Just uncovered some old floor tiles in my hallway - help!

[JessesGirl]

My house is mid-terrace, built in about 1900 from what I can make out. The hallway is very long and narrow and extremely dark. A couple of nights ago I decided that I was fed up with my depressing dark hallway with its dark blue carpet tiles (put down by HA and I have always despised them) so I had a look underneath and found the most beautiful original tiles!

Only problem is that the tiles are in two parts, hopefully the pictures are clear enough (will add them in a separate post). The part with the gorgeous Victorian (?) tiles looks in quite good condition and probably just needs some elbow grease to clean them up. The other part however is not so good. There is black paint everywhere that has been there for God knows how long!

So, can anyone help me out? How do I get these tiles looking their best and how do I stop the hallway looking so odd with two completely different tile patterns?

Photos here hopefully - I would be so grateful if anyone can give me advice!

I don't know the answer, but am sure there will be one and the fact that the tiles change to different patterns won't matter at all when they're cleaned up.
Will look back tomorrow.

There's enormous potential for stunning floors there, both of them.

Can you put the carpet tiled back over the less nice bit with a bar to hold them in place leaving the lovely bit exposed. You can get the appropriate bar to prevent trips quite easily.

Oh you lucky thing, you have uncovered an original encaustic tile floor! This is a very desirable thing and your floor is gorgeous.
There is info online on encaustic tiles and their restoration. You need to google that term as they are different to other kinds of tiles.
The two different patterns doesn't look odd at all. Once restored they will look stunning and full of character.

Baffled I really despise the carpet tiles and they are a nightmare to keep clean. I thought maybe runners on the less-nice bits once they've been cleaned up because the whole effect of two different patterns does look very odd at the moment.

Ooh thanks Selks - off to Google!

The larger red and white tiles are quarry tiles. You'll probably find the black stuff is bitumen (tar) as the used to lay Lino tiles with this in the 1950's. It's quite hard to get off, but not impossible.

If you do a google search on cleaning quarry tiles and/or cleaning encaustic tiles you will see that you can get specific products for restoring such floors. There are also you tube videos etc. If you can afford it there are companies who will come and do it for you.

Is it possible that some of the internal walls have been moved? Seems unusual to have the hallway tiles meeting with the quarry tiles like that, I'd have thought the quarry tiles would have been used in the kitchen/pantry.

And yes, the PP is correct, you will probably need different products for cleaning the two different sets. The glazes and how they have been fired will differ and affect porosity, so it's worth doing a bit of research!

Madly, crazily jealous of you OP. Seriously. Green from head to toe.

I'd clean em and leave them different, make a feature of it.

Another green with envy. I want your floor. It's beautiful. When I pulled up my old flooring all I got was rotting wood and a vile smell of wee. (Old lady with 6 dogs previous owner) she also left me 3 piles of dog sick hidden under old curtains in various rooms. Nice.

Chunkamatic I can't quite work it out, I'm pretty sure the stairs have been moved to a different position at some point and I think where the quarry tiles are is possibly where the house was extended. It's difficult to explain but I know the block of houses used to be a children's home from about 1914 until the 50's so it's undergone some huge changes. I also very recently discovered the huge cellar that my HA completely failed to tell me about and the entrance had been completely boarded over!

Didn't want to not post, just on my way to work, OMG, you are so lucky! Love them!

Want!

Just wanted to say they are beautiful, and how wonderful to find something so special

They look like Minton get a specialist cleaner in

I'm so jealous!! I'm moving into a Victorian house in the next month or so - I've only viewed it once and it hasn't been modernised for decades. I can't wait to get my hands on it to search for Victorian tiles, fireplaces etc. Sods law there'll be naff all! You're so lucky!

They're beautiful and the two types of tile look fine together. All they need is a clean. I'd be inclined to at least get a quote for having then professionally cleaned.

Wow, what an exciting discovery, congratulations!

Lucky, lucky lady!

Wow. Gorgeous. Very jealous.

We hoped for similar in our 1904 house but unfortunately nothing as nice.

Gorgeous tiles lucky you OP!

Gorgeous floors!!

Weren't you terrified opening a boarded up cellar from an old childrens home?!

I love your floor, very jealous.

Lucky you. I'd hoped to find some of these when we bought our house but no luck, took up the carpet to find ours have been ripped out and replaced with orange & black Lino tiles in the 60's.
I would guess that originally the encaustic tiled bit would have originally been wider with the border tiles going down both sides but the stairs (?) have been moved. I would also guess there would have originally been a glazed door at the end separating the quarry tiles at the back / work end of the house from the nice bit where you received guests.

Pootles