Victorian Floor Tiles – How to Keep Them Clean

Victorian Floor Tiles

Victorian floor tiles look wonderful but to keep them intact and clean they will need a lot of care and attention.  Most period tiling designs have a combination of plain tiles and encaustic tiles that have different coloured clays inlaid to create the designs and these tend to become ingrained with dirt.  Victorian floor tiles can also become dull due to hundreds of years of wear and tear.

If you decide to clean your Victorian floor tiles yourself then beware of the ridiculous advice that is posted on the internet as using these methods will more than likely damage your tiles.  Do NOT use any of the suggestions listed below:

·         Wire wool - scratches the surface of tile very easily, dirt then clings to the scratches

·         Sandpaper - basically abrades the clay tile away, tile is now more fragile

·         Brick acid - just think about it, Sulphamic acid poured on to your floor?

·         Caustic soda - May cause bleaching and discolouration

·         High alkaline cleaner dwelled for 10 - 15 minutes - Bleaches tiles permanently

·         Paint stripper - Application movements will be etched into the tiles permanently

·         Boiled linseed oil - Oil dies, stains and then discolours your floor, very hard to remove

The best way to clean and maintain your Victorian floor tiles is to use an alkaline cleaner. Always start in an unobtrusive corner so you can test the cleaning product.  You should pre-wet the tiles and apply the cleaning product onto the surface of the tiles.  Agitate the product manually by using a green pan scourer as these are made from a plastic material which is abrasive enough to work the product into the body of the tile but will not scratch the surface.  Leave the product on for 20 minutes and then thoroughly rinse off.  You should never allow the product to dry on the surface of the tiles and you should give each tile individual attention.  If there are hardened substances on the tiles, such as paint splashes, you can use a blade at a 45 degree angle.

After the cleaning process is completed it is often a good idea to re-grout the tiles.  New and clean grout will give Victorian floor tiles a visual lift and will also protect the edges of tiles that are in areas of heavy footfall.  It is better to use weak cement grout rather than lime mortar grout as lime is more than likely to stain the tiles.  You should also reseal the tiles so that they don’t absorb further spills or dirt. You should never use bees wax or linseed oil as a protective coating.