Trapped beneath a carpet and underlay for many years these Victorian quarries tiles had experienced a large amount of rising damp that had failed to escape due to the carpet. The salt deposits which would normally have been brushed away, had as a result hardened and pitted the tile surface. Naturally it would prove impossible to remove all traces of efflorescence from these period tiles as the residue was so deep.
Here we have three Victorian quarry tiled floors in Leeds that were found beneath cork tiles a few years back. As you can see from the before photos there are a multitude of stains from oils, grease, wax and some water stains from a dogs water bowl. From the colour of the floor it looks as though a cleaning product with a hint of linseed oil has been used to enrich the colours, changing the salmon tiles to a dirt brown colour.
This Victorian floor in Wellingborough Northamptonshire had seen plenty of traffic over the years with many of the tiles showing signs of wear and dishing. Evidence of previous restoration attempts by the previous owners were also visible, with bleached spots and splashes from high ph cleaning products.
Here we have a very unique Victorian tiled hallway floor in the small village of Haconby Lincolnshire. The geometric floor covered by carpet for many years had absorbed a lot of carpet underlay along with staining from oil and wax coatings.
A superb Victorian tiled floor within the lovely Glen Garth Hotel,Barrow-In-Furness. The geometric and encaustic floor by Craven Dunnill is simply stunning with a wealth subtle shades, designs and shapes. Found by the current owners beneath carpet, save for a few missing tiles the floor in still in very good condition and definitely a feature to be proud of.
Stourbridge West Midlands, tiles by Craven Dunnill. Covered with a concoction of different floor finishes that had worn, become flaky creating an impression of dirty surface. These coatings would need to be removed if the tiles were to be thoroughly cleaned.
A wonderful example of Victorian geometric tiled flooring by Minton Hollins in West Bridgford Nottingham. Overall the floor was in superb condition; very flat and straight. With only a few missing tiles to replace, this project was focussed on deep cleaning and restoring the colours of natural clay colours.
A superb example of Victorian tiled flooring in Melton Mowbray Leicestershire consisting completely of 1.5″ tiles from Minton Hollins. The floor had a few loose sections but otherwise fully intact with the odd raised area where the substrate had swollen from moisture absorption. The floor looked as though the mopping water had actively trapped excess dirt between applications and paint splatters where quite common.
A well aged Victorian floor in Leicester laid throughout the hallway area. The floor was sealed with a light oil, this had attracted a great deal of dirt over the years. There was also quite a deal of paint splattered around the edges of the floor.
A wonderful example of Victorian tiled hallway flooring in Shenstone Staffordshire. This Victorian flooring was originally manufactured by Malkin Edge and laid around 1870. Overall the original areas of the floor were in very good condition with a few newer additions that have been added during the buildings renovation process.