Aggressive cleaning can take the surface off your tiles.
Victorian floors are made of natural clay, which is relatively soft. Aggressive cleaning using abrasive pads or or wire brushes can remove the surface of the tile. Encaustic tiles are at particular risk because you can quickly wear away the patter. permanently damaging the encaustic tiles as well as spoiling the whole look of the floor.
Victorian tiles have a fine grout. Over the years the grout usually degrades to a point where it can be washed away. It is certainly not strong enough to withstand high pressure cleaning. Pressure washing will simply wash away the grout. In many old floors, the grout is the only thing keeping the tiles in place. The adhesive may have broken down years ago. The last thing you want is to have to lift the floor and have it re-laid.
Water is essential in cleaning victorian floors. But you must make sure not to let water soak into the subfloor. Victorian tile floors are not necessarily laid on stable subfloors. Some we have restored are just laid on bricks or loose bedding. If too much water soaks into these subfloors, they can expand and lift tiles or whole areas of the floor.
If your victorian floor is relatively clean, you have a good chance of getting the floor clean again yourself. However in all other cases we recommend you call in a profession restoration company.
We have the experience, equipment and access to the cleaning products to clean and restore heavily soiled floors without causing permanent damage.
Original victorian tiles were usually sealed with boiled linseed oil. While the oil enhances the colour of the floor, it neede regular application and over the years the oil oxidises and start to dull the colours.
Applying linseed is also a hazardous job. I know of a case where the cloths used to apply linseed oil to a tile floor caught fire while the user was taking tea break!
Today we have access to modern sealers that are safer, offer better protection, are easier to apply.
You have quite a number of options when it comes to sealing your floor. Here is an introduction to the various sealers you can use.
Victorian Clay Geometric Tiles in a hallway in Blyth, Northumberland. The tiles are often referred to as Mintons tiles. The floor needed cleaning to remove old paint and sealer residues. I used a clay tile sealer remover and cleaner. After leaving the treatment for an…
This is a Victorian Tiles cleaning project in Littleover, Derby. Victorian tiles, often referred to a Mintons Tiles, are the perfect match for high-ceiling Victorian homes. However, the soft clay tiles that make up this kind of floor need regular cleaning, waxing and buffing. Otherwise,…
This lovely Victorian Minton style Victorian Clay Tile floor in Windsor had a dull finish from years of old surface sealer and encapsulated soil. I used a sealer stripping solution to soften the old layers of sealer. Then I used a scrubbing machine to release…
An impregnating or penetrating sealer penetrates into the pores of the stone, helping prevent spills penetrating into the stone.
Standard penetrating sealers don't change the appearance of your floor.
A dull floor stays dull and a shiny floor stays shiny.
Impregnating sealer can be combined with a polymer that enhances the appearance of the tiles, increasing the contrast between the colours, they are called colour ehnancing sealers.
In general; you only need apply one or two coats of penetrating sealer.
Impregnating sealers do not give tile floors a natural sheen or a gloss.
If you prefer this kind of finish, you can apply a light wax finish that will impart a beautiful soft sheen without making your floor slippery.
2. Surface sealers for Victorian Tile clay floors
As the name suggests, surface sealers sit on the surface of the floor, although they do penetrate the surface slightly.
Surface sealers generally enhance the appearance of the floor because they refract light.
Surface sealers come in matt, soft sheen and high gloss finishes.
So you have quite a choice to chose from.
Generally they are water based and applied in multiple thin layers.
There are synthetic surface sealers, but they are best applied by experienced professionals as.
At Abbey floor Care we have been looking after victorian floor tiles and other stone floors since 1996.
Our stone floor restoration expertise means that we have access to a vast range of specialist victorian tile cleaning chemicals and stone cleaning equipment.
This means when we are cleaning victorian floors we achieve a level of cleanliness and a quality of finish that is hard to beat.
If you are need help with cleaning victorian floor tiles information or just advice on how to maintaining victorian floor tiles then please contact us.
There are two types of sandstone sealers; surface sealers and impregnating sealers.
Which sandstone sealer you use depends on how you want your floor to look.
Penetrating or impregnating sealers will not make any visible difference to the appearance of your sandstone floor.
These sandstone sealers soak deep into the pores of your stone floor and act like an invisible barrier to water and oil spills.
Once dry you can't see impregnating sealers, so the only way to assess the wear of impregnating sealers is when traffic areas start become more difficult to get clean.
We recommend deep cleaning and re-applying an impregnating stone sealer each year to make sure you don't lose the benefits it gives.
As the name implies, a surface sealer locks onto and sit on the surface of your stone floor. It will still allow your sandstone floor to breath.
A surface sealer makes mopping a little easier as you are mopping the sealer rather than the stone surface.
By sitting on the surface of your stone floor, a surface stone sealer will slightly darken the colour. So if you want a light colour, then my may be better choosing an impregnating sealer.
Over time a surface sealer will show scratches and wear areas as it wears away. We recommend deep cleaning and re-applying a layer if to the wear areas on an annual basis.
With our extensive experience in cleaning and restoration We are pleased to offer advice on maintenance programs, cleaning solutions and equipment.
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"David came along and sorted
our stone floor problem out
straight away. Very particular
to make sure every area was cleaned."– Mrs. Simkins
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