Tile Doctor Feeds

Old Quarry Tiled Floor Repaired and Renovated in Lancaster

Sat, 15 Jun 2019 02:30:52 +0000

The pictures below are taken from a property in Lancaster which had two areas of tiled flooring that needed work, one Quarry tiled and the other an original Victorian tiled hallway which was over 100 years old.

We often get called out to restore broken tiles, missing pieces and then do a clean and seal afterwards to make it all look as good as possible. Tile Doctor covers both areas and our aim is to restore a tiled floor to its best possible condition, ideally making it look new or at least as close to new as is feasible with an old floor.

Repairing a Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancaster

The focus of this article will be the renovation of the Quarry tiled floor which required a lot of tiling work due to cracked and missing tiling. This presents a problem as it can be difficult to find exact match replacements, especially when the floor has been down for some time. There are a few companies that specialise in reproduction Victorian tiles however Quarry tiles don’t have a dedicated store or website where we can get matching tiles. In this case the client had scoured the internet and hunted down replacements which came close to matching the original.

The first step in repairing a tiled floor is to carefully remove any damaged tiles and, in this case, there were quite a few. The exposed area is the cleaned of old adhesive and grout and the subbase is made good where required. Next the replacement tiles are laid onto a base of new rapid set flexible floor adhesive, I prefer to use a flexible adhesive as it will allow for any further moment in the floor. Once the adhesive had set the tiles were grouted in and we then left floor to fully set overnight.

Deep Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancaster

I came back the next day with our cleaning equipment and products to get the floor clean which should help blend the new tile in with the original.

I started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the Quarry tiles and then scrubbed it in with a rotary floor machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Pro-Clean is a strong and effective alkaline cleaner which is safe to use on Tile and Stone and unlike acid wont damage the clay. The cleaning solution soon turned black with the dirt that had been released from the old Quarry Tiles, so I gave the floor a rinse with water and extracted the soil with a wet vacuum.

The last job was to give the tiles a light acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, this isn’t a strong acid like the brick acid you find in DIY stores so it’s safe to use on most surfaces if it isn’t left for too long. The Grout Clean-up removes any old grout and minerals such as efflorescent salts from the Quarry tiles and is then rinsed off with water and extracted with the wet vacuum. The other advantage of giving the floor an acid rinse is it counters the alkaline cleaning products used earlier effectively neutralising the pH level of the tiles. Lastly the acid slightly etches the clay tile ensuring a much stronger bond with the sealer.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancaster

The Quarry tiled floor was then sealed with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a matt sealer that impregnates the pores of the clay enhancing colour in the process and effectively adding protection to the tile from within.

The quarry tiled floor looked much cleaner and fresher following the work, the cracked tiles were gone, and our customer was pleased with transformation we had managed to achieve.

Professional Restoration of an Old Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancashire

The post Old Quarry Tiled Floor Repaired and Renovated in Lancaster appeared first on Tile Doctor Lancashire.

Terracotta Effect Porcelain Tile & Grout Deep Cleaned in Ely

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 14:12:09 +0000

We were called out to this property in Ely to carry out a deep clean on kitchen tiles that had the look of terracotta but were actually porcelain. The client had been cleaning the floor with household floor cleaner which really wasn’t working, and the grout had now turned black with ingrained dirt. If you have never been then Ely is well worth a visit, it’s a small but beautiful city on the West side of Cambridgeshire with a stunning ancient Cathedral which attracts visitors from outside the area.

My client had dogs and with the kitchen tile and grout not having had a deep clean for several years it was now overdue a clean. We popped round to do a site visit to survey the floor and tested a small area with different products to see what would work best. The results looked good, and we agreed a price to carry the work and arranged a suitable time to complete the work.

Deep Cleaning Terracotta Effect Porcelain Tiles in Ely

We began by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the floor and then worked it in with a stiff brush fitted to a rotary floor machine. The brush was run over the tiles and especially the grout lines where the recessed grout can be tricky to reach. Pro-Clean is a heavy duty alkaline cleaner that safe to use on Tile and Grout and works best when left to dwell for a short time so it can digest and breakdown the dirt.

This cleaning solution soon turned black with the dirt that was released from the tile and grout, so the next task was to extract it from the floor. For this we have a special extraction machine that applies hot water under high pressure to the floor and then extracts the soil back to a recovery tank on the van. This machine keeps the mess made to the absolute minimum whilst ensuring a thorough result.

The combination of the two processes had a remarkable effect on the tile and the grout which by now was looking much cleaner and lighter.

Grout Sealing a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor in Ely

If these tiles were Terracotta then I the next step would be seal them once dry, however being made from nonporous Porcelain they won’t accept a sealer. The grout however has a porous cementitious top layer which attracts dirt so to keep the grout looking its best I set about speed drying it with air movers so it could be sealed.

Once dry I sealed the grout using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is an impregnating sealer that will soak into the pores of the grout and protect it from within. Any excess was removed afterwards from the surface with a red buffing pad fitted to a buffing machine.

As you can see from the pictures the floor looked much cleaner and fresher and with the grout now properly sealed it should no longer attract the dirt.

My Client gave us a 5 Star review with this feedback which we are always very grateful for.

“The tiles look great at present. It remains to be seen if the sealer that was applied really does make them repel stains. Tony P, Ely”

Professional Restoration of a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor in Cambridgeshire

The post Terracotta Effect Porcelain Tile & Grout Deep Cleaned in Ely appeared first on Cambridge Tile Doctor.

Professional clean of a Travertine Tiled floor in Sunbury-on-Thames

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 14:50:21 +0000

This client got in touch about cleaning their Travertine Tiled floor which they were struggling to get clean. They had been using all the usual household floor cleaners, but nothing was having the desired effect. The property was in the lovely village of Sunbury On Thames within the borough of Spelthorne. I’m based in nearby Shepperton and so it wasn’t long before I was able to pop over and take a look at the problematic floor.

It turns out the Travertine floor which was installed throughout the hallway and kitchen had not been professionally cleaned since its’ installation twelve years prior. As you can see from the pictures, the old sealer that was protecting the Travertine had long since worn off and this in turn had allowed soils and spillages to penetrate deep into the pores of the stone and grout. The sealers demise may have been accelerated with the use of overly strong cleaning products but given it not been professionally cleaned for twelve years it was well overdue a deep clean and reseal.

I discussed with the client what we could do to clean the floor and demonstrated my proposed cleaning process on part of the floor. They were very satisfied with the demonstration and were happy to go ahead with my quote. The work would take two days to complete, one day for cleaning and a second day for sealing.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Floor in Sunbury-on-Thames

Working in sections I started by spraying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean on the floor and left if to soak in while I set up a floor buffing machine with a black scrubbing pad. After about ten minutes I ran the buffing machine over the working area, the machine was set to run at slow speed to reduce splashing. This action broke down the soils and helped lift the marks and stains out of the stone.

Tile Doctor Pro-Clean is a concentrated, multi-purpose high-alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser. The strong dilution of one-part cleaner to two parts water would ensure it would clean the floor and strip off any old sealers present on the tiles. Once the Travertine had been cleaned in this way, I ran a narrow brush along the grout lines to ensure they were also scrubbed clean.

After scrubbing a low-pressure rinsing machine was used to rinse the floor with water and extract all the dirt and cleaning products off the floor. After a final inspection the floor was then left to dry out overnight to leave the stone ready to receive a new seal the following day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Floor in Sunbury-on-Thames

I returned the next morning and tested the floor with a moisture meter to ensure the Travertine was dry. The results were good, so we set about applying two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. The sealer really brought put the contrast back into the stone by enhancing the colour whilst giving it the protection it needed to prevent future spillages staining the tiles.

The client was very happy with the result, the finished floor looked much lighter and 100% cleaner, the beauty of the natural stone was really apparent, and the grout which was once dark and was now white again.

For aftercare I recommended they avoid purchasing supermarket floor cleaners, the majority of which are too strong for sealed stone and let them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a pH neutral solution that will not prematurely erode the sealer and is highly concentrated, so a small bottle lasts a long time.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

The post Professional clean of a Travertine Tiled floor in Sunbury-on-Thames appeared first on South Middlesex Tile Doctor.

Ceramic Tile and Grout Cleaning in a Leatherhead Kitchen

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 15:22:03 +0000

At this property in Leatherhead, in the Mole Valley district of Surrey there was ten years of dirt trapped in the grout and no end of cleaning by the owner could improve the situation.

Now desperate to get the floor looking clean again she gave Tile Doctor a call and as their local representative I was asked to go round and survey the floor. Glazed ceramic tiles are very easy to clean and maintain and are a very practical choice for a kitchen floor, however what tends to happen is the dirt gets washed into the grout lines where the rough nature of the grout traps the dirt eventually turning it black.

I could see what needed to be done so I discussed the solution with the client who was relieved that we could help. She agreed to my quote and we booked the work in to be completed.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned on the scheduled date and set about preparing the floor with an application of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined with Tile Doctor Remove and Go and diluted with water. The cleaning cocktail was left to dwell for approximately fifteen minutes while I unloaded the equipment I would need from the van. Tile Doctor Pro-Clean is a heavy-duty tile and grout cleaner which works best when left soak into the problem area, whilst Tile Doctor Remove and Go is a coatings stripper so I reasoned a combination of the two products would have maximum effect to deep clean the area.

Using a hard wire brush, I rubbed the muck vigorously until the dirt became released into the cleaning solution. Sometimes it is necessary to roll up your sleeves and do some things manually! The resultant slurry was then extracted with a wet vacuum. You can see from the pictures the dirt being released.

I had to repeat the process a few times before I was happy with the condition of the grout.
Once the grout was clean, I applied more Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the tiles, scrubbing it in with a deck brush. After ten minutes, using a handheld buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad I cleaned the tiles. Again, I vacuumed up the slurry then neutralised with plain water. Following a final vacuum, I dried the whole kitchen with an air blower.

The client was very happy with the newly cleaned floor, it had really made a big difference to the whole floor and given it a new lease of life.

Professional Clean of a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen in West Surrey

The post Ceramic Tile and Grout Cleaning in a Leatherhead Kitchen appeared first on West Surrey Tile Doctor.

Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Edgbaston, Birmingham

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 01:59:26 +0000

This homeowner in Edgbaston contacted me about a Victorian tiled floor they had found under the hallway carpet since moving into the property a couple of months ago. The floor was stained with paint splatters, adhesive and had loose and missing tiles. Original features such as Victorian floors can add a lot of value to a property so they wondered if it could look a lot better than its present state.

I visited the property in Edgbaston which is a suburb of south Birmingham and best known for its Cricket ground which is home to the Warwickshire Cricket Club. I surveyed the floor and run a test clean on part of the floor to work out how best to clean it. The old Victorian tiles responded well to the treatment which impressed the homeowner and so the job was booked in.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

On the first day I cut and laid replacement tiles around the door threshold that I had sourced before starting the job. Then I reset some loose tiles and added some replacements on another threshold.

The front door had been replaced in the last couple of years, but it had been moved outwards which exposed part of the inner doorstep at the end of the hallway. I suggested that it would look better with tiles running right up to the door, so I removed part of the concrete with an SDS drill and cold chisel to allow space for new tiles to be laid level with the existing floor. The tiles were set in place using a quick setting adhesive which allows for grouting after only a few hours.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The next day I returned to deep clean the floor first checking the repairs I had made the day before were now secure and had dried nicely. My next job was to remove the paint splashes which I did by carefully scraping the paint off the tiles along with any old adhesive.

Next, I covered the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and allowed it to dwell on the floor for ten minutes. Then ran a 200-grit diamond pad over it which gets into the tiles pores and cleans them. The floor was then rinsed the floor with water and extracted the dirty slurry with a wet vacuum.

Final stage of the cleaning process was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which helps neutralise the floor after using Pro-Clean which is alkaline. It also dissolves any unwanted salts trapped in the tile that might rise to the surface later, a process commonly known as efflorescence. I then rinsed and extracted the floor again before leaving for the day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The cleaning process had been quite intensive so I left the floor for a couple of days before returning so it could dry out completely. The floor had dried well so I set about applying a sealer to the floor.

I sealed the floor with six coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go extra which is a low sheen sealer which will protect the floor going forward. Seal and Go Extra also enhances the appearance of the tile adding colour and is also breathable so moisture can rise through the tile and not become trapped under the floor where it could cause problems. Using a breathable sealer is important for these old floors where no damp proof membrane exists under the floor.

The floor now looked fantastic and the customer had said originally that she wasn’t keen on the floor, but by the end she said she loved it. Before leaving I left the customer a bottle of Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance without affecting the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

The post Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Edgbaston, Birmingham appeared first on Birmingham Tile Doctor.

2018 Tile Doctor of the Year Winner

Sat, 08 Jun 2019 16:37:41 +0000

A huge thanks to all my customers who believed in me and left feedback for me in 2018. Most don’t realise this but its the customer survey we ask customers to complete at the end of a job that goes into deciding who wins the Tile Doctor of the Year Award. In fact last year an incredible 84 people left feedback about my work and on average awarded me a customer service rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.

The result is that I’m very proud to announce that I won the “Tile Doctor of the Year” award for the 2nd year running.

Rupert Mcleod Tile Doctor of the Year 2018. Award presented by Tile Doctor director Russell Taylor

The trophy was presented by Tile Doctor director Russell Taylor at the end of this years annual Tile Doctor conference which took place on June 1st at the Holiday Inn in Cambridge. There are over 50 Tile Doctors in the UK and as you can imagine there is lots of competition.

Rupert Mcleod Tile Doctor of the Year 2018

So thanks again to my customers, I really appreciate your feedback and apologies for chasing you for feedback but after reading this you can understand why I do it. Customer feedback is still coming in strong so hopefully I can stay at the top of the league and win again in 2019 to make it a treble.

Tile Doctor director Russell Taylor reviews my customer service performance at the 2019 conference in Cambridge.

The post 2018 Tile Doctor of the Year Winner appeared first on West Surrey Tile Doctor.

Tired Black Slate Kitchen Floor Renovated in High Wycombe

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 05:37:39 +0000

This Customer moved into a property in High Wycombe around a year or so ago and the Black Slate floor in the kitchen was more grey than black. The slate looked tired and had clearly not been well maintained. They had recently had a new kitchen fitted and had decided to retain the existing floor, so I was asked to bring it back to life. High Wycombe is a large town in Buckinghamshire well situated as close to London with great links to nearby Reading and Maidenhead.

I initially went to survey the floor and confirmed my suspicion that any sealer that was once present on the floor had now completely worn off. This is a typical problem with stone floors and without a sealer in place the Slate had lost its protection allowing dirt to become ingrained in the pores of the stone and difficult to remove. I carried out a test clean which went well, my quote was accepted and arranged a date to return to renovate the floor.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

First, I taped up the plinths on the new kitchen and the skirting boards to ensure no solution would be splashed on them. I then applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the tiles, I left this to dwell for a short time so it could start working on breaking down the dirt and any old sealer. I then worked it in with a large black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine to get the dirt out of the slate. I also used a stiff hand brush along the grout lines with neat Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to really get the grout clean. The floor was then rinsed off with water and the slurry extracted with a wet vacuum.

There were a few problem tiles with stubborn marks which I managed to resolve with a further application of neat Tile Doctor Pro Clean and some assistance from a steamer. The floor was then inspected again and once I was happy it was left to dry off over the weekend.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the following Monday to seal the Slate tiles first checking they were dry with a moisture meter; all was so I started applying the sealer. I selected to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go for this floor as it works really well on Slate. Seal and Go is a specially formulated water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish. Four coats of Seal and Go were applied allowing each coat to dry before starting on the next one. Once done you could see the floor looked amazing and the new sealer gave the floor a lovely subtle sheen finish without being over shiny.

The client was very happy with the result, the floor now appeared brand new and looked great under the new kitchen.

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare with the client and advised her to use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this is a pH neutral product that won’t prematurely erode the sealer which is a big problem with most supermarket cleaning products. This should make it easy for the client to maintain the floor and only a small amount of product it needed to clean the floor.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Floor in South Buckinghamshire

The post Tired Black Slate Kitchen Floor Renovated in High Wycombe appeared first on South Buckinghamshire Tile Doctor.

Travertine Tiled Floor Cleaned, Polished and Filled in Priorslee

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 09:45:24 +0000

This Travertine tiled floor was installed in the Kitchen, Hallway and downstairs WC at a property in the Telford suburb of Priorslee. It has been some time since it was last sealed and the sealer had now worn-down allowing dirt to become ingrained in the stone, as a result the floor now looked flat and un-interesting. The floor also had several holes that were trapping dirt and needed filling.

I surveyed the floor and recommended a process called burnishing which uses a series of abrasive pads to restore the polished appearance of the stone. Once done the floor would be sealed to protect it from dirt and staining going forward. The owner agreed my quote and we set a date for my return to restore the appearance of the floor.

Cleaning Travertine Floor Tile and Grout

Before starting the cleaning process, I spent time protecting the woodwork and removing the kickboards from underneath the kitchen units.
Then working in sections I gave the floor a general wash to remove any grit and clean the grout. Focusing primarily on the grout I applied a medium dilution Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to soak in. The solution was left to dwell for roughly ten minutes in order for it to digest the dirt and remaining sealer. I then used a deck brush on the tiles and a stiff grout brush along the grout lines to scrub the solution in and release the dirty. The floor was then rinsed with water and the now soiled cleaning solution was removed using a wet vacuum.

The next step was to burnish the stone using a set of diamond encrusted pads which are applied to the floor using a rotary floor buffer in sequence from coarse to super fine. First using the 400-grit coarse number 1 pad we put some clean water on the floor and using our rotary machine slowly burnished the area making sure that we passed over each tile 4 times, this coarse pad cuts into the surface grime of the floor and also removes sealers. The resultant soiled water is rinsed away with clean water which in turn is removed using a wet vacuum. This process is then repeated with the 800-grit medium and 1500-grit fine pads, rinsing between each pad until a nice polish is built up on the tile. The floor is then given a final rinse and once we were satisfied that all the slurry had been removed.

Last job for the evening was to inspect the floor and fill the small holes using grout in a colour that matched that of the Travertine. The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Polishing and Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles

On day two I continued the burnishing process by applying the very fine 3000 grit pad. This last pad is applied dry with only a small amount of water which is sprayed onto the floor and further builds on the polished appearance of the Travertine. This also has the advantage of leaving the floor completely dry and ready for sealing.

We have several sealers that we recommend for use on Travertine and for this situation I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that occupies the pores in the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. Colour Grow as its name suggests enhances the colours in the stone and when applied to Travertine it does a good job of enhancing the natural brown colours in the stone. My client was certainly impressed with the improvement and was over the moon with when they saw the result.

Travertine Floor Professionally Polished in Shropshire

The post Travertine Tiled Floor Cleaned, Polished and Filled in Priorslee appeared first on Shropshire Tile Doctor.

Restoring Badly Stained Victorian Floor Tiles in Ramsbottom

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 05:27:47 +0000

A customer from Ramsbottom contacted us to see if we were able to help with the renovation of a small section of Victorian tiling in their hallway. Another company had already tried to treat them chemically but without making any progress in removing the stains.

I visited the property to survey the problem tiles and recommend a way forward. In most cases we like to carry out a site visit to get an accurate idea of the problems before quoting for the work. Whilst there I ran a test clean on part of the tiles and slowly but surely, they responded to the treatment and they condition visibly improved. Impressed with the initial results I was asked to continue, fortunately my schedule was light that day, so I was able to work though without too much impact to my schedule.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

My initial thought for cleaning was to try using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a cleaner and stripper which is safe to use on tiles and stone. The previous company had used a chemical product, but it wasn’t clear what they had used. Tile Doctor Remove and Go usually works well in these situations but it was clear my result would not have been enough of an improvement so a different solution would be needed.

To resolve this, I tried hand-held abrasive diamond blocks, first 400-grit without improvement, then 200-grit without improvement, 100-grit no improvement and then eventually 50-grit and I started to see a result. It was clear only a very abrasive 50-grit pad would improve these tiles. It was a small area, so I set about using a combination of small coarse 50-grit pads and followed up with 100, 200 and 400-grit pads and blocks to remove scratches and renovate the tiles following the use of the very abrasive grits. The tiles were also rinsed repeatedly during this process to remove the slurry generated. The waste was extracted using the wet vacuum. It took forever to get the tiles clean, but the results were brilliant.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Once I was happy all the Victorian tiles were as clean as they could I gently speed dried them using a heat gun. The last step in restoring the tiles would be to apply a sealer and so it was important the tiles were dry first. Once I was happy the tiles were dry, they were sealed them with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that protects from within by occupying the pores in the tile where dirt can become ingrained. The sealer gave the tiles a nice sheen without being too shiny, this product also allows the floor to breath, which is vital on a floor of this age where no damp proof membrane will have been installed. Whilst I was there I also did some work re-grouting the adjacent York Stone floor which was of a similar age and needed some TLC.

The pictures really speak for themselves. The customer was beginning to think it couldn’t be done so I was glad to be able to get them in such a nice state, especially considering the previous company could not lift their appearance.

The customer was very happy and left the following feedback.

“Kamila was a very professional and friendly person who has done an amazing job on my floor! Both cleaning and grouting! They look amazing!! I still have no idea how she managed it with little mess leaving the rooms clean and tidy! Thank you Kamila! I have already recommended her to friends!!”

Professional Restoration of Stained Victorian Tiles in South Lancashire

The post Restoring Badly Stained Victorian Floor Tiles in Ramsbottom appeared first on South Lancashire Tile Doctor.

Levelling and Polishing a Travertine Tiled Floor in Ombersley

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 11:54:57 +0000

I was contacted regarding a Travertine tiled floor which had been installed throughout a bungalow in the old Worcestershire village of Ombersley near Droitwich. The owner was unhappy that the tiles had not been laid completely flat and as such many were so uneven they presented a trip hazard. They were very disappointed with the floor and not sure if anything could be done about it.

I went over to the property to survey the floor and discuss potential solutions with the client. Having seen the problem for myself I was able to confirm this issue is know in the trade as “Lippage”. Had the tiles been made of Ceramic or Porcelain then the whole floor would have had to have been re-laid. Fortunately, being Travertine its possible to grind down the stone using a process Tile Doctor has devised we call Milling. Not only will this rectify lippage problem, but it will also restore the appearance of the stone.

The quote I provided was excepted and dates were arranged to complete the work.

Levelling a Travertine Tiled Floor

On the first day I started by adding protection to any vulnerable surfaces. This included adding a silicone bead to the bottom of the fixed kitchen units to avoid water damaging the wood and to shrink wrap any exposed kitchen appliances and white goods. Preparation is always vital as we do not want to damage anything during the renovation process.

I then started the process of lippage removal. This is done with a weighted rotary buffer machine fitted with a series of large diamond pads of increasingly higher grits. The first a very coarse 50-grit pad that is segmented. The pad is worked over the area and each section is timed, water is used to lubricate the process and checks are made after the specified time to check the lippage has gone. This pad is run over the whole floor and the floor then rinsed with water and extracted using a wet vacuum to remove the slurry that is created during the process.

On day two I worked through the other pads in the system including the 100 and 200-grit segmented pads to further the resurface the stone. Again, water is used to lubricate the process and there is a lot of rinsing and extracting required. Again, the process is applied over all the Travertine tiles and is very time consuming. No other products are needed at this stage just water and sweat.

Polishing a Travertine Tiled Floor

Once the lippage issue was resolved and the floor level the next step was to further refine the surface of the Travertine to fully restore its polished appearance. This is done using a set of four non-segmented burnishing pads which range from 400 through to 3000 grit. Again, the pads are applied in increasing grits from coarse to very fine rinsing and extracting in-between.

The last 3000 grit pad is applied dry using a small amount of water which is sprayed onto the Travertine using a process we call a ‘Spray Burnish’, this pad really brings out the shine in the stone.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Floor

The last step in the restoration process was to apply a durable surface protection to the stone so it would keep its appearance for some years to come. For polished stone where you want to bring up the shine, I recommend applying Tile Doctor Shine Powder.

The powder is applied to the floor and worked into the stone using a white buffing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. It provides a very high shine and tough durable finish which is exactly what my customer wanted. As you can see from the pictures the result was quite dramatic and I can confirm my client was delighted with the result. Finally, the uneven stone tiles were now polished and level and no longer presented a tripping hazard.

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a sealer friendly cleaning product which has been especially formulated for the regular cleaning of sealed polished stone and helps maintain the patina.

Levelling a Travertine Tiled Floor in Worcestershire

The post Levelling and Polishing a Travertine Tiled Floor in Ombersley appeared first on Worcestershire Tile Doctor.

Black and White Marble Church Floor Tiles Renovated in Ely Cardiff

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 06:56:07 +0000

I was contacted by “The Church of the Resurrection” in the Ely suburb of Cardiff to ask if we would improve the appearance of their Marble floor. We are always up for a challenge at Tile Doctor, so I arranged an appointment to visit the church, survey the floor and recommend a solution.

The church itself is relatively new and dates to 1934, the black and white Marble floor tiles were original however at some point in the past it had been covered in a carpet which had been glued down. The church committee now wanted to restore the Marble tiles back to its original beauty. I carried out a test sample which proved very successful and they were delighted with the results. I was very optimistic that this floor could be saved and would look pretty good at the end. We agreed a price and arranged the most convenient time to carry the work out when the church wasn’t in use.

Cleaning a Marble Tiled Church Floor

On my return I started the cleaning process by working in sections using a solution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go worked in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine to breakdown the glue. Next, I worked thorough a range of burnishing pads, first changing the pad to a coarse 100-grit diamond pad which was run over the floor using the Remove and Go as a lubricant. The soil was then rinsed off the floor with more water and extracted using a wet vacuum. The pad was then changed to a 200-grit pad and the process repeated. The combination of the Remove and Go and the pads cut into the surface of the tile and remove the adhesive staining.

Then I continued with a 400-grit diamond burnishing pad this time applied with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. After rinsing and extracting the soil I moved onto an 800-grit, 1500 grit and finally the 3000-grit pad to achieve a finish that they desired. These 17-inch diamond burnishing pads are available in set of four and really restore the deep polish of stone.

Around the Altar there were two concrete areas which looked unsightly now that the floor was uncovered so I suggested that I carry on with the pattern of the floor using concrete paint. This proved very successful as it blended in well improving the general appearance of the area.

Last step in the cleaning process was to improve the appearance of the Black Stone steps in front of the altar which were dull and marked from years of use. It was confined working space, so I polished these with a handheld machine fitted with 6-inch diamond burnishing pads. to restore the polished appearance of the stone.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Church Floor

After cleaning and polishing the areas I proceeded to seal the Marble with Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within. Additionally, this sealer doesn’t change the colour of the stone, so it preserves its natural appearance. The black steps were sealed with Tile Doctor Stone Oil which really did enhance the jet-black lustre it was so in need of.

The work was carried out in April 2019 and was completed over the coarse of a few days. The floor now looks stunning and gives the whole church a lift. Certainly, the project management team were delighted with the results as they had thought the floor was unsalvageable. They said they would highly recommend Tile Doctor again for future church projects, which is always very pleasing to hear.

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tiled Church Floor in South East Wales

The post Black and White Marble Church Floor Tiles Renovated in Ely Cardiff appeared first on South East Wales Tile Doctor.

Cream and Black Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration in Ulverston

Thu, 30 May 2019 02:27:08 +0000

This property located near the pretty market town of Ulverston was built in 1874 as inscribed on the front of the building. The Victorian Tiled floor comprised of Cream and Black tiles was original from when the house was built so that made the tiles at least 145 years old, in fact this was one of the oldest Victorian tiled floors I have ever worked on.

The floor was in good condition for its age but had experienced problems with broken and loose tiles around two of the door thresholds which is a common problem with floors of this age. Unfortunately, those tiles had been lost over the years and now the customer wanted this part of the floor rebuilding as part of the restoration. Fortunately, these tiles are still popular so finding suitable replacements wasn’t a big of a challenge as you might think.

I discussed with the client what needed to be done and after finding a suitable supplier for the replacement tiles was able to produce a quote which was accepted, and we agreed a price for the work.

Repairing a Cream and Black Victorian Hallway Floor

My first task was to rebuild the areas of broken and missing tiles. For the larger areas I mapped out a suitable pattern and set about cutting the replacement tiles to fit. A thick bed of flexible rapid set floor adhesive was applied to the floor and the replacement tiles bedded into the old cement base. Once the adhesive had hardened the tiles were grouted, cleaned-up and left to dry.

There were several areas that needed this treatment, so the work took some time to complete.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning the next day, I first checked that the replacement tiles had set and that there were no further problems that needed addressing. All was well so I began cleaning the floor using a 200-grit followed by a 400-grit Diamond pad fitted to a weighted buffing machine running at slow speed and lubricated with water. The floor was rinsed with water after each pad and then the soil extracted using a wet vacuum.

The floor was then given an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, which at this stage acts in two ways for these old floors:

1. The Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up product is made from Phosphoric Acid (not a brick Acid, which is a lot cheaper, more widely available but too strong for use on tile.) The acid we use works with us not against us and gives us time to change the pH of the floor to a slightly acidic pH. This is important on old floors like these where no damp proof membrane has been installed and it’s important to counter any alkaline salts in the floor which could lead to efflorescence later.
2. The sealer will bond to the surface a lot better when it has had this treatment and as a result you get a sharper cleaner finish.

Once done the floor was given another rinse and extraction with water and the wet vacuum and then left to dry out for a few days,

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

We returned as promised to seal the whole floor using a couple of coats of a breathable colour enhancing sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow. As you can see form the pictures this really brought the hallway floor to life. Colour Grow works from the inside by occupying the pores in the tile and will protect it from ingrained dirt staining going forward.

It’s very important for a customer to use the correct cleaner after having there tiles cleaned and sealed professionally as using the wrong product can prematurely degrade the sealer. As a result, we recommend Tile Doctor Concentrated Neutral Tile Cleaner, its pH balanced and will not upset the sealer, thus getting maximum longevity out of the whole process.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Cumbria

The post Cream and Black Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration in Ulverston appeared first on South Cumbria Tile Doctor.

Troublesome Travertine Tiled Shower Enclosure Renovated in Totley

Wed, 29 May 2019 02:16:07 +0000

I was asked to call into a property in the Sheffield suburb of Totley to renovate a troublesome Travertine tiled shower enclosure. The customer simply couldn’t keep the shower clean and the travertine was just getting dirtier and dirtier. I could see from the pictures that the stone tiles were becoming stained with the use of shampoo and soaps, also there was evidence of mould build-up which had led to some of the grout turning black.

Once I was on site, I could see that any sealant that may have been present on the Travertine had broken down and worn off leaving the pores in the stone vulnerable to dirt etc. Once dirt has become ingrained you will find it very difficult to get rid of it using normal household cleaners. I discussed with the client the best course of action, we chatted about the cost and they were happy to go ahead with the work. The work would take less than a day to complete.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Shower Enclosure

I started by applying Tile Doctors Oxy-Gel which is a Tile and Grout cleaning product in a Gel form that allows it to cling to walls without running off. This means you can leave it working on the Tile and Grout for as long as you want. Thirty minutes is normally enough to clean most stone and lift the underlying dirt. The Oxy-Gel was then scrubbed in by hand and rinsed off with water. The first clean, removed most of the dirt and grime, however the really stained areas were treated twice.

Once the stone was clean, I turned my attention to the mould stained silicone seal between the tile and shower tray. I worked carefully to remove the existing silicone with a sharp knife to ensure neither the tile or shower tray was damaged. After cleaning up the area and making sure it was dry new Limestone coloured silicone was inserted to match the grout. It’s important to use good quality silicone as the cheaper ones tend to discolour fast.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Shower

Once the tiles were fully dry, I set about sealing the Travertine and Grout using two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. This is a premium, no-sheen, natural-look, sealer which is formulated to provide maximum stain protection, it is also an excellent grout sealer. The natural colours of the now clean Travertine tiles were able to shine through and any water now runs off the wall instead of collecting in the pores of the stone.

As you can imagine my client was delighted with the result. To ensure they stopped using the household cleaners applied previously we left them with some free Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro shower cleaner and instruction on how to keep the shower area looking great. This product is pH neutral so will not prematurely erode the sealer which happens with stronger supermarket products.

Professional Renovation of a Travertine Tiled Shower in South Yorkshire

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Lino Covered Geometric Victorian Floor Restored in Stoke, Coventry

Tue, 28 May 2019 01:16:22 +0000

This Victorian hallway floor laid with a Geometric pattern was discovered under Lino at a property in the Stoke area of Coventry. At some point in the past the tiled floor had been covered over with a self-levelling screed and then Karndean Vinyl which had since been removed. The floor was now looking a mess and the client wanted the Victorian floor restored and the hallway to look a lot more inviting!

The Stoke area of Coventry includes Stoke Park, Stoke Aldermoor, Stoke Heath, Copeswood, and Charterhouse. It has a long history and is well known for its contribution to the UK car manufacturing industry. I visited the property to survey the floor and run a small test clean to ensure we could get the residue from the floor. I was satisfied it could be successfully completed and we agreed a price for the work, they were happy to go ahead as soon as possible.

Cleaning a Victorian Geometric Tiled Hallway Floor

On day one I set about removing the screed which took two days using various coarse pads fitted to a buffing machine and then by hand with a scraper. It was exhausting work, some of the screed had bonded to the surface of the tiles and I had to hand grind it off.

The floor was then deep cleaned with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was scrubbed in with a very coarse 100-grit pad. The floor was rinsed and extracted several times to remove all the soil. Old floors like these don’t have a damp-proof membrane fitted so I was concerned about the possibility of efflorescent salts rising through the tiles once I had left. To counter this I gave the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which was scrubbed into the floor and then rinsed off with water. I then left the floor for a few weeks to dry out and settle before returning to carry out the sealing process.

Sealing a Victorian Geometric Tiled Hallway Floor

When I returned the floor had dried out and the sealing could be carried out. I selected to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow which copes well with damp conditions which are a problem with old floors like these. The floor as you can see from the pictures was totally transformed. The colour really shone through, but the Tile Doctor Colour Grow had given it a lovely finish without being too shiny.

The client was over the moon with the finish, it was much better than they had expected. I arranged to return a few months later to check on the floor and I’m pleased to say it had responded well to the treatment. I was happy no damp issues had surfaced so I then added a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Warwickshire

The post Lino Covered Geometric Victorian Floor Restored in Stoke, Coventry appeared first on Warwickshire Tile Doctor.

Restorative Cleaning of Victorian Hallway Tiles in Wellingborough

Fri, 24 May 2019 01:25:43 +0000

I recently visited a property in Wellingborough to survey their Victorian Hallway floor and work out the best method and products to restore it. The tiles were extremely dirty as the sealant had worn off allowing dirt to become ingrained. They had not been maintained for many years and there was evidence of adhesive which was due to a carpet being stuck down at some point in the past.

To restore the Victorian floor, I would need to remove the glue and give the tiles a professional deep clean to extract the years of ground-in dirt and staining. Following this the tiles would need sealing in order to protect them going forward. After discussing the work in detail with the owner I sent over a quotation by email which was accepted, and a date arranged for work to commence.

Restorative Cleaning of Victorian Hallway Tiles

On my return I applied a cocktail of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel and Tile Doctor Nano-Tech HBU to the tiles. This creates a strong cleaning/coatings remover that would soften the embedded soiling and glue making it easier to remove. I left this to dwell on the floor for about an hour so it could break down the soil and adhesive. I then fitted a coarse 100-grit diamond pad to a rotary floor buffer and scrubbed the floor vacuuming up the resulting residue as I went along working in small sections of 2/3 metres at a time. I then repeated the process using a 200-grit pad, rinsing and extracting afterwards with water to remove the fine slurry this process generates.

Old floors like these were laid before the invention of the damp proof membrane which can result in moisture rising through the floor as it evaporates potentially leaving alkaline salt deposits on the surface. This process is known as Efflorescence and although I minimised the use of water during the cleaning process, I was concerned that this may still present a problem later. To neutralise any alkaline salts in the floor that could cause this problem my last action for the day was give the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel.

Once this was done and extracted from the floor, I followed up with a further clean using Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner which was applied with a microfibre cloth. I left the floor to dry off overnight so it could be sealed the next day.

Sealing Restored Victorian Hallway Tiles

On day two I used a damp meter to check the moisture levels in the floor to ensure it had dried overnight. The results were good, so I set about applying the sealer. For this floor I decided to go with three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that as well as protecting the Victorian tiles form staining also enhances the colours in the tile. This sealer is also fully breathable so any moisture will be able to evaporate up through the tile and not get trapped under the floor where it could cause problems.

Before leaving I also discussed maintenance cleaning with the customer and left them a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is safe to use on sealed floors and will help keep the tiles looking at their best. It’s supplied in concentrated form so it should last them some time before they run out. The customer was very happy with the end results and has left positive comments on our website.

Very happy with the restoration of my Victorian tiled floor, cleaned, sealed and polished bringing it back to life. Phil was prompt to get back to me with any aftercare questions/queries/visits. Paula B, Wellingborough

Victorian Hallway Tile Restoration in Northamptonshire

The post Restorative Cleaning of Victorian Hallway Tiles in Wellingborough appeared first on Northamptonshire Tile Doctor.

Polishing Black “Negro Marquina” Marble Shower Tiles in Thame

Wed, 08 May 2019 01:01:00 +0000

I received a call regarding a Black Marble tiled shower that the customer thought he would clean himself and ended up unfortunately making worse. Black Marble adds a very opulent and elegant look to a bathroom, and I suspect this particular variety with the white veins is known as “Negro Marquina” which comes from the Basque region of Spain. I did a quick price check on-line and these tiles are priced around £60 each!

If you look closely at the before picture you can see the Marble has lost its shine and has a cloudy appearance. This was due to the use of an acid based cleaner. Thame and Oxford lie in a hard water area, so we often find customers seek to remove Limescale deposits off tile using household products such as Vikal or Cillit Bang. The trouble with these products is they are acidic, and marble is acid sensitive so is easily marked and damaged by their use. You should always read the label before using any cleaner to check if its safe to use on natural stone.

The client was desperate to get the shower room looking how it should when he had selected this beautiful stone.

Cleaning a Marble Tiled Shower

To rectify the problem and restore the polished appearance of the marble I burnished the stone using a small 6 inch 200-grit diamond pad attached to a handheld buffer. This coarse pad cuts back the stone surface to remove the etching, I then used a 400-grit pad which removed the fine scratches made by the first pad. This was followed up with an 800-grit pad which starts the honing process which restores the polished appearance. Water is used to lubricate the process and the tiles are rinsed with water after each stage to remove the fine slurry that is generated.

This is further followed by 1500 and 3000 grit pads the last pad is applied dry with only a little bit of water and leaves the tiles dry and ready for the next stage.

Polishing a Marble Tiled Shower

To further build the polish and protect the stone I applied Tile Doctor Shine Powder buffed in with a white pad. This was applied to the marble wall tiles and then rinsed with water and wiped dry with a clean cloth. When the tiles were fully dry, I buffed the tiles with a clean white pad to show the final polished finish. The tiles looked much improved and very shiny.

The job was completed in a day and the customer was much relieved that I was able to restore the appearance of the marble. I suggested that he should use Tile Doctor Aqua Pro as his tile cleaner of choice in future. This is pH neutral so will not damage the tiles like the acidic products he had used previously, and it should help him keep the shower room looking sparkling and opulent as initially intended!

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tiled Shower in Oxfordshire

The post Polishing Black “Negro Marquina” Marble Shower Tiles in Thame appeared first on Oxfordshire Tile Doctor.

Leaking Bath Mastic Replaced and Tile Renovated in Harrogate

Tue, 07 May 2019 01:31:09 +0000

I couldn’t believe the state of the mastic sealant that had been applied to this bathtub at a house in the North Yorkshire Spa town of Harrogate. As you can see from the pictures, it was a mess. There were at least three layers of white silicon mastic sealant then a layer of clear silicone had been applied with a spatula then some grout on top of that! I feared the worst.

It was the result of a succession of bodge jobs that didn’t work and continued to let water leak down to the room below where it had left brown stains on the ceiling. The client had unfortunately tried to get it patched up but had just made the problem worse. The problem needed to be resolved properly so the ceiling below could dry out, be repaired and then re-painted.

Had the problem been dealt with immediately the damage would not have been so bad. By the time the water shows itself on the ceiling the leak has probably already been there for some time. The bathroom itself was in good condition but the mastic sealant was really letting it down. I discussed with the client what needed to be done and we agreed a price for the work and returned the following week.

Cleaning/Repairing Bathroom Tiles

I first washed the Ceramic wall tile and grout surrounding the bath with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel to remove staining from the usual combination of dirt, grime, body oil, and soap scum. Being in gel form, this product sticks well to vertical surfaces where its best left for five to ten minutes before scrubbing in so it can get to work breaking down the dirt. I then rinsed the wall tiles with water and re-treated any stubborn stains with a repeat of the process until all the tile and grout was clean.

Once happy with the tile and grout I began to strip off the layers of silicone mastic. This is a slow process by hand, with care not the damage the tiles or the bath. After 4 hours it was all off. The final layer of white silicon was jet black, so had come away from the bath a long time ago. It is essential to have a nice clean surface to apply new silicon to ensure the best result. Adding layer upon layer will not solve the underlying problem.

Once l completely removed all traces of silicone l ran a heat gun over gap for about half an hour to remove the moisture. If any moisture had been left the new sealant wouldn’t adhere to the bath and tile properly causing it to peel off later and we would be back to square one.

The last step of the renovation was to fill the bath with water before applying a fresh thin bead of white silicone sealant. Applying mastic well takes a lot of practice to get a nice smooth finish but having carried out numerous bathroom and kitchen refurbs over the years it’s a skill I’ve manage to acquire. Once the fresh mastic was dry the water was emptied from the bath, this technique ensures the silicone is positioned correctly.

As you can see from the pictures there was quite a remarkable transformation. The client was speechless, the difference to the overall look of the bathroom was astounding. It would no longer be a chore for them to use the bathroom. Now they just need to allow the downstairs ceiling to dry out so they can redecorate.

Glazed Ceramic tiles are easy to clean however Grout can be a problem due to its cementous nature which traps dirt therefore I recommend protecting the grout with grout sealer which forms an invisible barrier over the grout and makes it easier to wash clean. For aftercare you can’t go wrong with Tile Doctor Aqua Pro which is designed for cleaning shower tile where the grout has been sealed.

Professional Restoration of a Bathroom Tiles in North West Yorkshire

The post Leaking Bath Mastic Replaced and Tile Renovated in Harrogate appeared first on North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor.

Grubby Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovated in in Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Mon, 06 May 2019 00:50:31 +0000

Shower Tile and Grout renovation is a speciality of ours and has made us popular with landlords who understand properties are easier to rent when the bathrooms look fresh. This was the case with this shower cubicle at a rental property in Chorlton-cum-Hardy which is a popular suburb of Manchester south of Old Trafford.

The shower cubicle was in quite a state and well overdue a deep clean. You can see from the photographs that the shower tray was very dirty, the white ceramic wall tiles were grubby, the white grout had gone black and the silicone sealant had darkened with mould.

Cleaning a Grubby Shower Cubicle in Chorlton

Working in sections from top to bottom I began the cleaning process by treating the tile and grout with Tile Doctor Duo-Clean which a double action cleaning product. Duo-Clean is a recent addition to the Tile Doctor range and combines the properties of an effective tile and grout cleaner with a mould remover. It cleans and can remove mould and blackspot from grout and silicone, so an ideal product for cleaning up neglected shower cubicles.

The spray attachment mixes the product with air making it light and allowing it to easily stick to vertical surfaces where it can get to work breaking down dirt and mould. It was sprayed onto the wall tile and grout and then left to dwell for five minutes before being scrubbed in with a stiff brush. The area was subsequently rinsed with water to remove the soil. In some stubborn places, I didn’t achieve the desired result right away, so I repeated the cleaning process a couple of times before moving onto the next section. I can tell you a lot of elbow grease was expended on this particular cubicle, I even cleaned up the shower tray which had gone green with an accumulation of soap scum.

When the tile and grout was cleaned to the best of my abilities, I used a heat gun to dry the walls quickly. Next, I removed all the mouldy silicone around the shower tray with a sharp knife and then further dried the area.

Sealing Shower Grout

After everything was cleaned and dried, I sealed the grout using Tile Doctor Wall Tile and Grout Sealer Aerosol Spray. The tiles were glazed ceramic so won’t accept a sealer however the top layer of grout is porous which makes it vulnerable to dirt, grease, mould and limescale. Sealing will therefore ensure it keeps its appearance for longer and reduce the need for regular maintenance. Being a spray on sealer it’s very easy to apply, all you have to do is wipe it off the excess sealer from the adjacent tile afterwards.

When I had finished sealing the grout, I applied new, high quality and mould resistant silicone in White to match the tile and shower tray. With that, the restoration was complete.

The whole process took less than a day and although it was hard work both myself and the landlord were very pleased with the outcome. If you didn’t know any better, you would think it was a brand-new installation.

Shower Cubicle Cleaning in Greater Manchester

The post Grubby Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovated in in Chorlton-cum-Hardy appeared first on Greater Manchester Tile Doctor.

Renovating Dull Semi Riven Black Slate Flooring in Bentham

Sun, 05 May 2019 06:49:58 +0000

This is a Semi Riven Black Slate floor which had been installed throughout much of the downstairs floor at a property in Bentham which is right on the Eastern edge of Lancashire. The Black slate and Grout had seen some wear and was now more Grey than black and having recently installed a new Kitchen the owner wanted the floor to look its best.

Rough stone can be especially hard to maintain if the wrong sealer has been applied. With rough or textured stone, it’s always best to use an Acrylic Sealer (aka ” Topical sealer”) where possible. Unlike a Matt finish impregnating sealer a Topical Sealer is designed to sit on the surface of the Stone preventing dirt from getting caught in the nooks and crevices making it much easier to clean.

After surveying the floor, I recommend burnishing the stone with a coarse pad to deep clean the stone and remove any remaining sealer, then seal with Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a Topical sealer which we find always has provides good results on this type of floors. Happy with the price and keen to get the floor renovated we were given the go ahead and scheduled a date to return to do the work.

Deep Cleaning a Semi Riven Black Slate floor in Bentham

The last thing we want to do is cause any damage to their beautiful new wooden kitchen. So before starting the cleaning process I applied clear silicone to the base of the new Kitchen units, this prevents water from the cleaning process seeping into the woodwork through capillary action.

To get the tiles clean we burnished the stone floor with a coarse 200-grit Diamond pad fitted to a buffing machine running at slow speed and using water for lubrication. This gives a really deep clean and was followed up with the application of a black scrubbing pad to remove any excess resin released from the Slate which is quite common with Black stones due to the oil content. Once the Slate was clean, we turned our attention to the grout which was scrubbed with Tile Doctor Pro-clean. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum, once done the floor was left dry out.

Whilst at the property we managed to resolve a problem with a poorly laid slate tile in the hallway which the customer had often tripped over, so much so they had covered it with a rug, which was fine, but you couldn’t see the Slate. Rather than lift and relay the tile I managed to cut back the surface of the stone with a hand held flex machine using several different diamond grits. You can see from the pictures how this looks before, during and after the seal. A further advantage of treating the stone in this way is that the slate takes on a more polished finish as the rough texture is cut back. The results speak for themselves and the customer certainly won’t be tripping over the tile from now. With no further need for the rug they can get the full benefit of the slate floor.

Sealing a Riven Black Slate Tiled Floor

The floor was left to dry off overnight and we returned the following day to apply a sealer first checking the floor was dry using a moisture meter. All was well, so we started to apply the first of several coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. It was a large area across multiple rooms, so it took some time before the job was complete.

The sealer added a lovely subtle sheen to the floor and restored the black colour in the Slate, the grout was also much cleaner and floor look transformed from the grey dull appearance we first experienced. As usual before leaving we talked about aftercare, using warm water (not hot or cold) with a mop and bucket and half a cap of Tile Doctor concentrated Neutral Tile Cleaner. Using the correct cleaning product will ensure they get maximum life out of the sealer.

Professional Renovation of a Black Riven Slate Tiled Floor in Lancashire

The post Renovating Dull Semi Riven Black Slate Flooring in Bentham appeared first on Tile Doctor Lancashire.

Cleaning and Re sanding a Block Paved Patio in Duxford

Fri, 03 May 2019 14:19:16 +0000

I was called out to a house in Duxford to quote for cleaning kitchen floor tiles when the customer realised, we could also clean and re-sand block paved patios. We provided her with a quote and booked the work in alongside her kitchen tiles which I will detail in another post.

Duxford is a small village around 10 miles from Cambridge, and is an area which is rich in history. Duxford is most famous for RAF Duxford, a former RAF airfield that was used as a sector station during the Battle of Britain. Back in 1972 the Ministry of Defence began to store historically important aircraft in the hangars on the airfield and it is now used to house the Duxford Imperial War Museum .

The block paved patio was looking worse for wear after the winter, what was once lovely shades of red brick was now dark and almost black in places with dirt and algae. Regular maintenance is always suggested to ensure the paving is looked after and to prevent it becoming slippery.

Cleaning an outside Block Paved Patio

Our first job was to sweep the patio down to remove loose dirt and leaves.

Next job was to tackle the heavily stained areas that were treated with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean solution which was applied neat and left to soak in for fifteen minutes. Normally I would dilute Pro-Clean with water but in this case, I needed the full power of the product and even applying such a strong solution would not cause the brick pavers any harm. Whilst the Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was soaking in, I set up the high-pressure machine in my van and ran the long hose out to the garden area.

The Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was then scrubbed in by hand with a long handled scrubbing brush. The area was quite large, so this took most of the morning. The patio really was very dirty so lifting the layers of dirt took some time.

Next the block paving was deep cleaned using water delivered under high pressure from a wand supplied by our truck mounted cleaning machine. This machine can deliver water at various pressure levels, much higher than your average Karcher and makes easy work of cleaning patios. Immediately the patio started to look dramatically cleaner.

Once the block patio was done, I left it to dry and turned my attention to the decking around the other side of the house.

Re Sanding a Block Paved Patio

After a day of drying out we returned the following morning to re-sand the patio with kiln-dried sand which is essential to maintain the integrity of the patio and keeping the weeds down.

The renovation process worked really well, and the patio now looks as new as it did when it was laid. My customer was overjoyed with the results, hopefully the weather will enable them to get the patio furniture out so they can have lots of barbeques this year and make the most of the space.

Professional Block Paved Patio Renovation in Cambridgeshire

The post Cleaning and Re sanding a Block Paved Patio in Duxford appeared first on Cambridge Tile Doctor.

Neglected Victorian Encaustic Cement Hallway Renovated in Twickenham

Thu, 02 May 2019 12:59:27 +0000

This Encaustic Cement tiled floor dates to the Victorian period and was found under hallway carpet at a property in Twickenham. The tiles had been covered up for years with carpet and other floor coverings and although structurally intact their appearance had suffered from the neglect.

When the current owners discovered the pattered tiled floor, they were keen to restore it as a period feature, so they set about cleaning the tiles themselves. Unfortunately, they used some very harsh acidic products which badly pitted and etched the surface of the tile. In places, the tile pattern had started to disappear so when they got in contact, they were quite concerned.

Being based in Shepperton it wasn’t long before I was able to call in at the property to survey the Encaustic Cement tiles and quote for renovating the floor. The property was in a road with similar age properties, a lot still with lovely tiled Victorian porches and paths in fact we had carried out some work in the same street previously.

We advised the customer that the best course of action would be to deep clean the tiles to remove the years of ingrained dirt and then apply a sealer in order to protect the pores of the Encaustic Cement tiles from trapping ingrained dirt.

Now normally I would clean Encaustic Cement tiles with a set of burnishing pads and then seal with an impregnator like Tile Doctor Colour Grow. However, due to the damage caused by the DIY restoration I didn’t want to risk an abrasive cleaning process such as Burnishing on the tiles. After discussing the options, I recommend the best approach would be to deep clean the tiles with Tile Doctor Pro Clean which I was confident would improve their appearance. I would then seal the tiles to protect them from future damage whilst making the patterns much brighter and defined. We agreed a price and scheduled a date to start the work.

Deep Cleaning Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiles

Arriving on day one I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, this is a strong alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on Tile and Stone. It was left to dwell for roughly ten minutes so it could soak into the pores of the cement tile and breakdown the ingrained dirt. I then ran over the tiles with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer running at slow speed. This action released the dirt from the floor turning the cleaning solution into a slurry that was then extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum. The floor was then rinsed with water, then extracted again to remove remaining dirt.

Once the whole floor had been treated, I repeated the process for a second time to ensure all the dirt had been removed. After the second rinse the floor looked much better and was left overnight to dry off.

Sealing a Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning the following day, I checked the floor for excess moisture and was pleased to find everything was nice and dry. It’s important that the floor is dry before applying a sealer, so I was able to set about sealing the floor. Multiple thin coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go we applied which adds a lovely subtle sheen to the tiles. Five coats were applied allowing the tile to dry in between.

As you can see from the pictures, the deep clean and fresh sealer has brought out the best in the floor and given it a new lease of life. The sealer should last for a good few years and there is very little evidence of the damage done previously. Needless to say, the client was very happy and much relieved.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway in Middlesex

The post Neglected Victorian Encaustic Cement Hallway Renovated in Twickenham appeared first on South Middlesex Tile Doctor.

Large Pitted Travertine Floor Filled and Polished in Mottram St Andrew

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 14:36:15 +0000

This customer lives in the small yet sought after village of Mottram St Andrew near Alderley Edge in East Cheshire. I was asked to do something about the Travertine tiled floors which had become an eye sore due to many black holes and pits that where appearing. This is not an unusual problem for Travertine, it’s a very porous and Acid Sensitive stone so it’s not a good idea to use powerful acidic cleaning products which are quite common in supermarkets. They reduce the life of the sealer and can actually eat into the travertine. Pitting is also a common with this type of stone and easily traps dirt, so we always recommend having the pits filled.

I visited the property to survey the floor and re-assured the owner the problems could be resolved, and the floors appearance restored. The floor was installed throughout much of the ground floor and as I suspected the previous sealer had worn down with use and now dirt was becoming ingrained in the pits and pores of the stone making it impossible to keep clean.

Cleaning and Burnishing a Large Travertine Floor in Mottram St Andrew

To restore the appearance of the Travertine the tiles would need to be polished using a set of Burnishing Pads that would cut through the dirt and polish the stone. Before starting however, I made sure any exposed woodwork was protected which included removing the kickboards from underneath the kitchen units.

The first pad was a coarse 400 grit which fits onto a rotary machine and is applied to the Travertine tiles with water spread which acts as a lubrication. The pads literally scratch off the dirt and the resultant slurry is then removed with a wet vacuum. The floor is then washed, and the process was repeated with the next two pads which are 800 and 1500 grit, again using water to lubricate (although less than the 400-grit) and rinsing and extracting in between the application of each pad. These higher grit pads are much finer and slowly restore the finish of the stone.

There was a lot of surface area to cover so this process took up the whole of the first day and the floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Polishing and Sealing a large Travertine Floor in Mottram St Andrew

When I came back the next morning, I finished off the burnishing process using the last floor pad in the Burnishing set which is applied dry to the floor with a few squirts of water. This final pad is 3000 grit which is super fine and builds up a high gloss shine on the Travertine, it also leaves the floor dry and ready to be sealed.

I then sealed the floor using a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the Travertine occupying the pores and preventing dirt from becoming ingrained into the stone. Colour Grow also enhances the natural colours in the stone and in this case, it did a great job of bringing out the brown shades in the Travertine.

The next step was to fill the holes in the Travertine throughout using appropriate colours of stone filler. The filler is left to dry and harden before the excess is polished off using a white buffing pad. Once done the floor is vacuumed to remove dust before applying another coat of Colour Grow sealer which was allowed to dry before giving the floor a final polish with a new 3000-grit burnishing pad to achieve a deep shine. Given the size of the floor I was able to work in sections, polishing, sealing, filling etc, moving onto the next section as the sealer dried.

The process made a huge difference to the floor which now looks much lighter and is not spoilt by the dark patches brought about by the pitting.

Professional Travertine Floor Polishing in Cheshire

The post Large Pitted Travertine Floor Filled and Polished in Mottram St Andrew appeared first on East Cheshire Tile Doctor.

Correcting Tilers Grout Colour Mistake in a Cobham Bathroom

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 06:11:21 +0000

This client is a famous artist who has just had a new house built inCobham. The house is stunning, and the design details have had a lot of thought put into them. As with big projects such as these there are lots of things to think about and to ensure the builders deliver your vision and artists do have an eye for detail.

A point of contention was one of the bathrooms where the tiler had used a light grey grout in the shower and a dark grey colour in the rest of the bathroom. Although an interesting contrast It looked rather odd and my client was not keen on it nor was it made clear as to why it had been grouted in that colour.

The brief was to have dark grey in the whole bathroom! As is her right after spending a lot of money, she wanted uniformity, but the tiler wasn’t having any of it. She was rather fed up with the whole situation so contacted us at Tile Doctor to ask if we could rectify the problem. In fact, this is a relatively easy job to solve so I discussed the solution and how long it would take and provided a quote for doing the work. She was happy to agree to my quote and I arranged to return the following week.

She was keen to get all the works completed and tie up all the final snags. Cobham is a very desirable area of Surrey and she will be in good company with many celebrity neighbours nearby. The high street is also full of lovely shops and restaurants, unfortunately no time for me to stop.

Grout Recolouring a Porcelain Tiled Bathroom Walls

To resolve the issue, I applied a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in Charcoal Grey to all the wall grout in the bathroom to ensure uniformity. Tile Doctor Grout Colourant dries very quickly so once applied any excess must be removed quickly, I recommend wet wipes for this. This product is equally effective for interior or exterior applications including all types of bathrooms and kitchens and is available in ten different colours making it very versatile. It is easy to apply but ensuring the excess is removed is the key to a good finish.

Five hours of effort, one bottle of Tile Doctor Charcoal Grey Grout Colourant and three packets of wet wipes later and the job was finished. Whilst it is a simple job, it is quite time consuming and a little patience is required. However, I have to agree with the owner, the bathroom looks much more sophisticated with a darker grout colour, it’s amazing how a subtle change can make such a difference. It is worth noting when you have any tiling done, there is a variety of colours of grout available so always ask the tiler, don’t just assume there is one choice.

The client was now satisfied, and the bathroom looked how she had envisaged it. I must admit, the light and dark grey combination really didn’t work! I took the opportunity to suggest she should use Tile Doctor Oxy-Pro spray for regular bathroom tile and grout cleaning as she has several tiled bathrooms in the new house, and this will ensure they remain in pristine condition.

Professional Grout Re Colouring of a Porcelain Tiled Bathroom in West Surrey

The post Correcting Tilers Grout Colour Mistake in a Cobham Bathroom appeared first on West Surrey Tile Doctor.

Clean and Seal a Flagstone Floor in Long Buckby

Fri, 26 Apr 2019 03:16:29 +0000

A client in the village of Long Buckby called us out to look at her Flagstone floor that needed some love and attention. As you can see in the pictures the floor was looking very dull which was due to dirt becoming ingrained in the pores of the stone.

The Flagstone tiles were installed in the dining room and well suited the look of the period property. Long Buckby is a small village with a long history that dates to the Vikings and is situated midway between Rugby and Northampton, so not too far from my base over in Rushden.

I went over to inspect the floor and could see the Flagstone and grout was in need of deep clean to extract the dirt. It looked as if they had never been sealed since installation which according to the owner was many years ago. With no sealer to protect the pores of the stone it wouldn’t have been long before the build-up of dirt had become unsightly in the high traffic areas. I discussed with the client the best way to clean the floor and we agreed a price for the work to be done, booking it in for the following week.

Cleaning and Restoring a Flagstone Tiled Dining Room Floor

To start I decided to apply a dedicated cleaning agent, Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The cleaning solution was sprayed onto the floor and then left to soak in for about twenty minutes. It was then agitated with a buffing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad and also with stiff brushes run along the grout lines. The soiled solution was then extracted using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed with clean water and left to dry.

As the floor dried, we could see that the deep clean was a success and that we had managed to clean the floor and remove all the embedded dirt in one go. This is quite rare, and normally more work is required before it meets the standard we aim for. The floor was left to dry overnight in preparation for the all-important sealing process.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Dining Room Floor

Returning the following day, we checked the floor was dry enough to seal with a moisture meter. It met the acceptable level, so we sealed the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that helps bring out the deep colour from within the flagstone.

Colour Grow also offers superior protection from everyday staining and will prevent dirt from reaching the pores of the stone so it keeps its appearance for some years to come. Another benefit is the sealer is breathable which is useful for older properties with no damp proof course membrane, as the sealer allows the floor to pass moisture from the sub floor. Three coats of sealer were applied, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next.

The client was over the moon with the result, as you can see from the pictures the floor was now looking good and should be easier for them to maintain.

For general cleaning and to get a longer life out of the sealer we recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. It’s super concentrated product so a small amount product goes a long way.

Professional Renovation of Flagstone Tiled Flooring in Northamptonshire

Restoring the Appearance of Encaustic Cement Tiles in Chipping Norton

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 15:21:30 +0000

The photographs on this page are of Encaustic Cement tiles where the grout had not been wiped off the surface properly after being laid. This in turn allowed dirt to become easily trapped and they soon became grubby. We see this problem a lot at Tile Doctor where it is commonly referred to has Grout Smears or Grout Haze. The customer from Chipping Norton had tried to remove it themselves without success and decided to give us a call.

If you haven’t come across them before Encaustic Cement tiles are often hand painted and are available in a range of beautifully artistic patterns. Being cement based however they do need to be sealed for best results.

Burnishing and Sealing Encaustic Cement Tiles

To remove the grout and dirt and restore the look of the tiles I opted to use diamond encrusted burnishing pads. Tile Doctor supply a set of these pads comprising of four pads of increasing grits. I started with the coarse 400-grit burnishing pads running it over the floor with a rotary floor machine and lubricated with a small amount of water. Following this I worked my way through the system, applying Medium 800-grit and Fine 1500-grit pads rinsing off the slurry generated in-between and extracting with a wet vacuum.

The last Very Fine, 3000-grit pad is applied dry with only a little water spayed onto the floor using a process we call a “Spray Burnish”. This really refines the look of the tiles and usefully leaves them dry. This process took up the whole morning and the next step would be to seal the tiles, so I went for lunch at this point to give the tiles more time to dry.

Sealing Encaustic Cement Floor Tiles

To be sure they were dry I tested the floor with a damp meter, the readings were fine, and I was satisfied I could go ahead and apply the sealer.

To seal the tiles, I used two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, this is an impregnating sealer that penetrates and occupies the pores of the tile thus prevent dirt from becoming ingrained there. Colour Grow also leaves a matt finish which is ideal for this type of tile.

With the grout and dirt removed and a sealer in place to protect them this floor will be much easier for the customer to keep them clean in future.

Get the Encaustic Look

If you like the look of Encaustic tiles but don’t want the hassle of having to maintain them it’s worth looking at their equivalent in Glazed Porcelain which are very low maintenance. CTD have a Cuban and Havana range which are inspired by the intricate geometric shapes found in Encaustic tiles, both are made from Glazed Porcelain which doesn’t need to be sealed and are therefore very low maintenance. CTD have over 100 tile shops in the UK and you can also buy on-line or order free samples via their website: www.CTDTiles.co.uk

Restoring the Appearance of Grubby Encaustic Cement Tiles in Oxfordshire

Cleaning Porcelain floor tiles and grout in Beaconsfield

Wed, 24 Apr 2019 16:53:27 +0000

Recently I was called to visit this client in Beaconsfield who had moved into their house several years prior. Their hallway floor tiles were already dirty when they moved in and with several young kids the problem had slowly got worse. The hallway should look nice and bright and inviting, but instead the Porcelain tile and grout was looking dull and worn. According to the previous owners the tiles had not been down long before they sold the property.

I went around to survey the floor and could see the biggest problem was the grout which had darkened due to the trapped dirt. It is always easiest for us to view the job and then we can see what work is involved. Pictures alone rarely provide enough information. I did a test clean with great results and once we had agreed a price, I was invited back to do the job. I booked it in for a few weeks’ time.

Porcelain is a popular choice in homes these days, they come in a huge variety of colours, styles and are hardwearing and versatile enough to be used in bathrooms, kitchens and on floors such as these. With the addition of underfloor heating, there is no need for the myth of a tiled floor being cold to exist either. With a small amount of maintenance, the floor can be kept looking nice.

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Hallway Floor

To clean the Porcelain tile and grout I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in with a black scrubbing pad fixed to a rotary floor buffer. The abrasive action of the pad combined with the cleaning power of Pro-Clean got to work cleaning all the tiles and got the worst out of the grout. We followed this by rinsing with water and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum, keeping the mess to a minimum.

Some of the grout lines were still not 100 percent so I went back over them using neat Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up scrubbing it in by hand with a stiff brush and then giving the floor another rinse. Once I was satisfied the tile and grout was as clean as it could be the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing the Grout on a Porcelain Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day I returned and used a pipette to apply Tile Doctor Ultra Seal to all the grout lines. Porcelain tiles themselves won’t usually accept a sealer, however the grout will benefit hugely and hopefully they can now keep the floor looking much cleaner for longer.

For aftercare I recommended that they use Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner on a regular basis rather than the household cleaners which are available in supermarkets. It is pH neutral, so it won’t prematurely degrade the sealant on the grout.

The client was very happy with the work we had completed, the floor looked pristine, and the hallway looked welcoming. They now felt confident they would be able to keep on top of it going forward.

Professional Clean of a Porcelain Tiled Hallway in South Buckinghamshire

Cleaning Candle Wax Staining from Fireplace Quarry Tiles

Wed, 24 Apr 2019 03:17:08 +0000

A lady from Rochdale contacted us with what she had thought was irreparable damage to the Quarry tiles surrounding her brick fireplace. They used to have a lovely glossy finish but due to small accident with candle wax that happened whilst removing the candle the were now dull and patchy. The fireplace and tiles were 17 years old and as far as the customer was aware, they had never been sealed in the past.

Unsure of how to resolve the problem they decided to give Tile Doctor a call. As it turns out they had also called their insurance company and were considering replacing the whole fireplace if no one could help resolve it! But the brick fireplace suited the design of the house which also had lovely wooden beams in the same room so that was not their first choice. They certainly did not want the disruption of replacing it.

I went over to survey the tiles and carried out a small patch test, the test went well, and I was confident that the tiles could be restored to their former glory! Happy and relieved with the results the customer booked me in to complete the work.

Cleaning Candle Wax from a Quarry Tiled Fireplace

First, we ensured the area around the fireplace was covered and taped up, to ensure no spills onto the nearby carpet and surrounding area. To clean the quarry tiles and remove the candle wax I applied undiluted Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to dwell for fifteen minutes before being scrubbed in.

The space around the fireplace was tight so to scrub the product into the tile I used a small six-inch black scrubbing pad fitted to a hand buffer. The soil was extracted with our wet vacuum and then the tiles rinsed with water to ensure the mess was kept to a minimum.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Fireplace

Normally I would wait for the tiles to dry naturally overnight before sealing, however given the small size of the area involved I was able to dry it using some gentle warmth from a heat gun. This meant I would be able to complete the job in the same day thus saving time and expense for the customer.

To seal the Quarry tiles, I applied a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, which gives a nice durable low sheen that works well on Quarry tiles. Seal and Go is also water based so it doesn’t give off a smell as it dries.

My customer was very happy with the results which were astonishing! “It’s like having a whole new brick installation ” they explained after we finished! Further they left the following comment on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“After trying to claim on my “accidental” house insurance with an extortionate policy excess, I contacted the Tile Doctor. My tiles were renovated to an excellent standard. The lady who renovated the tiles represented the company in a professional way and was very respectful of my home and the work carried out far exceeded my expectations. My fireplace tiles look brand new. I would definitely recommend this company. Donna B, Rochdale”

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Fireplace in South Lancashire

Stained Yorkstone Floor Renovated After Leak in Norton Office

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 15:08:50 +0000

We were called in by a hygiene supplies company after one of their delivery drivers had delivered some hand wash to one of their clients in Norton, Sheffield and unfortunately during delivery one of the bottles had leaked all over this York Stone floor. It had caused some staining and removed some of the sealant, so the floor now required a complete deep clean and seal.

The modern building in the Yorkshire Hills close to Sheffield is the headquarters of a Bar & Pub dispensing equipment suppliers and the York Stone runs right throughout the main reception area. As it is the first impression for visitors, it was important that the floor was cleaned and restored and obviously the company were keen to put right their drivers’ accident. After visiting the property to survey the floor we arranged to carry the work out over a weekend while the employees were out of the way and no clients would be visiting.

Cleaning a Yorkstone Office Floor in Sheffield

Firstly, we protected the skirting boards, carpets and adjoining rooms so any splashes from cleaning would not damage or stain anything. Then we set about applying Tile Doctor Pro Clean diluted 1:5 with water. This was left to soak into the stone for ten minutes to lift the grime, dirt and previous sealer out of the stone. Once it had been given time to soak in the solution was scrubbed into the stone with a 40kg weighted floor buffer fitted with a 17in black scrubbing pad running at medium speed. Immediately you could see a huge change in the appearance of the stone as the natural colours of the stone were revealed.

When one area had been scrubbed, we vacuumed up the resulting slurry and gave the floor a thorough rinse with fresh water. The rinsed water was also extracted with the wet vacuum before moving onto another area of floor. It took a full day to clean the whole floor and then we left it to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Yorkstone Office Floor in Sheffield

We returned the following morning, the floor was checked with the damp meter to ensure it was dry enough, it was within the correct parameters, so we were good to go ahead and apply the seal.

The floor was given two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow; this is an impregnating sealer that seeps into the pores of the stone, intensifying the natural colours in the stone whilst providing the durable surface protection needed for such a high traffic area. Each coat is left to dry before applying the next.

Once complete the floor looked much cleaner, the colours in the stone were much more evident and any evidence of the staining was gone. The new sealer is set to keep the floor protected from ingrained dirt for some time to come. The owners of the company were over the moon, and the driver was relieved too, as you can see from the pictures the change was dramatic. In fact, the feedback I got from the customer was.

“What a transformation!!!”

Professional Restoration of Yorkstone Office Floor in South Yorkshire

Renovating Porcelain Tile and Grout in a Binfield Kitchen

Sat, 20 Apr 2019 01:42:15 +0000

A customer of mine was so impressed the transformation I had made to her marble shower tiles that she asked me to come back and work some magic on the Porcelain tiled floor in her Kitchen. The property was in Binfield which is situated close to Reading, between Bracknell and Wokingham. I had other jobs booked in at the time, so after working out a quote which included lightening the colour of the grout, I scheduled a date for a return visit.

The Porcelain tile itself wasn’t too old, roughly 5 years but had been sealed with a product that had failed to bond with the tile leaving it stained and dark. There are three types of Porcelain tile commonly available and only Micro-Porous Porcelain will take a sealer. So, suspect either these tiles were of the non-porous type or that the previous sealer wasn’t an impregnator which is typically thinner so it can soak into the pores.

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before starting I removed the kick boards from underneath the kitchen units. Then to strip off the old sealer and deep clean the tile and grout I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This was allowed this to soak into the floor for approximately ten minutes before scrubbing the tile and grout lines with a stiff grout brush and a black abrasive scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. The resulting slurry was rinsed off the floor using more water and a wet extraction machine. Once the whole area was cleaned, I left the floor to dry off.

Although the grout was now clean it was still dark in appearance which made the room look smaller. I was ready for this however as part of the quote I had included colouring the grout with a white colourant which would dramatically affect the appearance of the floor and seal the grout to protecting it from future staining.

Applying White Grout Colourant

Returning from lunch the grout had dried and I was able to start the grout colouring process. I did this using a tube of White Tile Doctor Grout Colourant applied using a small brush, carefully wiping away any excess that had smeared onto the tile using a damp shammy. Once the product had dried, I gave the floor a buff with a white pad to remove any remaining residue.

The customer was delighted with the results and left positive feedback
“Yet again Dennis has made my tiles look new. In fact, they look even better than when they were first laid in the kitchen. Very impressed with the work and professionalism and would highly recommend his services.”

Porcelain tiles are fairly robust and with the grout colourant providing a barrier over the grout the floor is set to stay looking good for some time to come. However there are a lot of cleaners out there on the market, some of which are very strong so for aftercare I recommended they use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. It a concentrated product so a small amount goes a long way.

Professional Renovation of Porcelain Tiled Kitchen in Berkshire

Renovating an Edwardian Tiled Hallway in Worcester

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 01:28:34 +0000

This customer bought an Edwardian property in Worcester and discovered a stained yet beautiful tiled period floor when removing the hallway carpet. They were delighted to find the tiles were in good physical condition but as you would expect the floor needed a thorough clean and then sealing to protect the tiles and improve the finish.

The property was well located, close to the city centre, River Severn and the stunning historic 12th century Worcester Cathedral. Neighbouring houses were of a similar age and it was lovely to see so many of them had retained their Edwardian tiled porchways. Naturally the new owners were keen to retain as many of the period features of the property as possible, and so over the moon to discover the original hallway.

After popping round to survey the floor I discussed my plan for restoring the hallway and submitted a quote based on two days’ work. The quote was accepted, and the work was scheduled for later in the month.

Cleaning an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first day was spent cleaning the floor, firstly removing the carpet glue which was quite heavy on the edges of the floor. I used Tile Doctor Remove and Go for this and ceramic hob scraper, sometimes the oddest tools are the best! I then sprayed more Tile Doctor Remove and Go on to the remaining tiles leaving it to dwell for ten minutes. Then working the solution into the tiles with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to my rotary scrubber, I really started to make some progress.

The soil generated was extracted with a wet vacuum and I made a start on giving the floor an acid wash. For this I applied Tile Doctor Acid Gel and pasted it onto the floor again working the gel into the tiles. Tile Doctor Acid Gel is particularly useful for removing cement and grout smears. Also, there was some evidence of salt stains (Efflorescence), old floors like these don’t have a damp-proof membrane so it’s quite normal for moisture to rise through the tile.

I removed the slurry with a heavy duty wet and dry vacuum cleaner. Then as a final measure I used micro fibre cloths and some Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to remove any remaining smears once the floor was clean. I left for the day allowing the floor to dry overnight and would return the following day to seal.

Sealing a Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning the following morning, I first checked the floor with a moisture meter to ensure it had dried off fully overnight. The sealer I would use as agreed with the customer would be Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This is a topical fully breathable semi-gloss sealer and would give a nice light sheen and allow the colours in the tile to shine through. This sealer is fully breathable and would cope well with the light efflorescence issues the floor had experienced in the past.

The moisture readings were fine, so I started to apply the first coat of sealer using micro fibre cloths. After allowing the required drying time between coats I started on the second coat. Leaving the right amount of time between coats is especially important in winter when drying takes longer. The floor was treated to five coats of sealer in total and the customer was very satisfied with the finish.

Professional Restoration of a Edwardian Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

Cleaning and Sealing Green Slate tiles in Hastings

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 05:21:56 +0000

I worked on this beautiful Green Slate tiled floor just before Christmas but I’ve been so busy with other jobs I’ve only just go around to writing about it. The slate floor was installed in the hallway and kitchen of a property in the seaside town of Hastings and the owner was keen to have the work done before the holidays.

I had been to the property previously to survey the floor and quote for doing the work. It was clear that much of the sealer that had previously protected the slate from ingrained dirt had worn off and much of the floor had now lost is appearance. The solution would be to strip off what was left of the sealer, deep clean the stone to remove ingrained dirt and then apply a fresh sealer. The work should take two days to complete and fortunately for the client I was able to fit them in, December is after all one of our busiest periods.

Cleaning a Green Slate Tiled Floor in Hastings

After taping up the skirting boards to protect them during the cleaning process I sprayed the floor with Tile Doctor Remove and Go. Remove and Go is a cleaner and coatings remover that’s safe to use on Tile and Stone and is ideal for removing sealers. It’s important to remove all the old sealer from the floor as it may not be compatible with the new sealer and can result in an uneven appearance later.

The Remove and Go was left to soak into the Slate for about ten minutes before being worked into the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. I also like to use stiff hand brush along the grout lines and to get into those hard to reach areas. The soil generated was extracted using a van mounted high pressure cleaning system that simultaneously rinses the floor and vacuum’s the soil away to a recovery tank.

The Green Slate was installed in several different areas on the ground floor of the property, so it made sense to do the work one section at a time and then inspect all the floors at the end. Any stubborn stains were spot cleaned by hand using more Remove and Go until I was satisfied.

Sealing Green Slate Floor Tiles in Hastings

I left the floor to dry off overnight and came back the next day to seal it, unfortunately moisture readings indicated more drying time was required. I was working on another stone floor the following week, so I agreed with the owner to come back on Saturday and seal the floor then.

The sealer I used was Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is highly recommended for Slate and will provide good stain protection whilst improving the appearance of the stone to give a low sheen finish. Slate is quite a porous stone, so it took five coats before it was fully sealed. I think you will agree the Green Slate floor looks transformed and I’m sure was appreciated by their guests over Christmas.

Professional Renovation of a Green Slate Floor in Hastings, East Sussex

Cleaning a White Moleanos Limestone Kitchen Floor in Harrogate

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 00:55:25 +0000

These tiles are White Moleanos Limestone which I must say is not my favourite, you can just breath on them and they will stain, so not a practical choice for any floor really. They had been installed in the kitchen of a house in Harrogate and although it was only a small floor it was trapping the dirty and the owners were pulling their hair out trying to look after it.

I went over to survey the floor and explained to them Moleanos Limestone is a chalky stone from Portugal which is very porous and being so pale meant dirt easily stood out. With porous stone like this you need to ensure that the sealer is kept in good condition otherwise dirt will become ingrained in the pores and once that happens it becomes very difficult to clean effectively. In fact, once the sealer has worn off even dark coloured soles can mark it.

I carried out a small test patch, which was successful so once we had agreed a price, they were more than happy to go ahead with getting the work done. We booked a time the following week, the work would take a couple a days, one to deep clean and one to seal.

The property is in a lovely area of Harrogate which is well known for its tourist attractions, it is said that Harrogate spa water contains iron, sulphur and common salt. The town became known as ‘The English Spa’ in the Georgian era, after its waters were discovered in the 16th century. Later in the 17th and 18th centuries its waters (containing iron) were a popular health treatment, and this led to an influx of wealthy but unfortunately sickly visitors which in turn contributed significantly to the wealth of the town.

Cleaning a White Moleanos Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To restore the appearance of the stone I used a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads which clean and slowly hone the stone giving it a natural polished appearance. This is a slow steady process working through the different grades of burnishing pads from coarse to very fine. The pads are applied with water to lubricate and the soil generated is extracted with a wet vacuum afterwards.

Once the burnishing process was completed, I inspected the floor and was pleased to see that the floor was looking significantly better than when I had arrived. I gave the stone a final rinse and extracted as much moisture as possible with the wet vacuum before leaving for the day. The floor was left overnight to be sure that it would be dry before sealing. In the meantime, I asked the client to avoid walking on it.

Sealing a White Moleanos Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

I came back the next day and checked the floor was dry. All was well and so I proceeded to seal the floor using three coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which will add the protection the stone needed. Ultra-Seal is a premium, no-sheen, natural-look sealer. It provides maximum stain protection, especially in food preparation areas like the kitchen. It is also great for sealing the grout to prevent colour change from spillages.

The client was very happy and satisfied with the floor which looked much cleaner and fresher. After discussing after-care they were confident they could keep the floor looking that way going forward.

Professional Restoration of a White Moleanos Limestone Tiled Kitchen in North West Yorkshire

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Repaired and Restored in Girton

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 01:27:12 +0000

The owner of this Victorian tiled hallway floor at a house in the village of Girton was unhappy with its condition and asked if we could call round and quote for having it deep cleaned and resealed. Girton is just north of Cambridge and only about six miles from our base so it wasn’t long before I was able to call in and survey the floor.

The floor was comprised of a combination of Red, Black and Cream tiles laid in a diamond pattern. The tiles were in good physical condition and I understand from the owner that it had been last cleaned and sealed about two years prior. Unfortunately, the sealer had now faded and had allowed dirt to become trapped in the pores of the tile giving it a grubby appearance that was difficult to clean effectively. The owner had two large dogs which I suspect contributed to the premature degradation of the sealer.

I surveyed the floor, created a quote which was accepted and then agreed a date to return and renovate the floor.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On my return I started by taping up the skirting boards and other woodwork with protective tape. Once that was done, I gave the tiles a soak in a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was allowed to dwell for ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. Remove and Go is a coatings remover which cleans the tiles and removes any remaining sealer.

The soil generated was extracted off the floor using a wet vacuum and the tiles inspected. The tiles had responded well to the cleaning process and after spot treating a few areas with a repeat of the previous process it was ready for the next stage which was to give the floor an acid wash.

I had noticed there was a slight build-up of efflorescence along one of the walls which isn’t unusual on these old floors where no damp proof membrane has been installed under the floor. It’s caused by moisture rising through the tile and depositing white salt staining on the surface as it evaporates. To resolve this, we neutralise the salts by giving the floor a quick rinse in a dilution of Grout Clean-up.

The Grout Clean-Up rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with the wet vacuum which was employed to get the floor as dry as possible before leaving for the evening.

Sealing Victorian Hallway Tiles

The floor was left to dry off fully overnight and I returned the next day, unfortunately after checking the moisture levels I found it needed more drying time, so I agreed to come back the next day.

The moisture levels were fine on day three, so I applied multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. Seal and Go is a water-based product so you don’t get left with a smell as it dries. As well as protecting the tiles the sealer also adds a nice subtle sheen that works well on Victorian Tiles and has put new life into the tiled hallway.

Seal and Go is a breathable sealer so it will allow moisture to rise up through the tiles however had the efflorescence problem had been worse I would have used a different sealer. On this occasion however the problem appeared to be historical rather than recent.

My client was very happy with the transformation and left the following feedback.

“We are delighted with our Victorian tiled hall floor after treatment by Tom from Tile Doctor. A very professional service. Good communication throughout, and dedication to ensuring our full satisfaction; not a ways obvious when dealing with old tiles with different levels of porosity! Thank You!”

Repair Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Cambridgeshire

Limestone Kitchen Floor Tile Clean and Seal in Shepperton

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 00:39:53 +0000

This Limestone kitchen floor in Shepperton was laid new 3 years ago when a new kitchen was installed. The client had called in despair as the floor was just not looking its’ best and they were trying hard to get it clean, using household cleaners which were having no effect. I’m actually based in Shepperton, so it wasn’t long before I was able to pop round and survey the floor. The town has a lot of history and is famous for nearby Shepperton Studios which were built on the grounds of Littleton Park, many famous films have been created here including Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) and David Lean’s A Passage to India (1984).

As you can see from the pictures, the soil had penetrated the stone as the sealer had broken down over time. The grout lines were particularly bad but also, the small veins and pores had accumulated dirt, mainly due to pets and kids coming in from the garden. It’s worth noting that the use of supermarket cleaning products will have escalated the decline of the sealer, most are simply too strong for sealed surfaces and you should always read the label to ensure its suitable before using it on your floor.

This problem is quite common, and the solution is straight forward. Restoring the look of the floor requires removing the soiling with a deep clean and then when the floor is dry apply a new sealer to protect it. I talked the process over with the customer and agreed a quotation for completing the work which was accepted and arranged a convenient date. The work would be carried out over two days.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

A strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed on to the floor and after leaving it to soak in for about ten minutes, we mechanically scrubbed the solution into the Limestone using a rotary floor buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The pads can struggle to reach into the recessed grout however to that was manually scrubbed using more Pro-Clean. This process broke down the soil and released it from the stone and grout. Following this, we used a low-pressure rinsing machine and vacuumed all the soil and remaining cleaning product away from the floor.

Whilst I was working on the floor, I got the shock of my life as a bird hit the kitchen window resulting in a loud bang. I rushed outside to find a beautiful Green Woodpecker lying dazed on the floor, the poor thing had knocked itself unconscious. I put him in a cardboard box until he eventually recovered and flew off. I guess being able to drill into trees makes Woodpeckers tough birds who can withstand a knock or two. In this job no two days are the same, you never know what’s going to happen!

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

After allowing 24 hours for the floor to dry, we returned the following morning to apply a new seal. The best sealer for this type of stone is Tile Doctor Colour Grow. It is a colour enhancing impregnator that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within whilst enhancing the natural colours in the process. Impregnating sealers work by occupying the pores in the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there.

The client was delighted with the floor which now looked cleaner and fresher. We had managed to restore it back to it looking as it did when it was new, and the new sealer will keep it looking that way for some time to come.

For a free, no obligation quote for cleaning and sealing your stone or tiled floors in Shepperton, Middlesex, please call us on 0345 512 0122

Professional Restoration of Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor in Middlesex

Renovating a Natural Stone Hallway Floor at Spilsby Rental Property

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 11:48:24 +0000

We were asked by a client who had rented her property out near Spilsby Lincolnshire, if we could restore her very dirty natural flagstone hallway. The previous tenants had subjected the floor to heavy usage and unfortunately it had not been maintained very well. Spilsby is a small market town that has retained its’ character and not changed much since the 19th century. Being about 17 miles East of my base in Woodhall Spa it wasn’t long before I was able to go over and survey the floor.

As you can see from the pictures the flagstones were very well used and had lost all their natural beauty. The stone would normally have a lovely mixture of colours and grains showing, as you can see these were nowhere to be seen. I suspect the tenants had been using household cleaners on the floor which tend to strip the protective sealant due to their acidic composition leaving the stone vulnerable. The stone tiles were riven so once the sealant had started to break down the dirt soon becomes ingrained in the uneven surface making them difficult to clean.

The client was keen to get the floor looking nice and clean ready for the next tenants to move in so after discussing the process to get the floor looking good again, we agreed a price and booked in a date for the work to be completed.

Cleaning and Restoring a Natural Stone Tiled Hallway Floor

Arriving on the first day, we taped up the skirting and plinth to prevent them getting damaged. A strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was then applied to the stone floor and left to soak in for ten minutes so it could get to work breaking down the dirt and any remaining sealer. Pro-Clean is a professional tile and grout cleaning product that is ideal for cleaning dirty stone tiles like these.

The stone tiles were riven (not a smooth) so we used a Rotovac system to get the tiles clean. The machine scrubs the floor with soft brushes whilst simultaneously extracting the soil using self-contained pressurised water. It’s a very efficient way to deep clean the floor and vacuum all the dirty solution away from the floor. It immediately transformed the look of the stone and achieved a 1st class result in removing all the grime and dirt from the stone.

The cleaning process went very well and by the time we had finished the whole area looked much brighter. The natural tones of the stone had come back to life and with the application of a sealer they should stay that way for some time to come. Before this could happen however the floor needed to be dry so we the help of a couple of turbo dryers the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Natural Stone Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day after making sure the floor was dry by testing with the moisture meter, we sealed the floor with two coats of our natural look sealer Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This is an impregnating sealer that works by seeping into the pores of the stone thereby preventing dirt and liquid from becoming ingrained there.

The sealer gave the stone a natural look that the client requested, and she was delighted with the end result. Hopefully she will have no trouble renting out the property, the floor now looks stunning!

Professional Restoration of a Natural Stone Tiled Hallway Floor in Lincolnshire

Renovating a Beautiful Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Sutton Coldfield

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 01:14:26 +0000

I recently completed the renovation of a Multi-Coloured Slate tiled kitchen floor in Sutton Coldfield. I was actually at the property before Christmas to survey the floor and quote for the work however the owners had planned to have a new kitchen installed in the new year, so we decided it was best for me to wait until after the installation to complete the work.

The slate was in good condition but like any stone floor you do need to maintain the sealer to prevent dirt becoming ingrained in the stone. Sealer do wear off overtime especially in the high foot traffic areas such as Kitchens and within a few years the tiles become dull and difficult to clean effectively.

The kitchen was installed on schedule and I got the call to arrange a visit to deep clean and reseal the floor which would take to two days, one to clean and one to seal.

Cleaning Dirty Slate Kitchen Tiles

To begin the restoration, I soaked the slate in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to soak in for about ten minutes re-applying extra solution where it dried. Pro-Clean is a powerful tile cleaner that will strip old sealers when applied in concentrated form. I agitated the product using a black pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine. I paid particular attention to the grout which the customer had trouble keeping clean. The rotary pad struggles to reach into the recesses of the grout lines so I also made sure to scrub the solution into the grout with a grout brush.

Once I was satisfied that the Slate and the Grout was clean and clear of old sealers, I gave the whole floor a thorough rinse with water using a wet vacuum to extract the soil and get the floor as dry as possible. The floor was then left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing Slate Kitchen Tiles

Returning to the property the next day, I ran some quick damp tests to check for any excess moisture that might have prevented me from sealing the floor. We will always do this as excess moisture can affect the sealer curing.
The customer was very happy with the clean and the floor was dry, so we discussed sealer options to find out their preference for Matt or Satin finish. With the decision made to go with a Satin finish I began the application of the Tile Doctor Seal and Go which enhances the look of the stone with an aesthetically pleasing low-sheen finish, as well as providing on-going protection against ingrained dirt and staining.

A total of four coats of Seal and Go were needed to seal the Slate tiles and as you can see from the photos the sealer really put the life back into the floor.

Rejuvenating a Multicoloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Staffordshire

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor, Old Marston

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 08:36:54 +0000

I received a call from this client in Old Marston around two miles north east of the centre of Oxford. They had lifted a lino floor in their kitchen and found an old Quarry Tiled floor underneath and decided to see if they could have it restored.

I went over to survey the floor and could see that the tiles had been covered with a thin layer of levelling screed to ensure the lino didn’t sink into the recesses. I ran some tests to demonstrate how the screed could be removed which worked well and it was apparent that the tiles underneath were intact and could be renovated. I submitted a quotation for removing all the screed, deep cleaning the Quarry tiles and then sealing the tiles to protect them. The client was really pleased that we could restore the floor and the quote was accepted, with a date booked to do the work.

Removing Screed and Cleaning Kitchen Quarry Tiles

To start the work, I applied undiluted Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up worked in with a small carbide brush attached to a hand-held rotary buffer. The combination of the acid in the Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up combined with the scrubbing action of the brush were effective at removing most of the screed. The small bits of remaining screed were carefully removed by hand, using a floor scraper. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil removed with a wet vacuum.

For the second phase of the cleaning process I applied Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which was scrubbed into the floor with a stiff brush rinsing after with water and the soil extracted again using the wet vacuum. After cleaning the floor to remove the dirt I could still see some evidence of the screed on the tiles, so I decided to give the floor an Acid Wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which was scrubbed into the floor and rinsed off as before. Tile Doctor Acid Gel is of course an acidic product so once it was removed, I decided to rinse the floor with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to neutralise the pH levels in the floor. The wet vacuum was used again to remove as much moisture from the Quarry tiles as possible before leaving the now clean floor to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned to seal this floor the next day. First, I checked the floor was fully dry with the damp meter, it was within the recommended range, so I was ready to complete the sealing process.

The client was not too sure if they wanted a matt or sheen finish, so I first put a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow on the floor to show them the matt finish. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that enhances natural colour and protects from within by occupying the pores in the tile. After reviewing the floor, they decided it was not for them, so I followed up by applying several coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which adds a nice sheen finish and is compatible with Colour Grow.

The combination of sealers worked very well together, and they were very satisfied with the final result and of course that we had been able to restore the Quarry tiles.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen in Oxfordshire

Damaged Victorian Tiled Hallway Fully Restored in Epsom

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 07:32:43 +0000

A customer from Epsom called me regarding the restoration of her Victorian tiled hallway which was previously covered in carpet and in a poor state of health. Intrigued and having spoken on the phone I agreed a time to call in and survey the floor and work out a way forward. I visited the property and could immediately see considerable repair work including resolving problems with the sub floor and tile replacement would be required and all this before cleaning and sealing.

This house had undergone some serious renovations recently and the floor was left till last. I’m not a structural engineer so was unable to advise what had happened to the floor, but all the faults appeared to run in a line from the kitchen to the front door. It was an old house so who knows what might have caused it, it might even have been bomb damage from the 2nd world war.

There were three main problem areas. The worst was by the front door where an area of about a metre square was just loose tiles and laid on rubble. The family had got used to jumping across the threshold so as not to make the problem worse. Next was a strip through the middle that was totally exposed and a massive trip hazard. The floor boards were visible as was the floor base. There was another area by the front room entrance that had some loose pattern tiles that clunked every time someone entered the room. Finally, there was a small area to the entrance to the basement that had been patched in with cement.

It was clearly going to be a challenging restoration for several reasons. Had the customer kept all the loose tiles? If not, could I source matching replacements? Would it be possible to level the floor that appeared to be sloping towards the front door? Could I remove loose and broken tiles without disturbing others? Could I manage the customers high expectations?

Having worked on numerous Victorian floor restorations in the past I knew where I could potentially source replacement tiles. I also had the full backing of the Tile Doctor network so knew I could always reach out to other Tile Doctors should I face any major problems. Undaunted we agreed a date for me to return and start the work and in the mean time I would talk to several specialist tile suppliers about replacements.

Rebuilding a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting any tiling work, I photographed the whole floor extensively from different angles so I would have something to refer to later. Then I removed all the loose tiles placing them in buckets for further cleaning. I now had three areas that I could see beneath the floor boards and another area of cement that I broke up using a chisel drill. In total I filled six buckets with rubble and broken tiles, all of which were taken off site and disposed of at a local recycling centre.

The next step was to ensure I had a level and flat base in the newly exposed areas on which to lay the tiles. I managed this by laying down a self-levelling compound. The compound is mixed in a bucket and poured into the holes up to the required level allowing gravity to do the levelling work for you. It is then left to dry and harden overnight.

The next day I started by re-fixing the loose tiles in areas where the subfloor was still solid. Close packed Victorian tiles are very tough but can be brittle, often removing a single tile can cause chips or break surrounding tiles. I always buy more replicas than the job requires for this very reason. This can be very frustrating work, so I find its best approach is to remove as few tiles as possible. I explained to the customer that the floor is over 100 years old and some chips and scratches give the floor character. Perfection is an unrealistic expectation where some marks are permanent.

Part of the other renovations included the removal of two antique radiators leaving some strips of carpet and adhesive attached to the floor. I removed this using a strong mixture of tile doctor remove and go and a little encouragement from a 50-grit diamond block.

The preparation continued with the cleaning up of the three buckets of tiles recovered at the beginning of the restoration. Old adhesive and cement must be removed before refitting to ensure they can be laid flush to the adjacent tiles. Luckily for me the weather was warm and sunny, so I sat on the garden wall for the afternoon using a combination of a wet tile cutter, Fein tool and diamond blocks to get them clean while I took in the sun.

The next day was spent re-laying the tiles. The tiles are in an intricate pattern and in various shapes and sizes. The main area by the front door took all day. The difference in thickness between the original and replacement tiles made the work particularly difficult. Interested neighbours came and went commenting on my progress throughout.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day I soaked all the tiles with tile doctor Acid Gel and left to dwell for 30 minutes. This was to work into the porous areas and to break down years of dirt. Then attaching a very coarse 100-grit diamond encrusted pad attached to a rotary floor machine I cleaned the tiles with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This process skims away a small layer of the tiles thus the dirt too. All the soil was extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum. I repeated this process twice for maximum effect. The customer was amazed at the result and I wasn’t finished yet. When wet the contrast between the white tiles and dark were astonishing, however this was temporary so I made sure the customer aware that without a sealer they would look washed out and colourless. I left the scene overnight with a couple of warm air movers in place to fully dry out the tiles.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

The tiles need to be dry before sealing so the next day my first action was to test the floor for moisture using a damp meter. They passed and were ready to take a sealer, so I discussed the different options and finishes with the customer. It was a very interesting house, full of retro artefacts so we needed something that would blend in, more importantly she had four children and a husband who bought a cycle through the house twice a day. I recommended Tile doctor seal and Go Extra. It’s super tough, offering great protection and gives a subtle sheen that I felt would suit the house. Three coats later and I was done, closing the door behind me as everyone was at school and work

I popped back later that evening to discuss the job. The newly applied sealer had intensified the depth of colour in the Victorian tiles and returned the brightness to the floor. She was very pleased and even gave me a carrot cake to take home with me.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

Restoring a 200-Year-Old Stone Fireplace in Lingfield

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 12:12:20 +0000

We are often called in to restore stone and tile where others have not been able to succeed, and this was the case with this 200-year-old stone fireplace in Lingfield. To be fair to the previous company its was covered in 5mm of paint in multiple layers so it was no easy task to restore.

The church in Lingfield village was apparently rebuilt in 1431 so it’s not surprising to find houses here containing some impressive period features. This property also had an old Pamment tiled hallway which I wrote about in a previous article.

Removing Paint from a Stone Fireplace

To strip the multiple layers of paint off the stone fireplace I would need to apply a strong chemical, so my first task was to protect the adjacent woodwork. I tend to use a thin blue film for this as it sticks well to most surfaces and like professional decorators masking tape it doesn’t remove the paint when you remove it later.

To soften and remove the paint I applied a special paste that is brushed on and slowly emulsifies the paint so it can be easily peeled off. To ensure all the layers could be removed I blanketed the whole fireplace in a thin laminated membrane which ensures the product doesn’t evaporate. The paste is safe to use on Stone and I left it for a couple of days before returning.

I returned to the house in Lingfield and completed the messy job of stripping off the now pliable paint taking care not to damage the fireplace or the surroundings. Once done and the waste removed, I set about cleaning up the now naked stone with Tile Doctor Acid Gel.

Acid Gel is a perfect choice for this job as being a gel its easy to control and sticks to the vertical surface allowing it to be scrubbed in without running down the facia. After scrubbing the gel was carefully rinsed off with a sponge.

The restoration took a lot of manual work especially when working around the intricate carvings in the stone however the transformation was well worth it. I think you will agree the Fireplace now looks transformed.

Large Stone Fireplace Restored in East Surrey

Bathroom Tile and Grout Refresh in Manchester City Rental Apartment

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 01:57:23 +0000

A client with a high-rise apartment in Manchester city centre contacted us in relation to the look of their bathroom tiles. The grout had become grubby and black with mould and it was clear from their message that they were considering have the grout replaced in order to freshen up the bathroom.

We discussed the problem over the telephone, and they emailed a picture of the bathroom across so I could get a better idea of what needed doing. It turns out that the apartment had been rented out previously and they needed the bathroom renovating so they could start letting it again. Clearly, they were keen to have the work completed as soon as possible. Fortunately, we are sometimes able to come out on short notice, especially for small jobs like this and so were able to do the work the following week

Re-grouting is a lot of work and very time consuming so I explained the benefits of Grout Colouring which is much quicker and results in a more practical finish as I will explain. There was a small issue with parking as one would expect from the city centre, but we were able to use one of the parking spaces of a neighbour in the basement of the building.

Cleaning the Grout and Tiles in a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom

My first task was to get the grout as clean as possible before applying the colourant and given the amount of mould I decided to apply Tile Doctor Duo-Clean which is a Tile Cleaner/Mould Remover and ideal for use on ceramic tile and grout. The product was sprayed onto the tiles and grout and then scrubbed in by hand to get the grout as clean as possible. I also used a powerful steam cleaner to get the grout as clean as possible before rinsing the soil off with water. This process went well, and the grout looked much cleaner afterwards but was now a little patchy in places due to deep staining.

It’s worth noting that mould thrives in damp warm conditions and can easily be controlled by ensuring the bathroom has adequate ventilation. Some modern showers have a function that cool the bathroom down after use by running the shower on a cold setting. Improving cross-ventilation by leaving the bathroom door and a window open can also improve the situation and of course you can always apply Tile Doctor Duo-Clean on a regular basis.

Recolouring Grout in a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom

Once the grout was dry and as clean as it could be, I applied a White Tile Doctor Grout Colourant along the grout lines with a small brush taking care to wipe off any excess from the tiles as I went. Only one bottle of colourant was needed, and I have found baby wipes work well when wiping off the excess.

The last step in the bathroom renovation was to strip out all the old mouldy silicone between the bath and the tiles and replace with new mould resistant silicone.

The cleaning and grout colour completely transformed the look of the bathroom leaving it looking fresh. The grout which was previously dark and patchy was now a consistent white colour giving the impression it had only been recently tiled. The colourant also forms an epoxy barrier over the grout that will prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the grouts surface going forward, it’s also much easier to clean.

The customer was most impressed with the result and has informed us since that they will back in touch about renovating the grout in their own home! They left the following comment on the Tile Doctor website.

“Kamila made a wonderful job cleaning my grout and silicone. The bathroom looks like new. She was also easy to deal, very friendly and professional. Thank you!”

Professional Bathroom Tile and Grout Refresh in Manchester Apartment

Renovating a Quarry Tiled Hearth in Lindow End

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 07:05:16 +0000

We received an inquiry from a client in Lindow End near Wilmslow Golf Club in the Cheshire stockbroker belt. They were restoring their home and were unhappy with the state of the Quarry tiled hearth under their log burning stove. We arranged a site visit to survey the tile and grout and provide a quote for restoring the appearance. The village is situated in what’s known as the ‘Cheshire Golden Triangle’ which is one of the most sought-after places to live in the UK after London. As a result, we often find ourselves in this area working on some very nice properties, so it wasn’t long before we were able to call in and survey the tiles.

As you can see from the pictures the hearth was quite dirty and the grouting had discoloured from years of use of the wood burner. The work here was a minor part of their restoration which had included significant building work. We agreed a price to carry out the work, which should only take a day and were able to return the following week.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Hearth

Our first job was to cover the newly sanded and sealed wooden floors with dust sheets, so we didn’t mark them as we came in the front door to the lounge. We always try and make as little mess as possible and we are always as careful as possible.

We then sprayed Tile Doctor Pro-Clean on the fire hearth tiles. This is a multi-purpose tile and grout cleaner which would make light work of the dirty tiles. The product was left to soak into the Quarry tile and grout for about twenty minutes before being scrubbed in. The hearth was a small area, so this was done by hand and then washed down with clean water.

The dirty residue was removed using a wet vacuum then the tiles where wiped down with a clean micro fibre cloth. We then dried off the tiles using a little encouragement with a heat gun to speed up the drying process. Speed drying the tile and grout in this manor would allow us to complete the work in one visit.

Applying Sandstone Grout Colourant

Once the tiles and grout lines were dry it was clear that years of dirt and soiling had stained the grout, so although no much cleaner it was clear more work would be needed to give the grout a fresh and consistent appearance.

To address this issue with the grout we selected to apply a Sandstone Tile Doctor Grout Colourant. This is applied with a small brush and brushed it into the grout lines. It is quite a precise job but any colourant that goes onto the tiles is removed with a baby wipe before it dries. This process really transformed the look of the grout, the colourant also forms a barrier over the grout which will protect it going forward and make it easier to clean.

Sealing Quarry Tiles

The Quarry tiles were then given a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating colour enhancing sealer. This brings out the best in the quarry tiles and adds protection against future staining which will be needed given its location.

The client was very happy with the finish, in fact the hearth looked like it had been newly tiled, the impact of the recoloured grout was that striking. Sometimes the smallest jobs can be the most rewarding.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Hearth in Cheshire

Flood Damaged Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Cragg Vale

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 15:22:09 +0000

I was contacted by the owners of a cottage in the small village of Cragg Vale who had unfortunately suffered a flood in their kitchen which had resulted in damage to their Slate tiled kitchen floor. Cragg Vale is a very small village situated on the moors above Hebden Bridge in the borough of Calderdale. The cottages were originally built circa 1860 for workers at the local mill. Although the mill has now gone, the cottages are still lived in by people who enjoy living so close to the scenic Blackstone Edge Moors.

It’s difficult to appreciate the problems from the before photo but once I visited the property, I could see where some of the tiles had been damaged by the water leading to flaking and salting. The other major issue that became apparent was that the floor had also been covered in layers of sealant and varnish which had been applied over the years. This had left the overall finish looking a uniformly dark colour although it was very shiny.

After doing some tests and a full survey, I submitted a quote to carry out the work which was to be covered by the owner’s insurance. This was accepted and a date was set to begin the work.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Given the amount of work involved restoring the Slate, the complex nature of the job and the need to proceed quickly, I recruited the services of South Yorkshire Tile Doctor Matt Lovett. This is one of the benefits of using Tile Doctor as we can combine our skills and equipment to ensure that a job is carried out effectively and efficiently.

This job had the potential to become very messy so our first job on arrival to start work was to protect the kitchen units and adjacent carpets with protective coverings. We then applied a coating of Tile Doctor Remove & Go to small sections of the floor and left it to soak in for fifteen minutes at a time. The tiles were then scrubbed, and the resultant residue removed with a wet vacuum. The varnish proved particularly stubborn in places, so further applications of Remove & Go were scrubbed in using wire brushes to remove it layer by layer. The sealants and varnish turned to a muddy gloop that we continued to scrape up and remove with the wet vac.

At the end of the first day we had removed about 80% of the coatings but knew that we still had long day ahead of us tomorrow.

The next day we reviewed our progress and decided to work in one metre square areas to remove the remaining coatings. This was a time consuming but necessary way to ensure that by the end of the day we had got the floor clean.

Before leaving the floor was rinsed again and dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum. After a final inspection we were happy the floor was ready for sealing and left it to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

First job on day three was to check that the floor was dry enough to begin sealing. This is a very important part of the process because if the floor is damp then the sealers won’t take properly. The floor was fine, so I started with the application of a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a breathable, colour enhancing sealer that penetrates the pores of the stone protecting it from within. Colour grow also enhances the natural colours in the stone thus highlighting its natural beauty.

After 30 minutes, the floor was dry enough to start applying the first coat of Tile Doctor High Shine sealer. This is an acrylic sealant which as the name suggests, gives the floor a glossy shine. This was the effect that the Customer had requested at the beginning of the process.
A further four coats of High Shine were applied before a water test was conducted to ensure that the floor was completely sealed.

The Customer was very pleased and as you can see from the photos, it’s easy to see why.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen in West Yorkshire

Cleaning and Sealing Multi Coloured Slate Flooring in Ravensthorpe

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 02:12:38 +0000

I recently visited a customer living in the village of Ravensthorpe, just outside Northampton to rejuvenate a 15-year-old multi coloured Chinese riven slate floor that needed a deep professional clean. Slate is a hard-wearing tile used for flooring high traffic areas but does need sealing to bring out its best features. In this case the sealer had long since worn off and dirt had become ingrained in the stone making it difficult to clean effectively.

We discussed the client’s requirements and the cleaning process I planned to follow to rejuvenate the floor. I had to check on availability, so I e-mailed over a quote and some dates later that day. They were happy with my proposal and agreed for the work to be done whilst the customers were on holiday.

Cleaning Riven Multi Coloured Slate Tiles

My first task was to test a small area to determine which products would give the best results. In this case, I decided to start with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline cleaner/coatings remover that’s safe to use on Tile and Stone. I spread this solution across a section of the floor and left it to seep into the pores of the stone and lift out the ingrained dirt.

After allowing the solution adequate time to dwell, I scrubbed the slate with a carbon brush fitted to a rotary machine to gradually reveal the fantastic natural colours of the Slate hidden beneath the dirt. Happy with my choice of cleaning product I repeated this process in sections until it had been carried out throughout the entire area. Following this, I rinsed the entire floor several times with clean water, before soaking up the resulting soiled residue with a wet vacuum.

The next part of the cleaning process entailed paying attention to the grout lines which were scrubbed using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. The resulting residue was promptly extracted with the wet vacuum and I finished by giving the whole floor a rinse with Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a day to day tile cleaning product which is recommended for stone floors, many supermarket tile cleaning products are only suitable for ceramic tiles due to their acidic formula and can damage a floor over years of use so you should always read the label. However, I always leave my clients with a complimentary bottle of a suitable Tile Doctor product to maintain their floors.

Sealing Riven Multi Coloured Slate Tiles

The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned on the second day to seal the floor. Before starting I checked the floor was dry using a damp meter which confirmed the Slate was dry and ready to seal. The floor must be completely dry before sealing as any excess moisture has the potential to the damage the performance of the sealer. Since my client had specifically requested a silk finish, I opted to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go which dries to leave a lovely subtle sheen that really enhances the look of the stone. Five coats were applied to ensure a good hard-wearing protection.

My client was very pleased with the results, particularly as they hadn’t realised how much colour it had lost over the years and left the following feedback on our website.

”I despaired of having a clean-looking floor again. Phil Vissian assured me that intensive deep cleaning and resealing could restore our fifteen year old, subtly coloured, Chinese riven slate kitchen floor. He has done a fantastic job. Looks like new, and I shall book Phil for an annual professional clean, so that it never gets as bad again.” Sally M, Northampton

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate Tiled Floor in Northamptonshire

Removal of Linseed Oil from a Ceramic Tiled Floor in Uxbridge

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 03:13:09 +0000

This is a small Ceramic tiled floor that a client had laid in his workshop next to his house in Uxbridge. As you can see from the photo the floor was in an indescribable mess and I was asked to pop round and quote for sorting it out. Uxbridge is actually classed as Middlesex but being close to the M25 and M40 I find it easy to reach.

As requested, I called in to survey the floor which was not a pretty site. In turns out that the tiler had applied boiled linseed oil to the floor (which the tiles did not need), and this had formed a horrible sticky residue on the surface. The client had conducted several unsuccessful attempts at cleaning up the floor and was unsure it could be rectified. Once of the attempts involved using acid which failed to remove the oil and unfortunately did do some damage to the grout causing it to discolour.

Undeterred, I was confident we could sort the problems out and restore the appearance of the tile and grout. I discussed with the client what we could do to clean the floor and we agreed a price to carry out the work out.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Workshop Floor

Returning the following week, I first tackled the floor using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean applied neat, left to soak for ten minutes and then scrubbed in with a rotary floor buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Pro-Clean is a highly concentrated multi-purpose tile cleaner, which when left to dwell, breaks down all types of dirt from oils through to grease and grime. It’s particularly good for very heavily soiled areas and it did a good job at removing the Linseed Oil. I rinsed the soiled solution with water and extracted the now soiled cleaning solution off the floor with wet vacuum. Wet vacuums are a great resource for Tile Doctor work, they make light work of removing liquids and this keeps the mess to a minimum.

I followed up the cleaning with a light buff of the tiles using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to remove the grout smears also left behind by the tiler. Cleaning the excess grout off the tiles made a huge difference to the floor, which you can see in the completed picture.

Ceramic tiles have a glazed surface that won’t accept a sealer or Linseed Oil for that matter. There is therefore no need to apply any sealer or coating to this type of tile. They are generally very hardwearing and a suitable choice for a workshop like this. Hopefully, now the sticky oil has been removed the client will find the floor much more durable and easier to maintain.

The treatment worked well and I was able to complete the project in one day. The floor now looks like it should have done following the initial installation. Although it is only a small area, the difference is quite dramatic. My client was certainly pleased with the transformation and left the following feedback.

“Andrew is an expert in his field, and after an inexperienced tiler incorrectly used boiled linseed oil, Andrew worked to restore the tiles to their original beauty. I felt confident in him, he was a pleasure to work with, and his extremely professional. Very happy & highly recommended”

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Workshop in Middlesex

Cleaning and sealing a Sandstone Kitchen Floor in Colne

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 12:14:35 +0000

A customer from Colne near Burnley was absolutely frustrated with their newly installed Sandstone floor in the kitchen of their farmhouse. Ever since it was installed it had proved impossible to keep it clean. The customer contacted Tile Doctor in the hope that we could remove the ingrained dirt and make the floor much easier to maintain going forward.

I went over to inspect the floor and recommended a course of action. There was a section of stone which had a stain on it due to a pet accident, so we chose area to conduct a test clean. The flagstone responded well to the cleaning process which impressed the customer who booked us in for the job. There were happy to go ahead with my quote and quite relieved that she had finally found a solution.

Cleaning a Sandstone Paved Kitchen Floor

Arriving on day one, first I taped up the plinths and skirtings to ensure they were not marked during the cleaning, especially as the kitchen was newly installed. Then, to deep clean the floor and remove the ineffectual coating applied by the installer I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and let it soak in for about ten minutes. The solution was then worked into the stone using a coarse 100-grit milling pad. This coarse pad was then followed up with the application of a finer 200-grit pad. Together these pads resurface and clean the stone and remove the coarse surface that was trapping dirt so easily.

The pads are applied with water which lubricates the abrasive action and results in a fine slurry that is rinsed off after each pad. The slurry is then extracted with a wet vacuum, keeping the mess to a minimum. The flagstone floor was then given a quick acid wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to clean the stone further and counter the alkaline cleaning product applied during the first stage of cleaning. After a further rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning the following day, the floor was first checked using a moisture meter to ensure it was dry. We then sealed with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which added a nice subtle sheen to the stone and as well as protecting the stone from staining ensuring it is a lot easier to clean going forward.

I recommended they should use the Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, which is pH neutral so it will ensure that the sealant is not compromised during cleaning. This is a concentrated product so only a small amount is required, so a small bottle goes a long way.

The client was delighted with the floor and very relieved that it now looked exactly as it should.

Professional Restoration of Sandstone Paved Floor in South Lancashire

Terrazzo floor Restoration Project at Cardiff University

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 07:35:41 +0000

Last summer I was asked to carry out a survey at one of the Cardiff University buildings where they were looking at having a large Terrazzo floor restored. The University was on its summer recess so with no students around it was an ideal time for major works to be carried out.

At some point in the past the whole floor had been covered in a layer of self-levelling compound ranging from 2mm – 10mm thickness, so it could be covered with square carpet tiles which had then been secured with adhesive. You can still see the outlines of the tiles in the pictures below. It’s hard to appreciate from the photo that underneath there’s a beautiful Terrazzo floor waiting to be rediscovered.

The University had removed the carpet tiles but were unsure of how to remove the screed without damaging the Terrazzo underneath and so asked me to quote for restoring the whole floor. I carried out a test clean on the floor first to show the architect’s and university staff an example of what could be achieved.

The method I used for the test sample was to use a process called milling with a 50 grit Milling Pad, which I used to grind off the levelling compound until the stone became visible underneath. The test clean took me a good hour to complete but the results I achieved proved very satisfying both to myself and the clients and I was awarded with the contract.

Cleaning and Restoring a Terrazzo Tiled Floor

On commencement of the work I realised after 4 hours of milling that this method although effective was very time consuming and extremely messy! So, I tried using a long handheld sharp scraper which turned out to be a lot faster and cleaner in removing the cemented compound. In the end it took four days for two men and a great deal of hand ache to remove the screed for the floor.

After removing the compound, I started milling the floor with a Tile Doctor Milling Pads, first the 50 segment & then a 200-segment pad to cut deep in to the floor to remove the stains in the Terrazzo and scratches from using the scraper.

This was followed by burnishing the stone with a set of four Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads. This involves the application of four pads in sequence from a coarse 400 grit through to a very fine 3000 grit to refine the surface of the Terrazzo and improve the lustre of the floor with each grade of pad.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Floor

The architect had specified a hardwearing finish as this was a very busy entrance way for students entering the buildings. So, after finishing the burnishing of the floor with a very fine 3000 grit pad I sealed the floor with three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which seeps into the pores of the Terrazzo protecting it from within enhancing the colours of the chippings in the process whilst providing maximum protection. Finally, we polished the floor after sealing with another application of the 3000 pad and a polishing cloth to shine the floor further.

It was a large floor, so I managed the project in sections, and this enabled me to start on the cleaning of a new section whilst the floor was drying in the previous section. As you can see from the pictures the floor was transformed and looked great. Needless to say the University were very happy with the result.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Floor in South Wales

Salt Damaged Quarry Tiles Replaced and Restored in Droitwich-Spa Kitchen

Sat, 23 Mar 2019 01:48:53 +0000

I was contacted to inspect a quarry tiled floor in the kitchen of a property in Droitwich Spa which was in need of repair and also in need of a clean and seal. Having spoken to the customer previously, I was aware there were several damaged tiles that would need replacing so before visiting the property to survey the floor I sourced potential replacements from several manufacturers so I could find one that would be a good match to the originals.

Once that was done, I went over with the samples to inspect the floor and whilst I was there marked all the damaged tiles that would need lifting and replacing. The house was quite old and many of the tiles had been badly affected by salt damage at some point in the past. Given the age of the property it could have been from efflorescence or it is possible it was flood damage as the property was about 700m from the River Salwarpe which has a history of overflowing. In fact, Droitwich Spa is known for its salt deposits and became a Spa town when the salt industry started to dwindle towards the end of the 19th century.

I worked out a quote to repair the floor, then clean and seal it which was accepted, and the work scheduled.

Cleaning and Repairing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first job was to remove the damaged tiles from the floor using various tools to prise the tiles away from the substrate. I then used a self-leveller to level the screed. All the new tiles would need cutting so I used a Bridge Saw with a diamond blade and proceeded to cut all the tiles to shape. The replacement tiles were then fixed in place using flexible adhesive and left to dry and then grouted.

The following day I moved onto cleaning the tiles. Tile Doctor Remove and Go was used to tackle any previous sealers. leaving the product to dwell for the required time and then working it into the floor with a rotary scrubbing machine. I then used Tile Doctor Acid Gel to remove old grout smears and combat any efflorescence the floor was encountering, before vacuuming the remaining slurry with a wet vacuum. Once I was happy the floor was as clean as it could be, I left the tiles to dry overnight so they could be sealed the following day.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the next day and began by using a moisture meter to ensure the floor was dry. All was well so I proceeded to seal the floor using Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra, a semi-gloss breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the tile unimpeded which was important considering its history. The floor required five coats of sealer to completely seal the floor and the customer was very pleased with the result as indicated in the feedback below:

“We are very happy with the work that Mark carried out for us. Mark was very professional and always responded quickly to any enquiries that we had. We have recommended Mark to our friends and family. Thank you. Lydia B, Droitwich Spa”

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen in Worcestershire

Removing Paint Spots from Black and Red Quarry Tiles in Knaresborough

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:17:49 +0000

This is an original Chequered Black and Red Quarry Tiled floor at a house in the historic town of Knaresborough. The town expanded rapidly during Victorian times and this floor dates to when the house was built over 100 years ago. The properties in the road are all a similar style and age so it’s likely that there are others with original Quarry tiled floors too.

Before contacting us, the customer had already spent a week trying to clean the floor and was not happy with the result. He emailed over some pictures to highlight the problems which mainly related to paint splashing from decorating. I reviewed the pictures and subsequently made a site visit to survey the floor. It was clear that he had managed to make the floor cleaner, but more work was required. Confident l could improve upon his efforts we set a date for my return.

Removing Paint Spots from a Quarry Tiled Floor

I spent the first morning carefully scraping off spots of plaster and candle wax that l knew my machine wouldn’t remove. Once that was done, I gave it a good scrub using a black pad fitted to a rotary buffer and using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted with three parts water. The resulting slurry was then rinsed off the floor with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

This was an old floor with no damp proof membrane, and I was concerned white efflorescence salts would appear as the floor dried out. To counter this I gave the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Acid Gel to help neutralise and inhibit any alkaline salts. After scrubbing it into the floor with a deck brush I rinsed the acid off the floor and again extracted the waste using the wet vacuum. I took some damp meter readings at that point and found that surprisingly the floor was only showing a 20% moisture reading. I left the floor to dry out fully overnight and would check the damp readings again the next day before sealing.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

I had the option of sealing it the next day or the day after, so I decided to leave my damp meter with the customer, so he could take the readings himself and let me know when the floor was dry. He took some more readings four hours later which were lower and after discussing it with me on the phone later that evening I agreed to return the following day. I took some more readings the next morning and most of the floor was reading less than 10% which was an improvement but not as good as I had hoped for. I decided to spend some time speed drying the tiles with a heat gun to be sure.

Once I was happy, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to enhance the colour and protect the tiles from staining. This gave the floors a lovely sheen and the deep colour looked great. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the pores in the tile thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. This sealer is also fully breathable which means it will allow moisture to rise through the floor which is important on these old floors with no DPM.

The full renovation process dealt with all the issues my customer has raised and the new sealer gave the floor a very consistent appearance. I’m happy to confirm that my customer was pleased with results and is now content that his floor is in the best condition it could be considering its age.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Floor in North West Yorkshire

Dull Slate Tiled Floor Stripped and Re-Sealed in Moseley

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 12:25:26 +0000

A client contacted me regarding their slate tiled floor which had only been down a few years and was now looking dull and uninviting. The slate tiles were laid in a herringbone pattern and Interestingly they had only been cleaned and sealed about a year ago by another company, but it has soon started to look dull again. Naturally my client was disappointed with the result, especially considering how new the floor was.

The property was in the Birmingham suburb of Moseley and as per usual I paid them a visit to survey the floor and conduct a test clean. From what I could see the sealer the previous company had used was already failing and wearing off, this left the stone vulnerable allowing dirt to become ingrained in the stone. We discussed the overall procedure and I completed a test clean on part of the floor which went well so the customer was happy to proceed. Whilst I was there, we also discussed the effects of different sealers I would recommend for the tiles so they could select one that would give them the look they wanted.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

On the first day I applied a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined with Tile Doctor Remove and Go, this was left to dwell on the slate while I cleaned up the grout with a stiff grout brush. I used this combination of products to ensure I stripped any coatings that may have been applied to the floor by the previous company and the original installer. With the grout scrubbed I turned my attention to the Slate tiles by scrubbing them with a black pad fitted to a weighted rotary buffer machine. The floor was then rinsed thoroughly, and the now soiled cleaning solution extracted with a wet vacuum.

The kitchen area was quite large, so I did the clearing in three section inspecting each section afterwards before moving onto the next. There were some areas where the existing sealer was proving stubborn to remove which were re-treated until clean. I discussed this with the customer who explained that the previous company had left a tin of sealer and advised them that they should clean the floor and then apply more sealer. This meant every time they did, they were adding another coat of seal and if the cleaning was not effective it would result in trapping dirt under the sealer! After spending most of the day cleaning, it was agreed to let the floor dry out and see how it looked next day.

When I returned on the second day, I could see there were still traces of sealer on some areas of stone and grout, so I decided to clean the floor again with more Pro-Clean but this time working in in with an abrasive 400-grit burnishing pad. This did the trick on the slate, but the grout needed a handheld diamond block to remove the seal. The whole floor was then rinsed and allowed to dry.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Although previously we had discussed the different options for sealing the client wasn’t sure which one to choose. To help them decide I dried some of the tiles with a heat gun and applied different sealers to they could see the different between the matt and sheen finishes. The client decided on Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra which helps bring the colour out in the tiles, it’s also breathable and has a nice sheen to it but slightly less so than Tile Doctor Seal & Go. I applied four coats as soon as the floor had dried.

I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance. The client was very happy with the results, thanked me for my hard work and commented that the floor looked better than the day it went down.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Floor in Birmingham

Cream Porcelain Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in a Twickenham Kitchen

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 13:21:18 +0000

The owner of this Porcelain tiled Kitchen floor in Twickenham was struggling to keep it clean and it was now in need of a deep clean. Twickenham famous for being the home of Rugby Union is only 9 miles away from my base in Shepperton, so it wasn’t long before I was able to pop over and survey the floor.

The tiles were a little grubby, but it was the grout that was most affected; its hard to believe but the now black grout was originally cream in colour and chosen to match to tile. Having visited the client, we discussed what needed to be done to get the floor looking back up to scratch and looking clean again. We agreed a price for the work to be carried out the following week.

Although this wasn’t the case its worth knowing that some types of Porcelain tile on the market today are Micro-Porous and contain small holes in the tile. These tiles need to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming ingrained as this can be very difficult to remove with a mop. Incidentally on the topic of mops I have noticed clients tend to rinse their mop in the same bucket containing the detergent. This results in the detergent being contaminated with dirt and being put back on the floor. If you are going to use this method to clean your floor it is best to have two buckets, one containing your detergent and the second where you rinse your mop.

Deep Cleaning a Porcelain Tile and Grout

To get the tiles clean I used a heavy-duty rotary buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad and ran that over the floor along with a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. Tile Doctor Pro-Clean is a versatile tile and grout cleaning product designed for this purpose, so it wasn’t long before the solution went dark as the dirt was released from the tile. The now soiled cleaning solution was then extracted from the tiles using a wet vacuum.

To get the grout lines really clean they had to be hand scrubbed using more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a hand-held scrubbing brush. The rotary pads struggle to get into the recesses of the grout lines, so this really is the best method and I find you get a better finish with this extra effort.

After sufficient scrubbing, we were satisfied that all of the soil was broken up, we then machine flushed and vacuumed the cleaning product and dirt away from the floor. As these tiles are factory sealed there is no need to apply a sealant.

One hour later, the floor was ready to be used again.