X-Tra Seal Archives - East London Tile Doctor

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Wanstead

Neglected Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Wanstead

The photographs below are of an original Encaustic Tiled hallway floor at a Victorian period house in Wanstead. As you can see from the photos this floor had clearly suffered years of neglect. Originally it was covered with a carpet and more recently had vinyl tiles stuck to it. Multiple sections of the floor had damaged and loose pieces and one section next to the cupboard had a hole in it with all the tiles around it missing.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Wanstead

Having surveyed the floor, I came up with a restoration plan to repair the damaged areas and then restore the appearance of the tiles including applying a protective sealer. The quotation was accepted and a date set for the work to commence.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Wanstead

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

First the sections of damaged substrate had to be rebuilt, so the original tiles had to be carefully removed so a new substrate could be installed and interlocked with the original to provide a structurally sound floor including the section with the hole.

Before this work started however, I went to great lengths to source the original salvaged encaustic tile pieces needed to make the floor whole again. It took a while to find some of the décor pieces as they are quite rare and in limited supply, but I found them. Once all the replacements had been sourced work started on the floor’s reconstruction the damaged and loose pieces were replaced and set in place with a modern adhesive.

After leaving the floor to set overnight work restarted the next day to clean the whole floor using 100 and 200-grit diamond pads which were worked into the tiles using water for lubrication. These pads do a great job of restoring the appearance of old encaustic tiles like these and will remove any patterns that have been ingrained into their surface from the previous floor coverings. The floor was rinsed after each pad had been applied and the soiling rinsed off with more water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

After an inspection the now clean floor was given a final rinse and dried as much as possible with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

The floor was left to dry out and I returned later to apply Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a protective sealer that improves the appearance of the tiles and prevents dirt from becoming ingrained in its pores. Tile Doctor X-Tra seal is an impregnating oil-based sealer that is fully breathable, an important consideration when dealing with old Victorian floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Wanstead

The project took some time to complete but the result was transformational and my customer was very happy with the result. This old floor which is a valuable period feature has now been brought back to life and made good for another 100 years.

Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Wanstead

Before leaving I took time to mention the importance of using a pH neutral tile cleaner such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for after care cleaning.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway in East London

Neglected Victorian Encaustic Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Wanstead Read More »

Encaustic Cement Bathroom Tile Cleaning Whitechapel

Encaustic Cement Shower Tiles Renovation in a Whitechapel Bathroom

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Tower Hamlets Tile Cleaning / Walter Croft

This client from Whitechapel E1 asked me to pop round to see if anything could be done to improve the Encaustic Cement tiles in the bathroom in the bathroom along with the grout which was also in need of renovation. They thought the tiles were ceramic however I suspected they were in fact a modern Encaustic cement tile which do need more maintenance and should be sealed.

As requested, I popped round to take a look and was able to confirm they were not ceramic but encaustic cement which were very popular in Victorian days but with new manufacturing processes and designs are back in fashion.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles Before Cleaning Whitechapel

Having inspected the tiles and discussing the issues with the owner I discovered they had been using an acid based cleaner to remove the calcium staining from hard water that was evident on the tiles and shower screen. This will have stripped off any sealer that will have been applied leaving them vulnerable to ingrained dirt.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles Before Cleaning Whitechapel

I was able to re-assure my client that the tiles could be renovated, and I worked out a plan and a quote for doing the renovation. Happy with the price, a date was agreed to start the work.

Renovating an Encaustic Tiled Bathroom

To remove the hard water staining, the tiles were scrubbed with a coarse six-inch 400-grit Tile Doctor burnishing pad fitted to a hand buffer using only water for lubrication. This did a good job of cleaning up the tiles and removing all the calcium and etching caused by the acidic cleaning product. The soiling was rinsed off and then I followed up with finer 800 and 1500 grit pads following the same process. These finer pads re-finish the tiles and build up a bit of a polish in the process.

I left the shower to dry out overnight and returned the next day to apply a sealer which for this installation we used Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is rated for use in wet areas. It’s a impregnating sealer that soaks into the tile, occupying the pores and preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there.

The last step was to replace the old silicone sealant which is impossible to get clean once its badly stained. The sealant was cut out with a sharp knife and replaced with new leaving the bathroom looking like a new installation.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles After Cleaning Whitechapel

The job went very well, and my client was very pleased with the difference, so much so they left the following feedback:

“Walter is an absolute professional. He has made my 10-year-old cement tiles look brand new. To be honest I never believed they could be so transformed as they had calcified over the years from hard water. He is also an absolute delight and reliable and trustworthy to have in your home. It took me some time to book him as he is very sought after, but persistence proved to be the right move. “

Before leaving we discussed on-going cleaning, and I re-iterated the need to avoid using strong cleaning products on sealed tiles. I also suggested mopping up any pools where water was collecting and using a Tile Doctor Aqua Pro for daily cleaning.

Encaustic Bathroom Tiles After Cleaning Whitechapel

Professional Restoration of an Encaustic Tiled Bathroom in East London

Encaustic Cement Shower Tiles Renovation in a Whitechapel Bathroom Read More »

Badly Stained Brick Tiled Kitchen Floor Cleaning Barking

Renovating a Badly Stained Brick Slip Floor in a Barking Kitchen

1 Comment / Barking Tile Cleaning, Brick Tile Cleaning / Walter Croft

This unusual kitchen floor at a property in Barking comprised of Brick Slips laid in a herringbone pattern. As you can see, they were very badly stained and clearly contained a lot of ingrained dirt. Having spoken to the owner on the phone I went over to inspect the floor and come up with a plan to improve their appearance.

Badly Stained Brick Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Barking

Whilst at the property I decided to run a cleaning test on a small area of the badly stained floor. I did this on an inconspicuous pre-agreed section and the results were very encouraging. From this I was able to work out a cleaning plan and presented the owner with a quote for giving the floor a deep clean and then sealing to protect it going forward.

Happy with the quote and relieved something was going to be done about the state of their kitchen floor I got the go ahead to do the whole floor and returned to the property a few days later.

Cleaning a Brick Tiled Kitchen Floor

My first task was to protect the kitchen units by covering them with a plastic sheet. Then the floor was soaked in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. I used this product as testing had revealed a sealer was present and Remove and Go is designed for removing coatings such as these. After 20 minutes of dwell time the solution was scrubbed in, using a 240-Grit Tile Doctor Carbide brush which removed about half of the dirt with a few passes. The cleaning solution turned black with the dirt that was removed from the bricks and was extracted with a wet vacuum.

I knew the dirt would not draw out easily, so I repeated the process multiple times until I was satisfied that all the old sealer and ingrained dirt had been removed. Some of the staining was very deep and unfortunately could not be removed through cleaning however with these brick slips being so thin my options to remove it were limited. After a final rinse the floor was dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and then left to dry out for two days.

Sealing a Brick Tiled Kitchen Floor

On my return I started by testing the floor for moisture using a damp meter. The results were satisfactory so I set about applying the first of what would be two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This is a modern oil-based sealer that soaks into the brick, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. This keeps it on the surface where it is easily cleaned away.

Once complete the floor looked so much cleaner and was a complete transformation from when I first arrived. It wasn’t perfect but it certainly had lots of character, and the customer was very happy with the end result.

Badly Stained Brick Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Barking

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare for which I recommend maintaining the floor with another Tile Doctor product called Neutral Tile Cleaner. Many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor and can strip the sealer off so are best avoided.

Professional Restoration of Brick Flooring in East London

Renovating a Badly Stained Brick Slip Floor in a Barking Kitchen Read More »

Victorian Path Renovated in Hackney East London

Red and Black Victorian Tiled Pathway Restored in Hackney East London

1 Comment / Hackney Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Walter Croft

The picture below is of a Red and Black Victorian Path leading up to a house in Hackney; which according to my client had never been maintained since they moved in and that was 31 years ago.

The years had taken their toll on the tiles and the path had numerous problems including missing and damaged tiles, grout was missing or had fallen out, the colours in the tiles had faded, weeds were growing through and at some point in its long history a repair had been made which had messed up the pattern.

Victorian Pathway Before Restoration Hackney East London

It always makes a pleasant change to be asked to carry out work outside especially given then hot temperatures we have experienced in the Southeast recently; however, you do have pick the right weather window. I inspected the path and discussed with the client the process needed to renovate it. They were happy to go ahead with my quote and we arranged a time to return later in the month keeping one eye on the weather as a nice dry day would be needed.

Repairing a Black and Red Victorian Tiled Path

Being outdoors, for a change we didn’t need to tape any surrounding areas to protect them from the clean, so we were able to get straight on with repairing the path. This started by carefully lifting out the damaged tiles and the cement which had been used to backfill the places where tiles were missing. At this point I could see 15 tiles would need replacing in total.

I also dug out the channel between the adjacent Sandstone patio and the Victorian pathway so it could be tidied up. The foundation was cleaned up and I was ready to lay out the replacement tiles in a matching pattern to ensure a good fit and that they would be level with the surrounding tiles. I also sorted out the pattern making it an even, symmetrical design throughout the path.

Victorian Pathway During Restoration Hackney East London

Once I knew everything would fit, the tiles were all set in position used a slow setting adhesive that would allow for a few corrections as it went off. Before leaving for the day, I grout in the tiles using a smoke grey grout colour and left instructions for no one to walk on the path.

By the end of the first day the path was looking much healthier.

Deep Cleaning a Black and Red Victorian Tiled Path

The second day was all about cleaning and with the adhesive set I was able to give the whole path a mechanical scrub with a coarse 50-grit Diamond pad lubricated with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with is a strong alkaline cleaner. This combination really gets into the pores of the tile to lift out the ingrained with dirt. The soiled cleaning solution was the vacuumed away with a wet vax and the process repeated with a 100 and then a 200-grit diamond grit pad but with just water this time. The finer pads refine the finish of the tile after the application of the coarse 50-grit pad. After another rinse and extraction, the floor was inspected and worked on the really bad tiles using a set of diamond blocks to get right into the dirt.

Last step in the cleaning process was to give the tiles an acid rinse using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which does a number of things including neutralising the ph level of the tile, countering any efflorescent salts in the floor and cleaning off grout smears.

My final step for the day was to fill in the channel between the Sandstone patio and the pathway with some an Easy Joint compound in a mushroom colour.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The dry weather continued so I was able to return the following day to seal the tiles and protect them from the weather. The tiles need to be dry before being sealed so their moisture readings were taken with a damp meter. The meter showed little to no moisture which was perfect. The weather helped massively in this process although it was a little too hot for me sometimes!

I used Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal to seal the floor, it’s an oil-based sealer that enhances colour and structure in the tile to bring out the Red and Black colour, its fully breathable and has built-in UV protection. Due to being outside and exposed to the sun this was clearly the best sealer for the job. I put 1 coat on, buffed off the excess and then left it for half an hour before putting another coat on.

Victorian Pathway After Restoration Hackney East London

The path looked new by the time I had finished, and I had a very happy customer who has now asked me to quote for a clean of their back garden patio.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Pathway in East London

Red and Black Victorian Tiled Pathway Restored in Hackney East London Read More »