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Flaking Sandstone Flagstone Floor Restored in Preston

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 11:57:11 +0000

The pictures below are of a 12m2 Sandstone Flagged floor at a property in Prestonwere the surface of the stone was flaking off. The floor looked terrible and more importantly my customer mentioned that visitors had occasionally tripped on the uneven stone, and this was causing some concern.

The most likely cause of the surface flaking or shaling was due to water damage at some point in the stone’s history and probably well before the flagstones were laid. However here at Tile Doctor we have developed a solution for this problem called Milling. The process involves applying very abrasive floor pads to the stone in order cut back approximately 3 to 5mm of damaged stone from the top of the slab to reveal a fresh surface underneath. Essentially it will reface the stone and, in the process remove heavy lippage to leave a smoother beautiful surface that is easier to clean and maintain.

Another job which we agreed to do was to knock out the old pointing (what there was of it) and apply fresh. With the Sandstone flagstones smoothed, new pointing and stone sealed the floor was going to be transformed and unrecognisable once completed.

Milling a Flaking Sandstone Flagged Floor

Milling Sandstone flagstones involves the use of a set of thee coarse millings pads of different grades (50, 100 and 200 grit). They are applied to the stone in sequence beginning with the 50-grit pad and applied using a weighted heavy duty floor buffer. This generates a lot of dust, so water is used to lubricate and keep the dust down. During the process the water turns into a murky brown slurry which needs to be rinsed off and extracted using a wet vacuum as you go.

With the shaling removed it was then a question of polishing up the surface of the stone with the finer 100 and then 200-grit milling pads. Again, water is used to lubricate and capture the dust created during the process and then rinsed away and extracted with the wet vacuum.

The process successfully managed to remove all the flaking material, flatten out the lippage and remove the unappealing surface.

When it comes to repointing old flagstone floors, I find a lot of builders and tilers I speak to usually recommend Limecrete or similar which is staple for old floors as its breathable, but I find it difficult to work with and it takes a long time to cure fully. Another problem is every time the floor is given a decent clean, some of the White Limecrete rinses out and into the stone.

Personally, I like to use a German product called VDW800, its fully breathable, has a reliable working time, its easy to apply and does a great job. I’ll put a link to a video about it in this post so you can see how to use it. It’s not a Tile Doctor product but I’m more than happy to endorse it.

Sealing Flagstone Floor Tiles

The stone and fresh mortar was left to dry out for 48 hours to ensure it would be dry before completing the last stage of applying a sealer. Before starting with sealing, I gave the floor light clean to remove any loose mortar from the pointing.

One done I sealed the sandstone using several coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is an impregnating product that soaks into the pores of the stone and occupies that space preventing dirt from become ingrained. Colour Grow as its name suggests also improves the appearance of the stone by enhancing its natural colours. The sealer also leaves a matt finish, which is a perfect match for the rustic character of the old stone.

For aftercare I recommend using a pH neutral tile cleaner such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, many supermarket products are very strong and contain bleach, using something like that on a sealed floor will reduce the life of the sealer.

Professional Transformation of a Flaking and Uneven Stone Floor in Lancashire

The post Flaking Sandstone Flagstone Floor Restored in Preston appeared first on Tile Doctor Lancashire.

Removing Grout Haze from Wood Effect Ceramic Planks in Birkdale

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 01:12:08 +0000

We were contacted by a property owner in Birkdale near Southport who recently had a large kitchen extension built with wood effect Ceramic tiles on the floor. Unfortunately, the builder struggled to remove all the grout from the tiles, and this left the floor in a bit of a state. Grout haze or grout smears as it is often called can be a huge problem when laying tiles, it needs to be polished off quickly after installation and even more so if your using a modern quick drying grout.

This is quite a common problem, and we are often asked to resolve tile installation problems of one variety or another. Sometimes we can use an acid-based product such as Tile Doctor Acid Gel or Grout Clean-up which can break down the grout so it can be rinsed away and extracted. Modern polymer grouts which offer improved flexibility and adhesion are trickier and will require a different approach. I wouldn’t recommend the use of acidic products on natural stone however as it can etch the stone thereby causing more problems than it solves, fortunately these tiles were Ceramic.

I conducted a quick test with Grout Clean-up, and it responded well, so I could see removing the grout haze wasn’t going to be problem in this case.

Removing Grout Haze from Wood Effect Ceramic Tiles

I diluted one part Grout Clean-up with two parts water and mopped into onto the floor and left to dwell for a couple of minutes. The solution was then scrubbed into the tile using a buffing machine fitted with a black pad to loosen the grout haze adding more water as needed. The buffing machine was run over the floor once more and the liquids removed using a wet vacuum.

The ceramic tiles were then speed dried using floor fans so I could review the result and repeat the process where required. Once I was happy all the grout haze had been removed, I gave the floor dry buff with a white pad to remove any water marks and improve the final appearance.

The photographs really show the transformation once the grout was removed. Certainly my client was over the moon with the difference and the builder much relieved, I’m sure.

Professional Clean of a Wood Effect Ceramic Tiled Hallway in West Merseyside

The post Removing Grout Haze from Wood Effect Ceramic Planks in Birkdale appeared first on Merseyside Tile Doctor.

Polishing a Dull Marble Kitchen Floor in Prestbury near Macclesfield

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 02:22:43 +0000

The photographs below are of a Marble tiled floor at a property in the pretty East Cheshire village of Prestbury near Macclesfield. The Marble tiles ran through much of the ground floor including the hallway and kitchen. The Marble had lost its shine and the once cream grout was going black with dirt, additionally there were a couple of deep-seated stains which I suspect was from a spillage of some sort.

Interestingly before contacting me my client hadn’t realised, it was expensive Marble tiled floor, and thought it would need replacing. Fortunately, I recognised it straight away and was able to advise that it just needed polishing and the grout cleaning.

I quoted for cleaning the Marble tiles, restoring the polished appearance using a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads, cleaning the grout, spot treating the stains and sealing the floor to protect it. My client has happy with the quote which was considerably cheaper than replacement and a date scheduled for the work to begin.

Cleaning/Renovating a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor

To restore the polished appearance of the Marble I used a set of four burnishing pads which are applied to the floor in sequence from coarse 400-grit through to a fine 3000-grit. The pads are fitted to a rotary machine and run over the floor until each tile has been burnished using only water to help lubricate. The first pad cleans up the stone and removes old sealers. this is then followed with the finer 800-grit, 1500-grit and finally a 3000-grit pad. Except for the 3000-grit, each pad is applied with water and the floor is rinsed and the soil extracted afterwards with the wet vacuum.

There was a lot of area to cover so I did this work in sections and during the rinsing and extraction process gave the Grout lines a good clean using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean tile and grout cleaner and a handheld scrubbing brush. Fortunately, the Marble tiles were large format so there were less grout lines to clean. The Pro-Clean really gets to into deep seated dirt and grease which tends to accumulate in the grout.

To take out the deep staining I sprayed on a product called Tile Doctor Reduxa, it doesn’t dissolve the stain like most cleaning products it seems to attach itself to the contaminates which can then be lifted out by evaporating with heat from a heat gun. It takes a little time to do but it’s very effective and innovative.

After a final rinse with water and extraction with a wet vacuum, the floor was then left to dry off overnight assisted by the under-floor heating.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned on the second day and started by checking the floor was dry by taking several moisture readings with a damp meter. The readings were good, so I proceeded to seal the floor using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Ultra-Seal.

Ultra-Seal is an ideal sealer for Marble as it seeps into the stone and occupies the tiny pores within thereby preventing dirt from accumulating there. Additionally Ultra-Seal is almost invisible and won’t change the natural colour of the stone which was perfect for my client who was happy with the colour of the beautiful Cream Marble as it was.

Once done the floor looked transformed and for aftercare, I left a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is designed for the regular cleaning of polished stone and helps maintain the patina. I’ve also offered to pop back once a year to do a maintenance clean which involves giving the tiles a quick polish with a 3000-grit pad and top up the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tiled Kitchen in East Cheshire

The post Polishing a Dull Marble Kitchen Floor in Prestbury near Macclesfield appeared first on East Cheshire Tile Doctor.

Chancel Terrazzo Floor Restoration at a Cardiff City Church

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 01:57:30 +0000

During last summer I was asked to restore a Terrazzo floor in the chancel of a Catholic Church in the centre of Cardiff city centre. Our client was actually the architect in charge of the restoration, and he wanted to see if the Terrazzo floor that was laid around 1900 could be restored.

The architect was coordinating different trades with a plan to restore the church interior back to its near original state and I’m proud to say that Tile Doctor was the architect’s choice of contractor to carry out the work. We talked though what needed to be done, how we would gain access, and agreed a plan of work, as well as the price for the job.

Deep Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Chancel Floor

The altar at the back of the church had been taken away for renovation which was just as well as the carpet ran underneath. With this section of the church to ourselves the first job was to remove the black rubber carpet underlay glued to the surface of the Terrazzo. To remove the bulk, it had to be scraped off using sharp blades and a great deal of effort. This was a messy process that could only be completed manually.

Once the underlying Terrazzo floor was visible, I was able to work out what products and processes would be the best option for the restoration. With the bulk of the rubber out of the way I decided to try burnishing the floor with Tile Doctor Diamond Floor Pads starting with a very abrasive grade lubricated with water.

To keep the mess to a minimum the waste was vacuumed up as we went, and this made it possible to crack on across the whole area. At this first stage we also burnished around the perimeter and awkward to reach areas with a handheld polisher to ensure nothing was missed and to blend the areas.

One finished with the coarse pad the floor was given a full rinse with water and the remaining soil removed with the wet vacuum. Once done finer grit burnishing pads were applied using the same process to bring up the polish on the Terrazzo. After the wet work was completed, the floor was left to dry out for a minimum of 24 hours.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Church Floor

On our return a few days later, the fourth and final polishing pad was used to create a shine and smooth the surface. The church council had requested a deep shine appearance to the Terrazzo so to finish the floor in two stages starting with the application of a sealer. For this floor I chose to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, a colour enhancing impregnating sealer which provides hard wearing surface protection whilst improving the colour contrast.

The final stage was to grind Tile Doctor High Shine Powder into the floor completing two sqm at a time and rinsing with clean water as we worked. This is a crystallising powder that provides a very high shine and provides a tough durable finish that works well on many floor types and was perfect for this terrazzo floor.

Once the final polishing had been completed, we buffed the floor with a soft White Buffing Pad. The church members and architect were delighted with the finished result and contacted Tile Doctor to relay their thanks. This was a lovely project to complete, it is always nice to work within the community as well as for retail clients.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Church Floor in South Wales

The post Chancel Terrazzo Floor Restoration at a Cardiff City Church appeared first on South East Wales Tile Doctor.

Clean and Seal of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Twickenham

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 02:00:14 +0000

This Victorian tiled hallway floor at a property in Twickenham was in great physical condition considering its age but just hadn’t been cleaned or sealed in quite a few years. Over the years the protective sealer has worn away and dirt tracked in from outside had sunk deep into the pores of the tile. The floor looked dull, and my customer was finding it hard to clean and maintain effectively.

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

To remove the ground in dirt from within the pores of the tile I needed to apply a strong cleaning product that would breakdown the dirt and deal with any remaining sealer left on the floor. Usually, I find the sealer down the center of the hallway is worn away with use, but you still find traces towards the wall. To do the renovation effectively I would need to remove all the sealer during cleaning otherwise you risk an uneven appearance.

The best sealer stripper and cleaner for the job is a product called Tile Doctor Remove and Go so I mopped a strong dilution onto the floor and then left it to soak in for around fifteen minutes. To get the best from this product it’s advised to give it a long dwell time thereby allowing it to break down old sealer and dissolve the dirt and contaminants.

The floor was then scrubbed with a rotary floor machine to work the product into the pores of the tile and release the trapped dirt. After the first pass the floor was rinsed with a little water and the soil extracted using a machine. After inspecting the floor some areas were re-treated using the same process to ensure all the sealer and dirt had been removed.

After a final inspection I left the tiles to dry off overnight.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

The following day I returned and started by taking moisture readings from different parts of the floor. Its not a good idea to apply a sealer to a damp tile and damp areas should be dried out with a heat gun first.

My client was keen to have a classic shiny appearance, so I chose Tile Doctor Seal and Go to add protection to the tiles. The sealer will prevent dirt becoming ingrained in the tile and protect the floor from staining caused by spillages whilst making it very easy for our customer to maintain in the future. As you can see from the pictures, it also gives a nice sheen finish to add lustre to the floor as requested by my customer.

Before leaving we had a quick chat about maintaining the floor and a warning about the use of strong floor cleaning products which can be over strong and prematurely strip the sealer away over time. For this floor I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral cleaner which is an effective cleaner but as its name suggests is pH neutral and mild enough not to harm the sealer.

Professional Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration in Middlesex

The post Clean and Seal of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Twickenham appeared first on South Middlesex Tile Doctor.

Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Boughton

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 01:54:38 +0000

These photos are of a four-year-old Limestone kitchen floor at a property in Boughton that the customer was finding hard to keep clean and maintain a shine. Part of the problem was he owned two dogs and we often warn about the problems of dog urine on sealed tile and stone due to it being high in nitrogen.

On my initial visit I was able to ascertain that the sealer had almost completely worn off, leaving the stone vulnerable to dirt becoming ingrained into the pores of the stone. I come across this problem a lot, in my experience when stone floors are installed by tilers, they generally apply a single coat of sealant which wears off over time, and as discussed earlier can be prematurely degraded by strong chemicals.

My quote to renovate the Limestone floor was accepted and included a deep clean to the stone and grout, stone polish and then re-seal.

Cleaning/Polishing Limestone Tiled Flooring

I arrived on site on the arranged date and began by scrubbing all the grout lines with Tile Doctor grout brushes and a 3:1 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. I then moved on to a small handheld polishing machine to clean around the tile edges using 800 and 1500 grit diamond encrusted burnishing pad to achieve a deep clean.

The process was then repeated throughout the rest of the area using larger 17” burnishing pads fitted to a floor polishing machine. The burnishing pads I used come in a set of four starting with 400-grit and moving up to 800, 1500 and 3000 grit, after each pad is applied the floor is rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum.

It took me much of the day to complete this stage of the renovation and the floor was still damp so once done I left for the day, allowing the floor to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the following day to complete the final polish using the 3000-grit burnishing pad, this gave a high polished finish which the customer had requested. This last pad is applied dry with only a little water splashed onto the tile, a process we call a spray burnish.

The floor was then sealed with three applications of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal Sealant to protect the newly restored and polished tiles. Ultra-Seal is a penetrating sealer that soaks into those recently cleaned pores in the stone, occupying the space and preventing any dirt from becoming ingrained there. It’s also a natural look sealer so it doesn’t change the colour of the stone in anyway and is almost indetectable once applied.

“Hard work from Philip has left us with a kitchen floor brought back to life – cleaned and sealed in little over 24 hours – brilliant job – Thanks”

Before leaving I gave the customer some tips on maintenance and a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap to enable him to keep the floor looking its best, this product works well with the sealant we applied and is PH neutral so won’t degrade the new sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor in Northamptonshire

The post Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Boughton appeared first on Northamptonshire Tile Doctor.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Tarvin

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 02:16:26 +0000

I was recently contacted by a client who had just moved into a large Victorian property in the West Cheshire village of Tarvin about renovating their Victorian tiled hallway. Apparently, the floor was in good condition, and it would just be a case of removing what was left of the old sealer, deep cleaning the tiles and then applying a fresh seal. Unless the floor has been regularly maintained with the same sealer it’s important to remove all traces of old sealers before applying fresh.

A lot of the work we do at Tile Doctor can be a lot more involved, often requiring the sourcing of matching replacement tiles and rebuilding large sections of tiled flooring so straight forward clean and seal job is always welcome.

Stripping and Cleaning a Victorian Hallway Tiles

To remove what was left of the sealer and the ingrained dirt from the pores of the Victorian tile I dressed the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. On this occasion I used a 1:3 dilution with water and applied it to the floor with a mop. I left it to soak into the tile for fifteen minutes before scrubbing so it could get to work breaking down the old sealer.

During this time, I set up a weighted floor buffer and fitted a black buffing pad, these pads are designed for scrubbing hard floors and lifting out the dirt. I applied a little water as required during this process to ensure the pad was lubricated. Shortly the cleaning solution darkened as the old sealer and dirt was released from the tile.

The soil was rinsed away with water and then removed using a wet vacuum. Once clear the floor was inspected and the process repeated until I was satisfied it was as clean as it could be and free of sealer.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I left the floor to dry off overnight and returned the next day to apply a new sealer. Before doing so however I like to use a damp meter to take moisture readings from the floor. This is needed to ensure it is dry enough to seal which is important as any moisture in the tile can affect the sealer and lead to an inconsistent finish.

To seal I started with the application of a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour intensifying breathable impregnator that soaks into the tile improving appearance and adding protection from within. Any excess sealant was removed by wiping the floor with a microfibre cloth and then it was left to dry for an hour.

This was followed with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is an acrylic breathable sealer which adds a pleasing subtle shine to the tile. This is an important feature when choosing a sealer for old floors where moisture needs to be allowed to rise through the tile, otherwise it can become trapped under the floor and reach out to the walls causing rising damp.

The customer was very happy with the revamped hallway which made the house a lot brighter and welcoming. Before closing I should mention that for aftercare cleaning I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral cleaner which is designed for the daily cleaning for sealed tiles, this is important as most domestic supermarket cleaners are simply too strong and can prematurely erode the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Cheshire

The post Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Tarvin appeared first on West Cheshire Tile Doctor.

Classic 1920’s Edwardian Hallway Floor Restored in Earlsdon Coventry

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 15:31:23 +0000

This 1920s single bay house in Earlsdon had been restored by the builder from top to bottom. The hallway floor had been covered in laminate flooring which had been removed, revealing an Edwardian tiled floor beneath. Unfortunately, the plasterer had not covered the floor when working on the walls, so the tiles were now covered in plaster!

The client was keen to keep as many original features as possible and called me in to see if the original 100-year-old floor could be renovated in keeping with the rest of the house. I visited the property to survey the tiles and explained that it certainly could be and having worked on hundreds of these renovations before I was confident of getting a good result. They were happy to go with my quotation and we arranged a time to carry out the work.

Cleaning an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor tiles themselves were in good condition, but I had to hand carefully scrape the plaster off the tiles before starting on the deep clean. With the plaster removed from the floor I applied Tile Doctor Acid Gel and worked it into the tiles with a coarse 100-grit pad. The floor was then rinsed, and the waste extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum. The process was then repeated with a 200-Grit and then a 400-grit pad until I was happy.

The floor was then speed dried with fans whilst I worked on a repair around the threshold of one of the doors. The repair was relatively straight forward, and I managed to restore the tiling, so the repair was unnoticeable.

The floor was then left overnight to completely dry out. Floors of this age don’t have a damp proof membrane so moisture can build up if they have been covered as in this case. The next stage in the restoration would be to apply a sealer and the floor needs to be dry before you do this otherwise the result can be patchy.

Sealing an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning the following day, I first tested the floor with a damp meter to check the moisture levels in different parts of the floor to ensure it was dry enough to seal. The fans had done a good job and I was pleased to find that the floor was dry.

To seal this floor, I used Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra, it’s a breathable acrylic based sealer that allows for moisture vapour to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface. This makes it ideal for situations where no damp proof membrane has been installed and there is a low risk of mineral salt deposits being formed (efflorescence).

Once completed the transformation was huge and he Victorian tiles looked well suited to the hallway. Feedback from my client was they were over the moon with the newly restored floor!

For regular cleaning, I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this is a gentle pH neutral cleaner that will ensure the newly applied seal is retained and not eroded prematurely. This can be the problem with most household cleaning products which contain strong chemicals like bleach which can break down the sealer over time. Without a sealer dirt gets back into the pores of the tile which will mean the homeowner will need to get the floor cleaned and sealed again – a vicious circle!

Professional Restoration of an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor in Coventry

The post Classic 1920’s Edwardian Hallway Floor Restored in Earlsdon Coventry appeared first on Warwickshire Tile Doctor.

Vomit Damaged Verde Limestone Floor Renovated Following Drunken Party in Cardiff

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 01:06:06 +0000

The young gentleman who owned this property in Cardiff was distressed about his new Verde Limestone kitchen floor. He explained to me that he recently had a party at the house and one of his friends drunk too much and vomited over the stone floor. Easy enough to clean up you would think, however in a rush to clean up the mess he slipped banged his head on the corner of the worktop and ending up bleeding onto the sick.

Thankfully his friend was ok. but unfortunately, the acid from the stomach, had caused the surface of the Limestone to be etched quite considerably and now appeared to show permanent wipe marks across some of the floor. Thankfully I advised that we could repolish the surface of the stone to rectify the problem, and this would soon have his floor looking good as new again. The 12mm Verde Limestone tiles have a lovely green shade and set the newly fitted kitchen off a treat. We agreed a price for the work, and I booked the job in soon after.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To restore the appearance of the floor it needed to be burnished with a set of Tile Doctor Diamond encrusted pads which resurface the tile and rebuild the polish. I started with an abrasive 400-grit pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine worked into the Limestone using only water to lubricate the process. The floor is then rinsed with water to remove the soil which is then extracted with a wet vacuum. This process is repeated using an 800 , 1500 and finally a 3000-grit until the surface of the floor was restored with a high polish.

The grout was then cleaned with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a versatile cleaning solution ideal for grout cleaning. It’s diluted with water and then left to soak into the grout line for a short while before being scrubbed in. After scrubbing the waste is rinsed off with water and extracted with the wet vacuum.

The floor was left to dry overnight with assistance from a floor flan so it would be nice and dry for sealing the following day. By the end of the first day the stain was gone, and the Limestone looked so much better, much to the relief of my client.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next morning, I took a few moisture readings from the tile to make sure it was dry and ready for sealing. The readings were fine, so I set about applying Tile Doctor Stone Oil to the stone. This product soaks into the pores of the stone restoring the natural oils to the stone and enhance the strong dark green colour of the Verde Limestone.

The Limestone needed to be dry before continuing with the last stage of sealing so stone oil was left to dry off overnight and I came back the next day to finish off. People may get the impression from reading this that I am a little over cautious, but I’ve learned from experience that applying a sealer to a damp floor is not a good idea.

So the next day I returned to seal the tiles and for this floor I used three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is impregnating sealer that protects from within whilst enhancing the natural colours in the stone. The combination of the Stone Oil and Colour Grow add long lasting protection to the stone whilst improving its appearance.

The gentleman in question was over the moon with the result as he left the following glowing feedback for me; I understand he is not planning any more parties any time soon!

We are absolutely delighted with Julian’s work! Our limestone kitchen floor was very damaged and we were worried that the damage would be irreparable – Julian diamond polished and resealed the floor and it looks like new. He was an absolute pleasure and the quality of the work was amazing. I will definitely be getting in touch to help preserve the floor in the future. Thank you!

Professional Restoration of a Damaged Limestone Kitchen Floor in South East Wales

The post Vomit Damaged Verde Limestone Floor Renovated Following Drunken Party in Cardiff appeared first on South East Wales Tile Doctor.

Repairs to a Victorian Hallway Floor in Harlesden

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 16:02:15 +0000

We received a request to renovate Victorian tiled hallway floor at a house in the London borough of Harlesden NW10. My client had modernised the heating system and this unfortunately required a section of the tiled flooring to be dug up so new pipework could be laid.

After speaking on the phone, I arranged an initial visit to the property so I could properly assess the work required and provide a price for restoring the floor. During my visit I could see there was another section of missing tiles at one of the door thresholds which would need attention. Except for the missing sections of floor I could see that the tiles themselves were in good condition for their age and would respond well to a deep clean and fresh seal.

I was confident on being able to source matching replacements for the missing tiles and reassured my client that we would be able not only repair the floor but also renovate it to a good standard. I gave them a price to do the restoration which they were happy to accept, and the work was booked.

Repairing a Damaged Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

After some research I managed to source replacement tiles from the Vintage Floor Tile Company in Kent; Victorian tiles are still popular so there a few companies that keep stock so we can usually find a match.

With the replacements in hand, work started by removing the cement and loose material from the missing sections of flooring and backfilling with self-levelling compound to bring the exposed base up to the right level for tiling.

The tiles were then cut to shape as required to match the existing patten and fixed into place with a quick setting adhesive and then grouted.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was left to overnight to allow the adhesive to harden fully, and I returned the next day to deep clean the whole floor. To give the tiles are deep clean a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was sprayed onto the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes. It was then scrubbed into the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a with a black pad. This action lifted the dirt out of the tiles and the resulting slurry was removed with the wet vacuum.

It turned out that the pores of the tiles were holding a lot of dirt, so the process was repeated until I was satisfied. Due to the age of the property, there was no damp-proof membrane installed so I do try to minimise the amount of water I use in this process as there is always a chance of exacerbating any latent efflorescence issues.

Efflorescence occurs where moisture rises through the tile bringing with it salts from underneath the floor as it evaporates on the surface. This can lead to unsightly white marks appearing on the tile. To counteract this potential problem the cleaning was followed by an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel applied with a 100 then 200-grit pad, before finishing on a 400-grit burnishing pad. The floor was again rinsed with water after the application of each pad to remove the slurry and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Once I was satisfied the floor was as clean as possible, we left site and the area was left to dry over the weekend ready for application of a new sealer.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned on the Monday and started by taking a few moisture readings to check the floor was dry. The floor was in an acceptable range, so I applied the first of 4 coats of sealer. For this floor I chose Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is specially formulated product that provides stain resistance with a hard wearing low-sheen finish.

This product is also breathable which is an important feature for old floors, anything that blocks moisture from rising through the tile will cause it to become trapped underneath where it will pool and eventually reach out to the walls and result in rising damp.

Once complete the floor looked brand new and I’m pleased to say with the deep clean and a fresh sealer applied it was impossible to tell the difference between the original and repaired sections of flooring.

For the aftercare of sealed Victorian tiled floors, I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner, it’s a mild day to day cleaner with a neutral pH that won’t damage the sealer. Many of the tile cleaning products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in North London

The post Repairs to a Victorian Hallway Floor in Harlesden appeared first on North London Tile Doctor.

Restoration of a Damaged Victorian Hallway Floor in Preston

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 12:05:48 +0000

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Detailed below is the restoration of a Victorian tiled hallway floor that we started back in June in Preston. Although we started in June there was so much damage to the subfloor and the tiles it took some time to complete, additionally, the client did not like the colour samples of the replacement tiles we had brought along and so decided to source their own which took some time.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Three months later with replacement tiles now sourced we were given the go ahead to start the restoration. The first day’s focus was cleaning the original floor using very coarse 100-grit and 200-grit Diamond pads fitted to a rotary buffer machine and applied to the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to add extra cleaning power. Tile edges were given special attention using a flex machine fitted with small diamond grit pads.

The floor was rinsed with water to remove the soil generated and this was followed up with an acid rinse using a 1:3 dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up. This last step in the cleaning process is especially recommend for old floors like this which don’t have a damp proof membrane and can suffer from efflorescence issues.

Replacing Damaged Victorian Tiles

The next stage focused on repairing the floor and started by carefully knocking out all the broken and chipped tiles. We had previously estimated over 30 tiles needed replacing and so the client had bought two boxes, meaning I had plenty of spares to work with.

Before tiling however, the subfloor had suffered over the years and needed attention first. To deal with this the damaged areas were raked out, cleaned up and then back filled with rapid setting self-levelling screed from Mapie adhesives. Once the sub-base was fixed then we put the new tiles back in, they were not an exact match, about 5mm too short and lighter in tone, but the colour was pretty close.

Tiling an old Victorian floor like this can be a bit like dominoes as you move one out of place 2 decent ones come loose and then they also need refixing. Some of the tiles had hair line cracks in them and once they were loose, they just cracked in half. As such the 20 spare tiles that I thought were spare came into good use and I actually ended up using all of them. I could have done with a few more so it was decided to reset the last four broken tiles and grout them in. Luckily for me the client was very understanding about the nature of tile restoration and had accepted that there would be some imperfections and they were not expecting a new floor.

The Tiles were fixed down using Ultralite Rapid Flex (another product from Mapie) and then grouted using the same adhesive (not a grout, as they did not have grout back in the day, just cement and screed).

The floor was left this to cure overnight, and we came back the next day to finish the clean using a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a buffing machine and lubricated with water, then one last acid rinse to get the tiles as clean as possible and remove any lingering grout haze. This last clean helps to blend the new tiles in with the original.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before applying a protective sealer, the floor was left to dry for a couple of days, the tiles need to be thoroughly dry before sealing or you can end up with a patchy appearance.

For this floor with no damp proof membrane, it was important to use a fully breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface, so Tile Doctor Colour Grow was chosen. This is a good choice for old floors like this as its fully breathable, head wearing, and it contains a colour enhancer that improves the overall appearance of the tile.

Three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a fully breathable, colour enhancing sealer hat works by soaking into the pores of the tile protecting it from within. It has a matt finish, and it works really well with all clay tiles and is ideal for these types of floors.

You can probably spot the lighter coloured tiles in the after photos on this page, however it’s a very subtle difference and I think they have blended in quite well with the original. Certainly, my client was very pleased with the newly restored floor, its completely transformed from when we first visited the client, and the floor has now gained character and history. For aftercare we recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner, its an effective pH neutral product that is compatible with the new sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

The post Restoration of a Damaged Victorian Hallway Floor in Preston appeared first on Tile Doctor Lancashire.

Black and White Victorian Hallway Restoration in Ladbroke Grove

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 04:16:17 +0000

This property was in theLadbroke Grove area of West London near Kensington. The client had found an old and probably original black and white checkered pattern Victorian tiled floor under their cork tiled flooring. They also reported that it was badly damaged so I thought it would be best if I paid them a visit first to see how extensive the damage was and whether it was repairable. The floor was in a quite a state, the tiles were covered in glue from the cork and had several areas had been back filled with cement.

I reassured them that the damage could be rectified, and that it would be possible to completely restore the floor back to a good standard. I would have to remove the glue, remove the cement that had been used to level the floor and replace with reclaimed tiles to match. They were relieved to find out it could be done and happy with my quote I was instructed to go ahead with the work.

Removing Glue from a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

We started by taping up the skirting boards to protect the woodwork. With this done attention was turned to the glue which was softened using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go so it could be carefully scraped off. Multiple techniques and tools were needed to remove the glue including hand-held scrappers and a black pad fitted to a buffing machine. For the stubborn areas steam was applied to help lift the adhesive out the tile.

Once all the glue was removed the floor was rinsed and the alkaline cleaner neutralised with Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up which further cleaned the tiles and removed old traces of grout from the floor. Old floors like this generally don’t have a damp proof membrane underneath so the acids in the Grout Clean-up also counter any efflorescent salts trapped in the tile.

Once this was completed the slurry was removed with a wet vacuum and left to fully dry out overnight.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day focus turned to repairing the areas of the floor where the tiles were missing or broken. The main issue being the cemented areas, we see this a lot with Victorian Hallways and generally what happens is a heating engineer digs out the floor to install pipework. Not being tilers, your average plumber then repairs the floor with a self-levelling cement that brings the level up to the surface of the tile so it can be covered with lino, carpet of in this case cork.

The sub floor was then rebuilt with rapid setting self-levelling compound but this time to below the level of the tile.

Once the new base was dry it was a just a question of re-tiling with the replacement tiles to match the original checkered pattern. The replacement reproduction tiles were sourced from Original Features in Crouch End North London. After grouting we left the floor to dry out over the weekend.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

When we returned to seal the floor our first step was to check the floor was dry using a moisture meter. This is critical as the sealant will not cure correctly if there is too much moisture in the floor. In this case the extra two days we had allowed had done its job and the test had confirmed it was ready to accept a sealer.

The client wanted the floor finish not to be too shiny once sealed so we opted to seal with two coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This is good choice for old Victorian floors such as this example as it’s special acrylic-based formula allows for moisture vapour transmission which as mentioned previously is a concern where no damp proof membrane has been installed.

I’m please to confirm my clients were delighted with the result, as you can see from the pictures the black and white floor restoration makes for a dramatic entrance well in keeping with the style of the property. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which will keep the tiles in good condition going forward without damaging the new sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Central London

The post Black and White Victorian Hallway Restoration in Ladbroke Grove appeared first on Central London Tile Doctor.

Revamping a Mouldy Tiled Wetroom in Doncaster

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 04:09:38 +0000

This wet room in Doncaster had become so mouldy and dirty the owners didn’t know what to do with it. The Limestone and Marble Mosaics on the floor and the Ceramic wall tile and Grout throughout the bathroom had become so badly affected with mould, nothing they could buy from could resolve it.

Following my site visit I was confident the room could be cleaned up (in-fact I have seen worse), I explained what we could do to restore and revamp the wet room and they were happy to go ahead with my quote.

Deep Cleaning Mouldy Textured Ceramic Wetroom Wall Tiles

First, I opened windows to maximise ventilation and then working top down I set about tackling the Ceramic wall tile and grout by spraying on a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. Spraying on the solution mixes it with air making it lighter and easier to stick to the wall where it can soak in and get to work breaking down the mould.

After about fifteen minutes it was scrubbed into the tile and specifically the grout joints where it was needed most. This action releases grime and other contamination from the grout. The room needed a series of different treatments due to the different tiles and areas of mould, so I followed that up with Tile Doctor Duo Clean. This is a bleach-based cleaner which is brilliant at tackling mould and getting the grout back to its original colour.

The Ceramic tile in this bathroom has a textured surface which traps dirt so to get them clean I also used Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. Being a Gel is easily sticks to the vertical surface allowing for longer dwell times which allows the product to dissolve the dirt and make it easier to remove.

Deep Cleaning Mouldy Limestone and Marble Mosaic Wetroom Floor Tiles

With the walls looking much clear for my efforts I turned my attention to the Mosaic floor tiles. For these I went straight in with a cocktail combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Duo Clean cleaners which I knew from cleaning the wall tiles would have the right impact.

I was also able to use a buffing machine fitted with a poly brush attachment and running at medium speed to do most of the scrubbing. The grout lines were green with mould, and I was able to get this process to return the Mosaics and grout lines back to their original state.

The slurry was removed with a wet vacuum and rinsed thoroughly with water. It took many hours and repeated scrubbing to get the room looking like it should. I was then able to finally leave for the day and allow the wet room to dry out overnight.

Sealing Wet Room Floor and Wall Tiles

I returned the following morning and started by removing all the old silicone from the corners of the room, much of it had become stained and difficult to get clean so replacement was the best option. The waste was removed and replaced with a new bead of mould resistant silicone colour matched to suit the tiles.

The Mosaics has fully dried by this point, so I was then able to apply a sealer to floor to seal in the Marble and Limestone floor Mosaics and grout. I used a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow for this, it’s a breathable impregnating sealer that’s suitable for wet rooms. For the wall tile and grout, I used an aerosol sealer which will help protect the walls from getting mouldy and dirty again.

Once I had finished, I educated the owners on how to keep up the cleaning of the room supplying them with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro shower tile Cleaner. This is much better than any supermarket cleaner as it is pH neutral and will ensure that the newly applied sealant will not be prematurely affected. Hopefully, this will ensure it never gets quite so bad in the future however improved ventilation is the real key to solving that problem. They were very satisfied with the work we carried out and as you can see from the photographs on this page, the wet room has been transformed.

Professional Renovation of a Mouldy Tiled Wetroom in South Yorkshire

The post Revamping a Mouldy Tiled Wetroom in Doncaster appeared first on South Yorkshire Tile Doctor.

Achieving a Mirror Finish on Starlight Quartz floor tiles in Southport

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 12:59:51 +0000

We were asked by a client in Southport for advice regarding their Black Starlight Quartz tiled kitchen floor. Over the years it had lost its appearance and they wanted to know if anything could be done to return the deep shine the tiles had when they were installed.

Quartz tiles are not the most practical choice for the floor of a busy kitchen, but these sparkly starlight tiles certainly add the bling. In this case the deep sparkly shine added by the factory during manufacture had worn down with use and now looked almost cloudy.

Like Terrazzo, Quartz tiles are a composite tile engineered from a mixture of resin, sand, quartz, and crushed mirror pieces. The Quartz makes it very durable and tiles with high ratios of Quartz are very hard wearing although as in this case will benefit from a polish from time to time.

I paid the client a visit to survey the floor and work out the best process for restoring the appearance of the floor. I was confident the work could be done in a day and quoted accordingly. Happy with the price we agreed a date for my return.

Cleaning Starlight Quartz Floor Tile and Grout

The first job was to wash down the floor with a mild solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to remove all the different products the client had used on the tiles to keep them clean. After ten minutes the solution was worked into the tiles with a floor buffer fitted with a black pad.

Buffing pads can struggle to reach into recesses of the grout line so I like to clean them manually with more Pro-Clean and a handheld scrubbing brush. The combination of the Pro Clean and scrubbing action releases the dirt making the solution turn into a dark slurry that is rinsed with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor is then inspected, and the process repeated where necessary and afterwards two floor driers were placed on the floor to speed up the drying time.

Polishing and Sealing a Starlight Quartz Tiled Kitchen Floor

The Quartz tiled floor was then dry burnished using a standard speed buffing machine fitted with a Tile Doctor 3000-grit burnishing pad and a little water sprayed onto the tile. This process slowly builds back the polish on the tile.

Then once the deep shine had been restored to the Quartz tiles the floor was sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal impregnating sealer, the sealer is absorbed into the microscopic pores and will protect the tiles and grout going forward. The excess sealer was wiped off and then I ran over the floor with a White buffing pad to tighten up the seal and to further improve the finish on the tiles until it was like a mirror.

Before leaving I advised the client that they needed to be careful what they used to clean their floor with going forward, some supermarket products are simply too strong and will strip the protective seal off a tile. For this floor I recommended Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is designed for cleaning highly polished floors and helps to maintain the patina.

They were delighted with the newly polished floor it really returned the wow factor back to the kitchen.

Professional Renovation of a Starlight Quartz Tiled Kitchen Floor in Merseyside

The post Achieving a Mirror Finish on Starlight Quartz floor tiles in Southport appeared first on Merseyside Tile Doctor.

Minton Floor Tile Restoration at St. Andrew’s Church in Shilton

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 17:01:33 +0000

If you follow my activities, you will notice I have a reputation for being a Church Restoration specialist for tiled floors. In this example the church was St’ Andrew’s in the old village of Shilton which is a couple of miles North of Coventry.

The village of Shilton is listed in the Domesday book of 1066 and the Grade II listed parish church has been in existence since the 13th century. It was rebuilt twice in the 14th and 15th centuries and benefited form major work in 1865. The tiled floor installed throughout the church were manufactured by Milton so it’s probable the floor was laid at that time.

Exposing and Renovating a Milton Tiled Church Floor

My first call out to the church was to carefully remove the expansive carpet which had been put down over the tiled floor in the 1970. It had been fixed with some very strong adhesive and it had become clear that the carpet and the glue had formed a barrier over the tile sealing moisture into the floor. In some places the moisture had spread out to the walls of the Church causing rising damp. The damp resulted in plaster lifting off from the walls because it could not escape through the floor. I had to call in some assistance with this job and between us managed to remove the old carpets which were cut up and placed into black bags for disposal.

With the tiled floor now clear the next job was to remove the old adhesive. To do this, large sections of tile were soaked in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. To enhance this further the section was covered in plastic sheeting and left overnight. Doing it this way prevents the Remove and Go from drying out making it work harder and for longer. The next morning was spent carefully removing the glue with hand using scrapers and a buffing machine fitted with brush.

Once the adhesive was gone and the tiles exposed, they were given an acid wash which involved scrubbing with Tile Doctor Acid Gel. Being an acidic product, it counter acts any alkaline efflorescent salts inherent in the floor and deals with any grout hazing issues as well improving their appearance. After scrubbing the soil generated was extracted using an industrial wet vacuum and then the floor was given a quick rinse with water which again was extracted using the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Milton Tiled Church Floor

Before sealing the previously cleaned section of tiling it was left for a few days to dry out and checked with a damp meter beforehand. Once dry the section was sealed using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating hard wearing sealer that improves colour. Colour Grow is also a fully breathable making it ideal for sealing old floors like this one that have no damp proof membrane and will allow moisture to rise through the tile so it can evaporate at the surface.

The work was done over seven days with the various sections roped off, so it was obvious to the parishioners. In total it took seven days to complete the restoration and I think you will agree from the photographs the church looks transformed.

Professional Restoration of a Minton Tiled Church Floor in Coventry

The post Minton Floor Tile Restoration at St. Andrew’s Church in Shilton appeared first on Warwickshire Tile Doctor.

Repairing and cleaning a Victorian Tiled hallway in Highgate

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:23:30 +0000

This client from North London had recently bought a property in Highgate N6 and during renovation had discovered an original Victorian tiled floor in the hallway. The floor was laid in a classic black and white diamond pattern but unfortunately a large section was missing and had been filled with concrete. Furthermore, most of the remaining floor had been covered in cement and glue.

I carried out a survey of the floor to determine the main issues and was then able to email over a quote later that day that included rebuilding the missing section of flooring. I suspect the floor had been excavated at some point in the past to install central heating and then rather than have the excavated section restored it was simply back filled and then levelled with a cement screed before finally gluing down a carpet on top.

Once the quote was accepted, I sourced replacement tiles from the Vintage Floor Tile company. Situated in Kent they are a reclamation yard that specialises in supplying original geometric and encaustic tiles including the major historical makers such as Minton and Craven Dunnill.

Repair and Restoration of Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Armed with replacement tiles I started by removing the concrete that had been used to backfill the missing section and prepare a new surface for tiling with quick drying cement. When ready I was able to carefully build back the original pattern using the replacements. The tiles were secured with tile adhesive and once that had gone off, they were grouted.

The floor was left to set fully overnight and then the next day I was able to return and clean the whole floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. As usual this was left to soak into the tiles for a good ten minutes before being scrubbed into the tiles using a black scrubbing pad. The Tile Doctor Remove and Go did a good job of cleaning the floor and the cleaning solution soon turned black with dirt during the scrubbing. The floor was rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum. After inspecting the floor any areas that needed further work were hand scrubbed and rinsed again until I was happy the floor was clean.

The last part of the cleaning process was to give the tiles an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which further cleans the floor by removing old cement residue and grout haze. It also neutralises efflorescent salts in the tiles which are a common issue with floors of this age with no damp proof membrane. After another rinse and extraction, the floor was given a final rinse and then dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I left the floor to dry out for a couple of days before returning to apply a protective sealer. Tile and Stone should be dry before sealing so I use a damp meter first to double check. All was well so to seal the tiles I proceeded to apply the first of what would be three coats of sealer. I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow for this, it works by impregnating the tile occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. This product also enhances the black and white colour of the tiles and makes the floor much easier to clean.

Once done the floor was transformed and needless to say my customer was very pleased with the result. For the aftercare of Victorian Tiled floors, I recommend the use of a ph neural tile cleaner such as Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner; most supermarket tile cleaners are simply too strong for use on sealed floors and can strip off the sealer prematurely.

Professional Repair and Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in North London

The post Repairing and cleaning a Victorian Tiled hallway in Highgate appeared first on North London Tile Doctor.

Restoring Quarry and Terracotta Floor Tiles at a Barn Conversion in Hawkinge

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 15:45:30 +0000

I received a request from the owner of an old barn conversion in Hawkinge who was having their kitchen replaced to deal with their expansive terracotta and quarry tiled floor that was installed throughout the ground floor. There were so many issues with the floor my client was planning to have all the tiles ripped out and replaced. Fortunately, she contacted Tile Doctor before doing so and I got a call to pay them a visit first.

I went over to the property and surveyed the floor compiling a list of the issues as I went round. The main issues being dirty tiles and missing, cracked or very dirty grout. I explained the different steps to getting the floor restored conducted a small demonstration. Impressed with the difference that could be achieved and aware of the expense involved in replacing the floor I was asked to quote for renovating.

The client was happy with my quote, and they decided it made sense to try renovating the tiles and I was given the go ahead.

Deep Cleaning and Restoring a Quarry and Terracotta Tiled Floor

Restoring such a large floor would be very time consuming with many stages, so I recommend spreading the work over the course of a month to allow plenty of time for drying between stages. This is especially important when dealing with old porous tiles like Terracotta.

Working in sections and focusing on the kitchen area first the first task was to perform a deep clean of the floor to remove deep seated soiling and to strip off old coating such as sealers. For this a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a cleaning/stripper that’s designed for use on tile and stone was scrubbed into the tile and grout using a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. This process releases the dirt from the tile, and I then used a van mounted high pressure cleaning system to give the tiles a high pressure clean and extract the dirt.

The loose and cracked grout was raked out and the floor was left for a day to allow it dry out. Once dry the tiles were given their first coat of sealer which was an impregnating Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. Once this was done, I moved onto refixing a couple of loose tiles and regrouting the floor.

When the grout had gone off the floor was given a second clean with a light brush followed by an acid wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This action removes the last remnants of grout haze and cleans up the tile further. This was then rinsed off with the high-pressure cleaning system and the soils extracted.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Barn Conversion Floor

The floor was left to dry out again, and on my return, a further five coats of sealer were applied to give the coarse floor a level of maintainability. On this occasion I chose Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle shine to the tiles and is compatible with Ultra Seal.

It was a tough project, but I rather enjoyed bringing this old and challenging floor back to life, it was very satisfying and even more so when the feedback received greatly justifies the amount of effort expended in producing the result.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Barn Conversion in South Kent

The post Restoring Quarry and Terracotta Floor Tiles at a Barn Conversion in Hawkinge appeared first on South Kent Tile Doctor.

Grubby Limestone Kitchen Floor Restored in Worcester

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 02:47:44 +0000

This client from Worcester contacted us about their Limestone tiled floor that was installed in their kitchen and utility room. The couple had only recently moved into the property and had wanted something done about the tile and grout which was looking worse for wear and thoroughly neglected by the previous owner.

I’m based in Worcester, so it wasn’t long before I was able to visit the property and survey the floor and create a quote for renovating it. Hopefully you can see from the photos that the grout had darkened in places and the Limestone tiles looked dull and grubby. The problem with natural stone floors like this is over the years the protective sealer becomes worn down leaving it vulnerable to ingrained dirt. Without a sealer to protect the stone it had become heavily soiled and loses its original polished appearance.

The quote (which was accepted) included deep cleaning the stone and grout to remove deep seated dirt and then to polish and seal the Limestone to protect it.

Deep Cleaning a Neglected Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To bring the Limestone tile back to life my first step was to run a coarse 400-grit burnishing pad, fitted to a weighted Italian Hypergrinder rotary machine, over the floor using a dilution of Tile Doctor Stone Soap to help with the cleaning and provide lubrication. The 400-grit pad deep cleans the stone and can remove light scratches, old sealers and etching caused by the use of acidic cleaning products such as bleach.

After rinsing the floor with water and then extracting the soil with a wet vacuum I moved onto the 800-grit Burnishing Pad which is the first step in rebuilding the polished appearance on the Limestone. The process is the same as the 400-grit pad and after another rinse and extraction it was repeated using the 1500-grit pad all of which further build on the polished appearance of the stone.

Deep Cleaning Grout on a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The cleaning and burnishing took up much of the first day however floor pads do struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout lines so before leaving I turned by attention to the grout. For this I made up a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and applied to the grout lines where it was left to soak in for ten minutes. Then I hand scrubbed the grout using a grout brush. Once done the soil was rinsed off the floor as before and extracted using the wet vacuum. The floor was dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and then allowed it to dry off fully overnight.

Polishing and Sealing a Limestone Tiled Ground Floor

The following day the final 3000-grit pad in the four-pad set was applied to the floor to bring up the polish even further. The pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tile. We call this process a “Spray Burnish” and as well as leaving the floor nice and dry ready for sealing it adds a nice subtle shine to the stone.

To seal the Limestone and further enhance the shine on the Limestone I applied Tile Doctor Shine Powder which is a crystalised powder that is worked into the stone with a White buffing pad running at a slow speed. The crystals add a tough durable deep shine to the stone that provide protection from ingrained dirt.

Once done the floor looked transformed once complete and before leaving, I left a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap with the client and gave them some information about how best to maintain the floor. This product is pH neutral and cleans whilst maintaining the patina on the stone helping to keep the floor in great condition.

Professional Restoration of a Honed Limestone Tiled Ground Floor in North London

The post Grubby Limestone Kitchen Floor Restored in Worcester appeared first on Worcestershire Tile Doctor.

1880 Mosaic Tiled Floor Fully Restored at Lincoln College

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 03:56:56 +0000

Pictured below are photographs I took recently whilst restoring an original 1880s Mosaic tiled floor at Lincoln College. The floor was 60m2 in size and located in the main entrance of the college. After searching around for someone who could restore the floor back to its original state, they found Tile Doctor and as their local representative I was asked to survey the floor and provide a quote.

The work would involve removing concrete screed, repairing cracks, filling holes, deep cleaning and then sealing the floor to protect it. Time was a factor as I would only have the space to myself between the end of the summer term and before the freshers arrived at the end of September. Happy to get involved I was pleased to be awarded the work.

Repairing and Deep Cleaning a Mosaic Tiled Floor

Rather than restore the floor a decision had been taken in the past to level it and cover it, probably in some sort of carpet. As a result, my first action was to carefully remove the concrete screed, glue, and bitumen. This was pain staking work as I didn’t want to damage the mosaic tiles hidden underneath. To do this I needed to use a chisel and a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads fitted to a heavy floor buffer and lubricated with water. Each pad generates a fair amount of slurry which needs to be rinsed off with more water and extracted using an industrial wet vacuum.

With the screed and other coverings removed to reveal the whole Mosaic floor I was then able to move onto deep cleaning up the tiles using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a tile and grout cleaning product scrubbed in with a black pad. Again, the wet vacuum and more water was employed to remove the dirt and soil generated during the cleaning process.

The appearance of the Mosaic tiled floor had now fully to revealed itself and I was able to move onto the next stage which was to fill in the cracks and holes using a filler coloured to match the tile and grout. I also painted matching colours onto the surface of the cracks and holes to camouflage them and ensure the repairs would match the general pattern of the floor and make the repairs invisible.

Due to the large size of the floor and with other contractors working in the building I worked in cordoned off sections and used an industrial turbo dryer speed up the during times.

Sealing a Large Mosaic Tiled Floor

The main restoration took two days to complete, and I returned for a third and final day to finish the floor with the application of a protective sealer. For this I chose Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that protects by soaking into the pores of the tiles and protecting it from within. This sealer also enhances the natural colours of the tiles making them stand-out better, three coats were applied.

The building managers were over the moon with the transformation and draw quite a crowd from the staff as they came to see the 140-year-old floor renovated to its original condition. Not only did we manage to save this historic part of the building but also save them thousands on a replacement.

Historic Mosaic Tiled Floor Restored in Lincoln

The post 1880 Mosaic Tiled Floor Fully Restored at Lincoln College appeared first on Lincolnshire Tile Doctor.

Renovating a large Travertine Kitchen Floor in Nantwich

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 16:07:38 +0000

This client from Nantwich had a beautiful Travertine tiled floor installed in their very large kitchen and utility area. Realising that their tiles didn’t look as good as when they were installed, they got in touch to ask if I could clean and re-seal the tiles and grouting.

I went over to survey the floor and could see the grout had darkened (it was originally white) and the travertine was trapping dirt in the natural pits of the stone. I conducted a test clean on the grout and Travertine which responded well, the client was impressed, and I was asked to do the whole floor. Happy with my quote for restoring the tile and grout we scheduled a date to do the work.

Nantwich is a medieval market town in Cheshire, well known for its Tudor and Georgian architecture. It has one of the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England and many of these properties have very old floors.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

We scheduled in a date for the work, and I began by cleaning the floor with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go worked into the grout and pitting with hand brushes. I then used a wire brush on the grout to get it really clean. The soiled solution was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Once done the Travertine was burnished using a series of Tile Doctor burnishing pads from 400 through to 1500-grit attached to the rotary machine, rinsing with water in between to remove the soiling. The pads are encrusted with diamond and after being worked over each pad three times do an amazing job of removing ingrained dirt and bringing up the polish on the stone.

The floor needs to be dry before I can apply the sealer so once the burnishing was done, I gave it a final finish and extracted as much moisture as possible with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The Travertine was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to apply a sealer, first checking the floor was dry with a damp meter. The readings were acceptable, so I was able to get on with the sealing. My client had requested a natural finish, so I had recommended Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is almost invisible sealer that provides protection but doesn’t change the look of the stone. Only a couple of coats are required and being an impregnating sealer, it works by soaking into stone and occupying the pores so dirt can’t become ingrained there.

Once the sealer had dried the floor looked so much cleaner and I had a very happy customer who left the following feedback:

“Kamilla has totally transformed our tumbled travertine kitchen floor. It looks like new again, we are so pleased. Kamilla explained the whole process and was a pleasure to deal with. We are delighted with the end result, Kamilla worked so hard, would highly recommend.”

For aftercare cleaning and maintenance, I recommended they use Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is pH neutral and mild enough to use every day. You must be careful when choosing a cleaner for sealed floors as many products are too strong and will reduce the lifespan of the sealer.

Professional Clean and Seal of Travertine Floor Tiles in East Cheshire

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Pitted Travertine Tiled Floor Restored at Kidlington Hair Salon

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 02:44:51 +0000

The Travertine tiled floor installed at this busy hair salon in the village of Kidlington, had seen a lot of wear of the years and was now looking rather sorry for itself. I suspect the floor hadn’t been professionally maintained and the use of acidic cleaning products had caused holes to form Pitts in the stone which then trapped dirt. Owners of stone floors should be careful what they use to clean their floors with, as many products can dissolve the calcium in the stone over time. If a sealer has been applied, they will strip that off the floor first leaving the stone vulnerable to dirt which becomes ingrained in the stone and is difficult to remove.

The natural colours in this stone which were a mixture of red and green hues which are most unusual for travertine, however due to the accumulation of dirt in the pores of the stone it was difficult to appreciate. I discussed with the client the work needed to renovate the stone and agreed a price for the work. This salon was still closed at this point due to lockdown and the salon owner wanted to have the stone floor renovated as soon as possible in time for re-opening.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Hair Salon Floor

First, I gave the floor an initial clean using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which as per usual was left for ten minutes to soak into the pores before being scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. The dirt was then rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The cleaning process was repeated several times and I then turned my attention to the holes in the Travertine. Holes trap dirt so I spent the rest of the morning carefully filling them with a resin filler in a matching colour.

When the resin was set, I used a set of diamond encrusted buffing pads to hone the stone and blend the filled holes in with the rest of the floor. Lubricating the process with water the first pad to be applied was a very coarse 50-grit milling pad which was followed with a 100 and then 200 grit milling pad. This part of the process opens the pores in the stone so the dirt can be flushed out leaving the stone nice and clean. The next step is to refine the stone using a set of Burnishing pads from 400 up to 1500 grit which closes the pores and rebuilds the polished appearance of the stone. It’s worth mentioning that after each pad I rinsed with more water and the extracted the slurry with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Hair Salon Floor

The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to finish the polishing and protect the tiles with the application of a fresh seal. The final step of the polishing process is to apply a very fine 3,000-grit pad to the floor which is done with only a little water sprayed onto the tiles. This last pad really brings up the shine on the Travertine and more importantly it leaves the floor dry which is important when applying a sealer.

With the polishing complete I started applying the first of two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is the perfect sealer for Travertine as it soaks into the pores of the stone to protect against ingrained dirt and enhances the natural colours in the stone in the process. Once the sealer had dried a buffed off the excess using a white pad.

The floor was transformed, and the salon owner was very happy with the work we had carried out. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which helps to maintain the patina and keep the floor looking its best. I also discussed our annual maintenance plan, where we return annually for a couple of hours to bring up the polish on the stone and top up the sealer, this is a cost-effective solution to keeping the floor in tip top condition.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Hallway in Oxfordshire

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Yorkstone Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Penistone

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 15:45:05 +0000

The new owners of this converted old farmhouse in Penistone were struggling with its Yorkstone paved floor which continually looked dirty. They had tried to clean it themselves but whatever they tried seemed to have no effect. They found Tile Doctor on-line as their local representative I was asked to survey the floor and recommend a solution.

I paid a visit to the house and whilst there conducted a small test clean to show the owners what results could be achieved. I tested a few different products and methods to see what would work best and they were overjoyed with the difference. Happy and confident the stone floor could be renovated we agreed a price and booked at date in to do all 150 square meters.

Penistone is a small market town to the west of Barnsley nestled in the foothills of the Pennines, as it turns out there used to be a Sandstone quarry here so this Yorkstone floor could well have originated from that very quarry.

Cleaning a Yorkstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before doing any work, the area was prepped, woodwork was protected, and furniture was moved out of the way so there would be a clear space in which to work.

To get the floor clean I started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the floor which was left to dwell and soak into the pores of the stone for about ten minutes. Then a rotary floor machine was fitted with various diamond pads and brushes to scrub the floor. The Pro-clean and scrubbing action released what felt like decades of dirt from the Yorkshire floor and the true beauty of the sandstone started to show through. The resulting brown slurry was then removed with a wet vacuum before a final rinse was done. The floor was large, the work had to be done in small sections scrubbing and extracting until the whole area was clean and repeating the process where necessary.

There were a few areas with missing and loose mortar between the joints of the stone, so these were raked out and sympathetically repaired.

By the end of the first day the floor was looking so much cleaner. The next step would be to seal the stone, but it would need to dry out before I could do that.

Sealing a Yorkstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To allow plenty of time for drying I returned a few days later to seal the floor, first checking the stone was dry with the help of a damp meter. I know from experience that applying sealer to damp stone is a bad idea as it will affect the way the sealer cures and mar the overall finish.

The readings from the damp meter were fine so I proceeded to seal the Yorkstone flagstones with several coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go. Natural stone like this is slightly porous so it’s important to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the stone by applying a sealer and make the floor easier to keep clean. I recommend Seal and Go for Sandstone floors as it adds a nice subtle shine and brings out the natural colours in the stone.

The client was over the moon with the result, the floor looked superb and to ensure it stayed that way I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning. I make a point of doing this as I often find homeowners with stone floors don’t realise that most supermarket floor cleaning products are simply too strong for a sealed floor. Its always worth reading the label before buying a cleaning product as many are so strong, they can strip a protective sealer away with constant use leaving it vulnerable.

For the regular cleaning of Sandstone type floors, we recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is pH neutral and so won’t compromise the newly applied sealer.

Professional Cleaning of a Yorkstone Tiled Hallway in South Yorkshire

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Welsh Slate Kitchen Floor Renovated in Holywell

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 02:27:07 +0000

We were contacted by a client from the Welsh market town of Holywell asking for assistance with the renovation of a Welsh Slate floor. The stone floor was in their Kitchen and adjacent dining area and had not been professionally cleaned and resealed for several years. To prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores of natural stone its important to maintain the sealer which does wear off with use.

I visited the property to survey the floor and identify any potential issues and could instantly see that the Slate tiles in the large kitchen and dining area had lost their appearance and were now looking very dull indeed. It was clear the sealer had worn away and the stone now needed some love and care to get it looking as it should. To prove to the point, I ran a small cleaning demonstration on part of the floor and straight away they could see an improvement. Happy with my quote to deep clean the Slate and Grout and then reseal the job was booked in.

Deep Cleaning Welsh Slate Tile Floor Tiles

The first job was to mop the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean which is a strong cleaner, stripper, and degreaser. A strong dilution is best for treating heavy soiled areas and after application it was left to dwell for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine and water. This combination released the dirt and old sealer from the pores of the Slate. It normally works on grout lines too but in this case the grout was so dirty I had to use a wire brush to get it clean.

The manual scrubbing is of course a slower process than using a machine but was the only way to get the grout clean. The dirty residue was removed with a wet vacuum and the process was repeated until we were satisfied the Slate and grout was as clean as it could be. After a final extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was then left to dry out naturally overnight.

Sealing a Welsh Slate Kitchen Floor

Returning the next morning the floor was tested with a damp meter to make sure it was ready to seal. The readings were good, so a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow was applied which is an impregnating and colour intensifying sealer. This was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before rubbing the excess off with a microfibre cloth. This brought out the different natural colours out in the slate and being an impregnator offers a great defence against ingrained dirt.

Once the sealer was dry it was followed by the application of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to give the floor a nice gloss finish which the client had requested. I found it took five coats of Seal and Go to fully seal the floor but as you can see from the final photographs on this page it made an incredible difference.

On their return from work, they were over the moon with the finished result, the floor really had been transformed and fully revived. For aftercare cleaning I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which will keep the floor clean without damaging the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Welsh Slate Tiled Floor in Flintshire

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Cleaning a Stunning Pale Limestone Hallway Floor in Toft

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 12:24:07 +0000

This job was for a repeat client in Toft near Cambridge who had aa stunning large hallway that was tiled in beautiful pale Limestone. My client had asked me back to work on the floor having previously completed the deep clean and seal of a Terracotta floor previously.

The Limestone tiling in the entrance hall had years of some type of topical sealer applied to it. This caused the stone to look slightly discoloured and from certain lights showed up hundreds of scratches and smudges embedded in the seal. I’ve tried to capture this problem in the photographs on this page, but it was very difficult.

A topical sealer sits on the surface of the tile where it is vulnerable to scratching, hallways are generally high traffic areas and so more likely to see this sort of problem. Ideally an impregnating sealer should have been applied, impregnators work by occupying the pores in the stone thus preventing soiling from becoming ingrained in the stone.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting we protected the woodwork against splashing with blue film, I don’t usually make a great deal of mess, but you can never be too careful when working in someone’s property especially one as beautiful as this.

To strip off the old sealer I began by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the Limestone tiles. I split the floor into sections and used a 400-grit diamond burnishing pad to work the Tile Doctor Remove and Go into the tiles. The floor was then rinsed off using our high-pressure cleaning system that applies pressurised hot water to the floor whilst simultaneously extracting the soil with its built-in vacuum. The system is quite heavy, so it is built into my van, and I run a large flexible hose to a spinner tool that does the cleaning. It is an expensive tool, but it saves a lot of time and leaves the floor fairly dry afterwards.

The 400-grit pad had released a lot of the sealer but there were quite a few layers to get through, so I changed the burnishing pad to a coarse 200-grit pad and repeated the process. After another rinse and extract I would see it had the desired effect and I was able to carry on building up the finish on the Limestone by apply the 400-grit followed by the 800, 1500 grit pads. It was a large floor and so this took up much of the day so once complete I left for the day so it could dry off overnight.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day I finished the polishing process with the application of a 3000-grit burnishing pad which is applied with a little water sprayed onto the tile and really brings up the polish on the stone. This process has the added advantage of leaving the floor dry so not long afterwards I was able to move on to sealing.

For this floor two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal were applied, it is an impregnating sealer that won’t alter the colour of the tiles leaving a natural look.

My client was much happier with the new finish and has asked for another quotation on some more Terracotta flooring that needs attention. For aftercare I recommend using Tile Doctor stone soap, it’s a special formula that builds on the patina which will help maintain the polished appearance of the Limestone.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Hallway in Cambridgeshire

The post Cleaning a Stunning Pale Limestone Hallway Floor in Toft appeared first on Cambridge Tile Doctor.

Acid Damaged and Painted Black Limestone Patio Renovated in Sandbach

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:18:35 +0000

The photographs below are of an 80m2 Black Limestone Patio that was laid in rear garden of a property in Sandbach. All was going well until the installer decided to clean up the stone and remove the excess grout (aka grout haze) using brick acid. This is common practice in the trade after laying a patio however what they failed to realise is that Limestone can be marked by acids and in fact can be dissolved over time. This left the patio looking drained and in quite a state as you can imagine.

In an attempt to restore the black colour of the stone, the tiler painted on a restoration product however with the grout haze still present on the stone all this did was to add to the problems. Frustrated the customer decided to call Tile Doctor and so I went over to see what could be done.

I quickly deducted that the brick acid will have damaged the surface of the stone so to restore it I ran some tests on a small part of the patio that I been badly affected using a series of diamond encrusted burnishing pads of different grits. The pads successfully demonstrated that the appearance could be restored and impressed with the difference I was given the job of renovating all 80m2.

Restoring an Acid Damaged and Painted Limestone Patio

Being outside weather was an issue and I had to reschedule until a dry weather window appeared. Cleaning during damp weather isn’t a problem, it’s the sealer which needs to be applied when the sone is dry to get the right result.

Made with industrial diamonds and available in different sizes and grits, burnishing pads are ideal for restoring the appearance of polished stone floors. The first step was to work on the most badly damaged tiles with a coarse 100 and then 200-grit diamond milling pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine and lubricated with water. This took off the ruined top layer of the limestone bringing up the virgin stone underneath.

Next the patio was worked on with a 400-grit diamond burnishing pad, followed by 800-grit, and then 1500-grit pad. Each pad further renovates the appearance of the stone (Honing) and had to be rinsed after each pad to remove the slurry that is generated.

With 80m2 of Limestone paving to cover it took four days to completely restore all the stone using this method. It was tough work, but it made an incredible difference and naturally was far more cost effective than replacing the patio.

Sealing Limestone Patio Tiles to Restore Colour

With the stone cleaned up the last step was to restore the natural black colour in the Limestone with an application of Tile Doctor Stone-Oil which restores the deep black colour and adds texture to the stone, it’s also an impregnating sealer in its own right that adds protection and improves mechanical strength once cured.

I allowed this to dry overnight then returned the next day to finish the patio restoration with a further coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal, a no-sheen natural-looking sealer formulated to provide maximum stain protection without altering the colour of the stone.

The customer was delighted with the transformation, what was one an uninviting ugly area now looks fantastic and welcoming. Impressed with the result they left the following glowing feedback:

“Kamila is A M A Z I N G! From discussing our issue over the phone to meeting her in person, her advice and professionalism was second to none. She worked hard to repair our outdoor patio and we are thrilled with her results! We would happily recommend Kamila and wish her every success with her business in the future! Thank you Kamila! X

Professional Restoration of a Black Limestone Patio in East Cheshire

The post Acid Damaged and Painted Black Limestone Patio Renovated in Sandbach appeared first on East Cheshire Tile Doctor.

Ruined Slate Patio Beautifully Restored in Pembury

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 03:35:31 +0000

Our client in the villager of Pembury was feeling really deflated after having a Slate Patio laid adjacent to the full length of her house, however the builder had not applied the sealer correctly creating a mess which ruined the appearance of the stone.

Unfortunately, it is not that unusual to be contacted about this sort of situation, applying a sealer is not as easy as manufactures make out. There are lots of factors to consider, choosing the right sealer, is the stone damp, how do you know if you have applied too much, and it often catches tradesmen out. I was able to reassure them that with the right combination of products and equipment the problem could be rectified.

Deep Cleaning a Slate Tiled Patio in Pembury

The first job was to strip off the old sealer which was done using a product called Tile Doctor Remove and Go. The name of this product pretty much says it all and once applied to the stone it is left to soak in for ten to twenty minutes before being scrubbed in with a rotary machine fitted with an abrasive burnishing pad.

Tile Doctor Remove and Go is a multi-purpose stripper which will remove most coatings and sealers, including epoxy grout haze which is another common problem we encounter when tradesmen have not cleaned up properly after grouting. It is also good for removing heavy build ups of grease. I used several burnishing pads of different grits going from coarse to smooth on this patio, rinsing and extracting the soil after each pad.

It was a large area, so this process took up most of the day on its own, fortunately I use a van mounted high pressure cleaning and extraction system to remove the soil which is very efficient and leaves the stone bright clean and reasonably dry afterwards. This ensures the process can be carried out with minimal mess.

Sealing a Slate Patio in Pembury

It was a nice warm summers day and although cloudy we didn’t get any rain overnight, so after checking the forecast I was able to return the next day and apply a fresh sealer to the Slate.

My client wanted a natural look, so I used Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. This product is a no-sheen, natural-look, impregnating sealer which is formulated to provide maximum stain protection. These impregnating sealers work by penetrating the stone, occupying its pores, and thus preventing dirt from residing there.

The client was so happy and relieved to see the results on what a very expensive patio and commented she was eager to get the first barbecue of the season underway.

We recommended that a regular with the jet wash should keep the patio in good condition and in a few years time we could return to reapply the sealer for them.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Patio in South Kent

The post Ruined Slate Patio Beautifully Restored in Pembury appeared first on South Kent Tile Doctor.

Pale Limestone Floor Tile Installation Issues Resolved in Brockdish

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 15:30:45 +0000

If you have a pale stone floor such as this Limestone floor at a property in Brockdish you will find this article very interesting. Let me start by saying it’s always recommended that natural stone tiles such as Travertine or Limestone should be sealed after laying but before grouting. This is particularly important if the stone is very pale in colour as the water from the grouting compound can soak into the edges of the porous tiles leading to dark staining around the edges of each tile – this is referred to as “picture-framing” which is virtually impossible to correct as the staining is present throughout the whole depth of the tile.

Also, without the protection of a sealer smears of grout left on the surface of the stone after grout can be extremely difficult to remove. This problem is often called “grout haze” or “grout smears” which you will find is slightly rough to the touch and because of this attracts dirt easily giving the pale floor a very unappealing dirty appearance which is impossible to wash away with generally available cleaning chemicals.

In this case, and to avoid the problem with picture-framing, our client had decided to apply a penetrating sealer all-round the edges of each of the tiles using a paint brush to ensure a thorough soaking. Unfortunately, he left the main body of the tiles unprotected and although he was able to wipe away grout from around the edges of the tiles it left a fine, slightly opaque film of grout in the middle which set and became firmly bonded to the tile surface.

Initially, all seemed to be fine but shortly afterwards our client noticed that the floor appeared to be developing lighter patches around the tile edges and the grout lines were becoming noticeably dirty; in reality, what was actually happening was that the middle area of the tile contaminated by grout haze were becoming dirtier by the day, whilst the sealed outer edges were responding well to cleaning. Additionally, because the grout itself had not been sealed the dirt from cleaning was becoming stained with the dirt that had been washed into the recesses during cleaning

Ordinarily, the way to correct a grout haze issue is to apply an acidic solution to the haze which dissolves the calcium-based grout material and makes it simple to rinse away; this is fine on ceramic tiles but can cause all sorts of surface etching issues and problems if the tile material is also a calcium-based stone like travertine or limestone. It was at this point that our client decided to get some help from a stone flooring renovation specialist such as ourselves.

Removing Grout Haze and Dirt from Pale Limestone Tiles

Having contacted us through the Tile Doctor website and after a brief exchange of emails, it was obvious to me what the problem was, and being aware of the issues surrounding Limestone I was soon able to propose an effective solution.

Our first job was to apply a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline cleaning product designed for use on tile, stone, and grout. I used a strong dilution and applied it by hand to all the grout lines where it was allowed to dwell and soak in before being briefly agitated using a long-handled grout brush. Pro Clean is an extremely effective degreasing cleaner and, at higher concentrations, can also be used to strip acrylic floor finishes. It was the ideal product for sorting out the grout issues and in this instance made quick work of lifting the soiling pout of the grout lines.

Rather than rinsing the Pro-Clean away, we left it in contact with the floor and proceeded to cut the surface using a Tile Doctor 400 grit diamond burnishing pad fitted to our 17″ Klindex rotary machine. These coarse diamond pads applied in conjunction with the Pro-Clean removed all the grout haze and soiling. The resulting slurry was then power rinsed and extracted away using a Ninja 400psi machine, leaving the grout clean and the once picture-framed tile surface with an even and consistent colour.

After the application of the coarse pad, it was time to restore the appearance of the stone and bring up the polish, first with an 800-grit diamond burnishing pad followed by a 1500-grit, power rinsing and extracting between the stages. This left the floor completely clean with the beginnings of a pleasing overall sheen. We then left the floor to dry out thoroughly overnight with assistance from our large capacity dehumidifier.

Sealing a Pale Limestone Tiled Floor

On our return the following day, we were pleased to find that the Limestone had dried up extremely well which we confirmed by taking moisture content readings with our damp meter just to make certain that it was ready to have a sealer applied.

Before sealing, the surface sheen was improved further by spray burnishing the stone using the Klindex rotary fitted with a Tile Doctor 3000-grit burnishing pad. Lubricated by a fine mist of plain water from a trigger bottle this process raised the sheen level to a more noticeable shine and brought out areas of visually pleasing coloured veins within the structure of the stone which had been completely invisible up to now.

Having completed the burnishing, we applied a liberal coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is a penetrating sealer approved for use in food preparation areas which provides excellent fluid resistance yet is almost invisible. Having allowed the limestone to soak up as much of the sealer as it could, the excess product was removed, and the floor left to cure for an hour.

We then finished the process by spray buffing the floor with a white nylon buffing pad to remove any smears left by the sealing process and to polish the floor to a rich shine. Once vacuumed thoroughly, we conducted a series of fluid resistance tests to ensure that the whole floor had been sealed properly against liquid spills and our work was done leaving behind a very pleased, impressed, and grateful client.

For aftercare cleaning of a polished stone like this floor I recommend the use Tile Doctor Stone Soap which gently cleans the floor whilst helping to maintain the patina.

Pale Limestone Kitchen Floor Professionally Cleaned in Norfolk

The post Pale Limestone Floor Tile Installation Issues Resolved in Brockdish appeared first on Norfolk Tile Doctor.

Extended Multi-Coloured Riven Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Given New Lease of Life in Lincoln

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 14:51:58 +0000

This customer in Lincoln had a new kitchen fitted but the footprint of the new kitchen was different and so they had some new tiles installed to match the original Multicoloured Slate floor. The new tile and grouting stood out against the original floor, something needed to be done to get the flooring to blend in together, so she called Tile Doctor.

I popped over to survey the floor and could see the real problem was that the sealer on the original Slate tile and grouting had worn off was letting dirt in making it difficult to keep clean. I recommended deep cleaning all the Slate and especially the grouting and then sealing the whole floor. The new sealer would bring the old and new sections together and once complete you wouldn’t be able to tell the new from the old.

Cleaning Dirty and a Dull Riven Slate Tiles

First job was to protect the new kitchen at ground level where needed including the removal of the kickboards. This was followed with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the tile and grout where it was left to soak in for about fifteen minutes.

Whilst the Pro-Clean was getting a head start on breaking down the soils and what was left of the original sealer, I set up a Rotovac machine which that scrubs the floor with soft brushes whilst rinsing and extracting all at the same time. It an expensive piece of kit but it’s very efficient and makes a very clean job of restoring the floor with two or three passes.

The vacuum extraction build into the Rotovac also means most of the water is removed from the floor. I was therefore able to inspect the tile and grout and repeat the process where required. I could see that some grout needed some more attention, so I hand cleaned those areas with Pro-Clean and a grout brush. At the same time the floor was being speed dried with a blower and fans.

Efficient drying was especially important here due to the amount of water used in the cleaning process. We know from experience that for best results it’s important not to apply a sealer to damp tiles, so I always make sure the floor is dry using a damp meter beforehand.

Sealing Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Tiles

Once the cleaning phase was complete the new and old tiles matched perfectly. Eight years of grime had been removed and with the help of the fans and the sunny warm weather the floor was drying out quickly. In-fact I tested the tiles with a damp meter shortly after lunch and it confirmed the floor was dry and ready for sealing.

To seal the tile, I applied four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This adds a robust layer of protection to the floor, lifting the natural colours and adding a subtle finish that complements the natural stone. The new sealer also brought the new and old sections of tiling together making it impossible to determine the old from new.

Looking at the photos of the floor before and after my work you can really get an idea of the transformation achieved in a short space of time. Certainly, my customer was delighted with the results and left the following review.

“Amazing work, the slate floor looks better than I imagined it could look. Who knew there were all these amazing colours under all that old sealant? Phil did amazing work, even hand-scrubbing the grout to make it look as new. Would happily recommend to friends and family who want to refresh their tiles.”

For the aftercare cleaning of Slate floors its important to remember not to use a product that isn’t too strong as it will prematurely erode the sealer on the tiles. Personally, I always recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is purpose made for the regular cleaning of sealed floors.

Professional Riven Slate Tiled Floor Restoration in Lincolnshire

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in West Kirby

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:23:14 +0000

We were contacted by a customer in West Kirby who needed help renovating a Victorian tiled hallway in a house they had just purchased. Kirby is a desirable seaside location North of Heswall that expanded with the arrival of the railway in 1848. The railway brought a demand for property and so it’s not unusual to find housing stock in this area dating back to the Victorian era.

The Victorian tiles at this property appear to have been neglected by the previous owner and were now looking very dull and marked by paint from decorating; all the colours looked washed out and the floor was now looking very unappealing.

The good news however is that this problem is not uncommon and with a deep clean and a fresh sealer applied it can be transformed. I gave the owner a quote which was accepted a date agreed for my return to do the work.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the first day the floor was sprayed with a neat solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a powerful alkaline cleaning and stripping agent used to remove old seals and paint. The solution was left to dwell for about twenty minutes so it could soak in and get to work. It was then scrubbed into the tiles using a coarse 200-grit pad fitted to a heavy buffing machine. Water was then added to the floor for lubrication and the soils released from the pores of the tile during scrubbing was removed by with a wet vacuum.

To treat the stubborn paint stains and remains of what I suspect was carpet adhesive a hand scraper and wire brush was used, this was made easier by the Remove and Go which had softened the paint etc.

The next stage was to give the Victorian tiles a mild acid wash using Acid Gel which is applied to the floor, scrubbed in, and rinsed off with a little water then extracted using the wet vacuum. We always recommend an acid wash for old floors like these as it will counter any efflorescent salts resident in the tiles and helps to remove other mineral contaminates and old grout that can mask the true beauty of the tiles.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I left the tiles to dry out for two days before returning to apply the sealer, first checking it was dry by testing for moisture in various places with an electronic damp tester. It’s not a good idea to apply a sealer to a damp floor so we always check first.
Satisfied the floor was dry, I started applying a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that helps to bring out the true colours in the tile. This was allowed to dry for thirty minutes and then followed up five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a breathable sealer that leaves a lovely satin finish and builds on the protection.

Once done the Victorian hallway tiles looked so much cleaner and healthier. It was quite a transformation and the new sealer had given the floor a nice low sheen shine which the customer was very happy with.

For aftercare cleaning I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is specially formulated for cleaning sealed tiles. We don’t recommend tile cleaning products you find on supermarket shelves as the are usually too strong and can strip a sealer off the floor prematurely. If your choosing another product to clean your floor always read the label to make sure its compatible.

Victorian Hallway Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Merseyside

The post Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in West Kirby appeared first on Merseyside Tile Doctor.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Repair and Restoration in Tonbridge

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 05:30:53 +0000

Many of our Southeast towns such as Tonbridge grew significantly in the Victorian era, especially with the arrival of the railways and so we come across original Victorian tiled floors a lot particularly in hallways and vestibules. Victorian tiled floors are very durable but over the years daily wear leaves them in poor condition, the good news is thought they respond well to restoration.

Here we have an entrance hallway which over the years has been butted with many different types of flooring and in the process had suffered. Additionally, there was a poor cement repair between the wooden floor and the Victorian tiles which was cracked, and the client wanted it removing and the area restored with matching tiles.

Sourcing replacement Victorian tiles is not a problem with our contacts in the industry so once a plan was agreed I set about looking for reclaimed tiles to match the existing. Once a I had managed to track down suitable matching replacements a date was set for the work to commence.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Vestibule Floor

Before I could start cleaning the floor it made sense to do the repairs first. This in itself took two days of intricate work and involved carefully removing the cement and damaged tiles, cleaning up the subfloor. Once done I was able to cut the replacement tiles and then rebuilding the tiles into what was essentially a jigsaw puzzle. It was important to match the existing tile pattern to ensure the repair is invisible and to the highest standard.

Once that was done and the tile adhesive was set, I was able to clean the whole floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to remove the hundred years of worn in grime. I followed my usual process of allowing it to soak in for ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. It is a very effective product particularly on heavy dirt build-up and removing old sealers as in this example. It wasn’t long before the cleaning solution turned black with the dirt released from the tiles. I was then able to use the pressure cleaning and extraction equipment fitted into my vehicle to remove the soiling whilst keeping the mess to a minimum.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Vestibule Floor

Due to the age of the property, there was no damp-proof membrane installed beneath the floor. This limits the choice of sealer that you can use on the floor to one which is fully breathable. Choosing a non-breathable sealer will trap moisture in the floor which can lead spread out to the walls resulting in rising damp.

Having previously discussed sealers with the owner I returned to seal the tiles the next day with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a fully breathable impregnating sealer which soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from with and enhancing the colours in the process. It’s a durable product that will protect the floor ingrained dirt and staining for many years to come.

Even though it was a small area once it was fully restored it had a big impact on the overall feel of the property in a Grand Designs way. Needless to say, the client was very pleased with the result.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Vestibule in South Kent

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Milling a Rough Sandstone Kitchen Floor Smooth in Bamber Bridge

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 16:40:22 +0000

This client at a property in Bamber Bridge was really fed up with his Indian sandstone kitchen floor. The sandstone suited the age of the property but due to its course rough texture he was having issues keeping the stone clean and maintaining it to a decent standard. Ideally, he wanted something long lasting that was easier to keep clean.

Sealers can only help so much on a rough stone like this, in my opinion really rough stone is best sold for use outside in patio’s etc. My client didn’t want to rip it up as it ran underneath the kitchen units and it cost them a lot of money to have it laid, so having been on our website and checked out our previous work they realised we could mill the stone and smooth down the rough texture to a much smoother finish and yet still leave enough texture in the stone for it to look very natural.

Milling an Indian Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

We have developed a system at Tile Doctor called “Milling” which is very similar to sanding rough wood to reveal the inner patina. Once done we then we give it one more clean before adding a fresh sealer to add protection. Milling does change the look of the stone as you will see on the before and after pictures on this page, so it is not for everyone. It is however a one-off process so once done it will never need to be milled again. Like all stone floors it will still benefit from a deep clean and re-seal every five years (depending on use) just to keep it looking its best but after milling you will be able to walk on the stone in bare feet or socks and slippers as it really does make a big difference to the finish.

By milling we mainly use coarse-grit burnishing pads that contain segments made from hard industrial diamonds. Working our way up the different grits the pads are applied using a weighted floor buffer which is run over each tile several times to cut the stone back. The process is so effective we often find that the pads are all you need to clean the stone so hardly ever use any chemicals with this process, apart from the sealer which is applied once fully dry.

I should mention that Milling is not something a customer should consider doing themselves as you need invest in a heavy-duty weighted buffing machine which are rarely available for hire.

Sealing an Indian Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To seal internal Sandstone floors, I usually use Tile Doctor Colour Grow which brings out the natural colours in the stone. On this occasion however two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal were applied to the stone and grout which results in an invisible natural finish and better matched the clients’ requirements.

My client was really pleased with the new floor and left the following feedback:

“Only finished today but looks so good now. Russell did a great job milling the flags to a much smoother finish. Two coats of sealant applied by Heidi on last day which hopefully will keep it looking that way. Mark F. Bamber Bridge”

For aftercare cleaning I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is specially designed for cleaning sealed floors. You need to be very careful when using supermarket cleaners as many are tool strong and will slowly strip the sealer off the floor, always read the label.

Professional Restoration of a Sandstone Kitchen Floor in Lancashire

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Communal Travertine Floor Renovated at Douai School – Upper Woolhampton

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:12:45 +0000

This enquiry came from Douai School in Upper Woolhampton which is a listed building near Bucklebury that dates back to 1830. The building was converted in 2003 into a range of extremely individual and stylish apartments. Also nearby is Douai Abbey which is a monastery occupied by Benedictine Monks who used to run the school until it closed.

I was called in inspect the impressive entrance and foyer area and main building itself. During the refurbishment in 2003 the whole area was installed with Travertine tiles with small slate inserts. Once an impressive floor it had deteriorated over the past eighteen years and had never been professionally cleaned since installation. Not only had the floor collected years’ worth of dirt in the pores of the stone the natural holes that were filled in during manufacture had started to pop out leaving an unsightly appearance.

After surveying the Travertine floor, I carried out a test clean on a small inconspicuous area to demonstrate what would be involved and to verify which method and products would be the most efficient choice. From this I was able to provide an accurate quote, which was accepted, and a date was soon booked to carry out the work.

Cleaning and Polishing a Large Travertine Tiled Floor

Due to the size of the area, I allowed 7 working days it complete the floor, working in sections at a time. This allowed me to cordon off a safe working environment for myself without impacting the residents too much.

I started the cleaning process with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline based tile cleaner that breaks down heavy soils and old sealers. It was important to ensure as much dirt was removed from the pores, pockets, and holes in the Travertine as possible. I left it to soak in and get to work breaking down the dirt for roughly ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a rotary floor scrubbing machine. The soil released during this process is then rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The section of flooring is then inspected, and the process repeated if needed, stubborn stains were be dealt with by spot treating. Once cleaned air driers where left in place to help speed up the drying process.

The next task was to focus on filling the holes in the Travertine, I did this using an epoxy resin filler specifically designed to fill in stone. I used a combination of straw and light straw colours to compliment the different tones in the tiles. Once applied the product dries pretty fast however I like to leave a good hour before progressing onto the next stage of the refurbishment process.

Polishing Travertine Tiled Flooring

Now the area had been cleaned and filled my next task was to repolish the Travertine tiles that had lost its lustre over the years. Usually on sedimentary stone I would start with a 400-grit pad and work my way through the 4-stage burnishing system finishing on a 3000-grit. However, filling the holes leaves a residue on the tile which meant I needed to smooth back the surface first with a coarser 50, 100 and then 200-grit soft milling pads. This process generates a bit of soil which needs to be rinsed and extracted between each pad.

I continued with the restoration of the floor by moving onto the burnishing process using a further set of finer pads starting with 400-grit. The pads are applied to the floor as before with a heavy floor buffing machine using water to lubricate the process. The pad is run over each tile around three times and the fine slurry this process generates is rinsed off afterwards with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum. You then move onto the 800-grit and then 1500-grit slowly building back the appearance of the stone.

Sealing Travertine Tiled Flooring

As I worked in sections at a time, I was able to allow a full day drying prior to sealing. Happy with the appearance of the floor I opted to seal the floor with one thin coat of colour grow. I had a range of sealers to use however I felt the stone would benefit from the colour enhancement properties colour grow sealer provides.

Because this was a communal space it was necessary to tape the area I was sealing off to ensure there was no foot traffic whilst it was drying. This process was repeated throughout the job and at any one time I would have several areas sectioned for cleaning, drying, polishing, or sealing.

The staff, chairman and residents where over the moon with difference I was able to make. In fact, I have since been invited back to deep clean the chairman’s kitchen and do other jobs for three other residents as they were all installed with the same material. I should mention that for aftercare I leave a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for maintenance cleaning.

Professional Renovation of a Polished Travertine Flooring in Berkshire

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Renovating a Mouldy Discoloured Shower Cubicle in Woodstock

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:59:02 +0000

Pictured below is a very mouldy Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle at a property in the picturesque market town of Woodstock, which is very close to the famous Blenheim Palace and has a long history that dates to the Domesday Book and have many 17th century buildings.

As you can see mould had really got a grip on the white grout around the bottom of the shower and in most other places the grout had become discoloured. Mould and discolouration are a very common problem and is caused by a lack of ventilation in the bathroom as well as the dyes in soap and shampoos.

Most ceramic tiles have a glazed surface and so are fairly impervious to these problems, grout however is a problem due to its cementitious rough nature. I discussed with the client what could be done to restore the appearance of the shower cubicle for them, and they were pleased to hear we could do something about it. Happy with my quotation it wasn’t long before I got instructed to go ahead with the work.

Deep Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

To resolve the problem, I first sprayed the whole shower with Tile Doctor Duo Clean and left it to soak in. The bottle comes with a spray attachment that combines the product with air making it lighter and easier to stick to vertical surfaces. It is a fast effective cleaner which doubles up as a grout cleaner and mould remover.

Whilst the Tile Doctor Duo Clean was doing its magic I fetched the other tools I would need to complete this job. After about 30 minutes I sprayed the cubicle again and started to hand scrub the grout and tiles to remove the mould and dirt. I then rinsed with water and went over the stubborn stains again until I was happy. The walls where then dried with a clean towelling cloth. It is amazing the difference you can achieve with the right grout cleaning product and a lot of elbow grease.

The last step and “prise de la resistance” was to cut out all the original silicone sealant with a sharp knife and then replace with new white sealant which had an anti-mould formula. I am not convinced these anti-mould products work any better to be honest but with mould being such a problem it is definitely worth giving them a go.

Sealing a Ceramic Shower Tiles

The last step was to spray the grout with Tile Doctor Wall Tile and Grout Sealer to help protect the grout, it forms a protective barrier over the tile and the grout, so water just runs straight off the wall and into the shower tray.

For after care I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro which is pH neutral cleaner designed for showers and will help the sealer last longer. Stronger supermarket products can actually strip a sealer off the tile over time so we don’t recommend their use.

I think you will agree the shower cubicle looked transformed by the time I had finished, certainly my client was very happy with the work we had carried out.

Professional Shower Cubicle Cleaning in Oxfordshire

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Removing Mould from a Ceramic Tiled Ensuite Shower Cubicle in Chelford

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:32:00 +0000

I was asked by a Chelford homeowner (near Alderley Edge) to renovate their Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle which had an unsightly mould problem. They say pictures speak louder than words, so I’ve added some photos on this page which show how the grout and silicone sealant had become discoloured with mould over the ten years since it was installed.

Mould likes damp warm areas and shower cubicles make a perfect habitat for it, grout especially can be a problem due to its cementitious rough surface that mould can get a grip on. In this case the ventilation in the ensuite was inadequate and ideally there should have been an extraction vent over the cubicle itself. My advice in these situations is to leave doors and windows open after showering and to run the cold water afterwards.

Removing Mould from a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

To renovate the Tile and Grout I sprayed on Tile Doctor Duo-Clean which was left to soak into the grout line for ten minutes before being scrubbed in by hand. The Ceramic tiles cleaned quite easily but the grout had to be scrubbed hard and needed several applications before I was satisfied.

The whole shower needed treating in this fashion and once rinsed and dried I set about stripping out all the old silicone sealant that had also been badly affected by mould. This is done carefully using a sharp knife. I removed the debris and moved onto applying a fresh mould resistant silicone sealant.

Sealing a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

Last step before leaving was to spray the Ceramic tile and especially the Grout and Silicone with a can of Tile Doctor Aerosol Grout Sealer. This doesn’t last as long as other sealants in the Tile Doctor range but its quick to apply, especially on wall tiles. The sealer ensures water will run straight off the walls into the shower tray and it also makes the shower easier to clean later.

The shower looked like a new installation by the time I had finished, and my client was delighted with the transformation. He was also thankful that I had replaced the silicone, this was something he had considered doing himself but applying it does take practice and you can get yourself into a mess.

Professional Renovation of an Ensuite Shower Cubicle in East Cheshire

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Dirty Kitchen Grout Renovated in Adwick Le Street

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 16:21:58 +0000

The owners of this house in Adwick Le Street, which is North of Doncaster, were fed up with the appearance of the Grout in their Ceramic tiled kitchen floor. They had not been able to keep the grout clean and it was now patchy, discoloured, darker and consequently always looked dirty.

I visited the property, to survey the floor and could see the Ceramic tiles and where in good condition, but the grout lines were really letting the kitchen down. I discussed with my client the option of re-colouring the grout, which they agreed was sensible, anything to keep the impossible grout clean. The alternative of scraping out the grout and replacing would be a messy and time-consuming option which we both agreed was not the choice they wanted to go for. I gave them a price to complete the work which they were happy to go ahead with.

Recolouring Grout on a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before any grout colouring could be done the grout first needed to be prepared, this was done using Tile Doctors Grout Colourant Pre-Treater which is an acid-based cleaner specially made for the job. This product cleans and prepares the grout for the colourant to ensure a better contact with the colourant later. It’s very simple to apply and is simply sprayed onto the grout lines, left to dwell for five minutes and then scrubbed into the grout by hand. Once done the soiled pre-treater is rinsed off with water and removed with a wet vacuum.

Once the grout lines are dry, they are ready to be coloured, unfortunately this is a manual process which take a lot of attention to detail and can be quite tedious. The best way of doing it I have found is go get down on your hands and knees with a toothbrush and gently scrub the colourant into each grout line, any colourant that seeps over onto the tiles needs to be quicky wiped away before it dries. The one upside however is observing the highly satisfying transformation of the grout as the result is instant and you can see the improvement as you go along.

There are ten grout colours of Tile Doctor Grout Colourant to choose from and in this case the owners had chosen Natural Grey. If you want to save a few points they also sell a Grout Colourant kit that contains both the colourant and the pre-treater. The grout colourant is epoxy based so it remains water and stain proof and will last for years.

I’m not sure the pictures I took do the transformation justice, but my client was over the moon with the difference it had made to the floor. The patchy grout was gone and then whole room seemed brighter.

For regular cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which will keep the floor looking good but is gentle enough to use every day and won’t compromise the colourant.

Professional Grout Cleaning and Renovation in Worcestershire

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Deep Clean and Seal of a Multi-Coloured Slate Kitchen floor in Hythe

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 16:12:39 +0000

This Multi-Coloured Slate floor looks nice in the Kitchen of this property in Hythe, however due to the riven surface of the tile and the deep grout lines my customer had struggled to keep it clean. Additionally, the Slate has lost all of its lustre over the years since it had been installed and it was now due a deep clean and reseal.

The combination of durability and price makes Slate a popular choice for floor covering, it is also available in a number of colours, ranging from plain black to a more diverse array of shades. Like any natural stone floor though it need sealing to keep the dirt out of the pores of the stone however sealers wear off with use

Hythe by the way is a lovely medieval coastal market town with its own beach on the edge of Romney Marsh and close to Folkestone.

Deep Cleaning Multicoloured Slate Tiles

Before starting I removed the kickboards underneath the kitchen units and protected the exposed woodwork with a thin film. To deep clean the Slate floor and remove any remaining sealer I applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left it to soak in for ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a light carbide brush. As well as removing the old sealer this process releases the dirt from the pores of the stone and brings it to the surface where it can be extracted.

I have probably mentioned this before, but I’ve invested in a powerful van mounted pressure extraction system for removing the dirt, old sealer and emulsified soils released from the stone. The system works by applying water at high pressure on the floor via a spinner tool and then simultaneously extracts the waste under suction back to a grey water tank on the van. From the customers point of view, it makes light work of cleaning the floor and more importantly leaves the floor dry and leaves no mess.

Having a dry floor at this stage is important as it means I can usually seal the floor on the same day. Its not a good idea to apply a sealer to damp floor as it will affect the way it cures and lead to an undesirable finish. The way to make sure the floor its dry is to use a moisture meter and take readings in several places around the floor. You can use an air mover to improve drying times however older floors can take a very long time to dry and for those I tend to book another day to apply the sealer.

Sealing Multicoloured Slate Tiles

With the floor dry I set about applying the first of two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which provides both a hardwearing sheen to the slate as well as enhancing its natural colourings. It has strong water repellency characteristics which makes it ideal for use in a kitchen where spillages are quite common.

This was quite a small kitchen, so the work was completed in one day. My client was amazed at the transformation and grateful for our advice on continued maintenance which for this floor I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for daily cleaning.

Professional Clean and Seal of a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Floor in South Kent

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Terracotta Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Abingdon

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 15:38:08 +0000

The photos below are from a customer in Abingdon who had a Terracotta tiled floor in their Kitchen. Kitchens are high traffic areas and overtime the sealer had worn off and now dirt was becoming ingrained in the pores of the Terracotta. Once you get dirt in the pores of a clay tile or natural stone it becomes very difficult to remove and now the floor was not looking its best.

Unhappy with the appearance of the tiles the owner of the property had been in touch requesting a deep clean and fresh sealer. It was a fairly straight forward job and I was able to provide a quick quotation which was accepted and a data agreed to do the work which would take two days.

Cleaning Terracotta Tile

I started cleaning the Terracotta by doing applying a 1:3 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is our goto alkaline tile cleaner. For this floor I actually ended up using two litres of Pro-Clean diluted in six litres of water. The solution is left to soak into the tile for about ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a 180-grit silicon carbide brush attached to a weighted floor scrubber. These brushes are quite expensive however they do last a long time so well worth the investment for someone in my profession. If you were doing this work yourself a Black Buffing pad would do the trick.

This process worked well on the floor and the cleaning solution was soon dirty with the soil that had been released from the pores of the Terracotta tile. The slurry was rinsed off the floor with water and extracted using Numatic wet vacuum.

Final step of the cleaning process was to give the tiles an acid wash. This is done using a 10:1 dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is applied to the tiles and then scrubbed in using a soft poly brush fitted to a floor scrubber. This process removes any old grout smears and traces of efflorescence and slightly roughens the surface of the Terracotta tile to ensure a better bond with the sealer. Once done the floor was rinsed with more water and extracted with the wet vacuum leaving the floor as dry as possible before leaving for the day.

Sealing Terracotta Tile

I left the floor to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to seal the floor first checking the tiles were dry by taking a few moisture readings with a damp meter. The readings came back fine so I need not have been concerned however Terracotta tiles being made from clay are very porous so it’s always a good idea to check.

The floor was dry, so I set about applying the first coat of sealer which for this floor I used Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. You need to leave around thirty minutes in-between coats and this floor took five coats before it was fully sealed.

Once finished the Terracotta floor looked much cleaner, fresher and the sealer had given the tiles a nice subtle sheen. For aftercare I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is ideal for the regular cleaning of sealed floors.

Terracotta Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Oxfordshire

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Renovating a Large Indian Sandstone Patio in Southborough

Sat, 26 Jun 2021 13:08:52 +0000

A customer from the Tunbridge Wells borough of Southborough got in touch with me regarding the renovation of their Sandstone Paved Drive and Patio. The paving surrounded the property and since all the facias had recently been renewed on the house the stone was letting the overall appearance of the property down.

It had been sometime since the Sandstone had been cleaned and as you can see from the photos what was once a beautiful stone had now darkened and lost much of its natural colour. I went to the property to do a quick site visit to check what needed to be done. I worked out a quote for cleaning to the stone which was accepted and a convenient time to carry out the work was agreed.

I have a very powerful high pressure cleaning system installed in my van which makes short work of cleaning stone and brick. Not only is it very effective at cleaning its designed as a closed system, so all the waste is extracted back to a large grey water tank in the van. Now you can use an everyday power washer to clean up external stone however they are not as powerful and so take much longer, also the result does not tend to be as good.

Deep Cleaning an Indian Sandstone Patio in Southborough

It was a large area, so I approached the job in sections and started by pre-wetting the stone with water. Then I applied Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner which is a powerful outdoor cleaning solution formulated to power through patio blackspots, lichen, moss, and stains. This is a commercial product designed for professional use so if you are looking at using it yourself, please take care and use the right protection.

The cleaner was left to soak into the really dirty areas whilst I focused on the cleaning the other parts of the drive and patio with the van mounted pressure washer. I was then able to return to the deeper stains later. Using a combination of the Tile Doctor Brick and Patio Cleaner along with our van mounted pressure cleaning system we were able to completely transform the properties kerb appeal.

Applying a sealer now the Sandstone was clean would have improved the look of the stone further and made the patio easier to keep clean going forward; however, it was a very large area which would require a lot of sealer. Keen to keep the cost down it was agreed not to apply a sealer and instead they intend to do more regular cleaning. The patio did look in great condition following the deep cleaning and so difficult to justify at this stage.

My customer was very happy with the transformed patio and the look of delight was clearly visible. It’s a great feeling when you have a happy customer and this was one of those jobs where their satisfaction was so uplifting, especially during these times.

Professional Renovation of an Indian Sandstone Patio in South Kent

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Black Spot Removed from an Indian Sandstone Patio in Bolton-Le-Sands

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 14:34:59 +0000

This Indian Sandstone Patio in Bolton-Le-Sands near Lancaster had not been cleaned successfully for several years. Although the owner had power washed it on occasion, that won’t rid you of Black Spot, Mould, Lichen etc and this will build-up over the years. It does clean the stone up to a certain standard but at some point, it will need further treatment.

My client had now reached this point and decided to give Tile Doctor a call to have it renovated. We discussed the Patio which ran around the house and calculated that it measured approximately 60m2. With the measurements and a summary of the issues I was able to work out a quote which they were happy to accept.

Removing Black Spot from an Indian Sandstone Patio

To improve the appearance of the stone I started by giving it a power wash to remove the general grime and dirt. I used a top of the range Karcher Pressure Washer for this which can apply up to 20 bars of pressure. The machine also comes with a spinner attachment results in a much more even clean than simply using the spray head.

The patio was left to dry for thirty minutes before applying neat Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner. Please note this is a very powerful product meant for professional use so if you’re using it always wear gloves and protective glasses. You leave it on the stone for ten minutes or longer before working it in. The directions on the back of the bottle say recommend leaving it for two to four hours, but its general advice. Personally, I find it is best to test the timing on a small inconspicuous area first, leave it on for say ten minutes then add a bit of water, scrub the surface and if the Black Spot disappears then that is all the time you need. If the stain is stubborn, increase the time. The two to four hour recommendation is really for difficult Black Spots that have become ingrained into the stone and then the product needs longer to digest the stain before it can work.

Once that was done, I used the power washer on low pressure to wash the products off the stone and into the sewerage drain, a wet vacuum comes in handy for this. Don’t dispose of it into the grass or planting areas as the strong chemicals in the product could upset them. Many properties have a soak away to capture rainwater from gutters, so you need to make sure it’s the sewage drain you are using.

As you can see on the pictures, this product really does work and got rid of the Black Spot completely. To maintain the patio a regular jet wash was recommended, the household versions are ideal for keeping it clean and tidy.

Due to the size of the Sandstone patio the whole process took around six hours to complete. Once done though the patio looked transformed and was all ready for a barbeque and some guests. Hopefully, it will stop raining long enough for this to happen.

Professional Restoration of an Indian Sandstone Patio in Lancashire

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Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration in Wheatley Hills, Doncaster

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 01:39:39 +0000

Our clients from the Doncaster suburb of Wheatley Hills contacted us to see if we could rescue their Victorian floor. They were a young professional couple who had recently purchased and renovated a beautiful Victorian terraced house. They loved the Victorian hallway tiles, but they did need some attention and we were asked to renovate them.

Victorian floors often have areas of damage, usually at the bottom of staircases and in doorways due to heavy usage. This floor was no different. We decided not to replace every cracked tile but to concentrate on the worst areas which was at the bottom of the staircase.

A nice little feature of Victorian floors you often find is an upside tile left by the original tiler, it is usually a small tile tucked away at the edge. The Victorians believed that only god could create something perfect so one small imperfection was normally left and in this case one tile had been installed upside down.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting, replica tiles were sourced to closely match the originals and as you will see from the final pictures its now impossible to tell the difference. Standard sizes have changed though so to achieve a perfect fit the old tiles were used as templates and new tiles cut to match the originals. In total around twenty badly damaged tiles were replaced, I could have replaced more however with an old floor like this its good to keep some character and history in the floor.

Once the new tiles had set, work started on cleaning the floor which was done using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined. This makes a powerful formula that can clean and strips old sealers from tiles and after being left to soak in for ten minutes is scrubbed into the floor with a coarse 200-grit pad. Pads can struggle to get into the corners etc so for those tricky areas I use hand-held diamond blocks.

After rinsing the floor with water and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum I gave the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This removes mineral salts trapped in the tiles and cleans off old grout smears. I always recommend an acid wash for old floors like this one as they do not have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor and this can result in salts rising through the tile as moisture evaporates, a process commonly known as efflorescence.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the following day to seal the tiles with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Before starting, moisture readings are taken from the tiles to ensure its dry, applying a sealer to a damp floor can cloud the sealer so it’s worth checking.

Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from within and enhancing its colours in the process. Old Victorian tiles are quite porous after being deep cleaned so in total six coats were applied before the it was fully protected and waterproof. To check enough sealer has been applied I like to conduct a water test which should result in a water droplet forming a bubble on the tile as in the picture below.

Each coat of sealer needs to dry before applying the next, so it does take some time to fully apply the sealer.

Once sealed the Victorian floor looked much lighter, had a lovely natural sheen and the vibrant colours of the tiles really shone through. Our clients were overjoyed with the finished results and pictures of the floor were soon all over Instagram!

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Yorkshire

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Rebuilding and Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Haringey N22

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 15:23:59 +0000

Convinced that their Victorian tiled hallway was beyond repair they decided to give Tile Doctor a call just in case there was a chance it could be saved. The property was in the Turnpike Lane area of Haringey in North London (N22), amongst a similar style of properties.

Victorian floor restorations are a speciality of ours, so I went over to take a look at the hallway and survey the tiles. When I got there, I could see why they thought nothing could be done as a lot of the tiles had come loose. However, I was pleased to inform them that in fact it could be restored and that as an original feature doing so should add a lot of value to the property. Happy that the floor could indeed be renovated we were given instructions to go ahead with the work and agreed a date for the job to begin.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On Day 1 we set about lifting all the loose tiles. We then cleaned all the excessive adhesive from the subfloor and the loose tiles. With much of the subfloor now exposed we were also able to repair the badly damaged areas with quick drying cement. Some tiles were too badly damaged to relay, so these were replaced with matching reproduction tiles sourced from Original Features who are a specialist supplier of Victorian Tiles based in Crouch End.

On day two we re-laid all the tiles and grouted the floor. After allowing the tile adhesive and grout to set we returned a few days later to deep clean the floor.

Cleaning involved applying a 200-grit burnishing pad to the floor lubricated with water to remove ingrained dirt. The floor was rinsed with water and the soil removed with a wet vacuum. This was followed by giving the Victorian floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. I always recommend an acid wash for tiled floors as it removes grout smears and other mineral deposits from the tiles and further improves their appearance as a result. The floor was given another rinse and again the soil was extracted with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

We then returned the next day and after checking the moisture readings were satisfactory, the floor was sealed with 3 coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which soaks into the pores of the tile improving colour and adding protection from within. This sealer gives the floor a lovely subtle finish, it would also give it great protection for some time to come particularly in a high traffic area such as the hallway.

Once done, the floor looked great the colours were really striking and most importantly my client was delighted and left some great feedback, see below:

Excellent service. Top quality workmanship and they worked extra late without complaint and without additional charges as the job turned out to be bigger than initially estimated. Andrew responded to all our queries in a friendly and polite manner throughout the job. By Martin T, London.

For aftercare cleaning of Sealed Victorian tiled floors, I always recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Most supermarket products are simply too strong for a sealed floor and will slowly strip away the sealer with use.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in North London

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Removing Grout Haze from Ceramic Tile and Grout in a Sandhurst Kitchen

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 09:00:09 +0000

I received an enquiry from a customer in Sandhurst regarding their Ceramic tiled kitchen floor that they were struggling to get “looking clean”. Ceramic tiles are glazed and usually very easy to keep clean so intrigued I arranged a time for me to pop over and assess the problem.

Upon arrival the customer explained to me they had recently moved from Lancaster to be closer to their family and had inherited the ceramic tiled floor with the property. They had tried various solutions, but nothing seemed to get them clean. The Ceramic tiles had a slight texture to them which improves grip and makes them a popular choice in kitchens where the floor can get wet. The trouble with rougher surfaces though is they can trap dirt and as it turns out the previous homeowner had three dogs which no doubt had been kept in the kitchen.

After measuring and surveying the floor I ran some cleaning tests on the tiles to see which combination of product and cleaning method would have the most impact. During this I discovered the tiles had a thin layer of grout haze imbedded within the textured surface that had becoming imbedded with dirt, this would explain why they had struggled to get them clean. This must of happened when the floor was originally installed, the tiler didn’t polish off the grout thoroughly enough thereby leaving a thin layer of grout over the surface ruining their appearance. Happy with the demo a price was agreed, and the work was booked in.

Removing Grout Haze from a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before starting I removed the kick boards from underneath the kitchen units and protected any exposed wooden areas with thin tape. Due to the previous cleaning tests, I knew exactly how to approach the floor and tackle the grout haze (aka grout smears).

Basically, to remove the thin layer of grout I applied a strong dilution of the aptly named Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. It’s a mild acidic cleaner that breaks down the grout and allows it to be removed. The solution is applied to the floor and allowed five to ten minutes to dwell before being agitated using a black pad fitted to a buffing machine. The slurry was then rinsed off with water and vacuumed away using a wet vacuum. Some areas were worse than others so for heavy grout haze build up I used Tile Doctor Acid Gel which is a more powerful acidic cleaner that comes in gel form.

Applying a Light Grey Grout Colourant

Though everything cleaned up well the grout was still looking a little tired, the years of dirt had resulted in some deep staining which could not be removed and was letting down the overall appearance of the floor. To achieve a uniform finish throughout a light grey Tile Doctor Grout Colourant was carefully applied to each individual grout line, wiping away any excess that got onto the tiles. The colourant was left to dry for an hour before buffing the floor with a white pad. The colourant forms a permanent barrier over the grout sealing it in and making it much easier to clean.

One done the Ceramic tiles had never looked so good and the grout looked ever so fresh. As you can imagine my customer was very happy with the transformation achieved and left the following feedback:

“Dennis did an excellent job of cleaning our kitchen floor and restoring the grout to it its original colour. This really lifted the room. Dennis was courteous and professional and would use him again.”

Ceramic 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 and concerned they could have a negative impact on the grout colourant. As a result, I recommended they clean the floor with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner going forward, it’s sold as a concentrate, so a small amount goes a long way.

Professional Renovation of Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Berkshire

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Removing Limescale from Granite Worktops in a Folkestone Kitchen

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 16:14:04 +0000

Although expensive Granite makes the most beautiful and practical stone worktop you can install in your kitchen. It gives real wow factor to a room and this kitchen in Folkestone was no different. Normally granite needs little maintenance however Folkestone has very hard water (often referred to as limescale) containing high levels of calcium and over time the calcium in the water gets deposited on nearby surfaces. According to the Affinity Water website the water in Folkestone contains 287.5 mg of calcium per litre which is classed as hard.

The owner of the property contacted us explaining that due to this problem the build-up of calcium deposits had overtaken her sink and countertop to a degree that she couldn`t deal with it through normal cleaning and a restoration was required. There are several household products on the market that can remove limescale however you need to be very careful when using these on natural stone as they use acids to break down the calcium and this can etch stone making the problem worse (always read the label). I went and had a look at the problem and gave her a quote for resolving the problem, which she was happy to accept.

Removing Limescale from a Granite Worktop and Sink

Before starting the renovation, I protected the floor with dust sheets and the walls with a blue film that is easy to remove. Then to tackle the limescale I carefully went over each part of the Granite counter using a set of six-inch Tile Doctor Burnishing pads applying them in sequence from coarse to extra fine. To give extra cleaning power the coarser pads were applied with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which is an alkaline cleaning gel. The pads were fitted to a hand buffer and the soil generated by the abrasive pads was rinsed off between pads with water. For the finer detail such as the groves in the granite draining board, I used diamond encrusted handheld burnishing blocks of various grits. With the combination of diamond tooling and lots of elbow grease the job took around five hours to complete and the granite now has the polished look it deserves.

Granite Kitchen Worktop Aftercare

The granite worksurface does not require an actual sealer to be applied. However, maintenance is the key to keeping the stone in great condition so for aftercare I left the owner with a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Patina Spray. This product is designed for cleaning stone worktops and contains a special ingredient that maintains the lustre. This should ensure the Limescale becomes manageable and can be cleaned more easily.

I made a striking difference to the appearance of the Granite Worktop and the owner was over the moon with the result.

Professional Removal of Limescale Staining from Granite Worktop in South Kent

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Marble Entrance Hall Floor Polished in Tattenhall Listed Building

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 15:09:04 +0000

This Black and White Marble tiled hallway floor at a Grade II listed property in the village of Tattenhall has quite a history. The building was constructed in 1865 and at one time it has been the home to the high sheriff of Cheshire, and the family home of Edith Wignall the daughter of Sir Henry Tate the founder of the sugar company Tate and Lyle.

In more recent years the property had been used as a council building and even a nursing home for the elderly. After a long history of decline it has now been restored to a lavish family mansion however the marble floor had suffered over the years and still need attention. The current owner had been in touch as they wanted it restoring and basically brought back to life.

As it turns out I had already planned to go to Tattenhall the following week to work on another listed building which was formerly the village bank. After discussing the Marble floor over the phone, I agreed a date and time to pop over from the bank and inspect the floor in detail. I can provide a rough quote from photographs, which has been especially useful recently, but it’s far better for all concerned if I’m able to properly survey the floor first.

The Marble floor consisted of Black and White Mable tiles laid in a diamond pattern, it wasn’t a very large area perhaps 9 square metres in total. The tiles were well worn as described but also stained and scratched. I would see they would need a deep burnish and polish to bring them back to life and then protected with a fresh sealer. Following on from that visit I was able to provide an accurate quote which was accepted, and a date agreed for my return.

Removing Scratches and Stains from a Marble Tiled Entrance Hall Floor

The first job was to protect the surrounding heavy wooden panelling with masking film. The floor was very heavily stained yellow with deep scratches, to remove these I would have to grind the marble back until a clean fresh tile was left. To start I used a 200-grit coarse pad fitted to a weighted buffing machine, the abrasive action of the pad was lubricated with water. After inspection I found that the staining and scratches were still there, so I needed to use stronger pads, so I worked my way through a set of very coarse milling pads starting at a 50, 100 and finishing with a 200-grit pad. Again, water was used to lubricate, and the resultant slurry was removed by a powerful wet vacuum and washed down between each pad.
The milling pads had the desired effect, and I was then able to bring back the polished appearance of the Marble surface using a set of finer burnishing pads with the same process. The 400 and 800-grit pads helped to clean and remove the fine scratches left by the milling pads and then the next 1500-grit pad started to build the shine back on the marble tile.

After finishing with 1500-grit pad I washed the Marble with Tile Doctor Stone Soap and vacuumed up the residue with the wet vacuum. I left an industrial blower in place overnight to dry out the floor ready for the next morning when it would be sealed.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Entrance Hall Floor

The next morning, I used the last of the four burnishing pads which is a very fine 3000-grit to polish the floor further. This last pad is applied dry with just a spray of water to create a high gloss finish.

When I was happy, I sealed the floor with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the fine pores of the Marble to protect it from within. This product also improves colour and after application it was left to soak into the tile for five minutes before polishing off and then leaving it to dry.

The last step was to I buff the floor with a white pad. The finish was impressive, and the family were very happy with the work we had carried out. For aftercare I recommended they use Stone Soap as its designed for the regular cleaning of sealed and polished stone, as well as cleaning it also helps build the patina.

Professional Restoration of a Mable Tiled Hallway in West Cheshire

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Old Sandstone Flagstone Restoration at Pirbright Mill

Sat, 29 May 2021 14:14:13 +0000

The pictures of a Sandstone floor below were taken at a 300-year-old mill house in the very picturesque village of Pirbright between Woking and Guildford. My client was selling the property which was really beautiful with many original features.

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During the week before my arrival, the owner had a restoration company remove the grout surrounding her Sandstone flags and had them lifted so a damp proof course could be laid beneath. The flagstones were then re-laid and regrouted, I assume this was something that had come up in a survey and needed to be rectified as a condition of the sale. I certainly didn’t envy the guy chipping away at the grout for days on end.

Unfortunately, cleaning was not part of the process and by the time I turned up the old Sandstone flagstones were looking washed out and had lost a lot of their character. I was tasked with cleaning them up and sealing them after they had been re-laid, fortunately I wouldn’t need to clean the grout which can be quite a task on old floors like these.

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Normally old floors are notorious for damp issues and I usually have to take steps to neutralise efflorescent salt issues however due to the damp proofing work recently completed this would not be a problem. I was very conscious however that the flagstones were very old and so had to be handled with care. So, after running some cleaning tests in a small area behind the mill I worked out the best way forward would be to give the Sandstone a deep clean with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an effective alkaline tile and grout cleaning product. She was happy with the testing and agreed my quote, so we were good to go ahead.

Cleaning an Old Sandstone Flagstone Floor

My method was to spray a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean onto the floor, it was left to soak in for ten minutes and then agitated with a nylon scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. This process released the ingrained dirt from the pores of the stone which was then extracted using a wet vacuum. I inspected the stone flagstones after each scrub and repeated the process where necessary until I was satisfied the stones were as clean as they could be. Once done the floor was left to dry off ready for the next stage of applying a protective sealer.

Sealing Old Sandstone Paving Flagstones

Old buildings are often very cold and damp, so I used as little water as possible during cleaning, however Sandstone is quite porous, so I left the stone floor for three days to dry out before returning to seal.

For sealing I chose to apply Tile Doctor Colour Grow, this is a colour intensifying sealer that will add durable protection to the stone whilst enhancing the natural colours of the very old sandstone flags.

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The client has since sold the house with the new owners benefitting from some considerable restoration. I am sure they will be very pleased to live here, I left a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to get them started.

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Professional Renovation of old Sandstone Flagstone Paving in a Surrey Mill

The post Old Sandstone Flagstone Restoration at Pirbright Mill appeared first on West Surrey Tile Doctor.

Cleaning Concrete Paving and Steps in Folkestone

Thu, 20 May 2021 15:44:13 +0000

I am sure you will be able relate to this client in Folkstone who had a concrete and brick path and steps to the side of their house that had turned black with dirt. I know many of you reading this post will probably own a Karcher pressure washer and would be happy to do this job themselves, however for those that do not it’s good to know that we don’t just cover expensive patios and driveways and happily deep clean concrete paths as well.

The machine I use for this type of work operates at very high pressure, far higher than that of a Karcher and is so large and heavy its actually installed in a van. This type of machine is known in the trade as a Truck Mount and results in a much deeper clean that cleans and extracts the waste at the same time.

I popped over to see the client to see what needed to be done and gave them a quote for the work. Having looked round the property I was confident of making a difference. I also noted that steps were not only black with dirt but had become green with algae in places which is slippery when wet and dangerous for the elderly.

Cleaning an Outdoor Concrete Path and Steps

Before going over with the machine, I wetted the path with Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner and left it to soak into the concrete for a good twenty to thirty minutes so it could breakdown the dirt and deal with blackspots, lichen, moss, and general staining.

The concrete path was in several sections so whilst I was waiting for the cleaner to soak into one section, I was able to run the Truck Mount pressure washer over another section. When you use the jet wash at home, it can be a very messy business, bringing up all the dirt and spreading it around the nearby walls and usually the user. With our machine washing and extracting the dirt at the same time there is zero mess, and you can literally see the path become transformed in front of your eyes which is very satisfying.

Once done the concrete path looked like it was laid yesterday. The client was amazed saying it now complimented the work they had recently done on the front and back patios. It does show up the neighbour’s path though so I would not be surprised if I get a call soon to do their path as well!

There was no need to apply any type of sealer to this path. Regular cleaning will maintain it and a once a year deep clean like this would keep it in great shape.

Professional Clean of a Brick and Concrete Path and Steps in South Kent

The post Cleaning Concrete Paving and Steps in Folkestone appeared first on South Kent Tile Doctor.

Greasy Slate Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Harrogate

Tue, 18 May 2021 13:38:55 +0000

This Slate floor was laid twelve years ago in the kitchen of a property in the spa town of Harrogate. It had never been cleaned professionally since installation and by now it was really in need of a good clean. I went to the property to do a site visit; some areas were sticky to walk on and thick with grease particularly around the cooker area!

I conducted a test clean on an inconspicuous patch of floor to demonstrate to the client what could be achieved. The test went well and they were very happy to be reminded what the floor should actually look like. I supplied my quote, and they were happy to go ahead, I booked in a time to carry out the work, which would take a couple of days.

Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor

Initially l used a scraper to remove the worst of the grease and then a wire brush. Next, I spot cleaned the badly stained Grout with neat Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, scrubbing it in by hand, rinsing with water and extracting afterwards with a wet vacuum. Some areas were so dirty they needed redoing to really get them clean.

The whole floor was then thoroughly cleaned with more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted one part cleaner to two parts water and scrubbed in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. I had to do most of the floor twice to achieve a good result.

I then cleaned all the grout by hand with a scrubbing brush and gave the floor a good rinse with water and extracted all the soils with the wet vacuum. The difference even at this stage was remarkable.

Sealing a Multi-Coloured Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to apply the sealer. Before sealing though I like to check the floor is dry with a moisture meter, sealing a damp floor can lead to a patchy finish.

Four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were applied to the Slate to seal in, you have to wait for the first coat to dry before applying the next so this can take a while. I chose this sealer as it provides both a stain resistant seal along and leaves a durable low-sheen finish. Another reason for using Seal and Go is its water based so doesn’t give off a smell as it dries.

By the end of day two the floor looked excellent, the multi colours of the slate now shone through and it was a long way from the sticky greasy floor that had greeted us the day before. As you can imagine the client was very happy with the results.

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile cleaner for maintenance. This tile and grout cleaning product is pH neutral so it won’t degrade the sealer like many harsher cleaning products. Most Supermarket cleaning products are simply too strong for use on sealed surfaces and will prematurely strip the seal off the tiles over time. The sealer protects the stone from dirt becoming ingrained in its pores so once it’s worn off you will find the floor becomes difficult to clean.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in North Yorkshire

The post Greasy Slate Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Harrogate appeared first on North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor.

Modern Sandstone Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in High Green, Sheffield

Sat, 15 May 2021 08:48:16 +0000

The photos on this page are of a Sandstone Kitchen floor at a house in the High Green suburb of Sheffield. The Sandstone tiles looked grubby and needed some love and attention. Our client was getting fed up trying to keep the stone clean, particularly around the kitchen area where cleaning didn’t seem to make much. You can see how dirty it had become on the before picture below, this is stark contrast to the middle of the of the kitchen where the portable kitchen island normally sits.

I went to the property to get a better look at the problem floor and carried out a small test clean to see which products and methods would have the best impact. The patch came up really clean without much difficulty, so I was confident on being able to restore its appearance.

It was clear to me the original protective sealer had worn off and dirt had become ingrained in the pores of the stone where it was proving difficult to remove. My client was very encouraged by the test clean initial result and agreed to go ahead with the quote. We arranged a suitable time to carry out the work on a day when the family would be out of the way.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I started by taping up the area to make sure the skirting and woodwork were protected from splashing. Once done a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto Sandstone tile and grout. It was left to dwell for approximately ten minutes to help break down all the grime and dirt and was then worked into the stone using a rotary floor machine fitted with a stiff bristled brush.

This method totally transformed the dull sandstone, the stunning sandstone colours started to leap out and I could see the stone was well on its way to being transformed. The floor was then rinsed several times with water and the now soiled cleaning solution carefully removed with an industrial wet vacuum.

With the floor clean I inspected all the tiles and repeated the process until I was happy the floor was total clean. I should mention It’s not always this easy to clean a stone floor and quite often I find myself having to utilise all sorts of products and methods before I’m totally satisfied it’s as clean as it could possibly be.

With the cleaning done I left the floor to dry out overnight aided with heaters and air blowers.

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned to seal the floor the next day checking first that the stone was dry with a damp meter. Leaving the blowers on overnight had helped and the readings I took from the floor confirmed it was now ready for sealing.

Earlier I had discussed the different types of sealer available with my clients and they had chosen to have the floor sealed with Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This works really well on Sandstone, enhancing its appearance, improving colour and of course adding protection to the stone to prevent grime and dirt stuck in the pores of the stone. Several coats were applied until I could see if was fully sealed and the right level of finish had been achieved. Sealing a floor can take some time as you need to allow each coat to dry before applying the next.

Once done the floor looked meticulously clean and the new sealer had added a lovely subtle sheen to the stone. My client was very please with the transformation and left the following feedback.

‘Very professional approach, friendly, and offered great advice throughout the job. Very pleased with the finish Cheers Matt we will see you again’

One of the problems we find with many homeowners is that for cleaning they use strong bleach-based cleaning product on their sealed tiles, and this actually strips off the sealer leaving the stone vulnerable to ingrained dirt. As a result, Tile Doctor has developed Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it is pH neutral and gentle enough for everyday use without affecting the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen in South Yorkshire

The post Modern Sandstone Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in High Green, Sheffield appeared first on South Yorkshire Tile Doctor.

Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Finchley

Wed, 12 May 2021 16:12:46 +0000

The owners of this Edwardian property in Finchley had purchased it a couple of years prior and since then had slowly been renovating it to restore its original character. The project was almost complete and now attention had turned to the tiled floor. The tiles were in quite a state and I was asked to work our Tile Doctor magic and bring it back to its original condition.

When they moved in the hallway had been covered with carpet which gave the tiles underneath some protection. Unfortunately, however the carpet has been secured with carpet grippers that had been glued to the tiles around the edges. There were also paint splashes on the surface that would need dealing with. On top of that the floor had a few missing tiles that had been back filled by cement to provide a level base for the carpet, the client wanted like them replaced if possible.

After surveying the floor, I explained what could be done and ever completed a small test clean to demonstrate how the tiles would look once deep cleaned. I was confident on being able to source very similar reclaimed tiles so replacing the missing should not be a problem. The client was very happy with the initial test result and my quotation so booked me in to restore the floor.

Cleaning and Repairing an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

On my return I started by applying Tile Doctor Remove and Go to soften up the glue which allowed it to be carefully peeled off the tiles with scrappers. Once all the carpet adhesive was gone, I worked a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go into the tiles using a black pad to work the cleaning solution deeper into the tiles. A wet vacuum was used to remove the slurry created, and I followed this by giving the tiles an extra clean using a 200-grit diamond burnishing pad lubricated with water.

The last step in the cleaning process was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, I did this for several reasons, first it removes old grout smears from the surface of the tile and second it neutralised any efflorescent salts lying dormant in the floor. This can be quite a problem for old floors which don’t have the benefit of a protective damp proof membrane under the floor. The floor was given a final rinse with water which was again extracted with a wet vacuum.

I then set about lifting all the loose tiles (approximately ten) and carefully removing the concrete infills. I had previously managed to source replacements for these holes from original features. Unfortunately, they didn’t sell the correct sized octagon tiles, so I had bought 150mm square tiles and then needed to cut them on site to get the right size.

After cutting and fixing the tiles I fixed them in place and regrouted the rest of the floor.

Sealing an Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor

I then left the floor to dry out overnight and returned in the morning. Before applying a sealer, I took several moisture readings with the damp meter to make sure the tiles were dry enough to take the sealer.

I was able to confirm the floor was dry, so went ahead and applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealant. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that is fully breathable sealer which is important when it comes to old floors like these that don’t have a damp proof membrane installed.

My client was very happy with the renovated floor and for aftercare I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner and gave advice on how best to clean the floor going forward.

Professional Restoration of an Edwardian Tiled Hallway in North London

The post Edwardian Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Finchley appeared first on North London Tile Doctor.

Faded Slate Patio Renovated in Twickenham

Mon, 10 May 2021 15:23:41 +0000

Our client in Twickenham, Middlesex was about put their house on the market and was concerned about the condition of their Slate patio which was not looking its’ best. Although they felt they had been maintaining it correctly by jet washing it every year, this in fact did help as they had been washing the natural oils out of the stone.

I visited the property and and explained the process needed to get it looking as it should and of course make it more appealing to new house buyers. I provided my quote which they were happy to accept and agreed a date to return and complete the work.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Patio

The day we had chosen to return, the weather was nice and dry which would make our job easier. Initially a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied and then after ten minutes to allow it to soak into the dirt the cleaner was worked into the stone using a heavy-duty floor scrubbing machine fitted with a black pad.

This process helped loosen the dirt and allowed the removal of deep-seated dirt and grime that had built up over the years. After a rinse with water the soil was extracted, and I moved onto the next stage.

Stage 2 involved removing limescale deposits and improving the appearance of the stone by applying a combination of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up and Tile Doctor Acid Gel, again leaving it to soak into the stone for ten minutes before working it in. Limescale and other mineral deposits can build-up over time and leave a white deposit and make the patio look very dull. Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up is designed to remove light grout smears and mineral deposits such as limescale, when combined with Tile Doctor Acid Gel it is super effective. Finally, a low-pressure rinse and vacuum was then performed, removing all of the cleaning solution and dirt from the patio. By the end of stage 2 the Slate patio was already looking significantly improved.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Patio

The warm weather window held and by the second day the Slate had dried, and I was able to move onto the final stage of sealing the stone in order to protect it going forward. For this I applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer which as you can see from the pictures, gave a lovely rich finish to the stone.

Colour Grow is a durable impregnating sealer that works by occupying the small pores in the Slate thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. It will protect the stone from the elements and being a colour enhancer also improves the look of the Slate bringing out its natural colours and beauty.

By the time I had finished the patio looked as good as new; my client was very happy with the work carried out. In fast as soon as the sealer had dried, they wasted no time putting the garden furniture back in place to make a good impression and compliment the lovely garden.

I suggested that they passed on our card to the new occupiers as resealing the patio annually would keep it in great condition and maintain the longevity of the patio. We offer annual maintenance plans for just this, I also suggested that if there were planning on using the jet wash, then use it on a nice low setting.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Patio in Middlesex

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