Restoration and care of flag stone floors

[spooksbooks]

Hi all. Sorry I haven’t contributed to this forum for a few years, but having recently re-united the two halves of our Victorian house, I now have loads and loads of new challenges to deal with.

First of all, I am looking for advice from anyone that has experience of looking after an old stone flagged floor.

We have a number of rooms with stone floors (Blue Pennant) that I hope to be able to repair, clean and polish to produce a serviceable finish. Inevitably, the floors are not in perfect condition, having had screed laid over them for some years and having been needlessly “keyed” in places, presumably with a pick! There are also areas where the original smooth surface has lifted off, leaving a rougher texture and some areas with deep crevices where pieces of stone have broken away. Despite the imperfections, we are still keen to keep and restore the floors to a condition that can be cleaned and polished.





I am aware that there are a number of modern solutions using proprietary impregnators, sealers, finishes, etc. However, I would much rather use more traditional materials and methods such as sealing with linseed oil and then waxing, if this proves to be a realistic option.

Any advice on repairing and then looking after these floors would be much appreciated.

 

[Moo]

That looks exactly like the stone flags in our Norwich house!
Ours, too, had been screeded, and although I was very careful indeed, I couldn't prevent quite a bit of delamination happening.
We never got round to treating them with anything, apart from the occasional mopping, and we loved them as they were. Foot traffic seemed enough to give them a subtle sheen, which I much preferred to my neighbour's, which had been treated with something shiny.

 

[spooksbooks]

Thanks for your post Moo.

I know just what you mean about leaving the stone untreated. We have some stone stairs and skirting boards that look and work just fine with out any kind of treatment, but as one of the floors will be in our kitchen we could really do with a finish that's less absorbant.

The more I read on the net, the more I am inclined to go with the linseed oil. The more you learn about traditional materials, the more cynical you become about using modern alternatives.

 

[fluffytail10]

Hi, I used linseed on my pamments in the kitchen but found whatever i did it created a sticky residue. I tried mixing it with all kinds of things and in different proportions. Everything stuck to it, mostly round the edges - and mostly dog hair and breadcrumbs - and it took hours using an old knife to scrape it away. I'm sure I probably did it wrong, but after a final thorough cleaning i have now left it completely bare, which to my delight is making sweeping/mopping and cleaning far easier. So no more linseed for me!

 

[88v8]

I too have heard that boiled linseed is the thing, but after a few recoats it can become sticky.
I suspect that the sheen has built up by mineralisation - decades of daily washing leaches minerals out of the stone and deposits them on the surface.

We have the same problem with an area of Painswick stone, some of which has a superb smooth cream finish, and some is very rough. Again, I suspect I am looking at decades or centuries of daily washing.

Hope someone has a good suggestion.

The other problem with sealing of course is that unless you're incredibly careful not to apply it to the joints, it will stop the floor breathing. And then in a year or three you'll be posting about the damp in the walls....

Ivoe

 

[Keith Bowman]

I've said it before, and at the risk of becoming a bore, I will say it again - the best treatment for traditional stone or tile floors is traditional olive oil soap such as Savon Noir. Read all about it (in English) here:
http://www.lesavonniermarseillais.fr/en/content/7-savon-noir-liquid-soap-for-the-home
They will post it from France. (Most of the supplies in the UK seem to be aimed at the highly priced fancy body treatment market!)

 

[spooksbooks]

Thanks fluffytail10 - A sticky mess is definitely not what I want. I will certainly have to do some trials before attempting the real thing. Did you try heating it, as this thins the oil quite a lot?

Unfortunatley 88v8, I think I might have to sacrifice the breathability of the joints, if I can find a satisfactory way of sealing the stone.

Keith's soap sounds interesting, but is it just a cleaner? The main problem that we have is that the floor doesn't have what I would call a wipeable surface.

I've just removed some more screed, exposing the flagstones at the cellar head and was very excited to find an anchor point consisting of an iron ring set into one of the slabs. Its only a small iron ring, but it felt more like hidden treasure!



I guess it was used with a rope to lower barrels down into the cellar, or perhaps a sled or a bogie?

 

[Keith Bowman]

Savon Noir - the olive oil is supposed to make it more than just a cleaner, but nothing like as sticky as linseed oil. The biggest plus is that it does nothing which is either irreversible or non-breathable. If you google it you will find plenty of supplies in the UK, but small quantities at higher prices than you would pay in a French supermarket. Worth buying as a sample and giving it a try, although a little goes a long way anyway.

 

[spooksbooks]

Sounds like its well worth trying. I will order a small amount and include it in the trials.

 

[JoceAndChris]

People naturally love what's worked for them: my favourite is the Liberon Stone Floor Sealer ( which is an oil mixed with some kind of turpentine ) and then Liberon Stone Floor Wax. I don't know how porous your stone is but here I had to pour in masses and masses of the sealer, it was like pouring water on sand. The result was a rich gleam and then a lovely shine after the wax had been applied. I didn't really care about breathability as under the floor is the vaulted basement kitchen, but I'm not sure it would have made any difference if it had been on the ground floor.

I should point out that the flags should be very very clean before the sealer and wax are used, for this I used Liberon Stone Floor Cleaner which took the colour from dark dirty greige to yellow.

 

[88v8]

People naturally love what's worked for them: my favourite is the Liberon Stone Floor Sealer ( which is an oil mixed with some kind of turpentine ) and then Liberon Stone Floor Wax. I don't know how porous your stone is but here I had to pour in masses and masses of the sealer, it was like pouring water on sand. The result was a rich gleam and then a lovely shine after the wax had been applied. I didn't really care about breathability as under the floor is the vaulted basement kitchen, but I'm not sure it would have made any difference if it had been on the ground floor.

I should point out that the flags should be very very clean before the sealer and wax are used, for this I used Liberon Stone Floor Cleaner which took the colour from dark dirty greige to yellow.

Mmmm, looks as if that would work on quarries... OH hates our (relaid) quarry floor, it is rather ruffff.
But, and it's a big BUT, sealing the joints of our tile-on-earth floor is a complete no-no. Difficult to apply a water-based sealer without it leaking into the lime joints.

Ivor

 

[Me!]

- the best treatment for traditional stone or tile floors is traditional olive oil soap such as Savon Noir.

Following on from Keith's suggestion, what about linseed soap? - http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/shop/acatalog/info_HPLS.html.
I've not tried it on floors, I only used it for cleaning my linseed paintbrushes, but the instructions say it can be used on floors as well.

 

[Feltwell]

I guess it was used with a rope to lower barrels down into the cellar, or perhaps a sled

Possibly, although a pub I worked at as a yoof had a similar cellar entrance with the ramps down the side of the steps for the barrels, and the drayman used to just roll the barrels straight down it onto a sort of big hessian pillow at the bottom, with his mate down there who would then grab it! I'm sure that risk assessments will have put paid to that by now.....

 

[ian]

Ecover make a linseed oil soap and floor cleaner:

http://www.ecoverdirect.com/products/floor-cleaner-1l/efloor1l.aspx?productid=efloor1l

Probably available from your local supermarket in quantity at a resonable price. We have used this with good results.

 

[Eileen]

Will the products mentioned (Ecover and Savon Noir) remove marks left on stone floor from asphalt? i also have cement residue on the floor and would like to know of any products that would remove all before sealing. i am a novice on this topic and would welcome any advice for cleaning and sealing including tradional methods.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Eileen]

Would the products mentioned (Ecover and Savon Noir) remove marks left on a stone flagged floor from asphalt? I also have cement residue on the same floor and someone mentioned using brick acid has anyone tried this? I am a novice and would appreciate any advice incluing traditional methods.

Thank you in advance. Eileen

 

[88v8]

Would the products mentioned (Ecover and Savon Noir) remove marks left on a stone flagged floor from asphalt? I also have cement residue on the same floor and someone mentioned using brick acid has anyone tried this?

Never tried these.
For asphalt, if it's just a stain with no thickness, I would try Swarfega.
Apply, leave three minutes, agitate with brush/toothbrush, leave three minutes, wash off with water. Repeat if needs be.

If there is any thickness there, soften it with hair drier or blowlamp and scrape off first, then when it's all cooled try Swarfega.
Swarfega is also good for getting oil/grease stains off clothes, provided they haven't already been washed.

Brick acid is a logical approach for cement residue. Try a small patch, out of sight, in case it stains. Watch your hands & eyes, it is acid, health & safety yadda yadda.

Ivor

 

[Zebra]

Hmm, that's interesting that linseed soap. Is it basically just linseed oil, and soap?