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.
Can old tiles be cleaned? Is a question we often get asked about Victorian encaustic tile floors. Yes you can, if you have the right materials, time and patience. Read on to see our 7 step guide to victorian tiles cleaning. Cleaning Victorian Tiles -…
Interested in learning how to clean encaustic floor tiles in Victorian and Edwardian hallways? Many Victorian and Edwardian homes will have a faded and soiled Minton tile hallway floor hiding under the carpet. If you are one of the lucky ones, see how well it…
This Victorian Tiles cleaning, sealing and repairs Darlington project is about reviving the colours in a Victorian Tile floor. The floor is over 100 years old, so you can imagine it has suffered quite a bit of wear. Victorian Tile is a popular tile that…
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.
Ready to get started?
"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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