When Justine Walmsley started the renovation process on her first home, she never expected to find a hidden treasure.

But when she started to lift up the ‘tired and old’ vinyl floor in the kitchen of her Woking flat, she noticed something special.

Peeking through the rubble were original Victorian tiles in a gorgeous red, beige, and brown pattern.

The discovery makes sense when you know the flat’s history – what was once a large Victorian era house was converted into five apartments in 1986.

But what boggles the mind is why anyone would cover up the tiles with vinyl.

Justin, 33, said: ‘The flat was in a sorry state and a desperate need of a refresh.

‘The kitchen floor was uneven, peeling in some places and just tired and old.

‘I had some friends round to rip all the old bathroom and kitchen suite out, and strip the wallpaper – basically demolish it ready for builders to start the renovation.

‘One of my friends saw some patterned floor tiles under the vinyl flooring we were pulling up in the kitchen.

‘We started manically chipping and scraping away with wallpaper scrapers to peel back the old flooring and reveal those gorgeous tiles.

‘We were all so excited and felt like members of Time Team.’

Justine had originally planned to create a more modern, all-white design in the room, but the discovery made her completely change course.

She’s now redecorating the entire flat around the tiles, with colours more in keeping with a Victorian theme.

We can see why – when you find a hidden treasure, you’d be mad to cover it up and keep going about your plans.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Source: Read Full Article