Victorian Floor Tiling: A product guide for homeowners & installers
- Dave Larsen
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
Selecting the right pattern and colours for your Victorian geometric tiled floor is vital but is only part of the thinking process. Choosing the right floor preparation, adhesive and grouting products also needs careful consideration. After all, its likely you are only going to do this once, so everything has to be right. You may be spending typically £3-£5k on tile purchase for a medium-to-large hallway floor: this requires preparation and fixing products that will help guarantee your investment in your beautiful floor.
It is important that the installer uses a suite of products that work together to ensure that the floor looks the best it can be and lasts a long, long way into the future. BAL/Ardex is a company that offers an end-to-end range of product options that are compatible with each other and offer guarantees when used in accordance with their defined practice.
Everything starts with preparation. Victorian geometric tiling often involves placement of small tiles with little tolerance on joint width and requires a thin adhesive bed, so the floor needs to be prepared as smooth as possible (Note: smooth, not necessarily ‘spirit-level level’ end-to-end, or side-to-side). This can be achieved by overlaying structurally-sound timber floorboards with BAL Board or, in the case of a concrete floor, smoothing compounds like BAL Level Fast (or Level Out for exterior work). Concrete should of course be prepared first with a primer solution, such as BAL Prime APD.
Where there is underfloor heating installed, or on surfaces where you feel you could benefit from the security of an extra layer of lateral movement defence, against substrate cracking for example, it is recommended to use BAL Rapid-Mat: easy and quick to install it will give your finished floor investment an added level of protection.
Given that the nature of Victorian tiling work is typically a path, porch, or hallway, it may require a rapid, or semi-rapid adhesive, rather than a standard set product. BAL SPF S1, Flex One & Rapid-Flex One will all work equally well, so it is really down to personal preference on pot life, open time, site conditions and access requirements that will determine the selection. Protecting newly-laid tiling from people or pets in foot traffic areas can be a worry for the installer during the working day and overnight, so it’s important to use an appropriate adhesive, along with signage and physical protective measures, to minimise the possibility of work being spoiled. When it comes to grouting the joints, it's best to use a neutral grey colour, such as BAL Micromax3: Gunmetal (MMG1). Externally, you can also consider BAL Terrace Grout in Light Grey. It’s best to avoid dark grouts that could stain lighter-coloured tiles, or very light-coloured grouts which may quickly become dirty and difficult to keep clean.
Using a time-tested, proven range of products to install your Victorian geometric floor will give you the best outcome, for longevity and peace-of-mind, negating any risk of problems with the floor further into the future.
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