We undertake many restorations in North London as We are close by. We also find that the there is a high density of people in areas such as Highbury, Crouch End, Barnet etc that have these floors and want them restored.
Should you restore your old floor?
It is always a great idea to restore these old Victorian floors as they are many years old and are worth fixing up if they are in ok condition. Clients usually appreciate their antiquity quality and generally you can see the signs of age in the individual tiles caused from foot traffic etc that has shaped and polished the tile surfaces.
Encaustic tiles
In many cases we find floors that have the Encaustic tiles in the design and these cost mega bucks to get done properly these days. The modern equivalents supplied by Original Style etc are simply a print on the surface whilst the old ones you may have in your hallway are actually 2 different types of clay. These are a very good reason to restore your floor as they can be £30-40 each and several hundred pounds to have a mould made up.
What condition must the tiles be in?
We do find the main problem to be when the substrate has dipped and sunk causing large cracks and damaged sections. In such cases it takes along time to repair this and then we get whole sections of new reproduction Victorian tiles clumped together. This is when the replacements are most noticeable. Generally when we replace damaged tiles spread throughout the floor they blend in very well.
Whilst these are restorable sometimes due to the cost and finish it is worth considering a new installation.
