Grout Clean-Up Archives - Norfolk Tile Doctor

Victorian School House Terracotta Floor Renovation Potter Heigham

Renovating an Old Terracotta Floor at a Victorian School House in Potter Heigham

This converted Victorian schoolhouse in Potter Heigham on the Norfolk Broads had a lovely old Red and Black Terracotta tiled floor which had been badly maintained over the years. The owner wanted to use the original tiled floor and so I was asked to pop by and quote for its renovation.

The Terracotta floor was in what was originally the cloakroom of the school however, at some point in its long history, it had been covered with self-levelling compound and vinyl. As part of the work there were some large areas of cement infill and an old toilet waste to remove. After discussing it with the client it was decided to leave the cement in place and disguise it with paint. My preference was to remove the cement and replace with tiles however that would have been a lot of extra work and more expense.

Victorian School House Floor Before Cleaning Cement Infill Potter Heigham

Victorian School House Floor Before Cleaning Redundant Toilet Waste Potter Heigham

Having agreed the scope of the renovation I worked out a quote which was accepted and a date set for our return.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Terracotta Tiled Floor

The old toilet waste was cut out using an angle grinder and then backfilled with sand and cement level to the surrounding cement base. The floor was then cleaned up and left to dry out overnight.

Victorian School House Floor Infilled Before Honing Potter Heigham

The next day the remnants of the self-levelling compound were scraped away from the tiles and then cleaned off with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go. The solution was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before being worked in with a Klindex rotary fitted with a coarse 80-grit silicon carbide brush. 40kg of extra weight was added to the machine to increase traction with the tiles. The floor was then rinsed and extracted using an industrial wet vacuum.

Victorian-School-House-Floor-During-Honing-with-Carbide-Brush-Potter-Heigham

Victorian School House Floor Picking Up Honed Slurry Potter Heigham

Some of the self-levelling compound proved stubborn so these areas were then spot treated with a hand-held polisher fitted with a 3″ 100-grit pad. Once I was satisfied the floor was clear, the surface of the tiles were then further refined with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to the Klindex.

The last step in the cleaning process was to give the floor an Acid Wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up diluted 10:1. This further cleans up the tiles, neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline and counters efflorescence salts which is a common problem with older floors. After a final rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry off overnight.

The next day the sections of missing tile were painted in a matching shade of Terracotta and Black using Sandtex masonry paint. The effect worked quite well and once sealed I was confident that it would be difficult to spot.

Victorian School House Floor Red Painted-in Awaiting Black Potter Heigham

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Cloakroom

Once the paint had dried, the floor was checked with a damp meter in several places to ensure it had dried. Applying sealer to a damp floor can result in patchiness so it’s always worth checking.

The moisture readings were positive and so work to sealing the floor started with the application of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra. This is a modern acrylic sealer that gives a nice finish and is fully breathable (allows for moisture transmission) which is an important consideration when selecting a sealer for an old floor which doesn’t have a damp proof membrane. Terracotta is a very porous material, so it managed to absorb seven coats of sealer before I was satisfied it was fully sealed.

Victorian School House Floor After Renovation Potter Heigham

The results were transformative and given its age and amount of wear these tiles had seen in the past I think it came out very well. The most important thing is my clients were pleased and left the following feedback:

“The floor looks stunning! Nick and Sally did an amazing job restoring the Victorian tiles in our old school. They worked so hard to deal with the stubborn levelling compound and the final result is way beyond what we thought could be achieved. It was a pleasure to have them working in our house. They are very dedicated to their work and take great pride in it. Thank you!”

Before leaving I took time to discuss maintenance cleaning and recommended the use of a Neutral Tile Cleaning product to clean the floor such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Many of the floor cleaning products you find in supermarkets are too strong and simply not suitable for use on sealed tiles.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Cloakroom in Norfolk

Renovating an Old Terracotta Floor at a Victorian School House in Potter Heigham Read More »

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor Renovation Ashmanhaugh Wroxham

Modern Terracotta Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Ashmanhaugh

Earlier this year I received a message from a homeowner in the small village of Ashmanhaugh near Wroxham about their Terracotta tiled floor. The floor had been installed twelve years prior in a large conservatory sunroom extension and was now in need of a clean and seal.

I went over to survey the floor and could see the Terracotta tiles were modern 30cm tiles. They had been sealed with a topical acrylic sealer after installation, but the finish was now very dull, patchy and worn. It was clear to me that the sealer had worn off on most parts of the floor leaving it porous and exceptionally difficult to mop.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Ashmanhaugh

The grout lines were particularly discoloured mainly due to the use of various wet-look cleaning products used over the years. This type of maintenance product often just serves to glue dirty water into the grout.

I worked out a quote to deep clean the Terracotta tile and Grout and then apply a new sealer that would give the desired finish. My client was happy with the quote and being frustrated with the floor was keen to have it restored to its former self as soon as possible.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Sunroom Floor

I returned to the property on the scheduled date and started by cleaning the grout with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go. This was sprayed along the grout line and left to soak in for ten minutes. The product was then scrubbed in with a narrow wire-bristle brush to get the grout as clean as possible.

Terracotta Tiled Floor During Cleaning Ashmanhaugh

The whole floor was then cleaned using a Klindex Rocky rotary machine fitted with a Nylon brush attachment to work in a strong 3 to 1 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This process lifts the dirt and contaminants out of the tile turning the solution black. The floor was then rinsed with more water and the resultant slurry vacuumed away with a high-power industrial wet vacuum.

Next step was to give the floor an Acid Wash using a 10:1 dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. Doing this has several benefits which include further cleaning the floor including removing grout haze, neutralising the PH level of the floor after the use of alkaline cleaning products and lastly it improves adhesion with the new sealer. This was brushed into the floor, rinsed off with water and then extracted with the wet vacuum.

Terracotta Tiled Floor During Acid Washing Ashmanhaugh

The floor was then dried thoroughly with the wet vacuum before being left to dry off overnight, this is particularly important as Terracotta being made of clay is very porous and tends to hold the moisture. The floor needs to be dry before sealing as it can cloud the sealer and result in a patchy finish.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Sunroom Floor

Work the next day started by confirming the Terracotta was dry and ready to take a sealer. I use a damp meter for this and was able to confirm the moisture readings were acceptable.

Tile Doctor has many different sealers available and in this case Seal & Go was chosen based on the flooring material and desired finish. Seal and Go is a modern sealer containing acrylic polymers and provides a hard-wearing low sheen satin finish that will subtly enhances the natural colour in the Terracotta without the floor being too glossy. Five coats were applied with a 300-gsm split-filament microfibre cloth, each coat was allowed to dry before applying the next.

Terracotta Tiled Floor During Sealing Ashmanhaugh

My client was delighted with the mid-sheen finish and please that the floor would be so much easier to keep clean going forward. On the subject of cleaning, I also recommended our Neutral Tile Cleaner which will keep the floor looking in great condition and will ensure the longevity of the newly applied sealer. It is a pH neutral cleaner so is mild enough to use daily if required.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Cleaning Sealing Ashmanhaugh

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Sunroom in Norfolk

Modern Terracotta Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Ashmanhaugh Read More »

Reclaimed Pamment Floor Renovation Gissing

Renovating Heavily Soiled Reclaimed Pamment Tiled Flooring in Gissing

1 Comment / Attleborough Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Nick White

I was contacted by clients with a Pamment Tiled Flooring who were living in Gissing, a small village in the centre of South Norfolk which has a long history dating back to Saxon times. The Pamments were reclaimed suffering from heavy soiling and in need of considerable expert attention. All the old protective coatings had pretty much worn completely off the surface of the tiles which had then allowed many years of dirt to become ingrained in the pores of the clay, making it almost impossible to clean for the homeowner using ordinary methods.

Reclaimed Pamment Floor Before Cleaning Gissing

Pamment tiles were very popular in older Norfolk homes; they are made from locally sourced clay and, like terracotta, are extremely porous and therefore need to be thoroughly sealed against fluids and general soiling. When correctly cleaned and sealed, they are quite versatile and can be used for internal floors as well as external areas such as patios and pathways.

Cleaning a Pamment tiled floor

To remove all traces of the old sealers and clean the tiles I decided to apply Tile Doctor Remove & Go, which was diluted with water to form a medium strength solution. I applied a generous coat of this solution to the floor, leaving it to soak into the pores of the tiles for approximately ten minutes. The solution was then worked into the Pamments using a Black nylon scrubbing pad fitted to a 17″ rotary machine. Remove & Go is a powerful and versatile cleaner which is safe to use on natural stone floors, kiln-fired tiles and all types of grout.

Reclaimed Pamment Floor During Cleaning Gissing

I rinsed the solution off the floor with clean water once it had worked its magic and extracted the resulting dirty residue with a wet-vacuum machine. In order to tackle some particularly stubborn stains, I repeated this process until I was satisfied that the floor had been cleaned to the highest standard possible.

Reclaimed Pamment Floor During Cleaning Gissing

The whole area was then given an acid wash using a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This further cleans the tiles to remove old grout stains and neutralises the pH level of the floor following the use of alkaline cleaning products, lastly it also ensures optimal adhesion of the new sealer.

The floor was then left to dry overnight before returning the next day to complete the seal. I left a dehumidifier running overnight to assist the drying process and ensure that the floor would be completely dry on the following day. It’s imperative that a tiled floor is completely dry before sealing as any excess moisture left in the floor can potentially adversely affect the overall performance of the sealer as it evaporates.

Sealing a Pamment tiled floor

To seal and protect the Pamment tiles I applied a total of five coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which provided a robust, durable surface seal along with an aesthetically pleasing, mid-sheen finish (as you can see from the photos). Seal & Go is the go-to sealer for internal, unsealed porous surfaces such as Terracotta, Sandstone or Slate.

Reclaimed Pamment Floor During Sealing Gissing

The clients had left us to work our magic over the two days, returning at the end of the sealing day and were absolutely staggered at the results we had achieved with a floor they had thought beyond help.

Reclaimed Pamment Floor After Renovation Gissing

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a gentle yet effective product that won’t upset the sealer which can be the problem with many of the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Deep Cleaning and Restoration of Reclaimed Pamment Tiles in Norfolk

Renovating Heavily Soiled Reclaimed Pamment Tiled Flooring in Gissing Read More »