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Classic Black and White Diamond Pattern Encaustic Tiled Hallway Restoration in Rugby

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:19:10 +0000

Earlier this year the owner of an Edwardian 1930’s double bay property in Rugby got in touch regarding an original encaustic cement tiled hallway floor that needed renovation. The floor had been covered in carpet with underlay for many years and this had recently been removed by the owner only to discover this classic floor underneath. Realising it was an original period feature they wanted to have it restored.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and work out a process for its restoration. It comprised of encaustic tiles (more commonly referred to as Victorian) laid in a diamond pattern throughout the main hallway.

Having inspected the floor I was able to confirm no tile repairs would be needed, and the main issue would be removing the thick layer of glue which was predominantly used around the perimeter of the floor to secure the carpet.

Once that had been dealt with, the tiles would need deep cleaning to remove years of dirt and then sealing to add protection going forward. I worked out a quote based on the restoration plan and was confident the work could be completed in a day. Happy with the quote, a date for the work was scheduled.

Cleaning an Edwardian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

The first job was to tackle the glue which involved applying neat Tile Doctor Remove and Go and then leaving it for ten minutes for it to soak in and break down the adhesive. Handheld scrapers where then used to carefully scrape off the glue and then this was followed up with hand-held diamond blocks of different grits to ensure all the adhesive was removed. The soiling was then extracted using a wet vacuum.

The whole floor was then cleaned using an application of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel, again left to soak in and then scrubbed this time with a buffer machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.
The soiling was then removed with a wet vacuum and then wiped with cloths to get it as dry as possible. I also deployed a couple of floor fans to further dry the floor.

Using a Gel cleaning product minimised the amount of water used to clean the floor and thus result in a reduction in drying times. I also deployed a couple of floor fans to assist with drying which were moved around the floor. It could need to be completely dry before sealing however so it was left for a few hours before being checked for moisture with a damp meter.

Sealing an Edwardian Encaustic Tiled Hallway

To seal the tiles, I applied a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, leaving a good thirty minutes between coats. This sealer is fully breathable and will cope well with any moisture that rises through the tile from the foundation and allow it to evaporate. Old floors like this one were installed before the invention of damp proof membranes and so need to be allowed to breathe.

Tile Doctor Colour Grow is a colour enhancing impregnator which works by occupying the pores in the tile and thereby preventing any dirt from residing there. This keeps dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

The colour enhancer in the new sealer really made the Black tiles pop and should remain that way as long as the sealer stays in place. Regarding cleaning, I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is pH neutral and so won’t impact the sealer which can be the problem with many of the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

My clients were very happy with the renovation, and I popped back a week later to check everything was fine.

Professional Restoration of a Edwardian Encaustic Tiled Hallway in Warwickshire

The post Classic Black and White Diamond Pattern Encaustic Tiled Hallway Restoration in Rugby appeared first on Warwickshire Tile Doctor.

Red Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration in Penarth

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:06:58 +0000

This client from Penarth contacted Tile Doctor to see if their 100-year-old Quarry tiled floor which had broken and missing tiles could be salvaged. The property dated back to 1890 and had experienced many years of wear and tear and it certainly showed. One of the biggest problems however would be to renovate the area in front of the old fireplace where a hearth was once situated.

It was clear the area in front of the fireplace would need to be rebuilt using matching replacement quarry tiles more of which would be needed for the other repairs that needed doing. Once that was done the floor would then need a deep clean and a fresh sealer applied to give the whole floor a consistent appearance.

I worked out a comprehensive quote which included the repairs and renovation work. This was accepted by the client and a date set for the work to start.

Cleaning and Repairing a Quarry Tiled Room

Work started with the tile repairs which involved breaking out the damaged tiles and those in front of the old fireplace and then cleaning up the floor ready for the replacement tiles to be installed.

Quarry tiles are still very popular, so it wasn’t a problem finding matching replacements which I had manage to source before work commenced. The replacements were then laid in-line with the existing tiles using rapid set adhesive and grouted in.

Once the tiles had set, I was able to start the cleaning process which started with scraping off as much cement, paint, and plaster residue off the floor as possible. This was then followed up with a deep clean of the tile and grout using a mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined 50:50 with with Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU Cleaner.

After leaving these products to soak in for ten minutes I worked by hand scrubbing in 1m2 sections at a time, cleaning and rinsing with water and vacuuming up the waste with a wet vacuum as I progressed. Doing it this way ensures maximum attention to detail and ensures the floor is as clean as possible.

Once done, the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which was brushed onto the floor and extracted with the wet vacuum as before. Old floors like this don’t have a damp proof membrane and are susceptible to efflorescence, giving the floor an acid rinse like this counters salts and helps further clean the tiles.

After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left overnight to dry.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor in Penarth

The next morning the floor was tested for moisture with a damp meter and the readings confirmed it had dried sufficiently to accept a sealer. I don’t recommend sealing a damp floor as it impacts the sealers’ ability to cure and leads to a patchy finish.

Sealing started with the application of a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a very durable and breathable sealer which being an impregnator provides an excellent base. The customer wanted a shiny finish so this was followed up with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This product further protects the floor and adds a subtle shine which together with the Colour Grow really brought out the colours in the Quarry tiles. As you can see the red colour of the floor looks vibrant and stunning after the two different sealers were applied.

My client was delighted with the result and offered to recommended Tile Doctor to their family and friends which was nice. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective tile cleaner that’s ideal for cleaning sealed floors.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Floor in South Wales

The post Red Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration in Penarth appeared first on South East Wales Tile Doctor.

Renovating a Multi-Coloured Indian Slate Hallway Floor in Redditch

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 13:51:48 +0000

We were contacted by a homeowner from Redditch who was unhappy with the condition of their multi-coloured Indian Slate hallway floor. They were most concerned with the condition of the grouting, some of which was missing, and the Slate itself which was holding onto dirt. The floor now looked dirty and un-inviting, and they hoped we would be able to repair the missing grout and renovate the stone back to its original condition.

I visited the property to survey the floor and provide a quote for its renovation. The grout certainly needed attention, and it was clear to me that the sealer had worn off with use. Hallways are very busy areas and without a sealer in place dirt was now becoming ingrained into the pores of the Slate making it difficult to clean.

I worked out a quote for deep cleaning the Slate tile and grout, replacing the grout where needed and then sealing the floor to protect it and improve its appearance. The quote was accepted, and a date set for the work to start which would take three days.

Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Indian Slate Tiled Floor

I started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and let it soak in for ten minutes so it could get a head start on breaking down what was left of the old sealer and ingrained dirt. The solution was then worked into the floor using a Black pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer which had extra weights added to increase traction. This action soon turned the solution into a dark slurry which was then rinsed and removed using a wet vacuum.

The Slate and Grout was then inspected any stubborn areas re-treated as needed. The pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line so more Pro-Clean was applied to the grout lines at this point. The grout was then scrubbed by hand to ensure it was as clean as possible.

After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was wiped over with fresh water and microfibres cloths before being left to dry off overnight.

Day Two started with repairs to the grout which was raked out where required and replaced with new grout that was colour matched to the original. The floor was then left to allow the grout to set and give the Slate more time to dry out before sealing. Its important that tiles are dry before sealing as too much moisture can affect the sealer curing and result in a patchy appearance.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Indian Slate Tiled Floor

On the third and final day the floor was sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an oil-based product that gives excellent hard-wearing protection and excellent colour enhancement. This product is an impregnator that soaks into the stone, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from residing there. The sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Once complete the Slate looked so much cleaner and the grout very consistent and clean. My customer and her little dog were extremely happy with their restored floor and commented that I had saved it from being ripped up!

For the aftercare of sealed Slate tiles, I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective tile and grout cleaner. Its important to use a PH neutral product like this as many products are simply too strong for use on a sealed surface and can prematurely breakdown the sealer.

Professional Renovation of a Multi Coloured Indian Slate Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

The post Renovating a Multi-Coloured Indian Slate Hallway Floor in Redditch appeared first on Worcestershire Tile Doctor.

Rust-Stained Victorian Tiled Pathway Repaired and Restored in Bedford

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 14:33:11 +0000

After 140 years of use this Victorian tiled pathway at a property in Bedford had seen a lot of traffic and wear. Although generally well maintained the floor had some major problems including loose and broken tiles and rust straining from the use of metal planters.

I visited the property to survey the path and advise on the work needed to restore it for another 140 years of use. I calculated there were approximately 70 tiles that needed attention and took detailed pictures and measurements so I could source matching replacements.

I was confident of being able to restore the path and provided a quote that included cleaning and sealing the tiles and replacing the broken tiles and dealing with the rust. Happy with the plan the quote was accepted and an initial date booked in for the work to start, I say initial date as I need a dry weather window for external work.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Path in Bedford

Work began with repairing the broken and loose tiles using the matching tiles I had managed to source in time for the job. Removing the loose and cracked tiles must be done carefully so as not to disturb adjacent tiles and making the job a lot larger than originally intended.

With those tiles removed the replacements combined with salvageable original tiles are dry fitted into position making any cuts as necessary. With the tile pattern worked out the tiles were laid using rapid setting flexible adhesive.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Path in Bedford

Once the tiles had set work moved on to cleaning which began with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Driveway and Patio Cleaner. This product works best when used with long dwell times and in this case some of the path needed much longer times than others to get them clean.

Next job was to deal with the rust impregnation and for this Tile Doctor Rust Away was applied. This product breaks down the rust turning it a purple colour that can then be simply rinsed off and extracted. Once done the tiles were inspected and the process repeated if required and, in this case, it took four applications to complete.

Still not quite satisfied with the appearance of the tiles I ran a set of Tile Doctor Diamond Pads fitted to a rotary machine over the tiles. I worked through different grits from 50 up to 1500 grit to bring the brightness back. These pads are applied with water for lubrication and then the floor rinsed and extracted with a wet vacuum after each pad.

After a final rinse the floor was dried as much as possible using a wet vacuum and left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Path in Bedford

Once the path had dried it was sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is oil-based and externally rated with UV protection making it ideal for applications like this one. This product is a fully breathable, colour intensifying sealer which really brought the colours in the tile back to life.

The client was in London during the work so we sent pictures and received this reply:

`Thanks for making our path look lovely`

Client satisfaction is always at the forefront for us and when we receive messages like this it really makes our day.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Path in Devon

The post Rust-Stained Victorian Tiled Pathway Repaired and Restored in Bedford appeared first on Bedfordshire Tile Doctor.

Renovating Travertine Bathroom Floor Tiles in Magor Newport

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 11:26:26 +0000

These travertine tiles were laid twelve years ago in the bathroom of a property in the village of Magor near Newport. They were supplied by Mandarin Stone however the tiler had not sealed or grouted them correctly during installation.

The client highlighted a significant crack running along 4 of the tiles starting at the bottom of the toilet and was unsure what to do about it. I suspect this was due to movement in the floor and wondered if a backer board had been used under the floor as this would usually prevent this.

The patterns you find in natural stone are unique so finding a replacement Travertine tile to match the cracked tiles was unlikely. I therefore suggested disguising the crack with a coloured filler as part of an overall renovation. They also asked me if I could regrout the entire floor as most grout lines were quite deep and below the surface edge of the tile, also the natural pits in the stone were collecting a large amount of dirt from foot traffic.

Happy to oblige I worked out a quote to resolve all the problems which was accepted, and a date set to do the work.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Bathroom

I began by removing as much of the existing grout as possible with a grout rake, this is slow work as you must be very careful not to chip the adjacent tiles in the process. Once complete I started on cleaning the tiles using a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak in for 15 minutes. This dwell time gives the product chance to breakdown the dirt and other contaminates before being scrubbed into each tile using a handheld brush making sure every nook and cranny was sufficiently clean. The floor was then rinsed with a sponge and brush ensuring there was no product residue left within the tiles or pits.

Once the tiles had fully dried the floor was grouted using flexible grout in a colour that closely matched the grout used on the wall tiles. Grout was also run along the crack to disguise it as much as possible. Once the entire floor had been regrouted properly, I left to allow it to go off overnight and allow the tiles to dry out further.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Bathroom

Previously I had discussed the range of Tile Doctor sealing products with the client and what they would provide in terms of finish. It was clear they wanted to keep the look of the stone as light as possible whilst sealing so with this in mind I opted to seal the Travertine with Ultra-Seal which is a clear coat sealer that provides maximum protection without enhancing or darkening the stone.

Four coats of Ultra-Seal were applied making sure to cover all pits in the tiles and the new grout that had been installed. This sealer works by occupying the natural pores in the stone, ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Once complete I’m happy to report my client was really pleased with the result, they were worried that whole floor would have to be ripped out and replaced so much relieved to have found a better solution. I guess we really lived up to our Tile Doctor name on this occasion.

On the subject of aftercare, I left the client with a bottle of Tile Dr PH Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle yet effective tile and grout cleaner that won’t harm the new sealer.

Professional Renovation of a Travertine Tiled Bathroom in Monmouthshire

The post Renovating Travertine Bathroom Floor Tiles in Magor Newport appeared first on Monmouthshire Tile Doctor.

Deep Cleaning a Filthy Travertine Floor Tiles in Neston Utility Room

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 11:45:13 +0000

This Travertine tiles in the Utility room of this property in Neston on the Wirral Peninsula had become filthy with ingrained dirt. Any sealer that was once present on the stone or grout has long since worn off and the grout especially had darkened with ground in dirt.

This is a common problem with stone floors as the sealer ensures dirt remains on the surface where it is easily cleaned away. Sealers however wear down with use and so they do need replacing every three to five years depending on use. This happens gradually over time and tends to go un-noticed until eventually you realise it no longer looks like it should.

To renovate the floor, I quoted for deep cleaning the stone and grout, strip off what was left of the old sealer, polish the stone and then re-seal to ensure easy maintenance in the future. Some of the Travertine tile also had small pitts that were dirt magnets so I offered to fill these in with a specialist stone filler as part of the work.

Happy with the price and relieved to have found someone who could renovate the floor a date was set for they work to start.

Deep Cleaning Travertine Tile and Grout

The best way to restore the appearance of honed stone is the application of diamond encrusted burnishing pads which come is a set of four pads with different grits. Work starts with the coarse 400-grit pad which is fitted to a rotary floor machine and run over each tile several times using only water for lubrication. This coarse pad cuts through the stone to remove dirt, old sealer, marks and fine scratches. The water turns into a dark slurry and this is rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line so the next step was to hand clean the grout using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, scrubbed in with a stiff brush. Pro-Clean is a strong alkaline tile and grout cleaning product which is safe to use on all types of tile and grout. The soiling was then rinsed and extracted as before with the wet vacuum.

Next step was to fill in the small holes in the Travertine with a specialist stone filler which is colour matched to the stone. Once done its very difficult to detect and will prevent dirt from becoming lodged.

Once the filler had set work continued with the burnishing of the floor using the 800 and 1500-grit pads using the same process as before with water. These pads bring up the appearance of the stone building up a lovely finish. The floor was then left to dry out overnight.

Sealing Travertine Tiles

I returned the next morning and set about applying the last pad which is a very fine 3000-grit polishing pad. This last pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the Travertine; this is a process we call a “Spray Burnish”.

Last step was to seal the floor with an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the pores in the stone thereby preventing dirt from residing there and ensuring it remains on the surface where its easily cleaned away. The client loved the light appearance of the natural stone so Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal was applied which provides invisible protection and doesn’t darken the stone.

One the sealer had dried I gave the floor a quick buff with a White Pad and once complete the floor looked so much cleaner and lighter; the grout in particular was transformed by the treatment. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which will help maintain the patina on the stone.

Professional Cleaning and Polishing of Travertine Ties in the Wirral

The post Deep Cleaning a Filthy Travertine Floor Tiles in Neston Utility Room appeared first on West Cheshire Tile Doctor.

Varnished Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in South Shields

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:40:59 +0000

This customer from South Shields had been maintaining their Terracotta tiled kitchen floor with some sort of varnish or polish. This had continued over twenty years and resulted in dirt becoming locked into the floor and the tiles becoming very dark. The owner felt the floor had lost its original appeal and wanted the whole floor stripping, deep cleaning and then re-sealing.

I went over the property to survey the floor and advise on the steps required to renovate the floor. From this plan I was then able to work out a quotation for doing the work which would take two days. My quote was accepted and a date scheduled for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

On my return the first task was to start cleaning and stripping the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then Remove and Go. These products work best when left to soak into the tile for ten minutes as this gives the product time to breakdown the soils and old sealers.

A Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine was then used to scrub the solution into the tile and grout. I also worked a stiff brush along the grout lines by hand to get them as clean as possible. The floor was rinsed, and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

Once done the Terracotta tiles and grout were inspected and any stubborn areas re-treated using the same process until I was satisfied the tile, and grout was as clean as possible and free of previous coatings. After a final rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product the wet vacuum was used to remove as much moisture as possible. The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

The next day the floor was checked for moisture to ensure it was dry enough to be sealed. The results were acceptable so I made a start on applying the sealer which for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal & Go.

Terracotta is made from clay and as a result is a very porous material, because of this it took ten coats sealer before it was fully sealed. Seal & Go is a water-based product and so doesn’t leave a smell as it dries, it works well on Terracotta and resulted in an appealing satin finish. The sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it is easily cleaned away.

Once complete the Terracotta floor looked so much cleaner, lighter and fresher with a subtle sheen. For maintenance, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner for regular cleaning which will ensure the newly applied sealer retains its integrity. Many household cleaning products are simply too strong and will strip away the sealer with use.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen in Tyneside

The post Varnished Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in South Shields appeared first on Tyneside Tile Doctor.

Tired Limestone Patio Renovated in Wargrave in Reading

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 05:27:38 +0000

Earlier this summer I received an enquiry from a homeowner in Wargrave near Twyford regarding their Limestone patio which was “looking tired”. The patio had been laid around five years prior and during that time the UK weather had degraded its appearance significantly resulting in ingrained dirt and algae.

The client tried pressure washing themselves over the years however the stone needed more work to return its former glory. The client was on the High Street in Wargrave which is notoriously difficult to park especially if you have a large van like myself.

A quote was provided, materials were ordered, and a date was booked in. The client had seen a recent work history of mine where I had restored a marble table, having one herself in similar condition she asked if anything could be done. Confident we could dramatically improve it that was also booked in to be restored on the same day. If you have been though my website you will see I have restored several stone tables in the past and I’ll detail the restoration of this one as well in a future article.

Deep Cleaning a Tired Limestone Patio

Usually, I use a van mounted high pressure cleaning system to help clean exterior stone, however due to the parking issue this wasn’t going to be an option. The alternative was to initially clean the stone using a combination of cleaning products and abrasive burnishing pads, similar to how I would tackle internal Limestone.

The outside elements had certainly taken its toll on this patio, fortunately Tile Doctor have a wide variety of products that help us resolve numerous issues with stone. In this case I decided to start with Tile Doctor Patio and Driveway Cleaner. This is a very strong product that I normally wouldn’t recommend for use on Limestone however its very effective at removing algae, lichens and black spot which was exactly what this patio needed.

I applied the patio cleaner diluted 50/50 with water to a small area, allowing dwell time before scrubbing with a mechanical scrubbing machine. The dirty slurry was rinsed down and vacuumed away. Once I was happy the contamination was eliminated, I ran a series of burnishing pads across the stone, starting with a coarse 400 grit burnishing pad, followed by 800, and finely a fine 1500 grit pad which gradually closed the pores, and restored the appearance of the stone. This is a messy process which generates a lot of slurry which is removed after each pad with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Patio

I offered the option to seal the stone, however on this occasion the client said she would rather me come back every one or two years to repeat the process. The drainage wasn’t particularly good on this patio installation and water tends to pool on the stone for long periods of time, so they were concerned the seal wouldn’t last over the upcoming autumn and winter.

Should they have wished to go ahead and seal the stone I would have used either Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal for a natural look or Tile Doctor Colour Grow to enhance the colours of the stone.

Completed in a day the patio now looks like it was only just installed and the owners are looking forward to showing it off to their guests of the rest of the summer.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Patio in Berkshire

The post Tired Limestone Patio Renovated in Wargrave in Reading appeared first on Berkshire Tile Doctor.

Screed Covered Victorian Vestibule Floor Restored in Morningside

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:45:35 +0000

Having seen some of our previous work on the restoration of Victorian tiled floors this customer from Morningside contacted us about the tiled floor in their vestibule.

You can see from the photos below that the tiles were in quite a state and barely recognisable as a Victorian tiled floor. The floor had until recently been covered with a linoleum which had been glued onto a cement screed to level the floor. There were also many loose tiles that would need to be secured before the floor could be cleaned.

I quoted for rebuilding the floor, removing the cement screed, deep cleaning and finally sealing to protect the tiles going forward. It was going to take a lot of work to restore the Victorian floor back to its original condition fortunately however it was only a small floor.

Convinced that once complete the period floor would amazing and be a great asset to the property my quote was accepted and we agreed a date to commence the work.

Restoring Cement Covered Victorian Floor Tiling

On the first day I scraped off as much cement from the tiles as possible and lifted those that had become loose. Although it’s a small floor the pattern is made up from a lot of individually cut tiles so I ended up removing over 120 pieces of tile in total. We wanted to r-use as much of these original tiles as possible to the old adhesive was grinded off from the back and edges of every Individual tile.

On the next visit the floor base was cleaned up and each of the newly grinded tiles were dry fitted to ensure the pattern was correct. This process also revealed where we had missing tiles so these were replaced with reproduction tiles cut to fit exactly.

Once happy with the dry fit, the tiles were put back in place with fresh adhesive and then grouted. Once complete the floor was left to set for three days.

On my next visit I started the cleaning process commencing with the application of Tile Doctor Acid Gel worked in with a 200-grit diamond pad. The acidic nature of the product breaks down the remaining cement stains and will take care of hold grout smears from the surface of the tile. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

Next, Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel tile cleaner was applied using the same method to remove any remaining dirt, glues and adhesives which were still present. I then used more Tile Doctor diamond pads in 400, 800 and then 1500 grits to further refine the appearance of the Victorian tiles.

The floor was then wiped with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to neutral the ph level of the floor after using Oxy-Gel which is a strong alkaline product and left to dry out for ten days. The tiles had been covered with lino for over forty years so I wanted to give the floor as much time as possible to dry out. Old floors like this don’t have a damp proof membrane so can take a lot longer to dry out especially if covered with a non-breathable covering like lino.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Vestibule Floor

When I returned, the floor was first tested with a damp meter to ensure it was dry enough to proceed with sealing. Applying sealer to a damp floor can lead to a patchy result so its always worth ensuring its dry before proceeding.

All was well with the moisture readings were fine so I was able to proceed and apply the sealer which for this floor we chose Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This is a robust oil-based impregnating sealer that enhances colour that is externally rated so perfect for a vestibule floor.

My client was over the moon with the transformation and left the following feedback for me:

“The amazing Thomas managed to save our beautiful floor which had been covered for years. We found the floor underneath layers of old linoleum and glue and I was unsure if anyone could bring it back to its former glory.
Can’t recommend his company enough! Xx”

For the regular cleaning of sealed floors, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is a gentle yet effective tile cleaner. It’s important to choose a neutral pH cleaner for cleaning sealed tiles as a lot of products you find in supermarkets contain bleach and are simply too strong for cleaning a sealed surface and will quickly erode the sealer with use.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Edinburgh

The post Screed Covered Victorian Vestibule Floor Restored in Morningside appeared first on Edinburgh Tile Doctor.

Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Repaired and Renovated in Bingley

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 11:10:53 +0000

This client called me over to look at the original Victorian tiled floor in the hallway of their property in Bingley. The floor was due a clean and seal and there were a few tiling issues that needed resolving.

I went over to survey the floor and could see that except for a few broken tiles the floor was in a good condition considering its age. He wanted the broken tiles replaced and then the floor cleaned and resealed. There had been no maintenance over the last ten years which is when they purchased the property so a deep clean and seal was overdue.

I worked out a quote for the work which was accepted and then started looking for replacement tiles which would be needed to complete the repairs.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

When I returned to the property the first job was to replace the broken tiles which on a floor like this is intricate and careful work. Each broken tile has to be slowly prised up taking care not to disturb the adjacent tile and thereby making the job larger than it needs to be. With the broken tile out of the way the base is cleaned up and prepared to accept the replacement which has to be cut to fit and match the existing geometric pattern. Once I’m happy with the replacement it is then set in place with rapid drying adhesive.

Once the repaired tiles had set, I was able to make a start on getting the floor clean. To do this a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto the floor and left to soak into the tiles before being worked in with a coarse 100-grit diamond pad. The resultant slurry was removed with a wet vacuum and the process was repeated with a finer 200-grit diamond pad. The pads are run over the tiles using a buffer machine with weights added to improve traction. The floor was then rinsed, and the soiling extracted as before.

Next step was to give the tiles an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which further cleans up the floor by removing old grout smears and salt deposits that can be a common problem with floors of this age. This was worked in with a black scrubbing pad and rinsed off and extracted as before.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

A lot of water was used in the cleaning process so to speed up the drying process as much moisture as possible was removed with the wet vacuum after cleaning and a floor dryer was left in place.

I returned on day three to seal the tiles starting by testing the floor with a moisture meter to check it had dried sufficiently. All was well and I was able to confirm the floor was dry enough to seal for which Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra was applied. This will protect the tiles from ingrained dirt and gives the floor a nice finish. This product is also fully breathable which is an important consideration when sealing older floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane.

The client was very happy and gave me a cup of tea and a biscuit as well as the following excellent feedback:

” The experience from start to finish was excellent. The Tile Doctor responded to my query quickly and allocated Chris to the job. Chris arrived promptly and provided a competitive quote. Once booked in Chris arrived on time and did a fantastic job. The hallway looks brilliant. Wouldn’t hesitate to use Chris and Tile Doctor again.”

For aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective tile and grout cleaner. It’s important to avoid strong cleaner products which contain bleach as this will strip away the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom in West Yorkshire

The post Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Repaired and Renovated in Bingley appeared first on North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor.

Large Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated at Lichfield Cathedral School

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 12:05:55 +0000

I was recently invited over to Lichfield Cathedral School to look at restoring the large Victorian Tile Hallway at the entrance to the school. The school is in the magnificent grounds of Lichfield Cathedral and has a long history.

The Victorian tiled floor was certainly testament to that history and had clearly seen a lot of wear of the years with many damaged or missing tiles that would need replacing.

Surveying the floor, I took measurements and made a detailed note of the number of tiles that would need replacing. From this I was able was able to create a quote and was able to re-assure them about their concerns about the replacement tiles.

Happily, my quote was accepted and the work scheduled for the summer holidays when I would have the floor to myself and so it would be ready for the new term. Before my arrival I contacted a specialist supplier and ordered the tile replacements.

Replacing Damaged Victorian Floor Tiles

The first couple of days was spent repairing the tiles at the front entrance. They wanted to keep the floor as original as possible so I only replaced broken and missing tiles.

This process involves removing the damaged tiles and scrapping out the subfloor to remove old adhesives and grout. This has to be done very carefully as removing one tile can dislodge others and before you know the job becomes much bigger than anticipated. Once done the replacement tiles are cut to size and fixed in place using a flexible adhesive.

Day 2 – Deep Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

Once the tiles had set I moved onto giving the tiles a good deep clean using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which a very effective alkaline cleaning product that’s safe to use on tile, stone and grout.

The Pro-Clean was applied to the tiles in the hallway and entrance working in large sections at a time. For best results the solution is left to soak into the pores of the tile for about ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with extra weights and a coarse 50-grit diamond pad.

The scrubbing action pulls the dirt out of the tiles and turns the cleaning solution black. The soiled solution is then extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum and the process repeated in areas that I felt could do with further attention.

Next the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and worked in with a Black scrubbing pad. This process neutralises the floor after the use of an alkaline cleaner whilst further cleaning the tiles to removes old grout smears and other mineral deposits. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted again using the wet vacuum.

I scrubbed the product into the tiles using a deck brush and then rinsed it off with water and extracted with the wet vacuum. Being an Acid, we don’t recommend you leave it on the floor for too long.

Day 3 – Sealing Victorian floor Tiles

A lot of water is used in the cleaning process and I wanted to be sure the tiles were dry before sealing, so I left it five days before returning to apply a sealer.

The tiles were sealed with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra allowing 30 minutes drying time between coats, there were a lot of tiles to cover so it took some time to complete the whole floor. The seal enhances the appearance of the tiles giving them a subtle sheen and will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

On the topic of cleaning, I always recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is designed for the cleaning of sealed tile and stone. Unlike the stronger products you usually find in supermarkets it has a pH neutral formula that won’t degrade the sealer prematurely with use.

Professional Restoration of Victorian Vicarage floor in Staffordshire

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Renovating a Travertine Patio and Non-Slip Decking in Clophill

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:51:22 +0000

We were called by a client in Clophill to renovate a Travertine patio and composite decking. The client explained that the garden had been professionally designed and built however fifteen years had passed since then and it was now looking very weathered and was overdue a deep clean.

The patio itself was laid with rustic unfilled travertine and the holes had become ingrained with detritus and the stone had become a dull grey colour with algae and blackspot staining.

Another part of the garden was laid with a non-slip composite decking in an Oak style. These modern deck boards are very low maintenance compared to wood and last a very long time however the non-slip surface does trap dirt. Although its not something we usually deal with I was confident I could use a similar technique to clean it.

I worked out a price for deep cleaning both areas and sealing the Travertine to protect it from ingrained dirt going forward. Happy with my quote a date was agreed for the work to start which was weather dependent.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Patio and Non-Slip Decking

Working outside does have advantages in that there is a lot less preparation to do to protect other surfaces so it wasn’t long before we got to work with the application of Tile Doctor’s Patio and Driveway Cleaner.

This product was allowed to dwell and soak into the stone for a while before being agitated with fine carbide brushes fitted to a rotary machine. The brushes can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout lines so these were given a good scrub by hand with a stiff brush and more patio cleaner.

Once done the soiled cleaning solution was extracted using a high-powered no mess van mounted machine that deploys water at high pressure through a wand and then simultaneously extracts the dirty water back into a separate tank. This system was an expensive investment however it makes quick work on projects like this.

Once the Travertine tile and grout was clean a floor fan was deployed onto the stone to speed up drying. Whilst that was happening the same process was applied to the none slip decking which came up like new.

Sealing a Travertine Patio

The weather stayed warm and the patio dried off nicely for my return the next day when I returned to seal the Travertine. I used Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal for this, it’s a no-sheen, natural look impregnator that penetrates the stone occupying the pores and preventing dirt from residing there going forward. The sealer provides maximum stain protection and will ensure any contaminates remain on the surface where they can be easily cleaned away.

I think you will agree the patio has been transformed by the renovation and now looks so much more inviting. Certainly, my client was so happy with the results that when we finished the sealing, they presented us with a lovely bottle of red wine.

Travertine Patio Cleaning in Bedfordshire

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Edwardian Geometric Mosaic Tile Restoration in Cardiff

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 09:21:41 +0000

Earlier this year I was contacted by a homeowner in Cardiff to see if anything could be done to save their Edwardian tiled hallway floor. They had previously contacted another local company who advised to remove the floor and have it retiled. They felt upset to hear this news, having discovered the tiles under the hallway carpet and realised they must be original from when the house was built in 1910. Ideally, they wanted this original feature restored and so they reached out to us.

Having spoken to them over the phone I was happy to re-assure them that the floor could be restored and arranged a visit to survey the floor and carry out a cleaning test to see what could be achieved.

The floor although in a bad way was very impressive, someone had clearly spent a lot of time laying down a mosaic of what must have been thousands of small square tiles arranged in a repeating geometric pattern. During the visit I realised extensive tile repairs would be required however the sample clean proved successful and the clients were delighted.

I worked out a quote for the restoration which they were happy to accept, and a date was arranged for my return.

Repairing and Cleaning Edwardian Mosaic Floor Tiling

Work started with tile repairs which were done with replacement tiles cut to size, secured with adhesive and grouted in. The floor was then left to set hard before moving onto the next step of cleaning.

Before the carpet had been installed a thin layer of self-levelling cement had been spread across the floor and this had to be removed. To do this I carefully scraped off as much cement as possible along with paint splashes and remnants of plaster all of which were marking the tiles. The waste from this was then swept and bagged up.

To get the floor clean, a mixture of Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU and Pro-Clean were mixed together and applied to the surface working on one square meter at a time. The solution was rinsed, worked in with a Black scrubbing pad and then rinsed again before being extracted with a wet vacuum with clean water and then vacuumed away.

After carrying out the same procedure on the rest of the floor I then started the second procedure which was to apply Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up using wire wool to remove all the cement residues. Again, this was rinsed off with clean water and vacuumed away as I worked.

These two processes removed all the dirt and contaminants from the floor leaving the tiles clean, after a final rinse I used the wet vacuum again to get the tiles as dry as possible and ready for sealing the next day.

Sealing an Edwardian Mosaic Tiled Hallway Floor

The clients wanted a satin shine finish so after leaving the floor to dry overnight it was tested for moisture the next day and this confirmed the floor was dry enough for their desired sealer application.

The choice of sealer was Tile Doctor Seal & Go which produces a lovely satin finish and highlights the colours. Another advantage is being a water-based product it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries.

The floor responded really well to the treatments and I’m please to say the owners were delighted with the final result and eager to recommend Tile Doctor to their family and friends.

The sealer will protect the floor by ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away using a sealer sensitive tile cleaner such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Professional Restoration of an Edwardian Mosaic Floor Tiling in South Wales

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Express Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway floor in Camberley

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 09:18:10 +0000

A lady from Camberley had been asking me to restore her Victorian tiled hallway for over a year. This was not due to me I should mention, she’s a shift worker so it had been difficult to schedule a time to visit the property and survey the floor, also she didn’t want her husband to be there as the restoration of the floor was to be a surprise.

We did however mange to get that organised and I was able to inspect the floor. It was very dirty and well overdue a deep clean and seal, however, before that could happen it would be necessary to replace several broken tiles. Fortunately, she had a stash in her garden shed that were in reasonable condition which would do the job very nicely.

Happy with my quote the next hurdle was to agree a date for the work, so we had to delay until such time when the husband would be away.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Camberley

When I finally came to do the work, I started by removing all the broken tiles. I used a serrated edge power chisel for this work taking care not to disturb the adjacent tiles. The holes that are left have to be totally cleared out so the new tiles can slot straight in. Annoyingly the replacement tiles were slightly thicker than the existing ones, so I had to dig down a couple of millimetres to ensure a level floor.

The next step was to clean the floor using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This is an excellent product that removes ingrained dirt. I brushed it over the floor with a soft brush and left for twenty minutes while I had my lunch in the van. Being a gel it is very easy to control and more importantly you don’t use much water during the process, this means the floor dries quicker and it won’t exacerbate any potential damp issues. This is always a consideration with old Victorian tiled floors as they don’t have a damp proof membrane underneath.

I then sprinkled a covering of water to keep it damp while I introduced a weighted buffer machine to scrub the floor. Attached to the machine was a 100-grit diamond pad. This removes surface dirt leaving a very clean tile. A small amount of water is used to help lubricate the process and all waste was removed with a wet vacuum cleaner.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The work needed to be done in a day, so I used floor fans and a heater to get the floor dry and ready for sealing.

During this time the replacement tiles were slotted into place sticking them down with rapid set adhesive. Another little job that needed doing was to address a gap between the skirting board and the tiles which the client asked my advice over. Always happy to help, I agreed to fill it with transparent mastic.

Once the tiles were dry, I sealed them with Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This gives a sheen finish that enhances colour and last years.

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it is a gentle but effective product that won’t harm the sealer.

I never got to find out what her husband thought of the the floor, but my client was certainly happy with the transformation once I had finished.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

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Damaged Victorian Path Restored in Kingsbridge Devon

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:56:47 +0000

I received an enquiry from a client in Kingsbridge who wanted to have their Victorian tiled path surveyed to see if it was beyond repair or not. The water board had previously been out to fix a water leak and subsequently removed part of this path in a rudimentary manor leaving it in a state afterwards. This combined with years of wear and dirt build-up meant the path was in a bit of a state to say the least.

I visited the property to survey the path, advise on its restoration and provide a quote for completing the work. I was able to confirm that path could indeed be restored and provided a quote which they accepted and a date booked in for the work to start.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Path in Kingsbridge

I began the repair work by carefully removing all the concrete which had been used to fill the void back in after the water board had fixed the leak. This all went well with the exception that in doing so part of the front step came away as well which added to the repair list but all was fine.

After building up the replacement sub-floor foundation, a self-levelling screed was added on top to provide a level surface on which to tile onto. Luckily a section of the original path was still available so I decided to use a good section of that to puzzle it back together. Spaces were left that would be tiled afterwards with reproduction tiles individually cut to size. Luckily these are quite readily available.

After the tiling and step re-build was complete, I moved onto to deep cleaning the rest of the path.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Path in Kingsbridge

To clean the path, I began with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Patio Cleaner which I continued to top up and let soak in for about half a day. The longer you leave this product the better it works. It’s a strong product containing Sodium Hypochlorite which kills bacteria and mould so you have to be careful.

After this I ran a set of Tile Doctor Diamond Pads fitted to a weighted rotary machine over the tiles. I worked through different grits from 50 up to 1500 grit to ensure the pores were sufficiently closed and ready for sealing.

Prior to sealing, this patio had now seen a lot of moisture and although it was summer and drying off nicely with no signs of efflorescence, I gave it a generous acid wash nonetheless – using Tile Doctor Acid Gel, this is also good for pre-sealing.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Path in Kingsbridge

Once the path had dried sufficiently two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal were applied to seal the tiles and protect them from ingrained dirt. This product is a fully breathable, colour intensifying sealer which really brought the colours in the tile back to life. It’s rated for external as well as internal use and so was a perfect choice for this situation.

The client was thrilled with the results and has since had me back to complete further works.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Path in Devon

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Repair and Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor in Newport

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 12:34:36 +0000

The client had lived at this property in Newport for a few years and decided that it was finally time to sort out the Victorian tiled floor in the dining room. Some repairs were needed in a few areas and the sealer was fading and due for replacement.

I went over to the property to survey the floor and advised that with repairs, cleaning and sealing the process would take two and a half days. Having worked on many many floors like these before I was very confident that we could repair the floor where needed and restore its appearance.

During the visit I noticed that at the door threshold leading into the kitchen, some of the tiles had been taken up for a gas pipe repair and back filled with cement, I suggested I could repair this section using matching tiles, so I included it in the quote. The quote to renovate and repair the floor was accepted and the job was booked in.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Dining Room Floor

I began by addressing the tiling issues so my first course of action was to set matching tiles along the doorway border leading to the kitchen, as the previous tiles had already been removed by the gas company it was fairly straight forward job of carefully knocking out the cement. The tiles I had sourced were from a nearby reclamation yard and needed to be carefully cut to size to ensure a good fit with the original. After setting the tiles and grouting I left them to dry overnight.

The following day I began cleaning, using a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Pro-Clean, leaving the solution to dwell after being brushed into the floor. After around ten minutes the floor was scrubbed by hand with a stiff brush to release the dirt from the tiles. The resultant slurry was then vacuum away and with the floor cleaner I was able to get a better idea of which areas needed more attention.

I restored the perimeter of the floor with a 200-grit diamond block and this was followed up with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary machine. These coarse pads cut into the tile surface removing years of grime and giving them a new lease of life. After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the whole floor had a much brighter appearance. The process was then repeated with a 400-grit diamond pad to close the pores of the tiles.

The floor was then washed by hand with water and a sponge to make sure there wasn’t any areas missed, also to ensure there was no residue from the cleaning products left on the floor which could potentially disrupt the sealing process. The floor was then left to dry overnight ready for sealing the following day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Dining Room

To assist with drying I asked the client to leave a couple of air movers running during the evening and to put them back on in the morning. This worked well and by the next day I was able to confirm the floor was dry and ready for sealing with a moisture meter.

The client had requested a satin finish and so the sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Seal and Go, four coats were applied to the tiles a permanent wet look and gorgeous lustre. Another advantage of Seal and Go is that it’s a water-based sealer so it doesn’t give off a smell as it dries.

For aftercare I left the client a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the appearance of the floor. This is a gentle tile cleaning product that won’t harm the sealer, many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for a sealed floor.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Floor in Monmouthshire

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Acid Etched Limestone Tiled Floor Renovated in Coggeshall

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 02:12:32 +0000

This Limestone tiled floor covered the entire ground floor of this house in the town of Coggeshall. The owner had matching tiles installed in an extension and realised that the tiler had not managed to polish off all the grout which had left them dull.

This is a common problem known as grout haze and after researching it online he decided to try cleaning off the grout with an acidic product. This is a common solution for more robust stone or tiles; however, Limestone is acid sensitive so instead of removing the grout haze he made the problem worse by etching the stone tiles instead.

The second problem he had was the grout on the original floor had darkened overtime with dirt being washed into the grout line whereas the grout on the new floor was much cleaner. You can see from the photos how odd this looked especially when moving between the two areas.

I was asked to deep clean the original grout, remove the grout haze on the new floor and then get the two floors to match as much as possible by polishing both floors (which would also remove the etching) and applying a fresh sealer. I worked out a quote based on three days’ work along with the necessary products, given the size of the floor I asked Bruce who is the Suffolk Tile Doctor to assist.

Grout and Limestone Tile Cleaning

To remove the old sealer and clean up the grout on the original floor, a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied to the tiles and worked in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. The grout was then scrubbed by hand with more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and the slurry rinsed off with water. There was a lot of grout lines to cover and in-total we used around five litres of Pro-Clean in the process.

Both original and new sections of floor were then burnished with diamond pads to blend the two floors together and remove the etching on the newly laid tiles in the process. This was done with a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads starting with 400-grit and working up to 1500-grit, water is used for lubrication and then the floor rinsed and extracted after each pad. The floor was left for a short while to dry out.

Again, this was a large area but with two Tile Doctors on the job we managed to get through it.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Ground Floor

To seal the Limestone the owner was happy to go with my recommendation of applying Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This product contains a colour intensifying formula which brings out the different colours and fossils in the stone. It’s also an impregnator which works by soaking into the pores of the Limestone, filling up the spaces and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained in the stone. Put simply, the sealer will ensure any dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. It was a large area so we used five litres of Colour Grow to seal the floor.

The work took both of us three days to complete and once done my client was amazed by the transformation and was so happy that the two floors now looked the same. For aftercare I left them with a free bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to maintain their floor. This product is a gentle yet effective tile cleaner that won’t harm the newly applied sealer which can be an issue with stronger products.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Ground Floor in Noth Essex

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Renovating a Victorian Tiled Floor at The Bell Inn Pub St Johns, Worcester

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 08:47:13 +0000

If you would like to see an example of my work why not pay a visit to the Bell Inn Public House in St John’s, Worcester where I recently renovated a Victorian tiled floor. The request actually came through a recommendation from a previous client for who I also restored a Victorian floor. It’s a traditional pub which hosts many regulars throughout the week, so the tiles do get a fair bit of regular wear.

I arranged an initial assessment and after visiting the pub I realised the Victorian floor had been covered in several coats of sealer. The sealer had worn thin in the high traffic areas and this had allowed dirt to penetrate leaving them dull and uninviting. I suspect the cleaners had been using a strong cleaning product on the tiles and this had also impacted the sealer reducing its life.

The solution would be to strip off what was left of the sealer throughout, deep clean the tiles and then re-seal. A quote was sent and accepted and then the job was arranged to include very early starts so work could happen before the pub opened.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Public House Floor

The first stage on my 7am start was to weaken and remove what was left of the sealer. I started by spraying the tiles with a strong 50:50 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then followed this up with a coating of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel leaving both products to dwell for sixty minutes. Old floors like this don’t a damp proof membrane under the floor so I wanted to keep the use of water to a minimum to reduce drying times.

On returning I checked if the sealer was loosening which it was. I then proceeded to work the solution into the tiles using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. After several passes the floor was clear and the slurry extracted using a wet vacuum. The floor was then checked and any stubborn areas re-treated. The floor was given a quick rinse and then dried as much as possible with the very vacuum in time for the pub opening.

The second day was another early start and began with the application of coarse diamond pads worked into the tiles using more Oxy-Gel. This would further clean the floor to ensure all the sealer and dirt was removed, the pads also refine and improve the surface of the worn tiles. The soiling was rinsed and removed as before with the wet vacuum.

Last step in the cleaning process was to give the tiles an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is acidic. This product further cleans up the tiles countering any dormant salts in the tiles and neutralises the pH level of the tiles after the use of the use of strong alkaline cleaning products earlier.
After a final rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum I wiped the floor with micro fibre cloths and clean water so it would be ready for sealing the following day when the pub was due to closed most of the day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Public House Floor

The landlord had requested a satin finish, so Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra was chosen to seal the tiles and it leaves a lovely subtle sheen, it’s also breathable so fine to use on old floor like this one.

Before starting the moisture levels in the floor were checked with a damp meter and this confirmed it was dry and ready for sealing. The first coat was applied leaving an hour between coats to allow for drying. In total four coats were applied which left durable protection and a sheen finish.

Once done the landlord commented on how good the floor looked and I understand it’s also been remarked on by a few of the regulars.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this is a gentle yet effective cleaner that will ensure they get maximum life out of the new sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Public House Floor in Worcestershire

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150 Year Old Carpet Covered Flagstone Floor Transformed in Kirkstall Leeds

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:01:06 +0000

The new owners of this property in Kirkstall near Leeds discovered this 150 years old Flagstone floor under carpet shortly after moving in. Keen to have it restored as an original feature I was asked to quote for restoring it back to its original condition, or as close to that as possible given its age.

As you can see from the photos, the stone itself was very dirty and had lost all of its character. Other problems included the removal of the old glues used to secure the carpet, and the latex screed that had been used to level it and even some nails.

To restore the appearance of the floor I recommended milling the floor with a set of very coarse diamond pads that would remove a thin layer of stone off the top and reveal new stone underneath. I would use water to help lubricate the process and keep the dust down, but it would still be a messy a job, the advantage however would be the stone would be transformed by the process.

Although difficult to comprehend I was able to show them some examples of similar floors that had received this treatment. Happy with the potential outcome the quote was accepted, and a date set for the work to begin.

Cleaning a Flagstone Tiled Living Area

The first job was to remove as much of the adhesives and latex screed as possible from the floor. This was done using Tile Doctor Remove and Go to soften them before being scraped off manually and with the help of a coarse 50-grit diamond pad. The floor was then rinsed to remove the slurry that was generated and then extracted using a wet vacuum.

A set of milling pads were then attached to a weighted floor buffer and run over each slab several times to cut through the stone surface. Water was used to lubricate the process, however as mentioned earlier this process generates a lot of stone dust so a lot of rinsing and extracting needs to happen to remove it.

I used a lot of water during the milling and It’s important that the floor is dry before sealing so I left the floor for a few days before returning to apply the sealer.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Living Area

Old floors like this don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane so it is important to use a fully breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the floor so it can evaporate at the surface. Failing to observe this can result in damp building up under the floor where it can reach out to the walls resulting in rising damp.

With this in mind I chose to seal the floor using two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a fully breathable impregnator. It’s also oil-based so it adds structure and colour to the stone really bringing it to life.

The work not only restored the flagstones but completely transformed the floor, the flagstones now have an impressive depth of colour that was simply unimaginable at the start, needless to say my client was extremely happy.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective tile cleaner that won’t impact the longevity of the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Floor in North Yorkshire

The post 150 Year Old Carpet Covered Flagstone Floor Transformed in Kirkstall Leeds appeared first on North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor.

Leaking Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Renovated in Woking

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 06:26:25 +0000

The tiles in this Ceramic tiled bathroom in Woking are a great example of bad maintenance. I say this as I often get asked to refresh bathrooms and showers regularly and unfortunately this also involves rectifying previous mistakes, bodges and corner cutting.

This customer asked me to investigate a water leak in his bathroom that had resulted in a growing brown mark on the kitchen ceiling directly below. While I cannot guarantee 100% with a leak that’s location is not obvious, I can guarantee to resolve cracked grout, holed tiles and missing mastic that may be the cause. Between asking me to quote and deciding to proceed with the work the customer had also asked the opinion of a plumber. He had removed the bath panel and then did something weird with white mastic on a tile. I didn’t ask how much they charged for this utter mess but can only assume he had diagnosed the grouting around this tile as the source of the leak.

I visited the property to review the tile and grout and could see that although the main issue was the poorly installed mastic sealant the grout also needed a deep clean. The best way to deal with the mastic would be to strip it all out and then replace it with new, some of it had attracted mould and turned Black in places anyway. The Ceramic tiles were in good condition and except for a little limescale I was confident they would clean up quite easily.

A quote was worked out to renovate the bathroom tiling which included cleaning the Tile and Grout and replacing the mastic sealant. Once complete I was confident this would resolve the leak and leave the bathroom looking like a new installation.

Renovating Ceramic Bathroom Tile and Grout

Arriving at 8:30am I spent the next four hours cutting, picking and scrapping out the abundance of white mastic smeared over the bath, tiles, floor and bath side. It was a fiddley job but all the old mastic had to go to achieve a smooth finish.

I then cleaned the Grout and Tile with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. I don’t usually use this product for this type of work but its acid-based and works well on limescale that’s prevalent in the South of England. Some of the grout was falling out so I filled in with some stock I always keep in the van. Once dry I sprayed the grout with an aerosol tile and grout sealer to offer further protection. Once applied the water literally just runs off the tile and grout.

Next, I removed the bath panel to investigate where the leak might be coming from. There was only one obvious location which was in the far corner so I dried it out with a heat gun. Later I would fill the area with mastic to make it watertight.

The plumber had done something odd at the bath end that required a re-build. I suspect they may have used grout as adhesive. This will never work so I took it all apart, cleaned it up and stuck it back together with tile adhesive.

For the next couple of hours, I applied carefully replaced the mastic starting with the two verticals. I used transparent mastic behind the shower door as it’s much more subtle and I think that too much White can often look like go-faster stripes.

As a final courtesy I cleaned the bath and shower glass before presenting the finished bathroom which had been completely transformed by the work. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro which is a gentle spray-on shower tile cleaner. Its best to use something like this as more aggressive products can prematurely the erode the sealer I sprayed on earlier.

Professional Renovation of a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom in West Surrey

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Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tile and Grout Renovated in Dedham Essex

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:53:05 +0000

A homeowner from the village of Dedham near Colchester asked me to visit regarding their Ceramic tiled kitchen floor. The client was tired of the dirty looking Ceramic tile and grout and having tried all the general household cleaners on the market were frustrated that it still didn’t look clean. It was bringing down the overall appearance of the kitchen and decided it was time to call in some professional help.

I visited the property to inspect the floor and confident we could make a significant difference discussed with them the options. They were happy to go ahead with my quote and we arranged a suitable date a few weeks later to carry out the work, which would just take a day.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen

Work started with cleaning the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a powerful alkaline tile and grout cleaner. I like to leave it to soak into the tiles first for about ten minutes before working it into the tiles and grout with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. I also like to give the grout a good scrub by hand as the pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout lines. A few areas were particularly stubborn, so we reapplied and scrubbed again.

Once done the floor was rinsed with water and all the liquids and soiling removed with a wet vacuum. After inspecting the floor for further cleaning, I noticed a few areas that had missing grout. we always keep some grout on the van, so it was not a problem to replace it.

Once the floor and grout were dry, a further inspection was carried out and although the grout was much cleaner some areas has deep seated staining that no end of scrubbing could shift. I had discussed this possibility with the owner earlier and so it was agreed to colour the grout using a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in Limestone.

Grout Colouring is a straightforward process using a small brush to paint the colourant onto the grout. This forms a barrier over the grout giving it a uniform appearance whilst protecting it going forward. This gave the floor a clean fresh appearance that really uplifted the look of the kitchen, it was definitely the best solution.

Sealing Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

Ceramic tiles have a glazed surface so there is no need to apply any type of sealant to protect them. However, for aftercare cleaning we left a free bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for the client to use to maintain their floor. This is preferable to the stronger acidic household cleaners which she had been using previously.

Once done the floor looked great, and my client was very happy that the kitchen now looked as it should.

Professional Renovation of a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Essex

The post Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tile and Grout Renovated in Dedham Essex appeared first on North Essex Tile Doctor.

Restoring the Polish on Marble Tiled Steps in Cwmbran

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 10:07:44 +0000

The marble steps shown in the images were installed at a property in Cwmbran roughly ten years ago. Supplied by Mandarin Stone the Marble was beautiful however over time they had lost their polish. Also, the plant pots that had been placed on either side of the steps had scratched the pieces of marble quite deeply in some areas.

I explained to the client what would need to be done to restore the appearance of the steps and the materials required. They had previously been told there was no possible way of removing the scratches caused by the plant pots so they were delighted to have found a solution.

Having agreed my quote a date was set for the work to start.

Cleaning Marble Tiled Steps

To remove the scratches and restore the polish applied a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads, starting with a coarse 50-grit pad attached to a rotary machine. The pads area applied with water and the slurry generated rinsed off and extracted afterwards. The 50-grit was followed by 100, 200, 400, 800, and finishing on 1500 grit, again all applied with water and rinsed off after each pad.

For the corners that the machine could not reach I used a similar set of 6” burnishing pads attached to a hand-held rotary machine. The pads were applied in the same order starting with a 50 grit and finishing on 1500 grit. Again, after each pad the slurry was extracted with a wet vacuum and the steps washed with water.

Once I had reached 1500 grit, the steps were allowed to dry, and I was able to demonstrate that the scratches had been removed and the natural polish restored. They were still worried that I wouldn’t be able to remove the scratches so were delighted to see they were now gone! I then began the final step of polishing the Marble steps by spray burnishing them with a 3000 grit Tile Doctor Burnishing Pad which is the last step in the polishing process.

Sealing Marble Tiled Steps

My client was very fond of the steps when they were wet as the colour was “significantly enhanced“ so I suggested I we use Tile Doctor Colour Grow to create a similar effect. The sealer is fully breathable, with a colour enhancing matt finish which is perfect for exterior use and for slightly darkening natural stones.

Four coats of sealer were applied allowing each coat to dry for thirty minutes before applying the next. When Marble is polished to a high shine every mark becomes obvious so once the final coat was dry the steps were then buffed with a White buffing pad.

My clients were extremely happy with the job and asked me to return later to renovate the tiles in both their ensuite bathrooms.

To maintain the sealer and to prevent accelerated break down I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle but effective stone cleaner that helps maintain the patina.

Professional Restoration of Marble Tiled Steps in Monmouthshire

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Stourbridge

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 03:58:16 +0000

A customer from Stourbridge requested a visit to see what could be done about their Victorian tiled floor in the hallway. Changes to the property had required the installation of a gas pipe under the Victorian tiled floor in the hallway and so the beautiful tiles had been removed and a trench gouged out of the floor for the pipe. Naturally the owner now wanted to the tiled floor restoring to its original state.

I went over to assess the damage and informed the customer the gas pipe would need lowering by a gas safe engineer to enable me to install a new screed and continue the pattern. They agreed to get this organised and I worked out a price to restore the floor.

Happy with the quote they requested I track down the replacement tiles needed for the job and would be in touch once the gas pipe had been lowered.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Once that work was done, I returned to install a new screed level with the height of the existing base and left it to set for a few days. I had managed to source some reclaimed tiles that would match nicely so I ordered these up and returned to the property once they had arrived.

The tiles were then cut to shape and fixed in place to match the original pattern. Once set they were grouted in making sure to get a close to original match with the original floor as possible.

Once the floor has set, I was able to move onto cleaning the whole floor. To do this I applied Tile Doctor Acid Gel cleaner and scrubbed it in with a coarse 100-grit diamond pad. Being a gel, this product is more controllable and results in faster drying times. Gel cleaners are idea for Victorian floors which were installed before the invention of the damp proof membrane, their low moisture content ensures we don’t exacerbate any issues with dampness in the floor.

The gel was then rinsed off the floor using a little water and rapidly extracted using a wet vacuum. The process was then repeated using a 200-grit diamond pad to further clean and improve the surface of the tiles.

Once done the floor was inspected and stubborn stains spot cleaned by hand.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To seal the Victorian tiles, I applied a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra, this is a modern breathable sealer that improves colour and adds an appealing sheen finish. The new sealer helps blend in the replacement tiles and will protect the floor going forward ensuring any dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be cleaned away.

The customer was very pleased with the transformed floor and was especially happy with the tiling work which even if I do say myself worked out very well. I bet you can’t tell where the replacement tiles are in the finished photos.

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 Stourbridge appeared first on Worcestershire Tile Doctor.

Dirty Quarry Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Wollaston

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 06:27:25 +0000

This client from the village of Wollaston contacted Tile Doctor about cleaning and sealing their Quarry tiled floor. They were refurbishing the house and wanted to keep the original floor tiles as part of the renovation.

The tiles were installed throughout the ground floor, including the kitchen, lounge and hallway. However, as I was to discover myself, they were covered in years of grime, and they were not sure if they could be restored.

I went over to survey the floor and could see that any sealer that may have protected the tiles from ingrained dirt had long since worn off and as a result dirt had become ingrained into the pores of the quarry tiles. Once this happens its very difficult to keep clean.

I had to agree the floor was overdue a deep clean and re-seal and so took some measurements in order to work out a quote for doing the work. The quote was accepted, and a date set for starting the work which would take two days, one to clean and one to seal.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Ground Floor

To deep clean the quarry tiles, a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied to the floor and left to dwell for a short while. The solution was then scrubbed into the tile using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine.

The solution soon turned black with the dirt that was pulled out of the tiles and was rinsed away with water and extracted using a wet vacuum. I inspected the tiles afterwards and could see some paint splashes from years of decorating were still evident, so I re-applied the product and repeated the process to get rid of them.

The grout was then cleaned by hand using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a scrubbing brush, again extracting the waste once complete. I find this is the most effective way to clean grout as the pads struggle to reach into the recess of the grout line.

To complete the cleaning process, I then gave the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this was applied to remove old grout smears and further clean up the tiles. All soiling was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Ground Floor

Returning the following day, the first job was to test the floor with the damp meter to check it was dry. The tiles needed to be dry enough to accept the seal and applying sealer to damp tiles can result in a patchy appearance. This is always worthy checking when cleaning Quarry tiles as that are naturally quite porous so can take some time to dry.

Once satisfied the readings were within the correct range, I was ready to seal. I selected to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra for this, it’s a breathable sealer which is useful for older floors such as this where there is no evidence of a damp proof membrane being installed. Breathable sealers allow for moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface, without this moisture can build-up under the floor causing it to reach out to the walls where it could cause rising damp.

I applied two coats of Seal and Go Extra waiting for the first to dry before applying the next. The sealer lifts the deep red colours in the Quarry tiles and adds a nice appealing shine. The sealer works by ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be cleaned away.

My client was very happy with their now clean quarry tiled floor and left the following feedback for me:

“I was looking forward to the results before it was even booked in, and I was not disappointed. A professional approach and very helpful throughout.”

Before leaving I took time to explain how to maintain the floor using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Its important to use a product like this on a sealed floor as many tile cleaning products are simply too strong and will strip the sealer off the floor with regular use.

Professional Cleaning of a Quarry Tiled Floor in Northamptonshire

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Black and White Victorian Tiled Path Restored in Ewell

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:28:04 +0000

Having seen some of my other work this client contacted me about the restoration of their Victorian tiled path at their property in Ewell . It had various issues that would need resolving and although I was happy to restore it, I advised that it would be best to wait until the weather improved.

In the meantime, I went over to the property to survey the path, work out a restoration plan and provide a quote for the work. I could see It wasn’t the best of installations, it appeared to be built on mud as some of the edging had become unattached. It was dirty, having never been deep cleaned and about 30 tiles had been broken. All that being said it was definitely restorable so I gave them a price for the work, and they were happy to go ahead.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

Having found a reasonable weather window, I was able to make a start on the structural issues. First, I needed to fully remove the detached edging which proved more difficult than expected resulting in the need to use a crowbar. With the edging removed the base was cleaned up and backfilled with self-levelling compound which takes three to four hours to set.

It was a warm day and I had plenty of other work to do while I waited, including removing the broken tiles with a power chisel being careful not to chip the surrounding ones. The detached edging had to be cleaned up with a tile cutter. I also prepped the tiles over the remaining pathway by soaking them in Tile Doctor Patio Cleaner. This would gradually seep into the tiles and remove any dirt.

After lunch the tiling was hand scrubbing with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This took some time as they were small and fiddly. Once done the tiles were rinsed with water.

Once the self-levelling compound had set, I was able to start rebuilding the path using the original tiles setting them back in place to match the original pattern using a quick setting adhesive.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

Time was marching on and eventually the client’s children would start returning home from school, so I was keen to get the path completed before they arrived. Fortunately, it was a warm day and the tiles had dried so I moved onto applying a protective sealer.

For this I used Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an oil-based product rated for external use, the oil also helps to restore colour to the Black tiles. Before leaving I taped up the area, to ensure nobody walked on the tiles whilst the sealer was drying.

My client was very happy with the work I had carried out, the pathway now looked complete and provided a much more inviting entrance to the property. The new sealer would ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away for which I recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Pathway in West Surrey

The post Black and White Victorian Tiled Path Restored in Ewell appeared first on West Surrey Tile Doctor.

Damaged 135-Year-Old Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Fully Restored in Thirsk

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 06:54:41 +0000

This Victorian tiled hallway floor at a property on the outskirts of Thirsk was approximately 135 years old and was in need of deep cleaning and repair. As far as the owners were aware it had never been professionally cleaned but was sealed many times before with some type of varnish/linseed oil.

Unsurprisingly for its age the tiles were fairly worn and unfortunately had some suffered damaged due to the installation of heating pipework that was run under the floor. This area had simply been backfilled with cement and my client asked for this to be replaced with tiles that match the existing type and pattern. The was floor was then to be restored to the best condition possible given its age.

I’ve worked on these sorts of issues before so more than happy to take on the project. It took a little time to track down the replacement tiles but once I had everything costed, I was able provide an accurate quote to the owner who gave the go ahead to start the work.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

To start I gave the whole floor a deep clean with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to remove the several coatings from the tiles worked in with coarse 100 and 200-grit diamond pads fitted to a rotary machine. I also used hand-held diamond blocks around the edges. The soiling was then rinsed off with water and extracted with a powerful wet vacuum.

Next, I turned my attention to the damaged areas where the tiles had been dug out and backfilled with cement. This cement was at the same height as the floor, so it had to be carefully removed and then replaced with a lower screed mix with protection over the pipes to stop any corrosion.

Once the screed had set the area was re-tiled using the replacements I had managed to source earlier making various cuts as required to achieve the original geometric pattern.

The repaired and cleaned floor was then left for approximately four days until it was dry enough to seal. These old floors don’t have the benefit of a damp proof course and sealers work best when applied to dry tiles, so it is always worth waiting if there is any doubt.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

On my return I used a moisture meter to confirm the floor was dry and ready to be sealed.
The hallway is above ground level and away from the problems of rising moisture, however it is important to use a breathable sealer on these old floors that will allow any moisture to evaporate at the surface and not get trapped underneath where it could cause problems.

So, for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is breathable and results in a nice shine finish which the client requested. Four coats where needed before the tiles were fully sealed.

The client was very pleased with the result and even added a tip to their payment.

“Thanks Chris, all paid. – I added something extra for some beers or a meal down at Piece Hall as a thank you!”

< Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration 06121153.jpg>

The new sealer will keep the dirt on the surface of the floor where it can be easily cleaned away. For which I recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a gentle but effective product that won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in North Yorkshire

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Badly Stained Travertine Table Polished to New Condition in Newbury

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 11:33:30 +0000

We were recently asked to renovate a Travertine tabletop at a property in the market town of Newbury. This post follows on from a previous article I published about the renovation of their garden room floor tiles where the table was situated. If you haven’t seen that post do take a minute to take a look using the following link: Terracotta Tiled Garden Room Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Newbury.

If you recall the client asked me to do something to improve the condition of the stone table that had sat in the conservatory for many years and was stained with water stains, ring marks and the dirt from the many plants that had been sat on it.

Cleaning and restoring a Travertine Tiled Tabletop

The travertine table had been cracked and was heavily stained due to years of standing water from various pots. So, after cleaning the conservatory floor I turned my attention to the table and started the renovation process using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean so I could see the full extent of damage. Being a tabletop, this had to be done by hand, allowing the solution to soak in and then scrubbing it in with a scrubbing brush. Due to the height of the table, it was a bit awkward to use the hot water encapsulation system to extract the dirt after cleaning, but I managed.

The next job was to fill the crack using a two-part epoxy resin designed especially for this sort of work and colour matched to the table. This was then allowed to set before smoothing out with a set of handheld burnishing blocks of different grits.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Tabletop

Once the resin had dried hard the table was burnished using an extended set of diamond encrusted pads starting from a coarse 100-grit all the way to a fine 3000-grit leaving the table with a polished look. Naturally I couldn’t use my floor buffer for this, so I had to use smaller 6-inch pads fitted to a hand buffer. The pads are applied with water for lubrication and the soiling rinsed off as before using the encapsulation system.

Once the Travertine had dried out, I sealed it with Tile Doctor Colour Grow to enhance the colours and textures of the stone. This is an impregnating sealer that works by soaking into the stone occupying the pores and thereby keeping any dirt or liquids on the surface where they can be easily cleaned away.

The Travertine table was completely transformed by the cleaning and polishing and needless to say my client was very happy with the outcome and was sure his friends would be impressed! For maintenance of the table I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Patina Spray. This is a spray-and-buff cleaner that is designed to enhance the natural beauty and lustre of polished stone.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tabletop in Berkshire

The post Badly Stained Travertine Table Polished to New Condition in Newbury appeared first on Berkshire Tile Doctor.

Geometric Victoria Tiled Hallway Repaired and Restored in Stoke-on-Trent

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:54:45 +0000

These pictures are of a Victorian tiled hallway floor laid in a striking geometric pattern at a property on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent.. The house was being renovated and the restoration of the floor was one of the remaining projects.

Hopefully you can see from the photographs that as well as being deeply ingrained with dirt the tiles were also stained with plaster dust and paint splatters from the renovation works. Although structurally sound there was some reconstructive tiling work required around the foot of the stairs where there were missing tiles and gaps in the flooring.

After visiting the property to survey the floor, I was able to come up with a plan for its restoration. The work would take four days and would address the tiling issues, deep cleaning of the floor to remove the dirt and staining and then sealing to protect it going forward. I was confident the work would transform the floor and happy with my quote I got the go ahead to start the work.

Cleaning and repairing a Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first two days were spent repairing the flooring at the bottom of the stairs. I had to carefully remove the damaged tiles and level the floor with a self-levelling compound. This is tricky work as you need to take extra care not to upset the adjacent. The new base was left to set overnight and then the next day matching tiles were cut to size and laid into the prepared section of flooring with fresh adhesive. The replacement tiles were then left to set overnight.

With the floor now complete and intact I was able to start the restorative cleaning of the Victorian tiles on day three. To achieve this a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean (which is a strong alkaline cleaning product) was applied to the floor and left it to soak in for about fifteen minutes. This allows the product time to break down the soils and stains in the floor. A coarse 50-grit diamond pad was then run over the floor to scrub the Pro-Clean deep into the tile and bring the ingrained dirt and staining to the surface.

The floor was rinsed with water and the now dirty cleaning solution extracted with an industrial wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected, and the process repeated until I was happy the tiles were free of plaster, paint spots and dirt. A little bit of spot cleaning was required in some stubborn areas.

The last process was to give the floor an acid rinse using another Tile Doctor product called Grout Clean-up. This product further cleans up the tiles and neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Pro-Clean. Another advantage of giving the floor an acid rinse is that it will counter any alkaline salts that may have built up in the floor over time. Commonly known as efflorescence this is a common problem with old Victorian tiled floors. Once done the floor was given another rise and extract with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway

The tiles needed to be completely dry before sealing so I left the property for six days before returning. Sealing a damp floor can lead to issues with the sealer curing and result in a patchy appearance.

To seal the tiles, I applied five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a water-based sealer that leaves a lovely satin finish. The sealer will protect the floor and ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed.

For aftercare I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which as its name suggests has a neutral pH. This is important as many floor cleaning products contain bleach which can strip the protective sealer off a floor leaving it vulnerable to ingrained dirt.

Professional Restoration of a Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway in Staffordshire

The post Geometric Victoria Tiled Hallway Repaired and Restored in Stoke-on-Trent appeared first on Staffordshire Tile Doctor.

Carpet Covered Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Pentlow

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 10:04:03 +0000

The pictures below are of a Quarry tiled floor at a property in Pentlow village, North of Braintree. The tiles had been covered in carpet for many years and it was now looking stained and worse for wear. Unsurprisingly the owner had decided it was time to get rid of the carpet and make the best of the Quarry tiled floor underneath which extended all the way into the dining room.

I surveyed the floor and could see the carpet had been fixed in place with adhesive which had stained the tiles and would need removing. The grout was also in a bad state with deep seated stains which I doubted would clean up to a consistent standard. With all this in mind I created a quote to deep clean the Quarry tile and grout and then sealing, I also added in an option to colour the grout which would be a lot easier than re-grouting.

Happy with my quote the owner gave the go ahead and a date was booked to start the work.

Deep Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor in Pentlow

First, I removed the carpet to reveal the whole floor, the kickboards below the kitchen units were also removed and tape applied everywhere else to protect the wood from the cleaning products we would be using.

With the woodwork protected I set about the deep clean with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left to soak in for roughly ten minutes. This product is a coatings remover and tile cleaner which breaks down or softens the carpet glue and other soiling making it easier to remove.

Next a Black scrubbing pad was fitted to a rotary buffing machine and was slowly worked over the floor to scrub the solution into the Tile and Grout. I also ran a stiff brush along the
grout lines to get them clean. After the whole floor had been scrubbed the soiling was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected and the process repeated where required and spot treated in some areas to remove the glue by hand with a scraper. In total two litres of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was used during the cleaning.

The next step was to give the floor and acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which further cleans up the tile and grout. Another advantage of this is the acidic nature of the product microscopically etches the grout to provide a stronger bond with a grout colourant, it also neutralises the pH level of the floor following the use of Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline product.

Applying Natural Grey Grout Colourant in Pentlow

The Quarry tiles were now clean but although the grout was now cleaner it was still stained in places. The solution was as suspected to apply a grout colourant. Available in eleven colours the Tile Doctor colourants are not like those grout pens you buy in DIY stores; they are made from a waterproof epoxy that adds a barrier over the grout.

Once the grout was clean and dry, I applied the colourant with a small brush wiping off any excess that got on the Quarry tiles quickly afterwards, I find a wet wipe is good for this. The floor consisted of small format square tiles which meant a lot of grout to cover. It’s a tedious process that has to be done by hand however the result was transformative.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor in Pentlow

The floor was left to dry out overnight and the following morning, I used the damp meter to check the floors moisture readings. I was pleased to see the readings were acceptable and the tiles could be sealed. If the floor was still damp the seal may not cure properly so this is an important step.

To seal the Quarry tile and grout looked like a new I applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that works by soaking into the tile occupying the pores and thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

The Quarry tile and grout responded very well to the treatment and if you didn’t know you would think it was a new floor. The new sealer will make the floor easy to maintain and my client was very pleased with the transformation.

On the topic of maintenance, I left the owner with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a pH neutral product which will not compromise the newly applied seal, which can be the problem with many household cleaning products which are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor. This will ensure the longevity of the seal and will make the floor easy to maintain which is of course a bonus.

Professional Renovation of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor In North Essex

The post Carpet Covered Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Pentlow appeared first on North Essex Tile Doctor.

Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway Caerleon

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 04:05:05 +0000

A customer in Caerleon on the outskirts of Newport asked me to call in to discuss their classic Black and White Victorian tiled hallway floor. The had told me that their floor wasn’t that dirty and just needed a light clean and seal.

I conducted a moisture reading upon surveying with showed the floor was high in moisture in some areas, this information is important as it shows the need to use a fully breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface. If we were to use a less breathable product moisture could build up under the tiles where it will reach out to the walls resulting in rising damp.

After conducting a cleaning test on part of the floor, it was evident there was a substantial amount of dirt being held by the tiles. My customer was gobsmacked by this as they clean the floor twice a week minimum. This test proved that the sealer was failing on the floor and dirt was being trapped in the pores of the tile where it is difficult to shift with normal cleaning.

Impressed with the amount of dirt I was able to pull out of the tiles I was asked to schedule a date to return and deep clean then seal the whole floor.

Cleaning a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I began cleaning by applying a mixture of Tile Doctor HBU Nanotech Remover combined with Pro-Clean and left it to soak in for a good ten minutes. This gives it time to work and breakdown the ingrained dirt from foot traffic and any remnants of old sealer. The solution was then agitated and scrubbed with a Silicone Carbide Brush attached to a rotary machine. This action lifted the soiling from the tiles to the surface where it was extracted with a wet vacuum.

The brush can struggle to get into the corners to these were hand-cleaned using a 200-grit diamond block and more solution. Once I was satisfied the floor was clean, I moved onto the final phase of deep cleaning. For this I applied a 200-grit burnishing pad lubricated with water followed by a 400-grit burnishing pad. The slurry generated from this process was then sucked up with a wet vacuum.

I then washed the floor with a sponge and water ensuring nothing had been missed then left it to dry for a couple of days leaving the customer with an air mover to speed up the drying.

Sealing a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Once I returned and conducted a moisture reading, the results were good and showed the floor had returned to its previous level and was now ready for sealing. As mentioned previously I would need to use a fully breathable sealer for this work which does limit the options slightly. Having discussed this with the owner previously we agreed to use a Matt sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a fully breathable colour enhancing Matt finish sealer that improves colour and helps the Black and White tiles stand out.

Two coats of Colour Grow were applied allowing thirty minutes between coats. This is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the tile occupying the pores and thereby ensuring dirt can no longer reside there. This ensures dirt or spillages remain on the surface where they can easily be cleaned away. Once dry I used a White buffing pad on my rotary machine to buff the floor ensuring a uniform matt finish.

The customer was ecstatic with the results as you can see by the images, a lot of dirt was removed. To maintain the sealer used on the floor I left the customers with a bottle of PH Neutral Tile Cleaner. You do need to be careful when choosing a floor cleaning product as most are simply too strong for use on sealed tiles and will strip off a sealer with repeated use.

Professional Cleaning of a Classic Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Monmouthshire

The post Classic Black and White Victorian Tiled Hallway Caerleon appeared first on Monmouthshire Tile Doctor.

Polished Black Marble Foor Polished in Barrow in Furness

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:51:34 +0000

This client from Barrow in Furness contacted Tile Doctor about their polished black marble floor which had been installed 20 years ago. Its polished appearance had diminished with use over that time, and they had wasted money on different products sourced from DIY shops and the internet to rectify it.

Many of these products were unsuitable for this type of tile and as such the top surface was quite tacky to walk on and had done nothing to improve its appearance. Happy I could resolve the problem they accepted my quote to re-polish the floor and a date was agreed to commence the work.

Cleaning a Polished Black Marble Dining Room

My first task was to protect the woodwork by applying a bead of clear waterproof mastic between the wood and the floor, this prevents water being soaked into the wood through capillary action, this can cause water staining and worst-case blow MDF skirting and doors.

Once done work started on polishing the marble floor using a 200-grit 17-inch diamond pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. This pad removes encrusted sealers, old polish and other products that were upsetting the stone finish. Applied with water for lubrication this pad does a good job of cleaning up the stone but leaves it looking dull with a matt finish.

To bring back the finish, finer grit diamond Burnishing pads are applied in sequence starting with 400 then 800 and 1500-grit. These pads clean and rebuild the polish on the Marble slowly brings the stone back to life again. The floor is rinsed off with water after each pad and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum. The edges were then completed with a small handheld machine using smaller pads of the same grits.

After this work, I started on the grout lines which were scrubbed by hand using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline cleaner and will not upset the marble. I find it best to do this work by hand as the pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line.

A final rinse with clean water which was then extracted with the wet vacuum and the floor left to dry off overnight.

I called back the next day and started work by checking the stone and grout was nice and dry and ready for a final polish using a 3000-grit diamond pad. This pad brings up the polish on the floor even further and is applied using a tiny amount of water from a spray bottle which aids in the final polish.

Sealing a Polished Black Marble Dining Room

Once the whole floor was polished including all the corners and edges it was time to start applying the sealer. With this being a Black Marble floor with more than a few marks on it from the wear and tear over the last twenty years, I opted to use a sealer normally designed for outside areas called Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This is an oil based breathable sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within and ensuring any dirt remains on the surface.

We don’t normally recommend X-Tra Seal for polished surfaces as the oil takes a lot to cloth off, however in this case I felt the extra work would be justified as the oil works well on Black stone.

Once done the Marble tiles were transformed by the work much to the relief of the owner who had really struggled to maintain the floor. Before leaving I made sure to spend time discussing future cleaning and recommended, they use Tile Doctor Stone Soap going forward. This is a mild but effective cleaner which helps maintain the patina on the Marble.

Professional Renovation of a Polished Black Marble Floor in South Cumbria

The post Polished Black Marble Foor Polished in Barrow in Furness appeared first on South Cumbria Tile Doctor.

Terrazzo floor restoration in Cardiff

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 03:01:42 +0000

This owner of this property is an architect living close to myself in the centre of Cardiff. He approached Tile Doctor late last year about the restoration of a Terrazzo hallway floor. Having recently purchased the property which was built around 1910 with an aim to restore the whole house back to its original condition and he wanted to preserve as many original features as possible.

I went over to the property to survey the floor and carried out a cleaning test on a small part of the flooring to show him the potential result I could achieve. Whilst I was there, I measured up the Terrazzo which extended throughout the downstairs hallway and through to a matching section at the front of the property.

Happy with the result of the test clean I worked out a quote for restoring the whole floor, which was accepted, and a date set for the new year. The floor was one of many projects being caried out at the property which was unhabitable at the time so it would be just a question of picking up the keys and letting myself in.

Cleaning and Repairing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

My first task was to remove as much plaster and paint from the floor as possible with a sharp bladed scraper. Then I started scrubbing the floor with a very coarse 50-grit pad fitted to a rotary machine. The pad is applied with water for lubrication and run over each part of the floor several times. The floor is rinsed and extracted with a wet vacuum and the whole process repeated with a finer 100-grit pad and then a 200-grit pad.

Moving up the grits the next stage was to scrub the floor to remove staining with a 400-grit burnishing pad using a strong 50:50 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The pad was applied as before, rinsing and extracting once done and then moving up to the 800 and then 1500 grit pad.

As the floor became cleaner the cracks and damage to the terrazzo became clearly visible and so I started on repairing the cracks with a colour matched filler designed for this type of work. This was left to dry hard and sanded lightly until level with the floor.

The floor was then left to dry overnight, and I returned the next day to apply the last burnishing pad which was a very fine 3000-grit polishing pad to achieve the desired shine, also to polish out any light marks.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in Cardiff

The sealer we selected was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnator that soaks into the Terrazzo occupying the pores and preventing dirt from residing there. The sealer achieves a durable hardwearing finish and enhances the natural colours in the stone chippings it also ensures the dirt will remain on the surface where its easily cleaned away.

Once done I returned the keys, and the architect contacted me later to congratulate me on the restoration of the finished floor. For after care cleaning of polished Terrazzo I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a mild but effective floor cleaning solution that helps maintain the patina.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in South Wales

The post Terrazzo floor restoration in Cardiff appeared first on South East Wales Tile Doctor.

Tumbled Travertine Kitchen Floor Filled and Polished in Stanwick Near Wellingborough

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:56:03 +0000

A homeowner from the village of Stanwick near Wellingborough contacted me about their Tumbled Travertine Kitchen floor which was proving very hard to maintain. Having worked on similar floors before I was confident of helping and so arranged a date to pop round and come up with a plan for its renovation.

Surveying the floor, I could see the main problem was the pitting in the tiles which are basically small holes and is quite common with Travertine. Dirt was becoming ingrained in the holes which were proving very difficult to remove with regular cleaning and this left it looking dull and permanently dirty. I recommended deep cleaning the floor to remove all the dirt, filling the holes, polishing the stone to bring back its appearance and then sealing to protect it going forward.

Happy with the plan I created a quote for the work which was agreed and a date set for our return.

Cleaning and Polishing a Travertine Tiled Floor

I gave the floor a sweep to remove any loose dirt and grit and started with the application of the first pad which is a coarse 400-grit and designed to remove minor scratches, old sealers and ingrained dirt. The pads fit a 17” buffer machine and is applied with water to lubricate the process, then once the pad has been applied to each tile the floor is rinsed with water and the resultant slurry is extracted using a wet vacuum.

Before moving onto the second pad in the set I gave the grout lines a clean with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was scrubbed into the grout using a stiff narrow brush. The pads can struggle to reach into the recessed grout lines, so I usually find this is the best way to get the grout clean.

The floor was given another rinse with water and then I continued to work through the medium 800-grit and then fine 1500-grit pads rinsing with water and then extracting the slurry with a wet vacuum after each pad.

The Travertine was now clean and after drying with fans I commenced the task of filling the larger holes with a resin filler that matched the natural colour of the stone as close as possible. The filler takes an hour to set and then the patches are rubbed down with handheld burnishing blocks.

Sealing a Tumbled Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the following day and started by completing the polishing process by applying the last 3000-grit very fine burnishing pad with the 17” rotary machine, the pad is applied dry with a small amount of water sprayed on the floor as you go along. With the floor now fully dry and the filled holes polished flat the last step was to apply the sealer which will protect the floor going forwards.

Last step was to seal the Travertine to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the stone going forward. To do this I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer which works by soaking into the pores occupying the space and thereby preventing dirt from residing there. This ensures that dirt remains on the surface where it is easily cleaned away.

Once done the floor looked so much healthier and the new sealer will ensure that the Travertine keeps its appearance and is much easier to clean in future. Regarding cleaning, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for the regular cleaning of this floor. This product is formulated for use on sealed stone and it help maintain the patina.

Professional Travertine Tiled Floor Restoration in Northamptonshire

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Textured Ceramic Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in an Epsom Kitchen

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 03:23:13 +0000

I was asked to clean this ceramic tiled kitchen floor at a property in Epsom that was very dirty and needed a deep clean. As usual I called in on the property to survey the floor and provide a quote for its renovation.

Upon initial inspection I thought the tiles were actually limestone, so I did a quick test to establish that they were definitely ceramic. These were a textured ceramic tile which often gets recommended for wet areas such as kitchens due to its non-slip properties, the textured surface of the tile however does cause it to trap dirt.

As well as the build-up of dirt on the tiles my client also wanted the grout cleaning, which was filthy, also some of the grout had holes in it and these had filled with dirt.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen

To get the grout clean I applied a strong alkaline cleaner called Tile Doctor Remove & Go and worked it into the grout lines using a wire brush. This product is designed to remove all sorts of coatings and grime so just the thing for a dirty grout. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soiling vacuumed away with a wet vacuum.

Then as we were unable to move the furniture out of the kitchen, I had to divide the floor into three areas and scrub the Ceramic tiles with more Remove & Go. This was worked in with a rotary floor machine fitted with an aggressive carbide brush which gets deep into the annoying little holes and textured tile. Extra weights were applied to the machine to improve traction with the tile. After each section was scrubbed, the floor was rinsed and extracted as before.

Sealing a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen

Finally, I gave the whole kitchen a rinse with warm water to remove any trace of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and dried the floor as much as possible with the wet vacuum.

Ceramic tiles won’t take a sealer as they are already sealed within the manufacturing process. Therefore, once I was happy the floor was as clean as it could be the work was done.

The work was completed in less than a day and my clients were very happy with the transformation. I think you will agree from the photographs the Ceramic tile and Grout look so much cleaner.

Professional Restoration of Textured Ceramic Tile and Grout in West Surrey

The post Textured Ceramic Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in an Epsom Kitchen appeared first on West Surrey Tile Doctor.

Large Pitted Travertine Patio Renovated in Henley-on-Thames

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 11:32:45 +0000

This client in Henley-on-Thames had a large and no doubt expensive Travertine patio installed at the rear of his property. The patio was now looking rather grubby with the usual staining and dirt you would expect with an outside patio that had not been professionally cleaned for several years. Additionally, many holes had formed in the stone which in turn had filled with dirt making effective cleaning difficult.

I went over to survey the stone and work out what would need to be done to renovate its appearance. The patio measured 150m2 and I recommended cleaning the patio, filling the holes and then honing the stone with a set of burnishing pads to brink back its appearance, a process which would take three days due to its large size.

Happy with my quote a date was set for the work to start with the proviso that it may need to be re-arranged if the weather was bad.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Patio

Work started up with an application of Tile Doctor Patio & Driveway Cleaner which was left to dwell so it could breakdown the soils. The patio was then scrubbed with a Carbide Brush fitted to a rotary floor scrubber whilst spraying water onto the stone from the tank fitted to the machine. This hard-wearing brush gets right into the holes in the stone ensuring a very effective clean.

After scrubbing the whole area, the patio was inspected and any stubborn stains spot-treated using the same process. Once I was happy the patio was rinsed thoroughly with water and left it to dry off.

On the second day my attention turned to the holes in the stone which were filled by floating an epoxy grout filler into the holes and grout tiles. Again, it was a very large area to cover so this work took up the whole day.

On day three I quickly went over the patio again with the carbide brush to remove any detritus that had appeared overnight and then replaced the brush with the first burnishing pad in the set of four to being the honing process.

Applied with water for lubrication the first pad is 400-grit which opens the pores in the stone so the deep-seated dirt can be flushed out. The pad is run over each Travertine tile at least three times and then the soiling that is generated is rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum. This process is then repeated with the finer pads which were 800 and 1500 grit, these pads gradually close the pores in the stone and restore its polished honed appearance.

Once complete the patio was transformed, looked very inviting and was ready for the first of many summer pool parties. I did offer to seal the Travertine when finished but my client decided to do that themselves, it’s a straightforward process, just time consuming. I recommended Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal for this as it won’t alter the natural appearance of the stone and keep it looking very light in colour.

Professional Renovation of a Large Travertine Patio in Oxfordshire

The post Large Pitted Travertine Patio Renovated in Henley-on-Thames appeared first on Oxfordshire Tile Doctor.

Limestone kitchen floor in Brighouse

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:16:46 +0000

This limestone floor in the kitchen at a property in Brighouse was laid over five years ago and since then the sealer had worn off allowing dirt to become ingrained in the stone and grout lines. It now needed to be deep cleaned with attention to the grout lines and then sealed to protect it going forward.

I visited the property to survey the floor and work out a restoration plan that would renovate the stone back to its original condition. The work required was straight forward so it didn’t take long to work out a quotation for the renovation.

Happy with the quote we agreed a date for my return.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen

To deep clean and renovate the Limestone I used a set of 17-inch diamond burnishing pads which included 400, 800, 1500 and 3000 grits. Before I could get to work though the wooden kitchen units had to be protected from the cleaning solutions by applying a thin line of clean silicone sealant between the floor and the base boards. Doing this ensures water doesn’t soak into the wood where it can cause them to warp.

The Kitchen was quite small and the equipment proved to be a challenge to operate in such a confined space. I was using a weighted rotary floor buffer and triple motor wet vacuum, so extra care was needed.

I began the stone floor cleaning with the application of a 400-grit pad fitted to a rotary buffer and ran over each tile four to five times using water for lubrication. The soiling generated from this action was then extracted with a wet vacuum and I turned my attention to the grout lines.

To clean the grout, I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak into the grout for ten minutes before being scrubbed by hand along joint lines. This was then rinsed off and extracted as before. Switching back to the limestone floor the burnishing work continued with the 800 and 1500 grit pads, applied as before with water for lubrication and rinsing and extracting afterwards.

After the end of the first day the floor looked much cleaner, and it was left overnight to dry out.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen

The next day I continued with the stone burnishing using the last pad in the set which is a very fine 3000-grit pad that adds a nice polish to the limestone. This pad is applied dry with only a small amount of water sprayed onto the tiles. This last pad leaves the floor dry and ready to be sealed.

The floor was then sealed with Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which was chosen to keep the floor looking as close to its natural light colour as possible. Ultra-Seal is a virtually invisible sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within and works well on limestone.

The client was very happy with the result and the finish, and the new sealer would ensure dirt remains on the surface of the stone where it can easily be cleaned away with a product such as Tile Doctor Stone Soap. I always recommend this product for cleaning polished stone floors as its formula helps maintain the patina.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor in West Yorkshire

The post Limestone kitchen floor in Brighouse appeared first on North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor.

Red Wine Stains Removed from a Limestone Fireplace Surround in Sealand

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 02:48:56 +0000

Earlier this year we was contacted by a resident on a new housing estate on the former MOD Sealand RAF base about their wine stained Limestone fireplace. This base was famous for its gliders and spitfires on the edge of North Wales and Cheshire but has since been closed.

The customer had dropped a glass of red wine on her new Limestone fireplace which resulted in obvious dark staining as it dripped down the Limestone. Naturally The customer was keen to have the stains removed and was horrified how badly it had affected the stone.

Fortunately, after researching the problem on the internet, she found Tile Doctor who have a simple solution for this problem which I’ll detail below.

Removing Wine Stains from a Limestone Fireplace

The first job was to protect the new carpet and walls from any splashing during the cleaning process. With that in place I started to apply our secret solution for dealing with these sorts of problems in the form of Tile Doctor Reduxa which is designed to remove acid stains from calcareous stone.

The stained areas were sprayed with Reduxa and then left to soak in for a few minutes. The solution was then warmed up with a heat gun. Doing this causes the solution to evaporate into a vapour which draws out the stain. This process needs repeating four or five times to draw out the stain but its very effective and does the job. Once removed the Fireplace was washed down with clean water then dried off with the heat gun.

The stone had never been sealed before so the last job was to apply Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an impregnating sealer that works by soaking into the pores of the stone thereby preventing anything from residing there. Once dry it becomes invisible and does not change the colour of the stone.

The work was soon completed and as you can imagine my customer was relieved that the staining was now gone.

Professional Removal of Wine Stains from Limestone in Cheshire

The post Red Wine Stains Removed from a Limestone Fireplace Surround in Sealand appeared first on West Cheshire Tile Doctor.

Terracotta Tiled Garden Room Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Newbury

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 03:17:35 +0000

I recently did some work for a customer in Newbury renovating a Terracotta tiled garden room floor. The conservatory was used to host annual horticultural themed events; however, years of use had worn off the sealer allowing dirt and contaminations to build-up in the floor and leaving it looking tired.

I went over to survey the tiles and work out a plan for their renovation. Whilst talking I discovered the floor had never been professionally cleaned since it was installed twelve years ago. The customer also had a stone table that was in a similar state however I’ll cover that in a separate article.

From my renovation plan I worked out a quote which they were happy to go ahead with and a date was arranged to carry out the work which would take two days.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

To get the Terracotta tiles clean I applied a strong dilution of an alkaline cleaning agent called Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to soak in for several minutes. This dwell times gives the product time to breakdown the dirt and any remaining sealer present on the tile.

The solution was then scrubbed into the tile and grout using a silicon carbide brush fitted to a mechanical rotary machine that I had added extra weights to in order to increase traction. This process releases the dirt from the floor turning the cleaning agent into a dark slurry which is then extracted. I use a hot water encapsulation system for this which cleans the floor and extracts the soiling at the same time, it’s a real time saver and the hot water ensures the floor dries quickly.

Then the whole process was repeated using a mild acid cleaner called Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This second product further cleans up the tiles by removing unwanted grout smears and being acidic also neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of the alkaline cleaner earlier. After another rinse and extraction, the floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next day I returned to seal the floor first checking it had dried with a damp meter. I had decided earlier that the best sealer for Terracotta in this environment would be Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. It’s a modern oil-based product that is rates for internal and external use.

One good coat was applied before buffing off the excess using plenty of sealing cloths. After two hours I gave the complete area a final buff with the rotary buffer fitted with a White pad. This removed any excess sealer and left it with a gentle sheen.

My customer was very happy with the outcome and was sure his horticultural friends would be impressed! For aftercare I left a bottle of neutral floor cleaner to help maintain the floor. This product as its name implies is pH neutral so will ensure the newly applied seals stay in place unlike many acidic household cleaners that can strip the sealer from the floor. It is mild enough to use daily and has a nice fresh smell.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen in Berkshire

The post Terracotta Tiled Garden Room Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Newbury appeared first on Berkshire Tile Doctor.

200-Year-Old Black Flagstone Floor Restored at Kendal Gaol

Fri, 31 May 2024 08:28:23 +0000

Earlier this year I was asked to improve this tired looking Black Flagstone floor which was at a house in Kendal that dates back over 200 years. The property used to be the Prison Wardens house and was part of the House of Corrections which was situated in Kendal on the Hill on the road up towards Windermere. The old Stone walls, in what is now the car park, are still present but the Gaol has long gone with new houses built in its place around 120 years ago.

The flagstones formed the floor of what is now a Kitchen and Pantry and sometime in the past a red cement base was put on top of the stone to level it and was then covered in a wooden Parquet floor. The trouble with this was that it stopped the stone from breathing leading to damp spreading into the walls which in turn encouraged mould to grow. Certainly not what you want in a house and certainly not in the Kitchen.

The customer had removed all the old Parquet floor which was rotten anyway and knocked out a lot of the leveller but the stone was very rough and he was unable to get it clean as it would shred mops and the dirt would get trapped in the pits and build-up.

I went over to look at the Flagstones and recommended that we mill the stone which would remove what remained of the levelling compound allowing the stone to breathe again and remove the roughness of the stone allowing it to be cleaned easily. I came up with a restoration plan to do that, address the pointing and then seal the stone with a breathable sealer. Happy with the quote and relieved they now had a practical solution we were given the go ahead to do the work.

Milling a 200-Year-Old Black Flagstone Floor

We used a series of coarse DRB milling pads to grind off a thin layer of stone off the flagstones. This exposes new stone underneath and removes the contaminates in the process. The work starts with the very coarse 50-grit DRB milling pad and is applied to the floor using a heavy-duty buffing machine that has weights added to improve traction. Water is used to lubricate the process and this slowly turns to a slurry as work progresses. The slurry is then rinsed and extracted from the floor and the process repeated with the 100 and then 200-grit DRB milling pads.

Once done we moved onto the pointing which was knocked out with a Hammer Drill and replaced with a breathable pointing product called VDW in a stone-grey colour. Work continued into the next day where the sandstone was cleaned again with the 200-Grit milling pad and focus turned to cleaning all the edges and corners where the pads struggle to reach. Once done the floor was given another rinse and extraction and left it to dry overnight.

Sealing a Black Flagstone Tiled Basement Floor

To return the dark Black colour to the stone I decided to use a breathable oil-based sealer called Tile Doctor X-Tra seal that leaves a low satin finish. This product is rated for internal and external use and being breathable it will allow moisture to rise through the floor and evaporate at the surface. Old floors like this don’t have a damp proof membrane so it is important to choose a sealer that can allow the floor to breath and this will resolve the damp issues the property was experiencing previously.

This was not an easy job for us, but luckily it was quite a small floor. I’m not sure the photographs really do it justice but our work certainly made a difference and my customer was very happy with the result. They even left the following 5-star feedback on our website.

Brilliant job, our flagstone floor is completely transformed!
By Helen M, Kendal, 11 March 2024

For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which will clean the floor without impacting the sealer which can be a problem with many of the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of a Black Flagstone Basement in Cumbria

The post 200-Year-Old Black Flagstone Floor Restored at Kendal Gaol appeared first on South Cumbria Tile Doctor.

Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Caldicot

Thu, 30 May 2024 15:41:59 +0000

I recently cleaned and sealed this small Black Slate tiled kitchen floor in the market town of Caldicot. You can see from the before image below that the sealer that was applied when the floor was installed twelve years ago had completely failed and had begun to flake away. Kitchen floors and especially small floors like this one do get a lot of foot traffic resulting in wear to the sealer, they are also subject to staining from cooking.

To restore the Slate back to its original appearance what was left of the old sealer would need to be stripped back entirely, then the tiles would need deep cleaning and resealing. In this case the customer wanted to keep the permanent wet look finish however I had a sealer in mind that would provide this.

I discussed with the client the process to get the floor cleaned and restored and created a quote for doing the work which would only take a day. Happy with the quote a date was set for the work to start.

Cleaning a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

After protecting the kitchen unit plinths from splashing I started by brushing diluted Tile Doctor Pro-Clean onto each tile and left it to dwell for fifteen minutes. This gives the product time to breakdown and lift the remnants of the remaining sealer. The solution was then agitated with a seventeen-inch 120-grit poly brush that attaches to a rotary floor machine along with more water to help lubricate the process.

Fortunately, being a small floor with large format Slate tiles there wasn’t much grout so it didn’t take too long to get the grout clean with more Pro-Clean scrubbed in by hand with a scrubbing brush.

The scrubbing turns the cleaning solution black with the dirt and old sealer released from the tile which was then vacuumed up. I noticed however that not all the sealer had been removed so I repeated this process once again until I was satisfied.

After drying the floor completely using an air mover it was evident that all the previous sealer had been removed and the floor was now ready to be sealed

Sealing a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The customer had requested a high satin finish, the same as it looked after it was first laid. To achieve this, I applied Tile Doctor Seal and Go, applying four even coats which left the floor glistening.

The new sealer will ensure dirt cannot find its way into the pores of stone and remains on the surface where it can easily be cleaned away by the client. This allows the customer to easily maintain the cleanliness of the floor.

My customer was delighted with the results and said that it even looked better than when it was installed over 12 years ago! For aftercare I left the customer with a bottle of Tile Doctor PH Neutral Tile Cleaner which will help maintain the appearance of the floor. You do need to be careful when choosing a floor cleaning product as most are simply too strong for use on sealed tiles and will strip off a sealer with repeated use.

Professional Restoration of a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Monmouthshire

The post Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Caldicot appeared first on Monmouthshire Tile Doctor.

Renovation of Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles in Wolverhampton

Wed, 29 May 2024 12:20:03 +0000

This large area of Victorian floor lay hidden away for several years under carpet on a former care home in Wolverhampton. The building was being renovated, and the client wanted to bring the floor back to life as it was in a poor state.

I went along to survey the floor and conduct a test clean, which worked out very well and impressed the client. Happy with the potential result I was asked to do the work and the job was booked in.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the first day I repaired the threshold tiles under four doorways, which had either been replaced with concrete or had tiles missing. I had to clean them up first to see exactly what was missing. After completing those I regrouted the areas that needed to be.

The next two days were spent deep cleaning the tiles which was covered in a very thick carpet adhesive, which was difficult to remove, especially in the hallway area. I gave the floor a coat of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and let that soak in to soften the glue so it could be removed more easily. The glue was then scraped off the affected areas with the help of a steamer.

Once the majority of adhesive had been removed, I applied more Tile Doctor Remove & Go combined with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel and let it dwell on the floor for ten more minutes. Then a 120-grit carbide silicone brush pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine was run over the tiles to remove the grime and dirt. The resultant slurry was then rinsed off with an Airflex machine which applies and removes hot water under pressure to give the floor a thorough rinse.

Next, the floor was treated to an acid rinse using with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, this counters the formation of efflorescence which is a common problem with old floors that don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane. This product also removes old grout haze and other mineral contaminates which detract from the overall appearance of the tiles. This process was applied in a few sections at a time due to its size.

I set up a couple of air movers to help get the floor dry and to further improve the appearance of the tiles I went over the floor with a very fine 3000-grit pad. This pad is fitted to the rotary floor machine and applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tiles.

Before finishing for the day, I gave the floor a single coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil and clothed off any excess. The floor was then left to dry off overnight with the help of the air movers.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day I returned to seal the Victorian tiling with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal buffing off the excess with a white pad. This product is fully breathable so will allow for moisture to rise through the tile from the foundation and not become trapped which could lead to damp problems later. Two coats were applied to add long lasting protection and a beautiful finish.

I think you will agree the pictures really show off the improvement to the floor. Certainly, my client was very happy with the work we carried out. For aftercare I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the floor going forward.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

The post Renovation of Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles in Wolverhampton appeared first on Birmingham Tile Doctor.

Ceramic Bathroom Tile and Grout Renovated for New Colchester Homeowners

Fri, 17 May 2024 05:59:57 +0000

This fine example of a Ceramic tiled bathroom is from a house in the city of Colchester. The property had just changed hands and the new owner didn’t know how to restore the tile, grout, and silicone to their standards. It was clear that the tile and grout had been neglected by the previous owner and mould had started to form.

Refreshing stained tile and grout is such a quick thing to do and gives maximum benefit, especially if your selling a property as it will help achieve more interest. So, it always surprises me that many sellers don’t chose to do this before putting their house on the market.

Cleaning a Ceramic Bathroom Tiles

Work started with a deep clean of the grout lines with a generous application of Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is a fast and effective grout cleaner and mould remover. This product is designed for this purpose and comes with a trigger attachment so it can easily be sprayed onto the wall. The solution was then left for five minutes before being scrubbed into the wall tile and grout with a scrubbing brush. This action brought out a lot of dirt and staining from the grout which was then rinsed off.

After reviewing my handywork I decided more work was needed to the grout so I followed this up with an application of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. This is a gel cleaner that sticks well to vertical surfaces allowing for longer dwell times. After ten minutes it was worked into the grout as before and then rinsed off.

The Tile and Grout was now as clean as it could be but there were some deep-seated stains in the grout that simply couldn’t be removed. However, I always knew this could be the case and had already agreed I would apply a grout colourant if this proved to be the case.

Grout Colouring Ceramic Bath Tiles

Before applying the colourant though I needed to prepare the grout to achieve a stronger bond with the colourant. I did this with another Tile Doctor product called Acid Gel which is applied as before. This etches the grout at a microscopic level and being acidic further cleans the surface by removing limescale deposits.

I then set about stripping out the silicone mastic sealant between the bathtub and wall tiles with a sharp knife; the sealant was heavily stained almost black in places so very much in need of replacement. Once all the rubbish was swept out, I dried any remaining dampness from the grout and tiles.

This left the grout ready to be recoloured. I did this over the course of a few hours, using a White colourant from the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant range. White is just one of eleven colours available in the range and was chosen in this case to give the grout a really fresh look and to blend in with the Ceramic tiles. The Grout Colourant not only colours the grout joints – it also seals and rejuvenates them leaving it looking new.

Once the restoration was finished, I filled the bath with water and resealed the shower base with fresh silicone mastic again in White to match the tile and grout. This last step finished the renovation leaving it looking like a new installation.

The Customer was amazed by the transformation of their bathroom and left the following five-star review.

Dean did an excellent job of getting the mould off my bathroom tiles and re-grouting them. It’s like having a new bathroom! I’m very grateful and would highly recommend North Essex Tile doctor. Georgina D, Colchester

Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Cleaning and Grout Recolouring in Derbyshire

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Restoring a Multi Coloured Slate Kitchen Floor in Penarth

Thu, 16 May 2024 10:10:22 +0000

Tile Doctor was contacted by a homeowner in Penarth to see if anything could be done to salvage this multi-coloured Slate floor which had been revealed during a kitchen refurb. As the local Tile Doctor covering Cardiff and the surrounding areas, I was asked to get in touch.

I went over to the property to survey the floor, work out what needed to be done and put a quote together for its restoration. The slate was multi-coloured and didn’t look that old, however, it had been laid around the previous kitchen units and once they had been removed it left quite a few gaps in the flooring.

I managed to track down similar tiles from a specialist slate supplier and once I had all the prices, I was able to provide a quote for fully restoring the floor. Naturally the owner was keen to progress the work as soon as possible and it wasn’t long before the quote was accepted, and a date arranged for my return visit.

Cleaning and Repairing a Multi Coloured Slate Kitchen Floor

Work started with the repairs; the replacement tiles were bigger than the tiles laid on the floor, so they had to be trimmed by 10mm from two edges to make them fit correctly. Once cut they were fixed into place with quick setting adhesive and then grouted in.

My attention then turned to addressing the plaster and paint splatters which stained the floor from the previous decorating work. This proved more difficult than expected, but I persisted and managed to remove the debris with a sharp bladed tool taking care not to scratch the slate.

Once most of the plaster was removed, I set about with the next stage of restoration work, deep cleaning the floor. The products I used were Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50:50 with Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU cleaner, I’ve used this combination before as it results in a very powerful tile cleaner.

The solution was applied to the floor 1m2 at a time and scrubbed with a handheld brush, working it into the tiles and the grout lines also. I rinsed off the soiling with clean water and vacuumed off the waste as I worked.

Once completely clean, the floor was left to dry overnight ready for sealing the next day.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The desired finish was matt, so I applied Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnator sealer. It works by soaking into the stone, occupying its pores, and thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

As well as adding durable protection the new sealer truly brought out the natural colours of the stone. Needless to say, the clients were delighted with the finish on their newly renovated stone floor and were relieved it could be salvaged as they considering having it replaced.

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is a mild yet effective tile cleaner that is safe to use on sealed floors, this is important as many of the cleaning products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong and will erode the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen in South Wales

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3D Patterned Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Guildford

Tue, 14 May 2024 04:04:50 +0000

I’ve cleaned many interesting geometric Victorian tiled floors in my career but none so eye catching as this example at a property in Guildford which featured a beautiful 3D pattern. My client had got in touch to see if I could restore the floor back to its original, it was currently looking quite grubby but thankfully appeared to be physically intact with no loose or broken tiles.

I was confident the floor would look great with a bit of love and care and all it needed was a deep clean to extract all the ingrained dirt and then sealing. I provided a quote for the work and arranged a convenient time to complete the work for them.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Mosaic Hallway Floor

It was quite soiled to start with, so I gently sprayed Tile Doctor Pro-Clean over all the tiles, leaving the product to dwell for twenty minutes whilst keeping the tiles moist. Whilst this has happening I setup a weighted buffing machine fitted with a coarse 100-grit diamond pad. I’m able to attach three heavy iron bars to the front of this machine to add more heft to the machine; increasing the weight improves downward pressure and traction to equal a better result.

Applied with water for lubrication the pad is run over each of the tiles in turn. This is quite an aggressive process that cuts a thin layer from the tile which is absorbed into the water turning it into a slurry and ensuring no dust is generated. Marching up and down, slowly from front to rear I slowly deep cleaned the tiles. Once I was satisfied, they were as clean as they could possible be all the waste with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then washed with hot water and then extracted with the wet vacuum again, this was done a couple of times to remove any remaining soiling. Hot water is preferable for this as it evaporates quickly.

The buffing machine doesn’t reach into the corners, so to make sure they were not missed I used handheld diamond blocks; again, rinsing the soil created away with water and extracting with the wet vacuum afterwards.

The floor was then left to dry out overnight and I asked the owners to try and avoid walking on it.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Having discussed the clients’ needs and expectations of the final finish earlier it was clear they wanted the floor to have a subtle shine to it. They had said that a matte finish was a little boring but they thought a shiny finish was a little too much, so we opted for a sheen finish. To provide this effect I had recommended Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a fine compromise that offers a subtle shine and is tough wearing. It’s actually my personal favourite that I use on many types of tiled floor.

So, the following day I applied several coats until I was satisfied the finish was as hoped. The floor looked great and created a stunning entrance to the property. This was now more in keeping with the rest of the original features in the period property.

My client was over the moon with the work and before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare. I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for regular cleaning; this product won’t impact the newly applied sealer. It’s also mild enough to use every day which is always a possibility in high traffic areas such as a hallway.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

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Victorian Hallway restoration in Warwick

Fri, 10 May 2024 03:29:24 +0000

I took these photographs of an original Victorian tiled floor at a 1900’s house in Warwick, near the racecourse. The floor had been covered in vinyl for many years and had decided to replace it. However, after realising the value a restored period floor can add to a property, they investigated having it restored and consequently contacted Tile Doctor.

Before quoting I went over to the house to survey the floor and work out what would be needed to renovate it. I could see that the main issues would be the self-levelling screed and adhesive that had been used to secure the vinyl. There were also numerous tiles that would need replacing. None of this concerned me though as I have worked through these sorts of issues many times before.

I reassured the client that the original floor could absolutely be restored back to its original condition and worked out a price for the work which would take two days, one to clean/repair, and one to seal. My quote was accepted, and a date was arranged for my return.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Old floors like this one don’t have a damp proof membrane under the tiles so I was immediately concerned about increasing the moisture levels in the floor itself, especially as it was previously covered in vinyl which can prevent moisture rising through the floor. As a result, I decided to use as little water as possible when cleaning the floor by using low moisture gel cleaning products.

To remove the screed and adhesive I applied Tile Doctor Acid Gel to the floor and then left it to soak in for ten minutes before working it in with a 100 and then 200-grit abrasive pad. The acidic nature of the gel is really good at breaking down cement and mineral based contaminates allowing them to be removed more easily. After each pad I used a little water to help sluice away the soiled gel and extracted with a wet vacuum.

After cleaning I then turned my attention to the 23 or so tiles that were either loose or in a bad condition and needed changing. These were carefully removed, and the foundation cleaned up before being replaced with a matching tile that I had managed to source earlier. The replacements were secured with fresh adhesive and then grouted. The floor was then given a quick clean and then left to dry out fully overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day I returned and sealed the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which leaves a matt finish and contains a colour enhancing formula that really brings out the colours in the tile. Additionally Colour Grow is also fully breathable and will allow moisture to rise unhindered through the floor and evaporate at the surface, a crucial feature when sealing old floors like this one.

For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is an effective tile cleaner that is safe to use on sealed tiled floors.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

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Restoring the Appearance of a Heavily Soiled Marble Tabletop in Pangbourne

Wed, 08 May 2024 06:10:19 +0000

I received an enquiry from a customer in Pangbourne regarding a heavy soiled Marble stone table. The customer was downsizing and thought the marble tabletop would make a great addition to the balcony at the new property. However, as you can see from the photographs below it was in a very bad condition, in fact the customer described the tabletop as “not fit enough for the skip let alone the garden”.

The tabletop was in such dire condition I wasn’t even sure it was Marble. However, after taking a more detailed look, I was able to confirm It was indeed marble and therefore confident it could be renovated to a good standard.

Time was of the essence as the customer was due to move in the following weekend so I quickly worked out a quote for doing the work, which was agreed, and I took the table home so it could be worked on in the evenings.

Repairing and Cleaning a Marble Stone Table

The outside elements had taken its toll on this tabletop and it was covered in algae, black spot and lichens. Tile Doctor have a wide variety of products that help us tackle various issues with stone however I figured a good start would be to use their Patio & Driveway Cleaner.

This product is seriously strong and designed specially to remove algae, lichens and black spot. It’s not what I would usually use on Marble however due to the severity of contamination it was my best option. Returning the next morning the results were incredible, about 80% of the contaminant’s had been removed but I knew if we repeated the process, we could achieve an even better result. I continued with the same method as before and left it to work overnight again. Happy with results I could continue with the next stage.

The next stage was to polish the Marble using a series of pads from Tile Doctors inventory of 6-inch diamond burnishing pads. The first pad in the set to be applied was a coarse 100-grit pad followed by a 200-grit. The pads are applied with water to help lubricate the process and are designed to repair damage left behind as a result of removing the algae and lichens.

The process was then repeated with a coarse 400-grit and fine 1500-grit pads which gradually closed the pores and return the shine. This is a messy process which generates a slurry which is removed with after each pad with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Marble Stone Table

With the Marble surface restored the last step was to protect the stone with a sealer which will keep any dirt or contaminates on the surface where they can be easily wiped away. So once the table was dry, I applied a thin coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an almost invisible impregnator that soaks into the Marble occupying its fine pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming lodged there.

The transformation was incredible, and both the customer and I were astonished by the outcome. My clients her husband even joked that I must have ‘swapped it out with a new one!’

For aftercare of polished stone worktops and tabletops I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Stone Patina Spray. Its a spray-and-buff cleaner that is designed to enhance the natural beauty and lustre of polished stone as it cleans.

Professional Repair and Renovation of a Stone Table in Berkshire

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Colour Restored to a Newly Installed Black Limestone Patio in Horsforth

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:25:06 +0000

I was recently asked to work some Tile Doctor magic on a Black Limestone patio at a property in Horsforth, Leeds. The gentleman had just had the patio and steps paved with Black Limestone in time for the summer, however it had lost its rich dark colour due to the use of the wrong cleaning products and methods. The installer had literally bleached the colour out of the stone as well as etching it. The client had attempted to rectify this himself and made matters worse, so he called us in to see if we could put this right.

This is in fact a common problem with Black Limestone and Slate patios; builders typically use brick acid after laying a patio to remove excess grout or mortar, but this washes out the oils in the stone which give it that desirable Black colour. Also, many types of stone are sensitive to harsh chemicals such as acids and they can etch the stone.

I reassured my client that there was no need to worry and that I would be able to renovate the patio and restore the colour. We agreed a price, which he said he would pass onto the builder, and we arranged a time for the work to be carried out. We selected a couple of options, subject to the weather.

Cleaning and Restoring a Faded Black Limestone Tiled Patio Floor

Due to the etching the stone surface had experienced, my first job was to renovate the surface using a series of Tile Doctor Milling pads. These are fitted to a rotary buffer machine that has had extra weights added to increase traction. This was tricky on the steps but with a bit of persistence I endeavoured and successfully completed the first stage. The slurry generated by the pads was then rinsed off with water and this was then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Black Limestone Tiled Patio Floor

The patio was then left to dry, luckily, we had picked a good weather window, and the temperature was quite mild for this time of year. Once the moisture readings of the stone had dropped within the correct tolerance, I was able to start the second stage of the restoration which involved applying a sealer.

I chose Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal to seal this stone, applying two coats. This is an oil-based product that restores the beautiful Black colour to the limestone resulting in a nice finish. This product is also rated for external as well as internal use so ideal for this application.

My client was very happy with the result and relieved that we had managed to achieve the finish he had originally hoped for. They were delighted they could now use the new patio to its full potential throughout the summer.

Before leaving I recommended avoiding acidic cleaning products going forward and suggested they make use of our annual maintenance offering, we would then return every spring to get the patio ready for the summer.

Professional Restoration of a Black Limestone Tiled Patio in North Yorkshire

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Cleaning and Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Cardiff

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 18:43:11 +0000

A homeowner from Cardiff was in touch earlier this year regarding their 1930’s Geometric tiled floor more commonly referred to a Victorian. These floors are created using encaustic cement tiles benefit greatly from being sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the tile and in this case the sealer had worn off some years ago.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and come up with a restoration plan and produce a quote for work. It was clear that the floor had seen many years of heavy foot traffic since it had been last renovated and now you could see black staining building up on the tile. This had not gone unnoticed by the owner and wanted the floor restoring to its former glory.

I worked out a quote which was accepted and we agreed a date for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To get the floor clean I created a 50:50 solution of two Tile Doctor products, Pro-Clean and Nanotech HBU Remover. The two products combine to create a very powerful alkaline tile cleaning product. The solution was applied neat to approximately one square meter at a time and after leaving it to soak for ten minutes it was worked in using a hand size scrubbing pad cut from a Black 17-inch floor pad.

This is an aggressive pad which helps shift the dirt with the help of the products which penetrate the pores of the tile to lift out the ingrained dirt. After working on the area for around five to ten minutes at a time it was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to repeat the process using Grout Clean-up which is an acidic cleaning product that helps to further clean up the tiles, removing old cement residues and will dissolve any efflorescent salts that may be present in the floor. After another rise and extraction, I was able to move on to the next square meter.

Hallways lend themselves well to this approach as you can start at one end and progress down the floor, working in this manner also ensures each meter is checked and any issues are resolved as you progress.

One the whole floor had been cleaned in this way it was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day I returned and first used the damp meter to check that the floor was dry enough to seal. Satisfied with the results I began with the application of the first coat of sealer which for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This sealer provides a satin shine finish which also enhances the deep vibrant colours of the tiles.

The customer was delighted with the results so much that they asked me to return later to restore the Red Quarry tiled floor in there dining room. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning for which I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this is a gentle but effective tile cleaning product designed for use on sealed floors that will ensure easy maintenance and keep the floor in great condition.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Wales

The post Cleaning and Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Cardiff appeared first on South East Wales Tile Doctor.

Neglected Slate Tiled Utility Room Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Farnham

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 14:13:54 +0000

The Slate floor in this room at a property in Farnham was in quite a state. “Heavily soiled” is a polite description. The floor was situated in the utility room and hadn’t been cleaned properly since the house was constructed ten years ago.

The room was mainly used as a dumping ground for walking boots and was also where the dog slept. Being out of sight it was therefore out of mind but eventually they decided it was time to do something about it and reached out to Tile Doctor for help.

I visited the property, surveyed the tiles and was confident the floor could be restored! From my survey I was also able to provide a quote for a deep clean and seal of the Slate tiles which was accepted and a date set for my return.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Utility Room Floor

I cleaned the grout first with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, this was done using the usual method of applying it directly to the grout and leaving it to soak in for ten minutes before using an abrasive wire brush to scrub the grout clean. The floor was then rinsed then the waste extracted with a wet vacuum. This was repeated until I was happy the grout was as clean as possible.

Next up, I sprayed a strong dilution of more Tile Doctor Pro Clean over the tiles and left it to dwell this time for twenty minutes. The surface gradually turned yellow indicating that the product was working. Then using a tough carbide brush attached to a handheld polisher I slowly cleaned the tiles. Slate has a riven surface with lots of nooks and crannies that the brush can get into. All the waste soil was removed again with a wet vacuum and I then neutralised the floor rinsing it twice with hot water.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Utility Room Floor

For the next hour or so I dried the floor with a heater and while waiting I cleaned the small brick patio by the front door which made the entrance look a lot more inviting!

Once the floor looked dry, I tested with the damp meter to make sure it was ready to seal. Satisfied the levels were good, I applied three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This is a moder tough sealer that’s ideal for busy floors that leaves an attractive sheen finish.

Once dry the floor looked so much clear and appealing, much to the relief of my client who was very happy with the work we carried out- and so was the dog!

For aftercare I recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is a Neutral pH tile and grout cleaner and will help ensure the floor stays in great condition for many years to come. It always worth readying the label of a Tile Cleaning product to check its suitable for use on a sealed floor as most household products are usually acidic and can trip a sealant off a floor with repeated use.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Utility Room in West Surrey

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Soiled Limestone Floor Tile and Grout Renovated in Southam

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 05:38:33 +0000

Details below of an impressive Limestone Floor installed at a large county house in the historic market town of Southam. I had been asked to deep clean the limestone floor tiles and grout lines in the kitchen and adjacent hallway. They had been previously cleaned by another company a few years ago and they now needed doing again.

I went over to survey the tiles and provide a quote as requested. The stone was dirty but in good shape, I could see the previous sealer had started to fail in the busiest areas and this was now letting dirt become trapped in the pores of the stone. The main problem though was the grout which had a very rough surface and was heavy contaminated with acrylic sealer.

Cleaning and Burnishing Limestone Tiles

Before beginning the work, I took the precaution of adding a clear silicone sealant between the kitchen units and tile. This is needed to prevent any water used during the cleaning process from soaking into the woodwork and damaging it.

Once that was done work started on talking the grout which had to be rubbed back using handheld diamond blocks which was able to cut through and remove the acrylic sealer and dirt along with it. All the grout lines had been treated in this way and so realising it was going to be a tough job I had arranged for Steve Carpenter from Nottinghamshire Tile Doctor to lend me a hand for two days.

After resolving the grout issues, I moved on to restoring the appearance of the Limestone tiles themselves. This was done coarse diamond encrusted Burnishing Pads. Each pad has a different level of grit to grind away the dirt from the stone and build up the polished appearance. The process effectively resurfaces the stone leaving it looking new and fresh.

The process started with the application of a coarse 200-grit pad, fitted to a rotary machine, to grind away any excess muck and sealant lubricated with a little water and Stone Soap cleaning fluid. The resultant slurry was rinsed away and I followed up with the application of the 400-grit pad again with a small amount of water and Stone Soap.

Sealing Limestone Tiles

The last step was to seal the floor and after discussing this with the owner previously it was clear they wanted the Limestone to keep its light appearance and look as natural as possible. With that requirement in mind, we sealed the floor using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a premium impregnating sealer that is almost invisible and doesn’t alter the look of the stone. It works by soaking into the stone, occupying the pores, and thereby preventing dirt from becoming lodged there, this keeps the dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. Ultra-seal is also an excellent grout sealer.

After three days of hard work by the team working the Limestone and Grout was looking so much better and was a massive improvement. The new sealer will also ensure the stone and the grout is much easier to maintain going forward.

My customer was very happy with the floor and pleased it would be easier to clean from now on. Regarding cleaning, I recommended they use Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle yet effective tile cleaner that won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Cleaning of a Limestone Tiled Floor in Warwickshire

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