This victorian tile porch was in need of a bit of a spruce. With a wider colour palette than many victorian tile arrangements, the vivid blue, green and red shades really pop against the adjacent earthy hues.
With an even finer detail than we would normally see in flooring from this era it really deserved to be properly appreciated. Understandably, any porch is going to be a busy thoroughfare seeing levels high foot traffic and the removal of footwear which has a habit of distributing excessive levels of dirt across the surface.
Our team at Tile & Stone Medic are a dab hand at this sort of job. We frequently work to restore victorian tiles of this stile, commonly referred to as “Minton”. In each case, we take the time to carefully assess the situation. Just as different types of floor require different processes, each example of victorian tiles must be carefully considered to take into account it’s condition. We find that these small tiles, although hard wearing, can still become scratched or damaged. Likewise, the grout between the tiles may become discoloured in time.
It’s not uncommon to come across a floor that was laid more than a century ago. A possible consequence of such a floors age is movement in the subfloor. Even if the tiles are in pristine condition, they may have become loosened. We normally find that the odd loose tile is no match for our trained technicians. In all cases, these historic floors are an asset to the place in which they have been fitted so it is worth taking the time to preserve them.
The first stage of our restoration process normally focusses on removing as much dirt, grit and contaminates as possible from the surface. This may include the removal of any remaining sealant to ensure a consistent, clean surface. In some cases we may carry out more abrasive work to remove stubborn dirt or remove scratches. The techniques and equipment used will be determined the the state of the floor and the finish that you would like us to achieve. In all cases, we would suggest that the cleaning is followed by the application of a protective layer. This could leave a matt or gloss finish if desired. More importantly, the protector will live up to it’s name and protect your victorian minton tiles for years to come.
