Christopher Davison, AIA
Inspiration for a large timeless u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Austin with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Christopher Davison, AIA
Inspiration for a large timeless u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Austin with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Danish Modern set of 4 dining chairs by Ib Kofod Larsen and teak dining table. Perfect for an eat in kitchen or small dining area. The leaves slide out for a good size buffet. Arm chair by Sigvard Bernadotte Danish Modern Pendant Lamp PA5 (1958) designed by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen

Christopher Davison, AIA
Large elegant u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Austin with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

This gorgeous Swedish Modern Credenza is in outstanding condition. I suspect that it was designed by Kofod Larsen but I have no solid proof. Larsen worked for Seffle at this time and it bears many of the trademarks of his work including the base, the use of multiple wood species and the way the oak is used. This credenza is divided into thirds, the first has 5 drawers, the middle and right contains 2 open shelves. The doors side back and forth. The key lock finishes it all beautifully. ©MidMod-Decor, 2015.

Christopher Davison, AIA
Inspiration for a large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen remodel in Austin with a double-bowl sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Christopher Davison, AIA
Example of a large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen design in Austin with a double-bowl sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Christopher Davison, AIA
Enclosed kitchen - large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Austin with a double-bowl sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Christopher Davison, AIA
Example of a mid-sized classic medium tone wood floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Austin with beige walls and no fireplace

Christopher Davison, AIA
Large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen photo in Austin with a double-bowl sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Christopher Davison, AIA
Enclosed kitchen - large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Austin with a double-bowl sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Fine-tuning this funky cactus garden
This is an example of a small modern landscaping in Los Angeles.

An embossed metal ceiling in this rockin' basement! Panels are pattern #1204 in the Clear finish.

An embossed metal ceiling in this rockin' basement! Panels are pattern #1204 in the Clear finish.

An embossed metal ceiling in this rockin' basement! Panels are pattern #1204 in the Clear finish.

An embossed metal ceiling in this rockin' basement! Panels are pattern #1204 in the Clear finish.

Recently, I was asked to do some Tile Doctoring at Palmeira Square, in the seaside city of Brighton and Hove, to restore the Victorian tiled floor of one of the downstairs offices. Palmeira Square is a residential area which was first developed in the mid-19th century during the reign of Queen Victoria, so many of the buildings feature some fantastic original Victorian tile floors. Although there are many large terraced houses and even mansions in the area, some of the buildings have been converted into offices for commercial use. My client, who leased the downstairs office, managed to persuade the other tenants to employ professional help to restore the tiles, and so I was asked to come in to clean and seal the floor to get it back to looking its best. With Palmeira Square being quite a lively area, I made sure to fence off the front door area from the wandering public. My first job was to apply Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor, a heavy duty stripper, multi-purpose stripper that was able to remove the stubborn marks, stains and ingrained dirt on and between the tiles. In particular, Remove & Go helped to remove some rust stains I found near the door hinges. I left the product to sit and work its magic for twenty minutes, and during this time I began cleaning the floor using a buffing pad, which is suitable for use on all types of floor (except polished stone), and a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted with water. The combination of a buffing pad and Pro-Clean helped to remove the general dirt and grime that had built up over time in this high traffic area of the office. After the cleaning was complete, the black tiles appeared grey because any remaining sealer had been removed. However, the colour would return after resealing the tiles, which was my next job. I returned to the office after two days to seal the Victorian tile floor. To do this, I needed to use Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which meant I had to ask the office workers to keep off the floor for most of the day. This is because I needed to apply six coats of Seal & Go to the floor, and each coat takes roughly fourty minutes to dry. Seal & Go provides a stain-resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish, which will help keep this floor looking great for a long time, even with a high traffic of workers coming in and out of the office. Luckily, it was a warm day outside, and the floor dried quickly, leaving a shiny, deep black surface. Both my client and I were very happy with the result. The client was also pleasantly surprised to see that I had been able to remove the rust stains near the door.

The empress tiles are made to the original designs and quite possibly using the same moulds. They offer a classic arts and crafts take on botanical themes in a relief pattern, and are available in hues that would have been familiar during the reign of queen Victoria.

Recently Heidi and I worked on a Victorian tiled hallway floor at a house in Turton, Lancashire, an area which lies on the southern slopes of the West Pennine Moors. Victorian tile floors are commonly found in the reception area and hallways of older houses and public buildings, many of which date back to the reign of Queen Victoria (hence ‘Victorian’ tiles). It was during this time that the tile industry really started to boom. Upon inspection it was evident that the floor in question had suffered from some settlement in the past resulting in a crack in the base under the tiles which had lifted one side and dropped the other; this is quite common in old houses resulting in some of the tiles becoming loose and would need to be fixed back in place before the floor could be given a good clean and re-seal. Removing Lippage from Victorian Tiles The concrete floor under the tile was patched as best as could be without pulling up more of the floor and the tiles were fixed in place, unfortunately however many of the triangular tiles in the adjacent border would not lay flat resulting in a lippage issue between them which naturally the customer was not very happy about. Not wishing to cause the customer the extra expense of pulling up more tiles and relaying the concrete subfloor I left the tiles to fully set and then came back a few days later with a handheld Flex Machine fitted with a small 220 Grit Diamond pad to grind the tiles flat. As the pictures show, this made the difference and the diamond did not scratch the tiles despite the surface being dry. Diamond pads are usually used on stone floors but after some investigation back at the Tile Doctor training centre we also realised they can be used on other types of tile including Victorian. Once this was resolved the entire floor was given a thorough clean using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in with a scrubbing pad. As well as cleaning the tile and grout it also removed any remaining sealer which is important if you don’t know the history of the floor as the previous coating maybe incompatible with the new sealer. Once done the floor was given a thorough rinse with water which was then extracted from the floor with a wet vacuum. Sealing Victorian Tiles The floor was left to dry and I returned later to seal the tiles with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile and intensifies colour whilst also providing durable protection from within. Normally I use Seal and Go on Victorian Tiles however in this case the customer had specified a matt finish. The results were fantastic and the client was very pleased with the now flat Victorian tiled floor which, thanks to the cleaning and sealing, was back to looking its best. Another happy customer for the Lancashire Tile Doctor!