Ulverston Tile Cleaning

Ulverston Tile Cleaning

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

Victorian Tiled Floor Renovation Ulverston

1860s Victorian Mansion Flooring Restored in Ulverston

Detailed below is the restoration of several original Victorian tiled floors at an older building in Ulverston. The large property was being fully redeveloped after being vacant and unoccupied for the last fourteen years which left it in a bad state of repair.

Damaged Victorian Floor Before Restoration Ulverston

The development company had already spent a significant amount of time and money turning this 1860s Victorian Mansion into 7 modern apartments. Fortunately, they had decided to keep as much of the original features as possible which included the amazing Victorian Floor tiling in the main hallway.

Damaged Victorian Floor Before Restoration Ulverston

Physically the Victorian tiles were in good condition apart from two areas near the doors where some damage had been done to them in the past. The area measured 50m2 approximately so I could see it would need two Tile Doctors over four days to repair the damage and fully restore the tiles.

Damaged Victorian Floor Before Restoration Ulverston

Deep Cleaning a 50m2 Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first day was mainly about deep cleaning the whole area using Tile Doctor Remove and Go worked into the floor using a 200-Grit Diamond pad fitted to a buffing machine. This process releases sediment, dirt and old coatings from the tile which is then extracted using a wet vacuum. It’s worth considering that you can’t really clean these types of tiles properly without a wet vacuum, a mop and bucket simply doesn’t cut it also mopping an area this size simply takes too long.

The next stage of the cleaning process was to give the floor an acid wash using another Tile Doctor product called Grout Clean-up which has an acidic base. This process neutralises the alkaline cleaning product used earlier and microscopically etches the clay tile to achieve a better boned with the sealer which will be applied later. This acid also helps in the cleaning process and will counter any efflorescent salt issues that are common problem with floors of this age. Once removed with the wet vacuum the floor is rinsed and extracted again to ensure any residue is removed and the floor is as dry as possible.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Whilst the main floor was left to dry, we proceeded to work on the damaged and missing tiles. This is one of the advantages of using a Tile Doctor for work like this as you will find other tile cleaning companies won’t offer a Tiling service. I must say thought we only offer tiling as part of a larger “Restorative Cleaning” project which is something we specialise in.

Damaged Victorian Floor Before Restoration Ulverston Damaged Victorian Floor During Restoration Ulverston Damaged Victorian Floor After Restoration Ulverston

Sealing a 50m2 Victorian Tiled Hallway

Once the Tiling was completed and the Tiles had dried out (24 hours later) we returned to seal the floor. For this a single coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal was applied, this was chosen for its durability and the fact that its fully breathable which is important feature for floors of this age without a damp proof membrane. It’s an oil resin formula which makes it thicker than a solvent-based sealer so in most cases only one coat is required, it can also be used externally.

Damaged Victorian Floor After Restoration Ulverston

It takes several hours for the sealer to fully dry and around 24 hours to fully cure so the photographs I took don’t really do the sealer justice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t wait around that long.

Damaged Victorian Floor After Restoration Ulverston

 

Professional Restoration of Victorian Mansion Flooring in South Cumbria

1860s Victorian Mansion Flooring Restored in Ulverston Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before After Restoration Ulverston

Cream and Black Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration in Ulverston

This property located near the pretty market town of Ulverston was built in 1874 as inscribed on the front of the building. The Victorian Tiled floor comprised of Cream and Black tiles was original from when the house was built so that made the tiles at least 145 years old, in fact this was one of the oldest Victorian tiled floors I have ever worked on.

Cream Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles Before Restoration Ulverston

The floor was in good condition for its age but had experienced problems with broken and loose tiles around two of the door thresholds which is a common problem with floors of this age. Unfortunately, those tiles had been lost over the years and now the customer wanted this part of the floor rebuilding as part of the restoration. Fortunately, these tiles are still popular so finding suitable replacements wasn’t a big of a challenge as you might think.

Cream Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles Before Restoration Ulverston

I discussed with the client what needed to be done and after finding a suitable supplier for the replacement tiles was able to produce a quote which was accepted, and we agreed a price for the work.

Repairing a Cream and Black Victorian Hallway Floor

My first task was to rebuild the areas of broken and missing tiles. For the larger areas I mapped out a suitable pattern and set about cutting the replacement tiles to fit. A thick bed of flexible rapid set floor adhesive was applied to the floor and the replacement tiles bedded into the old cement base. Once the adhesive had hardened the tiles were grouted, cleaned-up and left to dry.

Cream Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles Before Restoration Ulverston

There were several areas that needed this treatment, so the work took some time to complete.

Cream Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles During Restoration Ulverston

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning the next day, I first checked that the replacement tiles had set and that there were no further problems that needed addressing. All was well so I began cleaning the floor using a 200-grit followed by a 400-grit Diamond pad fitted to a weighted buffing machine running at slow speed and lubricated with water. The floor was rinsed with water after each pad and then the soil extracted using a wet vacuum.

The floor was then given an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, which at this stage acts in two ways for these old floors:

1. The Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up product is made from Phosphoric Acid (not a brick Acid, which is a lot cheaper, more widely available but too strong for use on tile.) The acid we use works with us not against us and gives us time to change the pH of the floor to a slightly acidic pH. This is important on old floors like these where no damp proof membrane has been installed and it’s important to counter any alkaline salts in the floor which could lead to efflorescence later.
2. The sealer will bond to the surface a lot better when it has had this treatment and as a result you get a sharper cleaner finish.

Cream Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles Before Restoration Ulverston

Once done the floor was given another rinse and extraction with water and the wet vacuum and then left to dry out for a few days,

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

We returned as promised to seal the whole floor using a couple of coats of a breathable colour enhancing sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow. As you can see form the pictures this really brought the hallway floor to life. Colour Grow works from the inside by occupying the pores in the tile and will protect it from ingrained dirt staining going forward.

Cream Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles After Restoration Ulverston

It’s very important for a customer to use the correct cleaner after having there tiles cleaned and sealed professionally as using the wrong product can prematurely degrade the sealer. As a result, we recommend Tile Doctor Concentrated Neutral Tile Cleaner, its pH balanced and will not upset the sealer, thus getting maximum longevity out of the whole process.

Cream Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles After Restoration Ulverston

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Cumbria

Cream and Black Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration in Ulverston Read More »

Victorian Hallway Before After Cleaning in Ulverston

Victorian Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Ulverston

Ulverston is one of several historic market towns in Cumbria which has some excellent views of Morecambe Bay and the Southern Lake District. It is also home to some lovely old properties, including one that I visited recently to provide some repairs, cleaning and sealing for a Victorian tiled floor.

Although the floor was in good condition overall, the tiles were starting to loosen in some areas because the grout had come adrift and needed to be replaced.In fact, several tiles had broken as a result of this and so they would need to replaced too.

Victorian Hallway Before Cleaning in Ulverston Victorian Hallway Before Cleaning in Ulverston

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Floor

As I’ve mentioned, the floor had been well maintained, but I opted in any case to give the tiles a routine clean with our reliable high alkaline product, Tile Doctor Pro Clean, scrubbed in using a pad fitted to a rotary machine. This helped to remove any debris and dirt left over on the tiles.

After the initial clean I proceeded to replace the broken tiles with matching reproduction Victorian tiles, as well as the grout in the areas where the tiles had loosened.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

After finishing the cleaning and repair processes, it was time to seal the floor with a combination of sealers.

To do this I firstly applied one coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is an impregnating, colour intensifying sealer. We find that by applying a base coat of Colour Grow we can lock out the damp that can come through from underneath as many old floors don’t have damp proof membranes fitted, unlike many modern floors. What’s more, acrylic polymer sealers such as Tile Doctor Seal and Go do not respond well to a damp environment.

Once the Colour Grow had been applied and had dried completely, I applied five thin coats of Seal and Go to add further protection and a quality sheen finish. This sealer is also fully breathable and allows Vapour Moisture Transmission (VMT).

Victorian Hallway After Cleaning and Sealing in Ulverston Victorian Hallway After Cleaning and Sealing in Ulverston

The finish was exactly what the customer was looking for and they were very happy with the overall restoration of the floor. Another satisfied customer!
 
 

Professional Tile Repairing, Cleaning and Sealing for a Victorian Tiled Floor in Ulverston

Victorian Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Ulverston Read More »

Varnished Brazilian Slate Tiles Partly Sealed

Varnished Brazilian Slate tiled floor refinished in Barrow-in-Furness

This beautiful Brazilian Slate tiled floor was installed in the kitchen of a house in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria; the slate has been previously sealed with a number of products including Varnish and the overall effect was inconsistent making the floor dull and had done little to bring out the true beauty of the natural stone. Additionally varnish is quite brittle and easily scratched by furniture etc. so never a good choice for sealing a floor.

The situation needed to be remedied so during my visit I did a small test to strip off the old sealants, clean the tile and re-seal; the effect was transformational so they booked me to come back in a few weeks’ time to finish the job.

Varnished Brazilian Slate Tiles Before Cleaning

Removing Varnish from slate floor tiles

To transform the floor and guarantee the final appearance its necessary to remove all the previous products applied to the floor stripping it back to its natural state and then seal again. So I got started stripping off the varnish and other sealants from the floor slate using a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a tile friendly product designed to remove coatings from natural stone. The solution is sprayed onto the floor, left to soak in and then agitated using a floor buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soiled solution is then rinsed away and removed using a wet vacuum.

This process removed most but not all of the varnish and sealers so the next step was to apply NanoTech UltraClean which is a gel that you apply and leave for 30 minutes before adding water and agitating with a scrubbing pad. This did the trick and now not only was the slate clean of all coatings the grout had come up nice and clean as well. The whole floor was given a thorough rinse to remove any trace of product and then dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum to soak up the water.

Varnished Brazilian Slate Tiles Before Cleaning

Sealing Brazilian Slate Tiles

The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to seal the tiles checking first with a damp meter to ensure they were no longer damp. All was well so I proceeded to apply the sealer with a paint pad applicator. For this we had agreed on Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is ideal for slate as it really does transform the look of slate and adds a nice satin finish, the Slate was quite porous so five coats were needed in total.

Varnished Brazilian Slate Tiles Partly Sealed Varnished Brazilian Slate Tiles Sealing

I think you will agree the Brazilian slate tiles look much improved; certainly the customer was happy with the results. Before leaving I gave them some advice about aftercare and what products to use when cleaning the floor in future for best results.

Varnished Brazilian Slate Tiles Finished

 
 

Brazilian Slate Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Barrow-in-Furness

Varnished Brazilian Slate tiled floor refinished in Barrow-in-Furness Read More »

Slate Floor in Ulveston Before After Cleaning

Cleaning and Sealing Slate Tiles in Ulveston

This property in Ulveston had previously been used as a guest house and was now being refurbished and turned back into a home. The kitchen and conservatory had a Slate tiled floor and as you can imagine had seen a fair amount of wear from the numerous fried breakfasts that had been prepared in there. The owners had decided to replace the kitchen but were keen to keep the slate floor however it was in a bad state and looked as if it had never been cleaned and sealed for some time.

I did a small test using Tile Doctor Remove and Go (which you can see in the photograph below) and it came up really well, naturally we were booked to come back and finish the rest of the floor which I had estimated would take two days.

Slate Floor in Ulveston Test Area Slate Floor in Ulveston Test Area

Cleaning Slate Floor Tiles

Two weeks later I turned up at 9am as agreed and set up my equipment, the kitchen had already been removed so with the exception on the cooker little preparation was required. I worked in small areas using a high pressure spinner tool to remove as much dirt off the tiles as possible and a wet vacuum to remove the soiled water.

Slate Floor in Ulveston Before Cleaning Slate Floor in Ulveston Before Cleaning

Stubborn areas were treated with Remove and Go and then I moved onto the next job which was to clean up the grout. For this I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a alkaline tile and grout cleaner that is safe to use on natural stone. It was scrubbed in using a stiff brush and then rinsed off with clean water, again using the wet vacuum to remove the soiled solution. The floor was now clean but still damp so I tidied up my tools and left for the day.

Slate Floor in Ulveston After Cleaning Slate Floor in Ulveston After Cleaning

Sealing Slate Floor Tiles

The Next day I came back and inspected the floor to ensure it was dry and that I hadn’t missed anything. All was well so I started to seal the floor with five thin coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is an ideal sealer for slate as it adds a nice subtle sheen to the tile and being water based there is no smell as it dries. The sealer was applied using a paint pad applicator and each coat took around about twenty minutes to dry.

Slate Floor in Ulveston After Sealing Slate Floor in Ulveston After Sealing

When it was complete and the floor had dried I packed up my equipment and spent some time talking to the customer to check they were happy with the results (they were very happy) and to advise them on how to maintain the floor using with a neutral tile cleaner going forward which will help extend the life of the sealer.

To source slate tiles similar to these visit www.PremierTilesBarrow.co.uk

Multi-coloured Chinese Slate Floor Cleaning in South Cumbria

Cleaning and Sealing Slate Tiles in Ulveston Read More »

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South Cumbria Tile Doctor

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