The tesserae floor within the entrance hall of this property in Saddleworth, dates back to 1895.
The entrance hall comprises a marble mosaic floor incorporating multiple colours, with a decorative roundel to the central field and a defined outer border.
The floor was repaired in accordance with a conservation-led method that prioritised the retention and reuse of the original material.
Areas of missing and damaged tesserae were identified during the survey, together with a crack in the subfloor adjacent to the mat well and also in one of the thresholds.
All repairs were undertaken using the original salvaged tesserae, ensuring the historic fabric and visual integrity of the floor were preserved.
Tesserae surrounding the crack were carefully lifted, the substrate locally repaired and stabilised, and the original tesserae re-laid before the repaired areas were grouted.
Upon completion of the structural and surface repairs, the entire entrance hall floor was thoroughly cleaned using an HTC machine with successive grades of recycled diamond pads and clean water only. This chemical-free process removed ingrained dirt and residues while remaining environmentally responsible and sympathetic to the historic materials.
The floor will have a final clean before being sealed with a breathable sealer once all other trades have finished work at the property in March.
Thank you @anaisartconservator for all your hard work on this project and @makemosaictrace we missed you on this project. Looking forward to working with you again very soon.
