This Brick and Quarry tiled floor belongs to an eighteenth-century property used as a Tea Room in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Over the years the property had experienced numerous building works leaving the floor surface a mixture of Concrete, Brick, and Quarry tiles. At some point thereafter the floor was painted in doorstep red paint which gave the different materials a more uniform appearance but had now become unsightly and had removed the floors character in the process.
With the business being closed due to the COVID lockdown the manager had decided it was a good time to have the property renovated and as part of the work I was asked to restore the floor and its ‘old world’ charm. This worked well for me as all the fixtures had been removed so I was able to access the whole floor without obstruction and as I was on my own, I didn’t have to worry about COVID too much.
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a historic spa town, it was a very fashionable resort in the 1700s due to its’ spas which attracted many visitors. These declined over the years as people took to bathing in the sea. However, it still claims 30% of its income is from the tourist industry so I’m sure the Tea Room was a popular haunt.
Removing Paint from a Brick and Quarry Tiled Floor
The first step was to remove the red tile paint which I was able to tackle using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go worked into the floor using a heavy buffing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. There was a quirky mix of substrates and I had to repeat this process of scrubbing, rinsing, and extracting numerous times before I was satisfied all the paint was gone. The floor was then left to dry out over the weekend.
Sealing a Brick and Quarry Tiled Tea Room Floor
I returned on Monday morning to apply a sealer that would protect the floor and make it easier to maintain. Commercial floors like this one see a lot of daily foot traffic and so need good protection.
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The sealer of choice for this floor was Tile Doctor High Shine sealer which works well on quarry and brick and added a nice shine. Hopefully, once lockdown ends people will be able to continue to drink tea, eat cake and appreciate the quirky floor.
For aftercare cleaning I recommend the use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile cleaner. This is a pH neutral cleaning product specifically designed for use on sealed floors and will be much kinder on the floor than the commercial cleaners that they may normally use. These tend to strip the sealer from the floor over time and then in turn let the dirt get in. Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner is mild but effective and will be perfect for their everyday cleaning needs.
Source: Professional Restoration of an Old Brick and Quarry Tiled Floor in South Kent