Removing Rust Stains from a Victorian Path with Tile Doctor Rust Away in Bedford

After 140 years of use this Victorian tiled pathway at a property in Bedford had seen a lot of traffic and wear. Although generally well maintained the floor had some major problems including loose and broken tiles and rust straining from the use of metal planters.

I visited the property to survey the path and advise on the work needed to restore it for another 140 years of use. I calculated there were approximately 70 tiles that needed attention and took detailed pictures and measurements so I could source matching replacements.

I was confident of being able to restore the path and provided a quote that included cleaning and sealing the tiles and replacing the broken tiles and dealing with the rust. Happy with the plan the quote was accepted and an initial date booked in for the work to start, I say initial date as I need a dry weather window for external work.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Path in Bedford

Work began with repairing the broken and loose tiles using the matching tiles I had managed to source in time for the job. Removing the loose and cracked tiles must be done carefully so as not to disturb adjacent tiles and making the job a lot larger than originally intended.

With those tiles removed the replacements combined with salvageable original tiles are dry fitted into position making any cuts as necessary. With the tile pattern worked out the tiles were laid using rapid setting flexible adhesive.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Path in Bedford

Once the tiles had set work moved on to cleaning which began with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Driveway and Patio Cleaner. This product works best when used with long dwell times and in this case some of the path needed much longer times than others to get them clean.

Next job was to deal with the rust impregnation and for this Tile Doctor Rust Away was applied. This product breaks down the rust turning it a purple colour that can then be simply rinsed off and extracted. Once done the tiles were inspected and the process repeated if required and, in this case, it took four applications to complete.

Still not quite satisfied with the appearance of the tiles I ran a set of Tile Doctor Diamond Pads fitted to a rotary machine over the tiles. I worked through different grits from 50 up to 1500 grit to bring the brightness back. These pads are applied with water for lubrication and then the floor rinsed and extracted with a wet vacuum after each pad.

After a final rinse the floor was dried as much as possible using a wet vacuum and left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Path in Bedford

Once the path had dried it was sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is oil-based and externally rated with UV protection making it ideal for applications like this one. This product is a fully breathable, colour intensifying sealer which really brought the colours in the tile back to life.

The client was in London during the work so we sent pictures and received this reply:
Thanks for making our path look lovely

Client satisfaction is always at the forefront for us and when we receive messages like this it really makes our day.

Source: Tile Cleaning Products and Services in Bedford Bedfordshire