#removing bitumen

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Restoring a Vinyl Covered Quarry Tiled Floor in Cheam, South London

The owner of this property in the South London suburb of Cheam got in touch about restoring a Quarry tiled floor that had been covered with Vinyl tiles. After surveying the floor, it became clear that some of the original Quarry tiled floor was missing and had been replaced with concrete before Read more at https://quarry.tilecleaning.co.uk/restoring-a-vinyl-covered-quarry-tiled-floor-in-cheam-south-london/

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Bitumen Covered Flagstone Floor Restored in Morecambe

Late last year I was asked to survey a Flagstone floor in Morecambe which appeared to be beyond restoration. The floor had a long history and at some point in its past was covered with carpet which had been secured onto self-levelling cement with bitumen. All the companies that had visited before we got there said nothing could be done with it and recommended replacing the carpet or covering it with vinyl. As mentioned, it had been previously covered with carpet however this is an old floor Read more at https://flagstone.tilecleaning.co.uk/bitumen-covered-flagstone-floor-restored-in-morecambe/

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Removing Screed and Bitumen from an Old Flagstone Floor in Carnforth

The owner of this Flagstone floor at a property in Carnforth was told by a damp specialist to remove the carpet and underlay and have the floor taken out and skipped. Then to install new hardcore and concrete put in place but with a Damp Proof Membrane installed in between, then once fully cured (four weeks at least) they could have a new carpet, tile or wood floor etc. installed. All good advice, however, the owner of the house wanted to keep as many original features as possible and wasn't Read more at https://flagstone.tilecleaning.co.uk/removing-screed-and-bitumen-from-an-old-flagstone-floor-in-carnforth/

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Victorian Floor Renovated by West Midlands Flooring Expert

This customer in Bedworth called me in to remove a matt tray from their Victorian Tied hallway and restore the floor back to its original condition. The house had been in the same family for some generations and at one point the owner’s father had covered the floor with a thin layer of bitumen to secure a carpet. The carpet had since been removed but as a result the floor was very dark from bitumen stains.

Bedworth is actually very close to my base in Coventry, so it wasn’t long before I was able to call round and survey the floor to provide a quote for doing the work. Naturally due to COVID I wear PPE and when working in the property increase ventilation and work out a schedule with the homeowner to maintain distance and minimise contact.

Restoring a Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

My first job was to remove the matt well and the surrounding tiles so I could fit replacements that match the existing geometric pattern. Finding replacements wasn’t difficult however as I’ve been restoring old floors like this one for many years and have built up a collection of old Victorian tiles from various manufacturers such as Minton.

Matching the original pattern was a bit like building your own jigsaw puzzle as each replacement tile had to be shaped and hand cut until I had the design worked out. Once the replacements were fitted and secured in place with adhesive. Once done I left the property so the floor could set and be ready for deep cleaning the next day.

To remove the staining and restore the appearance of the original tiles I milled them using very coarse abrasive floor pads fitted to a weighted floor buffer and applied to the floor using water to lubricate. The resulting slurry was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor given a deep clean using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was scrubbed in using a black pad fitted to the rotary machine. The soil was then rinsed away with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

These old floors don’t have damp proof membranes fitted and I was concerned that the old Bitumen and Carpet will have prevented moisture from rising through the tile trapping damp underneath the floor. This trapped moisture under the floor had been given chance to evaporate but this takes time, and I was concerned that salts contained within the moisture could rise through the tile later to be deposited on the surface later, a process known as efflorescence.

To counter this, I neutralise the salts by giving the tiles an acid wash with Tile Doctor Acid Gel. As well as neutralising salts it also removes other mineral deposits such as grout haze and prepares the tile to achieve a better bond with the sealer.

Sealing a Victorian Geometric Tiled Hallway Floor

Due to my concerns over moisture, I left the floor two weeks to fully dry out before returning to seal the floor and protect it from dirt and staining going forward. For sealing I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Extra Seal which has a breathable formula which will cope with any moisture rising through the floor. Two coats give the tiles an appealing glossy finish and helped the new and old sections of the floor blend well together so you would never know the difference.

My client was very happy with the transformation of their hallway floor and before finishing up I took time to discuss how to care for the floor going forward. It’s important to use a Neutral Tile Cleaner on sealed floors like this as other products are simply too strong and can actually strip a sealer off the tiles over time.

Source: Victorian Floor Tile Cleaning and Tiling Service in Warwickshire

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Bitumen Covered Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Caversham, Berkshire

Details below of a floor I recently worked on where my client had removed the linoleum that covered the hallway floor and discovered an original Victorian Tiled floor buried underneath bitumen which had been used an adhesive, there was also some leveling screed that would need removing. The Read more at http://victorian.tilecleaning.co.uk/bitumen-covered-victorian-tiled-hallway-restored-in-caversham-berkshire/

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Screed and Bitumen Covered Victorian Tiled Floor Caversham

Details below of a floor I recently worked on where my client had removed the linoleum that covered the hallway floor and discovered an original Victorian Tiled floor buried underneath bitumen which had been used an adhesive, there was also some leveling screed that would need removing. The house was situated in Caversham Reading, Berkshire which lies on the north bank of the River Thames, opposite the rest of Reading. She had been renovating the whole house when she came across it and Read more at http://berkshire.tiledoctor.biz/screed-and-bitumen-covered-victorian-tiled-floor-caversham/