Pictured below are photographs I took recently whilst restoring an original 1880s Mosaic tiled floor at Lincoln College. The floor was 60m2 in size and located in the main entrance of the college. After searching around for someone who could restore the floor back to its original state, they found Tile Doctor and as their local representative I was asked to survey the floor and provide a quote.
The work would involve removing concrete screed, repairing cracks, filling holes, deep cleaning and then sealing the floor to protect it. Time was a factor as I would only have the space to myself between the end of the summer term and before the freshers arrived at the end of September. Happy to get involved I was pleased to be awarded the work.
Repairing and Deep Cleaning a Mosaic Tiled Floor
Rather than restore the floor a decision had been taken in the past to level it and cover it, probably in some sort of carpet. As a result, my first action was to carefully remove the concrete screed, glue, and bitumen. This was pain staking work as I didn’t want to damage the mosaic tiles hidden underneath. To do this I needed to use a chisel and a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads fitted to a heavy floor buffer and lubricated with water. Each pad generates a fair amount of slurry which needs to be rinsed off with more water and extracted using an industrial wet vacuum.
With the screed and other coverings removed to reveal the whole Mosaic floor I was then able to move onto deep cleaning up the tiles using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a tile and grout cleaning product scrubbed in with a black pad. Again, the wet vacuum and more water was employed to remove the dirt and soil generated during the cleaning process.
The appearance of the Mosaic tiled floor had now fully to revealed itself and I was able to move onto the next stage which was to fill in the cracks and holes using a filler coloured to match the tile and grout. I also painted matching colours onto the surface of the cracks and holes to camouflage them and ensure the repairs would match the general pattern of the floor and make the repairs invisible.
Due to the large size of the floor and with other contractors working in the building I worked in cordoned off sections and used an industrial turbo dryer speed up the during times.
Sealing a Large Mosaic Tiled Floor
The main restoration took two days to complete, and I returned for a third and final day to finish the floor with the application of a protective sealer. For this I chose Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that protects by soaking into the pores of the tiles and protecting it from within. This sealer also enhances the natural colours of the tiles making them stand-out better, three coats were applied.
The building managers were over the moon with the transformation and draw quite a crowd from the staff as they came to see the 140-year-old floor renovated to its original condition. Not only did we manage to save this historic part of the building but also save them thousands on a replacement.
Never use a strong tile cleaning product or steam cleaner for the regular cleaning of sealed stone as this can reduce the life of the sealer. We recommend using a specialist product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner or Stone Soap for the regular cleaning of sealed tiled surfaces. If you do use another product always read the label first, most supermarket tile cleaners are only suitable for use on Ceramic or Vinyl tiles.