1950s tile restoration update!!

[nomad5]

So I posted recently about restoring original 1950 tiles that my plumber found under vinyl flooring in my bathroom. FINALLY got off the last of the adhesive and cement that was under the vinyl. A week of working every night on it with a wallpaper steamer and scraper.

Now what??? Can anyone advise? I'll ask the plumber if his usual tiling guy can come round and take a look but would be grateful for advice. Maybe some bits I should do myself and others left to the tiler. I was going to try and clean it up with HG cement/mortar remover.

Not sure what the hell to do about the grouting as the lines are tiny tiny. No idea what would be necessary to finish them to make them glossy again.

Should the tiles be finished before the new bathtub and the toilet is put in? Or just cleaned up?

Also would like tips/comments so I sound more like I know what I'm doing when I speak to the tiler.... ie less clueless than I am.

The HG cement/mortar remover is great fun - it fizzes as it disolves the film. You'd need to do a spot test (under the bath) to make sure it doesn't remove the tile surface/colour. It works better the longer you leave it on. I would imagine you could do the whole clean up job yourself, then get a tiler in to re-grout. To get them looking glossy again, you would nead a sealer - ask the tiler but perhaps one of the ones used for sealing encaustic (victorian) tiles. They come in different levels of shine (matt, silk, gloss) according to the look you want to achieve.

Thanks @origamiwarrior !! I've WhatsApped the plumber and his boss some photos and asked what I should do next and what their tiling guy would do. They're supposed to be coming soon to install a fake wall for the shower mixer for the bath.

I planned to clean them tomorrow with the HG stuff. You sponge the diluted solution on then wash it off with clean water, right? Will definitely start with where the bath will cover!!

Exciting - I love surprise original features like this! Really hope you manage to restore them successfully. Keep us updated...

Oow, place marking for reveal.

Are they black and white OP?

Place where I used to live had the terracotta tiles in the hallway. Under carpet, vinyl tiles and black glue! Very satisfying when finished. I got the black glue off with scraper mostly then white spirit. Cleaned with this wax stuff diluted, then neat. Will try and think of the actual name of it! I think they needed sealing too but didn't get to that.

*Klear now called Pledge multi-surface wax. Nice smell too.

I planned to clean them tomorrow with the HG stuff. You sponge the diluted solution on then wash it off with clean water, right? Will definitely start with where the bath will cover!!

Yes, in theory, we used a stiff broom to apply it and get it working. By the end of the process we were applying it neat! (but we had quarry tiles, so pretty bomb proof). Start dilute, with sponge, leaving it for the minimum time and work up to neat, broomed in, and left for 20 mins before rinsing! A nice new year's day job!

@vitalogy they're emerald green, here is one of the spares we found in the house

There was vinyl, vinyl adhesive and then self-levelling concrete on top of them!!!! Three cheers for the wallpaper steamer and scraper from Amazon!!

@origamiwarrior thanks!! I have a feeling I should go and pick up another bottle today....!!

They are amazing! Love that you are using them OP, so much lovely stuff gets lost over the years and I think it's so nice to have something original from a building, even when it's not a traditional victorian feature IYSWIM.

Also, can't believe you managed to get the self levelling concrete off! Well done! I'm also a 50s house owner doing a renovation... it feels a bit like a long standing argument between me and the house at the moment, as I try to wrestle it into submission. Jealous of your tiles, all we've found is asbestos in various irritating locations...

Wow! And green is the new 'in colour' too!

Oow emerald green, lovely.

That's going to be beautiful!

@horsedoorbolted renovation in a 50s house definitely feels like wrestling into submission!! The rewiring is taking longer than expected and is SO MESSY because every wall is solid thick brick.

Part of the cellar was built as a bomb shelter (it even says this on the plans) and the plumber had to take multiple passes with a diamond bore in that wall to make a small extra ventilation hole for the boiler.

thankfully no asbestos discovered so far but all the orignal plasterwork is in place and it is mixed with STRAW

Another update and a request for advice!!

Ok so this is what the floor looks like after I gave it a wash with plain water. Lovely, right! But when it dries it goes all concrete-y.

Was waiting to hear if my plumber has a tiling guy who can help, but he can't, they only do new tiles so I need to either find a new company or do it myself. Somewhat urgently as plumber won't install the bath/sink/toilet until floor done.

If I were to do this myself, what would I need to do?
HG products + a scrubbing machine??

Seal?? Do they need grouting? Argh!

Also the tiles appear to be so close together that DH reckons they never had grout between them, so ummmm... What to do??

And for a sealer - thinking of aquamix??
aquamix.com.au/products/sealers/natural-look-sealers/sealers-choice-gold-rapid-cure/

And if anyone is interested, we have chosen lovely plain white subway tiles for the walls which the tiler can do

Haven’t done something specifically like this myself, but bumping for someone with more experience.

Having said that I would do as you say - concrete remover HG thing, wouldn’t grout if looks like they never had it then would seal.

Is this before or after the HG solution? What you are seeing (clear when wet, clouds when dry) is exactly what we found on our tiles and even has a name 'haze'. If you have already done it with the HG product, then you might need a more concentrated solution/product. Not sure whether in an area that size you need a machine - a stiff broom should do it and likely to be more effective.

Can't advise on the grouting or sealing - we used a product called Pav Guard to seal our quarry tiles, but no idea of it's suitability for ceramic.

@origamiwarrior this is before the HG solution! I just gave it a sweep and mop down with plain water before I took that photo. When the water dries it looks more hazed/grey on top, because there is still some cement residue there.

I decided to wait and see what the plumber's tiler man said before I started the HG solution (in case eg he would offer to do it).

I am still not 100% sure if the tiles themselves are ceramic or cement. When I contacted tile doctor they said cement, but somone else said locally ceramic. I've attaced a picture of the back of one of the spare ones. DH reckons cement. So perhaps the HG product is not suitable as it says not to use it on cement tile.

Hmmmm.....

Some kind of clean/scrub then wash, then seal seems to be in order.

All tips very gratefully received!

If this is something feasible to do myself, I can do it in the evenings this week after work. Keen to get it sorted so that the plumber can install the bathroom fixtures... he's already installed a fake wall for the new bath/shower and pipes.

We're supposed to be moving in next month....!!

A full house renovation going on at the same time around this...argh!!

This is what it looks like when it's dry

Images didn't attach first time!

Whoops, double post