travertine tiles

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before After Cleaning Shepperton

Dirty Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Shepperton

This dirty Travertine tiled kitchen floor was installed at a house in the village of Shepperton in the borough of Spelthorne and most famous for the TV studios nearby. The Travertine tile had not been deep cleaned and sealed since installation, eight years prior and if you have been following my blog you will have probably guessed correctly that the protective sealer had worn off and dirt was now becoming trapped in the pores of the stone making it difficult to clean effectively.

The customer asked us to visit and discuss what their options were, they had been trying to clean and maintain the floor using every day household products. It just wouldn’t clean up and they felt it just looked dirty all the time. Sealers rarely last eight years on a stone floor and in this case the use of strong supermarket cleaning products had probably accelerated its demise.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Shepperton

As you can see from the pictures the dirt and cooking grease had penetrated the stone and made it look really dirty. I talked them through the process and what could be done and completed a small cleaning demonstration which worked well. We agreed a price for the work and a mutually convenient date to complete the work for them, it would take two days.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned on the agreed date and started by cleaning process by pre-spraying the Travertine tile and grout with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This product is a multi-purpose stripper formulated to remove most sealers and coatings from Tile and Stone. It works best when left to dwell for ten minutes before being scrubbed in and in this instance my aim was to break down the cooking greases and any remaining sealant that was left in the stone. To scrub the solution into the floor I used a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine.

To the floor pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout so for that I apply a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and manually scrub it into the grout lines using a stiff grout brush. This alkaline chemical gives a deeper clean, getting to the deep-rooted dirt, it breaks it all down and leaves just the soil ready to be rinsed away.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Shepperton

To remove the soil created by the cleaning process I use a spinner tool operating at low pressure. This is a clever piece of machinery that forces hot water onto the floor whilst simultaneously removing it along with the residue using a vacuum. It leaves the floor clean of the dirt released from the pores of the stone during the cleaning process and relatively dry. The floor needs to be dry before sealing so it was left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next day I tested the floor with a damp meter to ensure it was dry and the results confirmed we were able to proceed. To seal the floor two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second. This product is an impregnator that seeps into the pores of the stone occupying the pores and protecting the floor from within. As well as protecting the Travertine from stains from spillages and day to day soiling this product also enhances the natural brown colours in the Travertine improving its appearance.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton

Once the second coat had dried the floor looked much cleaner and fresher and the client was over the moon with the results. We discussed aftercare and I suggested they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a pH neutral formula that will not prematurely degrade the sealer maximising the length of protection that it gives. If they were to continue using the household cleaners many of which are acid based, they would find the newly applied sealer is slowly stripped off the floor leaving the stone unprotected and they will be back to square one.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton

 

Professional Cleaning of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in Spelthorne

Dirty Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Shepperton Read More »

Travertine Floor Before After Cleaning in Hampton

Polishing Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor in Hampton

These Travertine tiles installed in the kitchen of a house in Hampton, Middlesex were looking flat and un-interesting and in need of some maintenance to put the life back into the floor. The old sealer had clearly worn down and had allowed soil to penetrate the tile and grout. There were also acidic etch marks across the floor which would need polishing out.

Travertine Floor Before Burnishing in Hampton
Fact is If you want a polished stone floor to keep its appearance then it will need a regular maintenance plan in place, without it the stone will lose its polish and start to look dull and un-inviting which I’m sure is a familiar story for many of you reading this post, the upside is of course that Travertine is an amazing natural stone which does look fantastic when properly maintained.

Travertine Floor Before Burnishing in Hampton

Cleaning and Re-Surfacing Travertine Floor Tiles

To start with, we cleaned the tiles and grout with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong cleaner which being alkaline is safe to use on stone. The floor was then rinsed thoroughly with water and removed the soiled water with a wet vacuum.

Following the initial clean we then proceeded to re-surface the tiles with Tile Doctor diamond burnishing pads which come in a pack of four pads of different grades from coarse to extra fine. This cut back through the tile to remove the etch marks, then by applying the finer grades of diamond pads resurfaced the Travertine and brought back the shiny finish that was missing.

The floor was given a final rinse with water to remove any soil created by the burnishing which was then extracted using the wet vacuum and left to dry off overnight.

Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles

I returned the next day to seal the floor, checking first that the floor had dried overnight which it had. Two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were, making sure that the first coat had dried before applying the second. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the fine pores of the stone protecting the floor from within and ensuring that soils and spills are easily removed.

Travertine Floor After Burnishing in Hampton
For the regular cleaning of stone floors, we recommend Tile Doctor Stone Soap which has been specially designed for the cleaning of polished stone floors.

Travertine Floor After Burnishing in Hampton

Travertine Stone Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Middlesex

Polishing Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor in Hampton Read More »

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw After Cleaning

Travertine Kitchen Floor Cleaning in Ottershaw

This Travertine tiled kitchen floor in Ottershaw, Surrey, was in need of a deep clean, strip out the old sealer and re-seal to ensure easy maintenance in the future. Being a high traffic area the tiles had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years. There was also marking from breakfast stools which are visible in the picture.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw Before Cleaning Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw Before Cleaning

Firstly, I rotary machine scrubbed the floor using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean high alkaline cleaner. This broke down the soil and released it along with the remaining old sealer which was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores. Following this, I used diamond encrusted burnishing pads to cut back through the stone and remove the marks from the chairs and fine scratches. After restoring the surface to a satin finish with the finer pads, the floor was left to dry out.

Cleaning Travertine Tiles

I gave the floor a scrub with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline tile cleaning product safe to use on Tile, Stone and Grout, this was mopped onto the floor and then scrubbed in using a rotary machine; grout lines were done by hand using a stiff scrubbing brush.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw Before Cleaning
This broke down the soil releasing it along with the old sealer and the tiles then pressure rinsed to ensure all the dirt was removed from the pores of the tile.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw During Cleaning Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw During Cleaning

In order to remove stubborn marks, fine scratches and finish the floor was cut back and re-polished using a set of diamond abrasive burnishing pads fitted to a heavy rotary machine. You start with the coarse pad which cuts through the stone and removes any remaining old sealer and soil and then smooth off the surface ready to receive a new seal using the medium, fine and extra fine pads until a highly polished finish is achieved.

Sealing Travertine Tiles

The floor was then left for twenty four hours to allow it to dry and then I returned to seal the Travertine and Grout using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that repels liquid and soil so contaminates cannot become ingrained in the stone making it easier to clean in the future. As you can see from the pictures, it transformed the look of the floor and brightened up the kitchen.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw After Cleaning Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw After Cleaning

 

Deep cleaning travertine tiles in Ottershaw

Travertine Kitchen Floor Cleaning in Ottershaw Read More »

Tumbled Travertine After Cleaning in Teddington

Deep Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Travertine Kitchen Tiles in Teddington

Another Tumbled Travertine kitchen floor, this time in Teddington and much dirtier than the previous post. The grout was badly stained and dirt had built up in the pores of the tile causing it to go black and very un-appealing. Normally a sealer would stop this from happening and I suspect these tiles had either never been sealed or the sealer had worn off some time before.

Tumbled Travertine Before Cleaning in Teddington Tumbled Travertine Before Cleaning in Teddington

Cleaning Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The tiles were in need of a seriously deep clean so decided to clean it using a 50/50 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and NanoTech Ultra Clean which adds tiny abrasive particles into an already powerful cleaning agent. This was left to soak into the floor for twenty minutes before being scrubbed in with a using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The combination worked and the soiled cleaning solution was black with dirt which was washed off using clean water and a wet vacuum. This action was repeated until I was happy with the condition of the tiles; during the second clean a stiff brush was used along the grout lines to get them clean. The last step was to give the floor a thorough rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product before sealing.

Tumbled Travertine After Cleaning in Teddington

Sealing Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The floor was then left for 24 hours to allow the floor to dry and when I returned I checked the floor was dry with a damp meter to double check before sealing it with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer which fills the pores of the travertine so dirt cannot become trapped and is easily cleaned off the surface.

Tumbled Travertine After Cleaning in Teddington

 
 

Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Travertine Tiles in Middlesex

Deep Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Travertine Kitchen Tiles in Teddington Read More »

Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham After Cleaning

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Floor Maintained in Twickenham

This Tumbled Travertine kitchen floor in Twickenham, Middlesex was in need of a deep clean including stripping out the old sealer and re-sealing to ensure easy maintenance in the future. The floor had not been professionally cleaned and re-sealed for over 10 years and being in a high traffic area, the tiles had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years. There were also holes in the Travertine where the filler had broken out.

Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham Before Cleaning Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham Before Cleaning

Cleaning Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The first job was to scrub a concentrated solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean in to the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad; unlike some acidic cleaners Pro-Clean is a powerful alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on tile and stone. This broke down the soil and released it along with the remaining old sealer which was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores. Following the cleaning, I then filled the holes that were visible with flexible filler.

Sealing Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The floor was then left fir 24 hours to allow the floor to dry and then sealed by applying two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer which will repel liquid and soil going forward making it easier to maintain.

Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham After Cleaning Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham After Cleaning

Hopefully you can appreciate from the pictures the difference this has made to the floor; if you live in the Middlesex area and need help with your stone, tile or grout please ask us to pop round for a free quote.

Maintaining Tumbled Travertine Tiles in Middlesex

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Floor Maintained in Twickenham Read More »

Scroll to Top