A pair renovating their Victorian house ripped up the carpet of their hallway to see what was hiding beneath – and what they discovered made their hearts sink.
Pulling up the carpet left the couple devastated (inventory picture) (Picture: photovs by way of Getty Photographs)
Refurbishing a property comes with hazards.
If you happen to’re considering main renovations to your own home, similar to eradicating your previous kitchen or including an extension, there are a number of components you should severely contemplate earlier than development work can start, so you do not inadvertently burst a pipe or punch a gap into the wrong wall.
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You additionally should not set your hopes too excessive when renovating an previous home, as one couple on social media not too long ago found. The householders are within the midst of refurbishing their Victorian property, and had been hoping to uncover some conventional interval options they may restore.
Tearing up carpets in previous properties within the hope of discovering stunning Victorian-era tiles has grow to be enormously common on social media recently, so when Fil and Kiara moved into their fixer-upper house in December 2025, they began chronicling their renovation journey on TikTok.
In a current video, the couple determined to take the chance and uncover what kind of ground was hiding beneath the previous carpets, conscious that there might be a chance that Victorian tiles had been beneath.
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However their spirits plummeted once they pulled again the carpet to disclose orange-hued tiles straight from the Nineteen Seventies.
They wrote on their video: “We had been anticipating Victorian tiles… we received THIS as an alternative. The 70s owe us an apology.”
Commenters on the publish had been immediately nervous for the couple, with some cautioning it’s attainable the tiles may comprise asbestos. If the property was constructed or renovated earlier than the Nineteen Eighties, any tiles must be handled as suspect.
Asbestos is a bunch of naturally occurring, fibrous silicate minerals recognised for his or her power and warmth resistance. These properties beforehand made asbestos a well-liked constructing materials for issues like insulation and tiles, however inhaling fibres may cause critical lung illnesses and cancers.
The one option to know for sure whether or not the tiles comprise asbestos is to have them professionally examined, which Fil and Kiara have stated they’re within the technique of doing. However till then, they’ve insisted they will not be touching any of the tiles, as breaking them or trying to take away them may launch the hazardous fibres.
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We had been prepared for Victorian tiles the home had different plans #lifeinavictorian #victorianhouse #renovationproject #renovationseries #houserenovation
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Responding to at least one commenter asking about asbestos, they stated: “We do not know, we might want to get it examined ultimately. For now we’ve prevented drilling, breaking, or trying removing till additional investigation.”
Different commenters on the publish provided their sympathies to the couple, noting that it is all the time disappointing to understand that your own home would not have the engaging options you thought it’d while you bought it.
One particular person stated: “Gutted.” One other added: “That sucks, I am sorry.” Earlier than tearing up your carpets within the hunt for Victorian tiles, it is essential to know when your property was constructed. Fil and Kiara consider their house was in all probability constructed between the late 1800s and early 1900s, which locations them proper on the tail finish of the interval for Victorian-style tiles.
Advanced star or checkerboard patterns are most definitely to be found in terraced homes constructed between 1860 and 1900, whereas easier, geometric tiled designs had been extra prevalent in Edwardian properties constructed between 1901 and 1910.
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