Hi all,
Sharing a DIY project I'm starting to look at - to clean up my Minton Hallway Tiles, they're in pretty good condition for 110yrs old but they are a bit grotty with a couple of damaged areas.
Cleaning / Restoring
I originally started with Lithofin Tile Restorer on a test area, which definitely cleaned them up a bit but there were still ingrained dirt wax/oil or something.
So I looked at some advice here and ordered Lithofin Wax Off - as I could see a film of darker stuff on some of the tiles, this has definitely stripped the tiles in the test area and taken them more or less back to a natural finish, with the odd blemish in some places.
I may have to put this on pause for a bit, I have a small child and despite trying to do this a night when they're in bed I'm not sure how great the fumes are for her.
But my question is, assuming that Wax Off strips the tiles effectively, what should I do next in terms of cleaning or finishing. With kids growing up in the house I'm thinking a good balance of good looks and ease or service.
Repairing
There is one area in the middle of the hall (second and fourth pictures) where for some reason the tiles have lifted or have been lifted previously and created a bumpy area. It's not that noticeable with the eye, but you can feel it as you walk over the area, a couple are cracked, it runs almost in a line across the floor so I'm wondering if some genius has laid a pipe across there at some point.
I'm wondering whether to leave these for now and give them a good clean as above, or whether to attempt to lift them and relay also whether this is a bad idea for a pretty competent DIY'er and should wait for a pro (which to be honest I don't really have the budget for right now - though to be fair I'm not sure what the ball bark cost would be to lift and relay a small area).
The area in the vestibule (last picture) is a different story, it's been damaged with concrete etc and is covered with a large doormat. I'm wondering could this area be taken up to reuse some of those tiles, and maybe replace this area with repro style geometric tiles.
A bit of a ramble so apologies, but appreciate any guidance on restoring or repairing.
Thanks in advance,
Matt
Sharing a DIY project I'm starting to look at - to clean up my Minton Hallway Tiles, they're in pretty good condition for 110yrs old but they are a bit grotty with a couple of damaged areas.
Cleaning / Restoring
I originally started with Lithofin Tile Restorer on a test area, which definitely cleaned them up a bit but there were still ingrained dirt wax/oil or something.
So I looked at some advice here and ordered Lithofin Wax Off - as I could see a film of darker stuff on some of the tiles, this has definitely stripped the tiles in the test area and taken them more or less back to a natural finish, with the odd blemish in some places.
I may have to put this on pause for a bit, I have a small child and despite trying to do this a night when they're in bed I'm not sure how great the fumes are for her.
But my question is, assuming that Wax Off strips the tiles effectively, what should I do next in terms of cleaning or finishing. With kids growing up in the house I'm thinking a good balance of good looks and ease or service.
Repairing
There is one area in the middle of the hall (second and fourth pictures) where for some reason the tiles have lifted or have been lifted previously and created a bumpy area. It's not that noticeable with the eye, but you can feel it as you walk over the area, a couple are cracked, it runs almost in a line across the floor so I'm wondering if some genius has laid a pipe across there at some point.
I'm wondering whether to leave these for now and give them a good clean as above, or whether to attempt to lift them and relay also whether this is a bad idea for a pretty competent DIY'er and should wait for a pro (which to be honest I don't really have the budget for right now - though to be fair I'm not sure what the ball bark cost would be to lift and relay a small area).
The area in the vestibule (last picture) is a different story, it's been damaged with concrete etc and is covered with a large doormat. I'm wondering could this area be taken up to reuse some of those tiles, and maybe replace this area with repro style geometric tiles.
A bit of a ramble so apologies, but appreciate any guidance on restoring or repairing.
Thanks in advance,
Matt
