Durable Silky Sheen Added to a Victorian Period Tiled Floor with Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra at Loftus Town Hall

Late last year I was asked by Loftus Town Hall to pop down and look at renovating the beautiful Victorian Tiled flooring which needed renovation. They had experienced a flood previously and now the floor had had chance to dry out it was time to restore it back to its former beauty. I am based in South Sheilds so it’s a bit out of my area but I was happy to help.

I arranged an initial visit to assess the floors condition and I could that the sealer had worn thin in the high traffic areas and this had allowed dirt to penetrate the tiles leaving them dull and uninviting. We agreed that the best course of action would be best to strip off what was left of the sealer throughout, deep clean the tiles and then re-seal. A quote was sent and accepted.

Stripping and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first stage was to remove what was left of the sealer. This work started by spraying the tiles with a strong 50:50 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then followed this up with a coating of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel leaving both products to dwell for sixty minutes. This is a long time but this gives the product plenty of time to break down the old sealer and dirt.

The town hall is Grade II listed and was built in 1879 well before the invention of the damp-proof-membrane so I wanted to keep the use of water to a minimum to reduce drying times.

I then proceeded to work the solution into the tiles using a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine and extracted the resultant slurry using a wet vacuum. The floor was then checked and any stubborn areas re-treated. The floor was given a quick rinse and then dried.

The next day I attached a 240-grit carbide brush to the buffer machine and ran it over the floor to ensure all the sealer and dirt was removed. This was then followed up with a 200-grit diamond pad to improve the surface of the worn tiles. Only water was used during this process for lubrication and once complete the soiling was rinsed and removed with the wet vacuum.

The floor was then given an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This further cleans up the tiles countering any dormant salts in the tiles and neutralises the pH level of the tiles after the use of the use of strong alkaline cleaning products earlier.

After a final rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum I prepared the floor ready for sealing the following day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

For sealing I had recommended Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which leaves a lovely subtle satin finish and is fully breathable so is perfect to use on old floors that don’t have a damp-proof membrane like this one.

Before starting with the sealer application, the moisture levels in the floor were checked with a damp meter. Sealing a damp floor can lead to a patchy finish so I was pleased to see the floor had dried and the plan to keep water use to a minimum had paid off.

The first coat was applied leaving an hour between coats to allow for drying. In total four coats were applied which left durable protection and a desirable sheen finish that lifted the appearance of the floor.

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner as it’s a mild yet effective cleaner that won’t impact the sealer. This is especially important with public areas like this one as cleaning teams tend to utilise much stronger and unsuitable products.

Source: Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration Products and Services near Loftus North Yorkshire