Restoration of 19th and early 20th century properties – area of our main expertise. We restore mosaic tile and stone, fireplaces, pathways, tile. Also we recreate Victorian style mosaics in hallways or outdoors. We use modern reproduction tile or reclaimed original tile and stone.   Tiles were an important feature of the Victorian home. They were hardwearing and practical. The growth in tile manufacture during the nineteenth century by such firms as Minton and Doulton led to the use of tiles as flooring, inset into walls in hallways, kitchens and bathrooms, and as embellishments for fireplace surrounds, washstands, pieces of furniture and other decorative items such as flowerpots.   The most important form of tiling to be developed in the nineteenth century was encaustic (patterned) tiles, made by inlaying colored clay into terracotta ground. Combined with quarry and geometric (plain) tiles, they were used to cover large areas such as entrance halls, porches, conservatories and garden paths.   The fireplace with its chimneypiece was the focal point of the Victorian room, providing heath. This applied to all styles of Victorian house. Fireplaces were also an indication of the wealth of the household – an important status symbol in Victorian times. Additional fireplace decoration could be added by using different colored marbles, mosaic work, encaustic tiles or carved or inlaid wood.

2007 May restoration
Restored conservatory floor in Kingston boder layout changed, extra sections installed	9 sq m reproduction tile and 10 sq m reclained tile used to restore old floor
Victorian hallway t Sevenoaks	Hall restoration North London .

What sort of finish should I give a tiled floor? The traditional treatment for a Victorian tiled floor after cleaning was to apply warmed linseed oil followed by a coat of wax polish. This gave a stunning, lustrous finish to the floor, but is so labour-intensive to apply and maintain that it is inappropriate in most modern situations. Modern cold wax polishes, for example HG Golvpolish are perfectly adequate. On no account should tiled floors be sealed or varnished with any kind of resin-based or polyurethane finish. Besides their unpleasant plasticky appearance, these may cause long-term problems by sealing in damp under the floor. When you should you apply the sealer? For a new tile surface or re-grout, nearly all grout manufacturers advise that you wait at least 48 hours after grouting before aaplying sealers so the grout has time to finish setting. For maintanence of existing tilling, you should re-apply every year or two.

Victorian Tile Care: Sweep or vacum your Victorian tile floors often. Dirt collecting carpet mats should be placed in frequently used entrances and shaked out weekly. Floors will only need an occasional mop over every 2 weeks or so use HG Superfloor maintenance cleaner in your washing water, or just plain water. We do not recommend the use of floor waxes as they can be difficult to remove from ceramic tile floors. As long as your floor is properly sealed and maintained, you should find no need for these products.