before cleaning in Taunton Somerset

Deep Cleaning Sandstone Tiles

There was no sealer to remove so it was simply a question of giving the tiles a good scrub with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which being an alkaline product is safe to use on natural stone. We diluted the Pro-Clean with water at varying strengths during the course of the cleaning, left it to dwell and soak into the pores of the stone and then scrubbed it in with hand brushes and also with the assistance of a floor scrubbing machine. This process released the dirt from within the pores of the stone and we were able to rinse it away with more water which was extracted using a wet vacuum.

For the stubborn areas we used a product called Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a powerful stripper usually used for removing sealers from stone floors however we applied this in the same way as the Pro-Clean and between the application of the two products we managed to get the entire ground floor clean over the course of two days making sure to give the floor a good rinse at the end to remove any trace of cleaning product.

Sealing a Sandstone floor

We left the floor to dry for two days before returning to apply a sealer, it’s important that the floor is dry before sealing as applying a sealer to a damp floor will can have undesirable results. We discussed sealing options and for this floor opted for Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within and also enhancing the natural colours. The difference was amazing and the owners were delighted with the results.

The floor was really transformed and the difference was amazing, we were very happy with what we had been able to achieve and the owners were delighted with the results as you can imagine.

Taunton