Restoring old stone floor

[Nicolaharrison]

Hi everyone

Ive been searching through the forums to help me find tips on restoring the Victorian house we moved into last year, and it has been so helpful.

I wondered if anyone could advise on the best way to get the stone flags we have uncovered in the kitchen cleaned up. It is laid directly onto earth and was covered in a concrete type mix screed, and this was pushing moisture up into the walls and into an old cupboard which had become damp and smelly. We have removed the screed, but all the black gluey stuff (looks like its mixed with hessian maybe), is proving a nightmare to get off by scraping. The floor is about 4X5 meters and it's taking forever, with very slow progress. At the moment we have scrapped and washed 4-5 of the large flags, and they still dont look that great to be honest.

So as we're getting nowhere fast Im now thinking we need to pay someone to clean it up so we can see what the stone looks like when it's clean. I was looking at Tile Doctor but Im not sure if they use harsh and potentially damaging chemicals. Has anyone had any experience of this and the best methods to use to get very ingrained dirt off?

I spoke with someone at SPAB and she suggested the DOFF cleaning system. Has anyone used this method?

I have added some photos below (apologies they are a bit big). As you can see we have had a go at cleaning some of them, but the dirt is still very ingrained. From those with experience of this, do you think this floor could come up ok with a good clean? I just cant imagine it at the minute! Any thoughts most welcome!

Many thanks
Nicola

 

[livias]

Doff is a good system but it does need a good operative so check that the person you get to do it has a track record. I don't know if the kit is available for self use but if so then take it carefully.

I assume you have investigated the idea of just flipping the stones over? I had a similar problem in the last house with my pamment tiles, They looked rough when I first flipped them but a good coat of beeswax-n-turps filled the holes and then they were fine.

 

[MatthewC]

the black gluey stuff (looks like its mixed with hessian maybe), is proving a nightmare to get off by scraping.

That sounds like old lino or similar plus some bituminous adhesive? We had lino plus bitumen plus newpaper and more on our quarry tiles and it was impossible to get off. They all had to go, and we've now got a limecrete floor with limestone flags (which are imported but lovely). I think the question of what is on the underside of your flags is a good one but, even if they are OK underneath, you still need to get rid of anything on them which would affect the breathability!

NB Our old quarries went to the local reclamation yard who scraped them all and re-sold them - I have no idea how he did that scraping, or how long it took!

 

[malcolm]

If it is just glue from vinyl tiles then 'glue and tar remover' might work.

 

[Keith Bowman]

The reclamation yard which cleaned up MatthewC's old tiles would have had the advantage of having them out in the open - a suitable solvent followed by a pressure washer might then have been enough. Could be pretty messy in situ!

 

[Flyfisher]

Indeed. A good solvent for tarry stuff is petrol, which might be just about ok outside but is not exactly ideal for an in situ floor

 

[Nicolaharrison]

Thanks for the responses. We haven't turned them over yet as they are huge and rather heavy! But yes, good idead, I think we'll have a look what they are like underneath and if they're a mess we might have to think about putting down a new floor.

 

[Mickey]

Hi,

I am sure with elbow grease and persistence these would be fine, they look fab to me and it would be a great shame to lose or disturb them, I'd have given my right arm for those, the numpties that converted our house ripped out anything original and all my floors are chipboard, or modern pine which dents just by looking at it and is bright orange, except the kitchen floor which is French limestone and wasn't cheap!

Mickey

 

[mims&pip]

Hi Nicola!

Gosh, I think they look fab too and would definitely not replace them with a new floor

Like Mickey, the previous owners of our last (non-listed Georgian, thatched) house also ripped out all the flagstones etc and we ended up laying large antique limestone tiles as we found these (very slightly) less prohibitively expensive than reclaimed flags. They did leave us some (rather nasty modern) quarry tiles in the snug, that we didn't hesitate to cover with oak boards.

Do hope you decide to keep them!

Mims x

 

[Flyfisher]

In the good old period days the cleaning technologies available would have been a broom, a scrubbing brush, some soap and plenty of water (not to mention elbow grease!). Combine that with a few hundred years of general dust, dirt and grime and the result is as shown in the photos of those flagstones - which look pretty good to me. I suspect the 'problem' is not really the authentic period floor, it's that most modern tastes no longer align with such genuine period realities.

It's a bit like all those BBC 'period dramas' - wonderfully evocative fantasies that can be enjoyed while surrounded by all the comforts of modern living but without the realities of freezing, draughty rooms, barely adequate oil lamps or candlelight and hardly a labour-saving device in sight. Not so much a problem, perhaps, for those fortunate enough to have numerous domestic staff but still an unacceptable standard of living for most people by today's standards.

It all seems a bit schizophrenic sometimes, but if we are to preserve the historic fabric all around us then we have to take the rough with the smooth.

 

[chuckey]

If the muck is tar based try swarfega, neat, brush it in then wipe the mud off and follow it with water. Might need to be loosened with white spirit first, which would also dissolve old polish.
Tried a steam stripper?, acid? caustic soda?
Frank

 

[plasticpigeon]

I would avoid acid if they are limestone.

 

[Nicolaharrison]

Thanks very much for the advice.

I'll try the Swarfega and see if it gets it off. Ive used white spirit but it isnt touching it.

I also got a quote from a DOFF specialst of £200 so we might give it a try if all else fails.

Glad you think with work these could come up nice

 

[MatthewC]

I'd be worried about DOFF as it seems to use copious amounts of water - or do they have a way of sucking it up as they go?

 

[Lewis Tiffany]

Hi nicola
I had the same problem cleaning my flag stones after being covered in concrete, tar , oil , rust and glue
Gave up in the end and lifted all the flags numbered everyone and marked its position .
I had them sand blasted in the back garden .
It didn't remove all rust staining or the staining that had soaked deep into the stone
I also took the opportunity to fit insulation DPC and underfloor heating .
Before cleaning my floor it always looked discoloured similar to your photos probably due to the damp soaking into the flags from below and water from trying to clean them

Lewis