Remove and Go Archives - North East Yorkshire

16th Century Yorkstone Floor Renovation Listed Manor House Harrogate

Yorkstone Flagged Floor Renovated at 16th Century Harrogate Manor House

This customer was completely refurbishing a 16th Century Manor House just outside Harrogate in the Yorkshire Dales and had just started renovating the downstairs after completing the upstairs. The kitchen and entrance hall had an original Yorkshire stone floor that had come from local quarry. The floor had been covered up with lino and carpet until it was discovered as part of the renovations.

16th Centtury Yorkstone Floor Before Renovation Listed Manor House Harrogate

The manor was a listed building and so the new owner wanted to preserve as much of the original features as possible including the floor which must have been as old as the building. Tile Doctor has been involved in numerous historical restorations previously and so we were called in to renovate the stone flooring and bring it back to life. Given the potential age of the floor and its historical significance I realised a sympathetic and careful approach would be needed but was more than happy to get involved.

Deep Cleaning a Yorkshire Stone Floor

To deep clean the stone flags a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto the floor and left to soak in for ten to fifteen minutes. This product is a concentrated alkaline tile and grout cleaner that is powerful enough to strip off coatings and is ideal for deep cleaning natural stone. We used this in combination with a floor buffing machine fitted with gritted brushes to remove multiple layers of ground in grease and dirt and to remove sealers. The floor was then rinsed with water and vacuumed with a wet pick-up vacuum to remove the soiling.

Afterwards the floor was inspected and I could see more work would be needed to get the floor completely clean. As a result, the process was repeated but this time with a stronger product called Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is good at removing stubborn stains, adhesives and draws out ingrained grease and sealers.

The final step of the cleaning process was to apply Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up which is an acid cleaner that will remove old cement smears, alkaline salts whilst neutralising the ph level of the stone after the use of strong alkaline cleaning products earlier.

By the end of the first day the floor was looking so much cleaner. The next step would be to seal the stone, but it would need to dry out before I could do that. So, after the final rinse the whole floor was dried as much as possible using a wet vacuum and left to dry off fully naturally.

Sealing a Yorkstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned to seal the stone floor and started by checking it had dried with the help of a damp meter. I know from experience that applying sealer to damp stone is a bad idea as it will affect the way the sealer cures and can affect the overall finish.

The moisture readings were fine so before sealing the whole floor I discussed the finish the customer was looking for. Their preference was for a natural looking finish that showed the beauty of the stone yet improved the different colours. There are several different sealers in the Tile Doctor range and after applying a couple of samples Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra was chosen. This product ticked all the boxes in that it would bring out the natural colouring in the stone and give a very slight smooth finish, at the same time as protecting the floor and making it easy to maintain. Additionally, this sealer is breathable with is an important consideration when sealing old stone floors which don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane under the floor.

16th Centtury Yorkstone Floor After Renovation Listed Manor House Harrogate

The deep cleaning process and fresh natural sealer transformed the stone floor bringing out its original beauty. The customer was delighted with the floor and the way in which the colours came out and left the following glowing feedback for us.

“Excellent products supplied for cleaning and renovating an old stone flag floor in a listed building. Their agent, Simon Testa carried out the work in a very conscientious and professional manner with excellent results.”

For ongoing maintenance cleaning of the floor I left the customer with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to use, this product will clean the floor but is mild enough not to impact the sealer which can be a problem with the harsher cleaning products you tend to find in supermarkets.

Professional Cleaning of a Yorkstone Tiled Hallway in South Yorkshire

Yorkstone Flagged Floor Renovated at 16th Century Harrogate Manor House Read More »

Victorian Tile Hallway Renovation York

The owner of this beautiful period property on the outskirts of York was renovating the whole property and had uncovered a Victorian tiled floor in the hallway. The tiles were extremely dirty and stained with white paint spots from decorating at some point in its long history.

Victorian Hallway Floor Before Renovation York

I visited the property to survey the floor and come up with a renovation plan. It was indeed dirty but fortunately in reasonably good physical condition for its age. It needed a deep clean and there were some small repairs needed. I conducted a test clean on a small part of the floor which responded well and based on that I was able to give them an accurate quote for the renovation. They were happy to go ahead, and we arranged a mutually convenient time to complete the works.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first thing needing attention was to re-set some loose tiles at the door entrance which is a common problem with old floors. The sub floor and old tile were cleaned and reset using a fast-setting adhesive and grout. This was left to set for a time before making a start on deep cleaning the hallway floor.

First up was to apply Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is our go to Tile and Grout cleaner which is diluted before being mopped on to the tile and allowed to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a black pad and rotary machine.

After rinsing off the now dirty cleaning solution I could see something stronger was required to really shift the deep-seated dirt, paint sports and who knows whatever else had been used on the floor over the years. So, to turn up the cleaning power a notch I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go using the same process and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum. This process where repeated and hand scrubbed some areas until I was satisfied the floor was clean.

The final stage was to give the tiles and acid wash by scrubbing in Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this process is designed to counter and salts in the tile, remove old grout smears and neutralise the pH level of the tile after using the alkaline cleaners earlier.

The floor was given a final rinsed and the wet vacuum was deployed for the las time until as much moisture as possible was taken out of the floor. The floor was left to dry naturally for a few days before returning to carry out the sealing.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On returning to the property to carry out the sealing it was first tested for moisture using a damp meter. The tiles needed to be dry before sealing and any high readings can be resolved using a heat gun.

Once satisfied the floor was dry the floor it was sealed using four coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which will provide maximum protection from staining and enhance the colours in the tile. Additionally, Colour Grow is fully breathable which basically means it will allow any damp in the subfloor to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface. This is an important consideration for old floors without a damp proof membrane as a non-breathable sealer can cause problems with damp building up under the floor.

Victorian Hallway Floor After Renovation York

The client was delighted with the result and was really pleased to see the floor restored to its former glory. As you can see from the photos the floor now looks clean and bright and this vastly improved the appearance of the hallway in keeping with the rest of this beautiful period property.