Work by Location Archives - South Middlesex Tile Doctor

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Feltham

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Feltham

This Travertine stone floor had been installed in a property in Feltham eight years ago and hadn’t been professionally cleaned since. The appearance of the stone had slowly degraded during that time with dirt and stains building up in the pores of the stone and especially the grout which had darkened. My client had found it impossible to get it clean and restore the nice original finish. They had tried multiply household cleaners and had finally given in and contacted Tile Doctor.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Feltham

I visited the property and after surveying the tile and grout formulated a plan for its recovery. It was clear to me that the sealer that would protect the stone had long since worn off and now dirt was filling the pores making it impossible to clean. Without the use of some specialist products and equipment they were never going to be able to improve that on their own.

I discussed with them the process for deep cleaning and renovating the floor and they agreed to go ahead with my quote. We agreed a date for my return to do the work which would take a couple of days.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor and Grout

I returned the following month and started work by taping up the wooden skirting boards, kitchen plinths and architrave to protect them from splashing during cleaning. To deep clean the stone and grout I set about applying a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted with water to break up the soils and greases from the kitchen floor. This was left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a heavy-duty machine scrubber, alongside hand scrubbing the grout lines and deeper cracks.

After this, we low pressure washed and vacuumed the floor, flushing all the cleaning products and soils away. The process was repeated again to deal with a couple of areas that were particularly stubborn. Once this was complete the floor was left to dry out overnight, so it would be ready to receive a sealer the following day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next morning I checked the floor for moisture using a damp meter and confirmed the tile and grout had dried out and was now ready for sealing. For this I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer allowing time to dry between each coat. Colour Grow is a versatile impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores protecting the stone and grout from within, its colour enhancing formula also helps to bring out the Brown shades in Travertine to improve the overall appearance. Additionally, this sealer leaves a matt finish rather than anything too shiny which the client was keen to avoid.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Feltham

Once complete the floor looked clean and the different shades of Travertine tile really contrasted well together. My client had forgotten how beautiful their stone tiles are and were very happy with its improvement. The new sealer will provide a durable barrier from soils and spillages in the future allowing the floor to maintain its appearance for many years to come.

For ongoing maintenance, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap, this product is pH neutral and is suitable for sealed stone floors. Its effective yet mild enough to use daily if needed and goes a long way once diluted. You must be careful when selected a cleaning product for a sealed floor as many stronger products you find in supermarkets can degrade the sealer prematurely.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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

Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor Renovation Hounslow

Black Slate Kitchen Floor Stripped and Resealed in Hounslow

1 Comment / Hounslow Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning / Jonathan Oldham

This Slate tiled floor at a property in the West of London suburb of Hounslow was not looking its best and now in need of a strip and seal to restore its appearance. The decorators the client used had agreed to clean and re-seal the floor after painting but unfortunately didn’t do a good job of it. I suspect they applied the sealer without rinsing properly and didn’t allow the floor to dry fully beforehand.

Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor Before Cleaning Hounslow

My client was unhappy with the finish and so asked me to quote for resolving the problems. I went over to survey the floor and advised the client that to rectify the problems we would need to strip off the sealer they had applied, clean the floor again and then reseal with the correct product. They were happy to go ahead with my recommendation as they wanted the floor restored to its pre-decoration state. They agreed my quote and we scheduled a mutually convenient time to carry out the works.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor

In order to break up the sealer, a coatings remover was applied to the floor called Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This is a strong sealer stripper that breaks up the sealer allowing it to be removed. This was left to dwell for a short while to lift the sealer.

The products were then scrubbed into the floor using a heavy-duty machine, alongside this we also applied another cleaning product called Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This action ensured that all the sealer was removed and it also removed any dirt that had been left on the surface. The floor was then low pressure rinsed and the old sealer and soils were then vacuumed away leaving the floor ready for sealing.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor

The following day, after allowing the floor to dry overnight with the under-floor heating it was ready for sealing. Two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer were applied which is a durable impregnating product that works by occupying the pores in the stone preventing dirt from residing there.

This sealer also contains a colour enhancer which is ideal for Black Slate as it further darkened the colour and brought out the contrast in the tiles. This product is also fully breathable and recommended for use on a large variety of flooring and can even be used externally.

Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor After Cleaning Sealing Hounslow

The client pointed out that it looked like it did when originally installed and was very pleased to say the least. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a pH neutral tile cleaning product that is mild enough to be used regularly and will ensure that the newly applied sealer will stay in place. The new sealer will also ensure cleaning will now be easier which the client was very grateful for.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner in South Middlesex

Black Slate Kitchen Floor Stripped and Resealed in Hounslow Read More »

Abused Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Molesey

Builders Clean of a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Molesey

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning / Jonathan Oldham

This Slate tiled kitchen floor in the town of Molesey had been abused by builders doing a renovation on the kitchen and had not covered it up from the start. This resulted in the Slate tiles being splattered with paint, plaster and numerous deposits leaving the stone floor looking very unappealing.

Abused Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Molesey

Naturally the owner of the property although pleased with the new kitchen was un-impressed with the state, they had left the tiles in. Having lost confidence in the builder’s ability to resolve the issue I was asked to call in and quote for renovating the floor.

I visited the property to survey the floor and work out which combination of products and methods would work best and I was able to confirm I could renovate the stone back to its original condition if not better.

Removing Paint and Plaster from Slate Floor Tiles

To remove the paint and plaster as well as get the stone and grout clean I decided to combine Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings remover with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a tile and grout cleaner. I left this to soak into the floor for ten minutes and then worked it into the stone using a heavy duty machine scrubber.

The machine takes a lot of the physical work out of the cleaning process but for best results I go over the grout by hand with a stiff scrubbing brush. machine fitted with a black pad. Once done I rinsed the floor with water to flush out the dirt and contaminates and vacuumed the floor dry.

The floor was then inspected to ensure all the contaminates were gone, and any stubborn areas were then spot treated and scrubbed by hand. Once I was satisfied with the condition of the tile and grout the floor was given another rinse to remove any traces of cleaning product, the water extracted and then left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the next day to apply a sealer which would enhance the appearance of the stone and most importantly protect it from staining. First, I tested the floor was dry using a moisture meter to ensure it was dry, this is important as applying sealer to a damp floor can affect the result and make the stone appear patchy.

For this floor I chose to apply Tile Doctor Colour Grow, it contains a colour enhancer that bring out the natural colours in the Slate, it’s also an impregnator that works by soaking into the pores of the stone adding long lasting protection from within. Lastly it leaves a matt finish which is exactly what my customer had specified.

Abused Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Molesey

Relieved the floor had been restored to its former beauty I spend a little time with them to discuss after care cleaning. The use of harsh cleaning products will reduce the life of the sealer so I always recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is an effective but gentle cleaning agent that has a pH neutral formula and is safe to use of sealed tiles.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

Builders Clean of a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Molesey Read More »

Travertine Tiled Floor Renovated Staines

Travertine Tiles Cleaned and Sealed in a Staines Kitchen

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Staines Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning / Jonathan Oldham

This client in Staines was unhappy with the appearance of their Travertine tiled kitchen floor and I was asked to pop round and see what could be done to improve their appearance.

After surveying the floor, I could see the grout had become badly stained and the natural pits in the Travertine had trapped a lot of dirt which had accumulated and formed black spots. Kitchen floors are the most hard-working in any house and with a build-up of cooking oils and other soils ingrained into the pores of the Travertine it was clear any sealer that had once protected the stone was no longer effective.

Travertine Stone Floor Before Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames

My proposed solution was to deep clean the floor with a particular focus on the grout and pitting and then replace the sealer to protect it going forward. I presented my quote, and they were happy to go ahead.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

To get the tile and grout clean I started with the application of a mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined with Tile Doctor Remove and Go. Remove and Go is basically a stripper that is very good at breaking down grease and oil, alongside removing old sealer from the stone whilst Pro-Clean is an excellent grout cleaner. This combination makes a powerful cleaning cocktail and was scrubbed into the stone with a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. The scrubbing action gets the cleaning fluid into the pores of the stone and thoroughly flushes out the soiling which is then removed using a low-pressure machine that rinses and extracts using a vacuum.

Once done the floor was inspected and then the process repeated in a couple of stubborn areas, again thoroughly rinsing, and extracting afterwards. All traces of the cleaning products need to be removed as they would undermine the sealer which follows. At this point the floor was looking so much better and I was able to leave it to dry out overnight.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day, work started by testing the moisture levels in the floor with the damp meter. You can’t seal a damp floor so I like to make sure its dry first. The floor was sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer which is an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the small pores in the stone thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be removed. This product also contains an enhancer that lifts the natural colours and contrasts in the Travertine whilst adding excellent protection against soiling and spillages. The perfect choice for this floor.

Travertine Stone Floor After Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames

As you can see from the pictures the floor was much improved, the modern kitchen looked new again, it had given the room a new lease of life. You must be careful what you use to clean a sealed floor as many household products are simply too strong and will break down the sealer. So, for aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild pH neutral cleaner that can be used regularly and will not compromise the newly applied sealant

Professional Renovation of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in Middlesex

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Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Cleaned Sealed Hampton South Middlesex

Victorian Hallway Tiles uncovered in Hampton

1 Comment / Teddington Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Jonathan Oldham

This lovely Victorian tiled hallway floor in Hampton had been covered with carpet for over 30 years. Having removed the carpet, the owner was keen to restore the floor back to its original appearance. As you can see from the pictures the tiles had some lovely traditional colours which have been hidden away. During that time the tiles had absorbed a lot of soil and were stained by rubber from the underlay causing the colours to fade.

Victorian Hallway Tiles Before Cleaning Hampton

Fortunately, the gripper rods had only been lightly glued onto the tiles and not held down with nails, sometimes with older floors the rods are hammered in place right through the tile causing them to shatter, which makes for a much larger restoration job. I gave them a price for the work which they were happy with, and we arranged a time to return.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To remove the traces of rubber backing, adhesive and years of stubborn soiling from the tiles the whole floor was soaked in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. After a short dwell time we then machine scrubbed with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to restore the tiles to a very clean condition.

The soiling and products were pressure rinsed and vacuumed away, leaving the Victorian tiles much cleaner. I found the best method was to work in large sections of flooring at a time which allowed for the tiles to dry whilst I worked on another section. I was then able to go back and review my work and spot clean stubborn areas until I was satisfied with the result. The wet vacuum removes a lot of the moisture but it needs to be dry before sealing so the floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Victorian Hallway Tiles During Cleaning Hampton

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day we returned and using the damp meter tested the tiles were dry and ready to be sealed. For this we selected to use seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, these were applied leaving each coat to dry before the next one was administered. This left a nice sheen finish on the floor and does a lovely job of enhancing the colours making the tiles look vibrant again. The floor looks great and the hallway is now very inviting.

Victorian Hallway Tiles After Cleaning Hampton

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare with the owner and recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Fact is most supermarket products are for cleaning Vinyl or Ceramic tiles contain bleach and are simply too strong for use on sealed surfaces such as this floor, using them can prematurely erode the sealer and once that’s gone the floor will have no protection and begin to accumulate dirt.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Middlesex

Victorian Hallway Tiles uncovered in Hampton Read More »

Yorkstone Paved Patio Before After Cleaning Shepperton

Yorkstone Patio Renovation in Shepperton

1 Comment / Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Shepperton Tile Cleaning / Jonathan Oldham

This Yorkstone patio renovation was completed earlier this year in Shepperton. The hot summer had kept me busy with requests for patio cleaning and this example was probably the worst one I had worked on and makes a good example of what can be achieved.

Yorkstone Patio Before Cleaning Shepperton

Yorkstone Patio During Cleaning Shepperton

This stone patio had not been touched for a few years and due to the surrounding trees and other vegetation it was badly stained with what appeared to be mould deep in the stone. It was clearly going to be a challenging project and I set my customers’ expectations accordingly. Keen to have the patio restored into working order I got the go ahead to do the work which compared with cost of replacing it made a lot of sense and would extend the life of the patio.

Cleaning and Restoring Yorkstone Patio in Shepperton

I pre-treated the entire area with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to dwell for about 15 minutes, so it could get a start on breaking down the soil. This is a highly concentrated multi-purpose high-alkaline cleaner which is great on heavily soiled areas, breaking down the dirt and the lichen. This was then scrubbed in using a rotary machine and stiff buffing brush.

This was followed by pressure washing and rinsing the entire area with water, removing the soiled waste with a wet vacuum. It is always a little easier carrying out this type of messy job as we are outside. This process took much of the day to complete and got the Yorkstone slabs so much cleaner. The warm beige colour of the stone was mostly restored and quite a transformation from the original.

Yorkstone Patio After Cleaning Shepperton

At this point I would normally consider sealing the stone to protect it, in fact Tile Doctor has a new sealer called X-Tra seal available which is brilliant for external stone. In this case the owner was considering having the whole thing replaced the following year so decided not to bother.

Clean and Restoration of an Yorkstone Patio in Middlesex

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Travertine Tiled Floor Renovation Twickenham

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation in Twickenham

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

I recently visited a property in Twickenham to survey their Travertine tiled. kitchen floor. The tiles were installed six years ago but the floor had not been professionally cleaned or sealed since. The kitchen was the busiest room in the house and experienced foot traffic from the garden as well as the hallway. The sealer had worn down over the years and now dirt was becoming ingrained into the pores of the stone and there were stains from cooking oils in the floor around the main cooking area.

Travertine Floor Renovation Before Renovation Twickenham

The stone and grout had darkened with the dirt it now carried so I carried out a small cleaning test to confirm my suspicions. The test went well and gave the stone and grout a much lighter and cleaner appearance and contrasted well against its neighbour.

The homeowner could clearly see just how dirty the floor had become and satisfied that I would be able to do a good job on the floor give me the go ahead to clean the whole floor and then seal it afterwards.

Cleaning and Restoring a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The Travertine was really dirty so to give the cleaning process a boost I created a potent mix of two strong Tile Doctor cleaning products called Pro-Clean and Remove and Go and left it to dwell on the floor to allow time to start breaking down the dirt. I chose these two as Pro-Clean has a great reputation for cleaning grout and Remove and Go for removing old sealers and coatings.

After fifteen minutes I set about scrubbing the tiles with a rotary floor buffer fitted with a black pad to break up the inground dirt. The pad can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line, so this was followed by hand scrubbing the grout lines. Once done the now soiled and dark cleaning solution was extracted using a wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected, and the process completed until I was satisfied and followed up with spot cleaning a few areas with stubborn stains.

Travertine Floor Renovation During Renovation Twickenham

As you can see from the pictures, the difference made it well worth doing. After a final rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was then left overnight to dry out.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day the floor was tested with the damp meter to check its moisture levels and ensure the floor was ready to accept a sealer. The tiles had dried out nicely and so the first of what would be two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer were applied to the floor. This is a premium colour enhancing sealer that works from within by occupying the tiny pores in the stone where dirt would otherwise reside. The sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface of the tile and grout where it can be easily removed and help protect the stone from spillages.

Travertine Floor Renovation After Renovation Twickenham

For aftercare cleaning I like to recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a gentle neutral pH cleaner that can be used frequently. It has a nice fresh fragrance, and as its concentrated a small amount goes a long way. It will also help to protect the newly applied sealant. This is important and most supermarket floor cleaning products are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor and can prematurely degrade the sealer.

The client was delighted with the work we had carried out, the kitchen had been transformed and were now confident they could maintain it. If you would like a no obligation quotation to clean your natural stone or ceramic tiled floor, please get in touch.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Pale Limestone Floor Clean Seal Walton-on-Thames

Pale Limestone Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Walton-on-Thames

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Pale Limestone floor was installed in the kitchen and adjacent dining area at a property in Walton-on-Thames around three years ago. Unfortunately, it was not sealed after installation and over those three years dirt had slowly become ingrained in the stone giving it a darker/dirty appearance.

Kitchens especially are high traffic areas and so always under attack from foot traffic and spillages from cooking. Additionally, the adjacent dining area had patio doors and was vulnerable to dirt being walked in from the garden.

We always recommend sealing porous flooring material like natural stone such as Limestone. Otherwise, dirt becomes lodged in the pores of the stone and once that happens it becomes very difficult to remove.

I visited the site to survey the floor and carried out a small test clean at one end of the Kitchen to work out the best cleaning solution and to show the client the result that could be achieved.

Limestone Floor During Test Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

The test went well, and the clean tiles showed up well against their neighbours. My clients were very happy to see the potential of a full clean and were happy to go ahead with my quotation.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To deep clean the Limestone, it was initially wetted with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which as is name suggests is a powerful cleaning agent designed to remove coatings and stains from tiles. Working in sections the solution was applied and left to soak into the stone for around fifteen minutes before being scrubber into the tile using a black pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer.

During scrubbing the cleaning solution soon turned black as the dirt was broken down and pushed out of pores in the stone. The soil was then rinsed off the floor and extracted using a low-pressure extraction machine. The buffing pad can struggle to reach into the depths of the grout so after cleaning the tile I gave the grout a good scrub by hand using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean.

Limestone Floor During Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

After a final rinse and extraction to remove any remaining products and dirt from the floor you could see huge difference between the clean and original sections of floor. Some areas that were very heavily soiled did need more work though, so the process was repeated until I was satisfied that the floor was as clean as possible. The floor was then left to dry overnight, ready for sealing the following day.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning the next day, the moisture level of the floor was checked with a damp meter to ensure it had fully dried out. Satisfied with the readings two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow tile sealer were applied to the floor. Colour Grow is a premium impregnating sealer which gives excellent protection against spillages and general foot traffic, making the floor very easy to maintain in the future. I chose this sealer as it improves colour and brings out the best in Pale Limestone.

Limestone Floor After Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

Once complete the Limestone looked so much cleaner and brighter and as you would expect given the transformation my client was very happy with the work.

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and with the floor being sealed, I recommended in future they use a milder cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Stronger household tile cleaning products can prematurely break down the sealer and once that happens, they will soon be back to square one.

Professional Renovation of a Pale Limestone Tiled Floor in Elmbridge

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Victorian Hallway Floor Cleaned Sealed Twickenham Middlesex

Clean and Seal of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Twickenham

1 Comment / Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

Victorian Hallway Before Restoration Twickenham

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

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

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

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

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

Sealing Victorian Tiles

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

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

Victorian Hallway After Restoration Twickenham

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

Professional Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration in Middlesex

Clean and Seal of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Twickenham Read More »

Faded Slate Patio Before After Renovation Twickenham

Faded Slate Patio Renovated in Twickenham

1 Comment / Slate Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

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

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Patio

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

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

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

Sealing a Slate Tiled Patio

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

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

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

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

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Patio in Middlesex

Faded Slate Patio Renovated in Twickenham Read More »

Travertine Floor Renovation Walton-on-Thames Middlesex

Travertine Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Walton-On-Thames

1 Comment / Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Our client had inherited this Travertine floor when purchasing in a lovely street in Walton-On-Thames, close by was the River Thames which runs all the way into London. The new owners were unhappy with the floor in that it did not look very clean, and they were keen to get this rectified. I arranged a site visit to survey the floor and see what could be done to restore its appearance.

Travertine Floor Before Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

The floor itself was in good physical condition, however, it was apparent from the level of dirt ingrained in the stone that it had not been maintained very well by the previous owner. I carried out a small test clean which came out well and they could see straight away what the floor should look really like! They were happy with my renovation quote and we agreed a mutually convenient time where I could work in relation to the COVID guidelines.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The Travertine floor was scrubbed using a mixture of Tile Doctor Pro Clean and Remove and Go. These are heavy duty cleaning products designed for use on tile and stone can be combined to form a powerful cleaning/stripping solution which is left to dwell on the floor surface. After a short while the solution was worked into the stone using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

This cleaning recipe works extremely well breaking down dirt, stains, and grease in the stone. Following a machine scrub and a more manual hand scrub of the grout lines, we then pressure rinsed the soil away and then it was extracted using an industrial wet vacuum. In a couple of areas, it was necessary to repeat the process to ensure it was completely clean. Once we were satisfied that the stone was fresh and clean, the floor was left to dry off overnight, so it would be ready for sealing the following day.

Travertine Floor During Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

After drying overnight, the floor was checked with a damp meter to make sure it was dry. Once reassured I started with the application of the fresh sealer to the floor using Tile Doctor Colour Grow Sealer which is a colour enhancing sealer that works from within by soaking into the pores of the stone. Several coats were applied allowing each one to dry before applying the next. This sealer does not provide a glossy finish, just a nice natural sheen. This brought back the contrast and natural colours in the stone, whilst adding protection to stone for many years to come.

Travertine Floor After Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

The client was very happy with the work we carried out, the floor had come up much better than they had expected, and it really made a difference to the lovely kitchen space. The floor looked like new. I recommended the regular use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for future cleaning which will keep the floor in great condition and ensure the longevity of the newly applied sealant.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Renovating Victorian Hallway Floor Twickenham Middlesex

Dirty Victorian Floor Tiles Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Twickenham

1 Comment / Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Victorian floor in Twickenham, Middlesex was in good physical condition for its age but needed a good deep clean. Our customer had informed us that they had never cleaned or sealed the floor in the sixteen years that they had lived there so it was well overdue.

I went over to survey the floor and completed a test clean on a small section of tiling to see which products/techniques would work best. I like to do this as it demonstrates to the client what can be done, and it allows me to come up with an accurate price for doing the work.

Dirty Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham

As you can see from the pictures, there was quite a difference in the test patch compared to the rest of the floor. Years of foot traffic from the street had taken its’ toll and the floor was very dirty. Luckily, the floor was in very good condition and had not worn too badly.

Once they had seen the test patch, they were confident that it would be worth go ahead with my quote. It would ensure that the period feature was retained for many years to come. The colours on the floor were quite faded so it would be nice to get it restored.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I started the cleaning process by first taping up the surrounding skirting boards and doors to ensure they were protected from potential splashing. Cleaning involved spraying the Victorian tiles with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a dedicated Tile and Grout cleaning product. This was left to soak in for about ten minutes and then scrubbed in using a black pad fitted to a heavy-duty rotary scrubber.

This gives the floor a good mechanical scrub and works wonders releasing the ground-in dirt and soil from the tiles. The strong dilution of Pro-Clean will also remove any remaining sealers from the tile, however after sixteen years I doubted there would much trace of sealer left. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and all the soils removed with a wet vacuum.

Following the initial clean the colours were already much stronger. Next step however was to improve on that by giving the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This removes mineral deposits and generally brightens up the appearance of the tile. After another round of scrubbing the floor was rinsed with our high-pressure washer and then vacuumed, extracting all of the dirty water and dirt away in one go. The floor was looking a lot better and was left to dry overnight.

Dirty Victorian Floor During Cleaning Twickenham

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

After allowing the floor to dry overnight, we returned the next day to seal the floor. First, checking the floor was dry using the damp meter. Floors of this age can take a little longer to dry as there is no damp-proof membrane so it’s always worth checking as applying a sealer to damp tiles is not a good idea.

Dirty Victorian Floor After Cleaning Twickenham

Once I was satisfied it was dry eight coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go sheen finish sealer were applied. This takes a while to do as each coat needs to dry before applying the next. The sealer will protect the Victorian tiles for dirt and stains, it also enhanced the colours in the tile and will make it easier to keep the floor clean going forward.

My client was very pleased with the floor and mentioned that they should have called me in sooner! For aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Clean which is an effective cleaner with a neutral pH, its designed for cleaning tiles without degrading the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Middlesex

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Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor Before After Cleaning Shepperton

Porcelain Tile & Grout Floor Renovation in a Shepperton Kitchen

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location / Jonathan Oldham

Our client had decided their Porcelain kitchen tiles were ready for a clean after having extensive work carried out at their home in Shepperton. Everything was now looking new except for the floor which resembled Travertine and was looking rather sorry for itself.

Normally with Porcelain tiles I find it’s mainly the grout that needs attention but, in this case, it was clear the sealer had worn down on the tile and that was also attracting dirt. Most Porcelain tiles won’t accept a sealer, but these were micro-porous which can trap dirt in the pores of the tile and so does need sealing to protect against that.

Porcelain Tile Floor Before Cleaning Shepperton

To resolve the floor would need to be stripped of all remaining sealer, tile and grout cleaned and then resealed. The process is straightforward, so I didn’t anticipate any problems.

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor

I started by spraying the floor with a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then left it to soak in for ten minutes. The tiles were then scrubbed using a floor buffing machine fitted with a black pad going over each tile at least three times.

More Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was then applied to the grout lines which were a lot dirtier. These were hand scrubbed to get the grout nice and clean. Pads struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout lines so I find this is the most effective way to do it. The now soiled cleaning solution was then then rinsed away with water and extracted with an industrial wet vacuum. Immediately the floor looked a whole lot cleaner.

Sealing a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor

To protect the now clean Porcelain tile and grout from future staining (especially in a busy Kitchen) the next step was to apply a sealer however the floor would need to be dry first. Fortunately, it was a hot day and after testing with a moisture meter I found the tiles were fully dry in four hours, which was good news as it meant we could seal on the same day as cleaning.

To seal I applied a single coat of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a natural look sealer that doesn’t darken the appearance of the tile. It’s a fine impregnating sealer that works by occupying the minute pores in the porcelain blocking any dirt from becoming ingrained there and subsequently making the floor much easier to clean.

Porcelain Tile Floor After Cleaning Sealing Shepperton

The floor now looks great and the client was very happy that all the kitchen renovation work was 100% complete. For day to day cleaning I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner as this will keep the floor maintained but without prematurely degrading the sealer. This is a common problem with many household cleaners which are simply too strong for use on a sealed tile.

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Encaustic Cement Floor Tile Grout Before After Renovation Twickenham

Encaustic Tiled Bathroom Floor Renovated Twickenham

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

The pictures below are of an Encaustic Cement tiled floor that had been installed in the bathroom of a property in Twickenham. At the time the tiles were installed, they did not seal them and had since accumulated dirt, especially in the grout lines.

Encaustic Cement Bathroom Floor Tiles Before Cleaning Twickenham

Encaustic cement tiles have become extremely popular in the last few years with many beautiful artistic often geometric patterns available to choose from. The very nature of the cement-based tile however does make it slightly porous, and if left unsealed dirt will become ingrained in the tile making it difficult to remove and keep clean. Like grout they do therefore need to be sealed in order to keep them looking at their best for longer.

Cleaning Encaustic Cement Tile and Grout

Now we normally recommend using diamond encrusted burnishing pads when renovating Encaustic Cement tiles however in this case the face of the tiles were not too bad and it was really the grout that needed the most attention. So, to cut the cost for customer, I advised a straightforward alkaline scrub clean and seal.

To clean the tile and grout I sprayed the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to soak into the dirt for ten minutes. Space in the bathroom was quite tight so instead of using a mechanical floor scrubber I scrubbed the tile and grout by hand working the alkaline cleaning solution into the pores to release the grout in dirt.

After scrubbing the floor was rinsed with a little water and the soil removed with a wet vacuum. Afterwards the floor was inspected, and any stubborn areas retreated with repeat of the process. After a final rinse, the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum.

Sealing Encaustic Cement Tiles

Fortunately, the weather has been amazing of late and so it did not take long for the floor to dry, being a small space and a little encouragement from a heat gun always helps. Removing excess moisture before sealing is essential as even a small amount can cloud the sealer resulting in an uneven appearance.

Once satisfied that the floor was dry, I proceeded to seal it by applying a couple two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow across the Encaustic tile and grout. As an impregnating sealer Colour Grow penetrates the pores of the cement occupying the space and thus prevent any dirt from becoming ingrained there. Colour Grow’s colour intensifying properties also helped to deepen the black colour of the tile enhancing the contrast between the tiles and grout.

Encaustic Cement Bathroom Floor Tiles After Cleaning Twickenham

Now the floor has been properly sealed it will be far easier for the customer to keep them clean in future. For maximum longevity of the sealer I recommend maintenance cleaning with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Don’t be tempted to use supermarket cleaning products without reading the label first, many are simply too strong for cleaning sealed surfaces and will strip off the sealer prematurely leaving the tiles unprotected.

Professional Cleaning and Sealing of Encaustic Cement Tile and Grout in Middlesex

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Porcelain Floor Before After Renovation Twickenham

Grout Haze Removed from Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles in Twickenham

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

These porcelain wood effect tiles were laid approximately two years ago after a large extension was completed in Twickenham, Middlesex. The customer had pointed out to us that ever since they were laid, they had struggled to keep them clean, even with hand scrubbing on their hands and knees. The pictures they sent over via email didn’t really show up the problem, so I arranged a visit to their property to take a closer look. Famous for being the home of rugby union in England, Twickenham is only 9 miles from our base in Shepperton so I’m often in the area.

After closer inspection, it was apparent that whoever had laid the tiles had not cleaned the grout away from the tiles well enough and had left a fine layer of grout haze (aka Grout Smears) across the floor. This explained it was difficult to clean the tiles as the grout was trapping the dirt making it extremely hard to achieve a clean smooth look. It was a shame as the kitchen looked fantastic, but the floor was letting it down.

Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles Before Grout Haze Removal Twickenham

Fortunately, Tile Doctor has a solution for every tile problem, and I explained that we could remove the unwanted grout haze using a product called Grout Clean-Up. The client agreed to my quote and we arranged to pop back later in the week to complete the work.

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor

My method was straight forward and involved applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to the Porcelain floor tiles and then leaving it to dwell for ten minutes. The with the aid of a heavy-duty floor scrubbing machine fitted with a black pad the solution was worked into the tile. The pads can fail to reach into the recessed grout lines so to ensure they were clean I gave them a scrub by hand.

All the chemical, dirt and grout were then rinsed off the floor and vacuumed away with a wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected, and any stubborn areas spot treated until I was satisfied all the grout haze had been removed.

Once the floor was dry my next step normally would be to seal the tiles but most Porcelain tiles (including this variety) are not porous and therefore won’t accept a sealer

Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles After Grout Haze Removal Twickenham

With the floor dry my work was done and you could see it looked so much lighter and cleaner and will now be a simple case of mopping. My client was incredibly happy with the result and relieved the floor looked clean as it should have been following installation and happy that the there would be no need to scrub it vigorously going forward to keep it clean.

Professional Restoration of a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Wood Effect Porcelain Tiled Floor Before and After Grout Removal Hampton

Post Installation Clean of Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles in Middlesex Hampton

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This kitchen floor at a property in Hampton may look like it is made from wood but is in-fact Porcelain tile in a very convincing wood effect. The tiled floor had been laid well but had not been cleaned off properly afterwards by the tilers. This is a common problem with tile installations and what should happen is the excess grout is polished off the tiles before it sets hard on the surface, a problem we call Grout Haze. This is especially important where the tile has a textured finish which can trap the grout much more easily and this was the case with these wooden plank effect Porcelain tiles. The grout also increased the textured nature of the surface, so it attracted dirt more easily and after a while the customer was finding it impossible to get the floor looking clean.

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor Before Deep Cleaning Hampton

The kitchen had been newly installed, and the state of the tiles were dragging down the overall appearance of the room. Naturally, the owner was not happy and called us in to rectify the situation. The property is in Hampton which is a suburban area on the north bank of the River Thames, it is situated in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, which includes the historic Hampton Court Palace, once the home of Henry VIII.

Removing Grout Haze from a Wood Effect Porcelain Tiled Floor

This work actually took place earlier in the year and after visiting the property to survey the floor it wasn’t long before I was able to return and give the floor a deep clean. I got to work preparing the area first by taping the plinths and woodwork to prevent any damage to them.

Next, I tackled the grout haze by giving the floor a wash and scrub in Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This product is designed for removing grout haze or grout smears as its sometimes referred to. The kitchen area was a little tight for a rotary floor scrubbing machine, so I decided to tackle the problem by scrubbing each tile by hand. The method I used was to apply a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to the tiles and leave it for about ten minutes before scrubbing it in. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the now released grout haze and dirt is extracted using a wet vacuum. Whilst this was a more time-consuming method than using the rotary machine the overall result was the same.

With the grout haze removed the kitchen now looks stunning as was intended and our client should find the floor much easier to maintain going forward. Most Porcelain tiles are glazed at the factory and so in this case there was no need to apply a sealant to protect them and so the job was completed in a day.

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor After Deep Cleaning Hampton

For aftercare I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to ensure the floor was kept in great condition. It won’t leave any residue like some household cleaners and will ensure the Porcelain tiles are maintained and continue to look this great.

Wood Effect Porcelain Tile Cleaning in Middlesex

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Slate Tiled Floor Before After Renovation Walton-on-Thames

Removing Varnish from a Slate Tiled Floor in Walton on Thames

1 Comment / Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Our client had previously employed another company to tackle this large Slate floor in Walton on Thames but they hadn’t managed to remove the old sealer due to it being an old varnish seal. Varnish was used as a traditional way of sealing stone but can be damaged by scratching and it does little to improve the look of the stone. Varnish is also very difficult to break down which is a problem as it’s important to remove the old sealant before applying new, applying a new sealer onto Varnish simply wouldn’t work.

Slate Floor Before Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

I visited the property to survey the floor and work out which combination of products and methods would work best and after some testing and I was able to confirm that not only could the old varnish be removed but once re-sealed with a modern sealer the slate would be transformed.

The client was over the moon to hear this news as they had thought there was nothing, they could do to improve the floor.

Removing Varnish and Deep Cleaning Slate Floor Tiles

With a price and schedule agreed I returned to the property at a later date and started by tackling the varnish. The method I used was to apply Tile Doctor Remove and Go, let it soak into the floor for ten minutes and then work it in with a heavy rotary scrubbing machine fitted with a black pad. The soil was then rinsed with water and extracted off the floor with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected, and each tile checked to ensure the varnish was completely gone, any stubborn areas were then spot treated and scrubbed by hand. Once I was satisfied, I set about giving the stone a deep clean by repeating the same process with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. As before all the soil and cleaning products were then low pressure rinsed off the stone and vacuumed away. The floor was then left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the following day to apply a new modern sealer. First, I tested the floor was dry using the moisture meter. It was in the acceptable readings range, so I was able to start applying the sealer straight away.

Slate Floor After Cleaning and Sealing Walton-on-Thames

For this floor I chose to apply Tile Doctor Seal and Go, it works really well on Slate tiles and as you can see from the photographs it completely transformed the appearance of the stone. Seal and Go is a water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish, being water based it has the added advantage of not giving off any odour as it dries. The client had specified earlier that they didn’t want the floor to look shiny to the resultant silky appearance was the perfect solution. Thee coats were applied, and my client was very pleased with the finish.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Slate Tiled Patio Before After Renovation Brentford

Renovation of Slate Tiled Patio in Brentford

1 Comment / Brentford Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Slate patio that had been installed at a property in Brentford one year prior to our visit last year. It had not been sealed after installation and as you can see from the pictures it was now looking very tired after a very short period. Additionally, the pointing had not been cleaned off the slate entirely leaving a haze over the stone which detracted from its appearance.

I explained the process to tackle the grout haze, clean the Slate then finally seal it. I worked out a quote which was accepted, and a date scheduled for my return to complete the work which would take a couple of days.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Patio in Brentford

My first task was to sweep up all the detritus that typically builds up on a patio, especially grit and small stones which can get caught in the cleaning pads and scratch the surface of the stone.

Once that was done it was time to tackle the grout haze. This was done by applying Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to the slate and scrubbing it in with a heavy-duty scrubbing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This product is specifically designed to remove excess grout and cement from the surface of tile and contains concentrated phosphoric acid. You need to be very careful with the use of acids on stone as it can cause surface etching if left on too long. In addition, I wouldn’t recommend the use of the brick acid products you typically find in DIY stores which are stronger and are likely to cause damage.

Once satisfied all the soil and haze had been released from the stone the patio was rinsed off with water and the soil extracted away with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to seal the stone however it would need to be dry before that could happen. Fortunately, I had managed to find a couple of days where the weather was unseasonably warm and for once it hadn’t rained for a while. So, the next day I was able to return and apply a sealer to help protect the patio.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Patio Floor

I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow for this, it’s an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the pores in the stone which would otherwise become occupied by dirt. Tile Doctor Colour Grow is also rated for external as well as internal use and enhances the dark tones in the Slate. Additionally, It should cope well with the weather in this part of the UK as long as we don’t see a really severe drop in temperatures over the winter.

Two coats of Colour Grow were applied to the slate which restored the floor to a nice dark charcoal colour. The client was extremely pleased with the outcome and were keen to recommend us to their friends.

For aftercare the Patio should be regularly hosed down to keep the grit and debris from accumulating and for cleaning I recommended using Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a pH neutral product which is safe to use on sealed Stone.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Patio in South Middlesex

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Limestone Kitchen Floor Before After Renovation Shepperton

Cleaning a Limestone floor in Shepperton

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This customer from the south side Shepperton has a galley kitchen installed around twelve years ago with a Limestone floor. Since that time the floor had not been professionally cleaned or the stone re-sealed. The old sealer had long since worn down and was no longer providing any protection to the floor allowing soil and grease from cooking to penetrate the stone and darken the grout. It was now looking permanently dirty and the owner decided it was time to have it renovated.

Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Shepperton

Shepperton is a suburban village in the borough of Spelthorne, the Thames river is to the south and much of the east. It is set between the towns of Chertsey and Sunbury-on-Thames. The village has a long history and is even mentioned in a document of 959 AD and in the Domesday Book when it was primary farm land, it’s also my base of operation.

Limestone Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Shepperton

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To deep clean the stone floor and grout I started with a mixture of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined 50:50 with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This cocktail of sealer remover and cleaning agent was applied to the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes in order to get to work breaking down all the dirt, grease and what was left of the old sealer.

The solution was then worked into the Limestone tiles and grout using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. These pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout lines, so afterwards the grout was scrubbed by hand using a stiff brush along with the more difficult to reach corners that the machine had missed. The floor was then rinsed with water and the products and soil vacuumed off the floor. I repeated the process in a couple of areas where the dirt was a little stubborn. The floor was then clean and after drying out overnight it would be ready for a new seal.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day I returned to apply the sealer first checking the floor was dry using a moisture meter. The readings were good, so I set about applying a colour enhancing impregnator sealer Tile Doctor Colour Grow to the Limestone. Tile Doctor Colour Grow works by seeping into the pores of the stone intensifying natural colour, preventing staining and providing a durable protection. Two coats of sealer were applied to the Limestone tile and grout which was all that was needed to return the floor back to its original condition.

Limestone Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton

The client was very happy with the finished floor and wanted to know how to keep it looking its best going forward. I explained that the best way to keep it looking good is to get maximum longevity from the sealer which will wear down over time but can be prematurely damaged with strong cleaning products. So, for aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is designed for everyday cleaning of sealed stone floors.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Slate Tiled Shower Before After Limescale Removal Teddington

Renovating a Limescale Stained Riven Slate Shower in Teddington

1 Comment / Slate Tile Cleaning, Teddington Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

The client was thinking of having their riven Slate tiled bathroom re-tiled but before doing so they thought to give Tile Doctor a call about having it renovated first. The property was in Teddington which is a popular commuter area on the River Thames, it is on a long meander of the Thames between Hampton and Strawberry Hill

Thames Water define Teddington as a hard water area with high levels of calcium carbonate which leaves deposits known as Limescale. The tiles had not been professionally cleaned or sealed since installation ten years prior and now Limescale had built up on the tiles which was very thick in places.

Limescale Stained Slate Shower Tiles Before Renovation in Teddington

I visited the property to see how bad the problem was and to give the client a quote for the work. Whilst I was there a ran some cleaning tests on the shower tiles to work out the best solution. The tests were successful, and they were really pleased to see that their idea of restoring the tiles was a viable option. This would mean they could avoid the need to retile the whole bathroom, which would have been expensive and disruptive. They agreed to my price and we booked in a time to carry out the work, which would be completed over two days.

Removing Limescale from a Riven Slate Tiled Shower

Had this been polished Slate I would have used burnishing pads to grind off the limescale and polish up the stone. In this case however the slate had a riven appearance which means they have a rough surface. I didn’t want to alter the rough appearance as this is part of their natural beauty, so I decided on a different course of action.

The solution would involve hand scrubbing every tile using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which being in gel form sticks well to vertical surfaces. This action broke down the limescale and cleaned away all the dirt and product residue in the stone. The tiles were then rinsed down with water to remove any trace of product.

Sealing a Riven Slate Tiled Shower

After allowing the slate to dry off overnight, I first checked the tiles were nice and dry with the moisture meter. If they were still damp the seal would be ineffective and would not cure. The tiles were nice and dry, so we then applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This is a colour intensifying sealer which enhances natural colour and will provide durable surface protection going forward. The colours in the slate now look great and it has brought the bathroom back to life, as you can see from the pictures.

Limescale Stained Slate Shower Tiles After Renovation in Teddington

The client was really pleased with the result and happy they had saved some money too. I recommended to them that spraying Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro on the Slate after showering as it will eliminate build-up from the use of soaps, shampoos and body-washes, and will help to keep the limescale at bay. We recommend this product as it’s designed for cleaning sealed surfaces and will not prematurely erode the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Riven Slate Tiled Shower in South Middlesex

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Multi-Coloured Slate Tiles Before After Cleaning Sealing Staines-Upon-Thames

Renovated Multi-Coloured Slate Floor in Staines Upon Thames

1 Comment / Slate Tile Cleaning, Staines Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Except for general cleaning this multi-coloured slate floor had not been professionally cleaned since installation eleven years prior. Any sealer that had once been applied to the slate had long since worn off and dirt was now ingrained in the pores of the stone causing it to look dull and un-attractive. The property was in the lovely town of Staines Upon Thames, obviously situated on the banks of the River Thames and a popular place to live for London commuters.

Multi-Coloured Slate Floor Before Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames

I visited site to take a closer look at the floor and provide the client with an accurate price for renovating the stone. It turns out that the client had used all sorts of different household cleaners in an attempt to get the floor clean. Unfortunately, they were probably making the situation worse as these strong cleaning products would have actually stripped the sealant off the stone leaving it open to dirt. I carried out a test clean for them and they were very pleased to see how the floor could look. We agreed a price for the work and arranged a suitable date to carry out the work.

Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

My first task was to strip off what was left of the old sealer and deep clean the stone using a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go mixed 50:50 with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This powerful cocktail was applied to the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

The grout was hand scrubbed using more of the cleaning solution along the grout lines until I was happy the floor was as clean as it possibly could be. The floor was rinsed with water and the soil extracted by using the wet vacuum.

Once the floor was clear the Slate was inspected, and any stubborn areas were spot treated using the same process as before. After a final rinse and extraction, the floor was dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I came back the next day and checked the moisture levels of the tiles using a damp meter. The floor had dried well so I had a green light for applying a new sealer. For this I used four Coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. This product works really well on Slate and gave the tiles a nice sheen finish, the fresh sealer will also make maintenance cleaning far easier in the future.

Multi-Coloured Slate Floor During Sealing Staines-upon-Thames

The client was very happy with the result, the floor now looks great and the natural colours of the stone is so much more evident. For aftercare I recommended they throw away all those supermarket products and use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a pH neutral product that won’t prematurely erode the new sealer with use.

Multi-Coloured Slate Floor After Sealing Staines-upon-Thames

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Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Before After Cleaning Teddington

Limestone Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Bushy Park Teddington

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Teddington Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Limestone tiled floor had been installed in the kitchen of a property in Teddington three years before and due to the use of the wrong cleaning product was now stripped of its protective sealer. Limestone like any natural stone is porous and without a sealer in place dirt becomes trapped in the stone making it very difficult to keep clean. The property was close to Bushy Park situated in South West London on the North bank of the Thames which is only about seven miles from my base in Shepperton.

I discovered all of this after visiting the property to quote for deep cleaning and resealing the floor. It turns out they have been using Flash multi-surface & floor cleaner which has an acidic pH of 10.3, compare this to Tile Doctor Remove and Go which we use to strip sealers off floors and has a pH of 12. Needless to say, this was not the right product to use and the old sealer had been completely stripped off the floor and probably within the first few months.

Limestone Tiled Floor Before Cleaning in Teddington

On top of this our customer had 3 children and a dog running in and out of the garden and was therefore transferring quite a lot of dirt into the stone. After surveying the floor, I discussed the renovation process with the customer which would take two days and include a deep clean of the Limestone followed by the application of a sealer to ensure it did not hold onto the dirt. They were after a sheen finish for the floor and were keen to have natural brown and cream variations in the stone highlighted. We agreed a price for the work and booked a date for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To start with, we machine scrubbed the floor with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to break down the dirt and release it from the stone. We find the best process is to spray the Pro-Clean onto the floor first and then leave to dwell for ten minutes before scrubbing. It’s not long before the cleaning solution turns dark with the dirt released from the pores of the stone and this soil is then rinsed with water and vacuumed off the floor with a low-pressure hard floor cleaning machine.

Following the cleaning, we honed the Limestone using a sequence of 800, 1500 and finally 3000-grit Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads. The pads are applied with water to lubricate and the slurry generated is rinsed off the floor as before. This burnishing process brings up the natural sheen of the stone and tightens up its pores prior to sealing. I left the floor overnight to allow it to dry out.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next day I returned to the property and checked the floor for moisture using a damp meter. The readings were fine, so I proceeded with the application of the sealer for which I used two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that enhances the colours and contrast on the stone while protecting it against future soiling and spillages. It gave a lovely sheen finish to the floor as requested by the customer.

As you can see from the pictures the process made a huge difference to the floor which now looks lighter and brighter, certainly the customer was more than happy. Before leaving I recommended, they should clean the floor using Tile Doctor Stone Soap, this is a pH neutral product that will ensure the seal does not get broken down like it previously had using the household cleaners. It is gentle enough to use every day if you wish is designed to help maintain the patina of the burnished stone.

Limestone Tiled Floor After Cleaning in Teddington

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Ceramic Tiled Shower Before After Renovation Shepperton

Deep Cleaning Grout in a Shepperton Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

I was contacted by a client in Shepperton about refurbishing their Ceramic tiled shower cubicle. They longed for a room that they didn’t dread going into in the mornings and were considering having a new bathroom suite fitted. Their main concern was the shower cubicle where the tile and grout were well past their best and looking rather dated.

Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Before Cleaning Shepperton

I’m based in Shepperton so it wasn’t long before I was able to call in and take a look at the shower cubicle to see if it could be renovated. It turns out the shower cubicle was installed fifteen years prior and had not been professionally cleaned during that time. You can see from the adjacent photographs that the discoloured grout was the main issue which is not unusual as the top layer of grout is slightly porous and does attract dirt. Ceramic tiles on the other hand have a glazed surface which makes them very easy to keep clean

I discussed with the client what could be done, and they were delighted to hear that the problem could be remedied, and that new life could be breathed into the old bathroom. The room had a timeless black and white tiled scheme so I was confident we could get it clean and in much better shape quite quickly. They agreed my price and we booked in a time to carry the work out.

Deep Cleaning of a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

Much of the Tile Doctor cleaning product range can be used to clean-up grout but probably the most popular is Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaner. This was my first thought to get the grout clean so using a decanted a strong dilution into a spray bottle and sprayed it onto the tile and grout. It was left to soak in for about ten minutes before being hand scrubbed into the tile wall. Afterwards the shower cubicle was rinsed down with water to remove the soiling and then inspected.

Whilst the Pro-Clean had removed a lot of the orange staining and accumulated dirt from both the tile and grout it had struggled to lighten up the grout lines which had darkened due to mould build-up, so more work was needed.

To resolve this, I applied another Tile Doctor product called Duo-Clean which is a fast and effective double action grout cleaner and mould remover. I used it as a spot cleaner spraying it onto the affected areas and leaving it to dwell for a few minutes before scrubbing it in. This second product handled the mould well and the grout was much cleaner and consistent.

Replacing Silicone Seal in a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

Once the cleaning was complete, I cut out the old silicone from around the base of the shower with a sharp knife. This is a job that has to be slowly done to avoid scratching the shower tray. Once the old silicone was removed, I ensured the area was then nice and dry and then replaced with a new mould resistant silicone in white to enhance the fresh new look.

Naturally after 15 years it’s impossible to get the grout back to its original colour but we certainly got very close. I could however have applied a white grout colourant at this stage, but the client was already happy with the result, so it wasn’t really necessary.

Last step was to spray the grout with aerosol Grout sealer which is very quick to apply and will protect the grout from further staining. The excess was wiped off the ceramic tiles which won’t take a sealer and the job was finished.

Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle After Cleaning Shepperton

As you can see from the pictures, the transformation turned out very well and the customer was very pleased. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro which is pH neutral tile and grout cleaner that will keep on top of future discolouration.

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Travertine Tile Grout Before After Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

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

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Sunbury-on-Thames Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

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

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

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

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

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

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

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

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Floor in Sunbury-on-Thames

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

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

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

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

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Victorian Encaustic Cement Floor Tiles Before After Renovation Twickenham

Neglected Victorian Encaustic Cement Hallway Renovated in Twickenham

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

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

Victorian Encaustic Cement Hallway Tiles Before Renovation Twickenham

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

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

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

Deep Cleaning Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiles

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

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

Sealing a Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway Floor

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

Victorian Encaustic Cement Hallway Tiles After Renovation Twickenham

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

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Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Shepperton

Limestone Kitchen Floor Tile Clean and Seal in Shepperton

2 Comments / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Clean and Seal Shepperton

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

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

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

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

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

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

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

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

Limestone Kitchen Floor After Clean and Seal Shepperton

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

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Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor Before and After Cleaning Twickenham

Cream Porcelain Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in a Twickenham Kitchen

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

Porcelain Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham

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

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

Deep Cleaning a Porcelain Tile and Grout

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

Porcelain Tiled Floor During Cleaning Twickenham

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

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

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

Porcelain Tiled Floor After Cleaning Twickenham

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Varnished Terracotta Tiled Floor Grout Before After Renovation Teddington

Renovating Varnished Terracotta Tiles in Teddington

1 Comment / Teddington Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Terracotta tiled floor in Middlesex had not been cleaned and re-sealed in twenty years. Deciding it was overdue a renovation the client asked us to come over and have a look at the floor and see what we could do to restore it to its’ former self. The property was in the heart of the town of Teddington, which is set on the north bank of the River Thames, with some lovely up market shops, restaurants and cafes.

The floor was indeed in need of some attention, this type of floor does need a deep clean from time to time to keep it looking good and twenty years is far too long. The terracotta had previously had a varnish applied to protect it which is not something we recommend as its easily scratched. I discussed with the client the work required and we carried out a test to show them how effective the clean would be. Satisfied that we could get a good result, they were happy to go ahead with our quote and we booked in the work to be done a few weeks later.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Renovation Teddington

It’s not unusual for customers to want to get a quote over the phone however there are so many factors that can affect the price we always prefer out a site survey first. That way we can ensure we give the client the best advice an accurate idea of the costs involved.

Cleaning and Restoring a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

Using a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with Pro-Clean, we managed to break through the varnish and remove the soiling within the stone. This combination creates a powerful stripper/cleaner that can simultaneously remove coatings and deep clean. It’s best to leave the product to dwell on the tile and grout for ten minutes before scrubbing it with a rotary floor buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

Terracotta Tiled Floor During Renovation Teddington

A spinner machine was then used to flush the tiles through with warm water whilst simultaneously extracting all the soil and product residues. It’s important to fully rinse the floor clean as anything left on the tile can to upset a new sealer.

Once we were happy that all the residue had been removed and the floor was as clean as it could be, we left the floor to dry out fully overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning the next day, the first task was to check the Terracotta tiles were dry with a moisture meter. I was satisfied with the reading and so was able go straight ahead with the sealing process. The best sealer I find for Terracotta is Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a very durable subtle sheen finish that make the floor much easier to clean going forward.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Renovation Teddington

As you can see from the pictures, the colours were greatly improved, and the lustre restored. The client was over the moon with the result, they couldn’t believe how dirty the floor had been, but they were happy they would now be able to keep it clean.

For aftercare I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a lovely fresh smelling product that has a its’ pH neutral formula that’s designed for cleaning sealed floors. It’s sold in concentrated form so you only a small amount each time you clean the floor.

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Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before After Cleaning Shepperton

Dirty Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Shepperton

1 Comment / Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

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

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

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.

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Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor Before After Cleaning Twickenham

Unpolished Limestone Hallway Deep Cleaned in Twickenham

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

These unpolished Limestone tiles were installed in the hallway of a property in Twickenham, Middlesex. The stone had not been cleaned or sealed for six years and being the main entrance to the house it was subject to a lot of foot traffic which had taken its toll on the stone over the years. As you can see from the photos, dirt was ingrained in the stone which happens when the protective sealer wears off with use. They had chosen to cover the floor with some rugs to improve the appearance and make the hall more inviting and as you can see especially where the rugs had been protecting the Limestone there was a visible difference in colour.

Limestone Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Twickenham

Twickenham is a suburb of London and of course most famous for being the home of Rugby Union in England and a short distance from by base in Shepperton so it wasn’t long before I was able to pop in and survey the floor.

I discussed with the client what could be done to clean the floor and demonstrated the products and technique I would use on a test patch. They were suitably impressed, and we agreed a price for the work and booked a time to complete the job. The job was scheduled for two days, one day to clean and the second to seal the floor.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

To start with, we pre-sprayed the tiles with Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left it to soak in for ten minutes, this allows the product to break down any remaining sealant and greasy soils. Then we machine scrubbed the floor with our rotary cleaner fitted with a black scrubbing pad lubricated with another Tile Doctor product, Pro-Clean. This strong alkaline chemical breaks down the dirt and leaves it ready to be rinsed away.

The grout lines were also cleaned using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean but not with a machine as the pad struggles to reach down into the grout lines, so it was scrubbed by hand to give the best result.

Following the clean, we low pressure rinsed the floor with water and vacuumed all the residue away, leaving the floor ready for sealing. The Limestone tiles and grout looked much better already after cleaning and it was left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning to the property the next day our first action was to check the moisture levels in the floor with a damp meter. All was well so we to apply three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that protects the stone from within by occupying the pores in the stone, so dirt can’t become lodged there. The sealer will make the floor much easier to keep clean in future and as the name of the product suggests it also enhances the natural colours in the tile.

For the aftercare of unpolished Limestone, I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is designed for the cleaning of sealed Tile and Stone. If using a different product always read the label first as many cleaners are too strong for use on sealed surfaces and will strip off the sealer over time.

Limestone Tiled Hallway After Cleaning Twickenham

The client was very happy with the result and felt they could now keep on top of keeping it clean and looking fresh moving forward. They could now remove the rugs too! If you require a free quotation to clean and seal your stone floors do get in touch.

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Slate Tiled Floor Before and After Renovation Hampton

Black Slate Tiled Floor Stained by Decorators in Hampton

1 Comment / Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

It’s surprising how often I get asked to look at tiled floors stained with paint and other chemicals because of careless decorating work. Such was the reason that I was asked to renovate this Slate tiled floor that had been installed in the garden room of a house in Hampton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. On this occasion the customers decorators had not covered the floor properly prior to painting which led to spots of paint and a white haze in places where they had tried and failed to rub the emulsion off the stone floor.

Slate Tiled Floor Hampton Before Cleaning

I went over to take a look and could see that the floor would benefit from been given a thorough clean, spot treating the decorating issues in the process and then given a fresh coat of sealer to protect the floor going forward and bring out the character of the stone. Having given the customer a quote which was accepted we agreed a date for me to return and given the floor a new lease of life.

Cleaning a Dirty Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The correct way to restore a floor such as this is to first strip off any existing coatings such as old sealers and take the tile back to its original condition. To do this I sprayed on a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left to dwell and soak into the old sealer and paint stains. Remove and Go is a stripper that as its name suggests is designed to be used on Tile, Stone and Grout. After ten minutes the product was worked into the slate tile and grout using a heavy duty rotary scrubbing machine. To help with the cleaning process, we also sprayed on Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is our go to Tile and Grout cleaning product.

The solution soon turned into a slurry as the dirt, old sealers and stains were lifted out of the pores of the slate. To remove the soil the floor was rinsed with water and then extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected, and stubborn stains spot treated until I was happy with the condition of the tile and grout. The floor was given a final rinse to remove any trace of cleaning products and then dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I left the floor overnight to dry completely following the cleaning and returned the next day to finish the renovation. After testing for damp to ensure the floor was dry, two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied to fully seal the floor. Colour Grow is a colour enhancing sealer that penetrates int the pores of the stone to protect it from within. It worked really well on the Black Slate and restored the contrast in the tile while giving it the deep black look that the customer was expecting. The fresh sealer has the added benefit of making the floor easier to clean in the future

Slate Tiled Floor Hampton During Sealing

The floor now looks completely revived and the sealer will help keep it looking that way for some time to come.

Slate Tiled Floor Hampton After Cleaning

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Limestone Kitchen Floor Before and After Cleaning and Sealing in Twickenham

Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaning and Sealing in Twickenham

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Limestone tiled floor in Twickenham, Middlesex had only been laid eighteen month earlier. However, due to an in-effectual seal on the floor, the soil had accumulated and embedded into the pores of the stone. Limestone like many types of natural stone is a very porous stone and it doesn’t take much for the dirt to build up and start to discolour the floor.

Limestone Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham

The tile had been laid through out the Kitchen and adjacent dinning area and the solution was quite straight forward and simply required and a good clean and re-seal as detailed below.

Cleaning Limestone Tiles

We started with an application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was sprayed onto the floor and allowed to dwell for five to ten minutes. Following this, we used a heavy duty floor scrubbing machine in order to break the soil away and existing sealer from the stone.

Once we were happy that the soil and sealer had been dislodged, we then removed all of the chemical and soil via our extraction machine. This applies pressured water onto the stone whilst vacuuming all of the waste away, leaving the floor as clean and fresh as it could possibly be.

Sealing Limestone Tiles

After allowing the floor to dry out overnight, we returned the next morning to apply the seal. Two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer were applied to give the best protection possible. Colour Grow penetrates into the pores of the stone protecting it from within whilst also enhancing its natural colours and contrast.

Limestone Tiled Floor After Cleaning Twickenham

Once done the floor looked like it had just been laid and the customer was extremely happy with the end result.

Re-Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen and Dinning Floor in Middlesex

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored back to Health in Twickenham

1 Comment / Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Apologies in advance but I forgot to take the usual before photograph of this Victorian tiled hallway in Twickenham that I worked on recently. It’s a shame really as it was certainly in need of a good clean and re-seal after years of inadequate maintenance and I’m sure a photo would have helped.

Victorian tiles are porous and do need a sealer to stop dirt becoming ingrained, as once that happens they can be difficult to clean and a Hallway is an especially high traffic area that will see a lot of dirt being tramped in. That activity also wears down the sealer over time so it’s important to keep it topped up.

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

On these tiles, we used a 50:50 combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This combination of products works very well to break down old sealers and also to clean the general soil away from the tile. As usual it was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before using a heavy duty scrubbing machine to scrub the floor clean. This achieved a good result and the soil and products were then flushed away using our special flushing tool which fires a jet of water onto the tile whilst vacuuming at the same time (no mess!) to an external tank.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

After allowing the tiles to dry off overnight with some heating on, the floor was ready to accept a new seal the next day. Our customer decided to have a sheen finish so we opted to apply Tile Doctor Seal and Go. These tiles are very porous and so need seven coats to be applied to the floor before it was completely sealed.

Apologies again for not taking a before photo so you can compare the difference however hopefully you can see how health the floor looks following the deep cleaning and application of a fresh sealer which will ensure future maintenance is a lot easier for the customer.

Professional Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration in Middlesex

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Before After Cleaning Hampton

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Stripped and Sealed in Hampton

1 Comment / Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

These photographs are of a Victorian tiled hallway at a house in Hampton, Middlesex which is South West suburb of London. The tiles had suffered during the completion of extensive building works and as you can see from the picture below, the tiles were looking dull and had lost their vibrancy.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Hampton

On top of that the floor was heavily soiled with plaster dust as well as general soiling from wear and it had not been cleaned or sealed for nearly eight years. Victorian tiles are very hard wearing however and I knew I could put new life into the floor by giving them a good deep clean and re-seal.

Cleaning Victorian Hallway Tiles

To get the tiles clean and remove unwanted coatings we applied a 50/50 combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Tile Doctor Remove and Go.
This combination of products is effective at breaking down old sealers and coatings as well as cleaning the soil away from the tile.
The products were left to soak in for ten minutes before using a heavy-duty machine fitted with a scrubbing pad to work the solution into the pores of the tile. This did the trick and the soil and products were then flushed away using our special flushing tool which fires a jet of water onto the tile whilst extracting it at the same time with a vacuum (so no mess!)

Sealing Victorian Tiles

After allowing the tiles to dry overnight with some heating on, the floor was ready the next morning to accept a fresh sealer. Our customer wanted to have a sheen finish so we opted for Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works really well on Victorian tiles. Seven coats were applied to the floor before it was completely sealed and protected.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning Hampton

As well as improving the appearance of the tiles new sealer will also make cleaning much easier for the customer.

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Middlesex

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Cleaning and Sealing Tumbled Marble Tiles in Twickenham

1 Comment / Marble Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Marble tiles can be tumbled in large drums to achieve an aged and softened effect, and this can look very nice providing that the stone is adequately maintained.

In the case of this floor at a property in Twickenham South West London, the Marble tiles that had been laid over five years ago, and in that time the sealer had worn down offering the floor little protection. Dirt had now become ingrained in the pores of the stone and grout, and a deep clean and fresh seal were required to restore the stone’s original colour and lustre. The property owner asked me to complete the job and I was more than happy to oblige.

Tumbled Marble floor in Twickenham Before Cleaning

Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Marble Tiles

To begin the restoration, I applied both Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a high alkaline cleaner, and Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which a heavy-duty stripper and remover, to the floor and scrubbed the products in using a scrubbing pad fitted to a professional rotary machine.

The chemical solvents in the Remove and Go helped to break down any old sealer that remained inside the stone, allowing the Pro Clean to then work its magic on the stubborn ingrained dirt the customer had struggled to remove previously. Some of the deeper veins and grout lines I chose to scrub by hand to ensure the fullest and most meticulous clean possible.

Tumbled Marble floor in Twickenham During Cleaning

The resulting soiled cleaning solution was then pressure rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet-vacuum, leaving a completely clean floor that was now ready to be sealed using a new sealant.

Sealing Tumbled Marble Tiles

I returned to the property the following day after allowing the Marble tiles to dry fully. Drying the tiles is a crucial part of the restoration process, since even a small quantity of excess moisture can cloud the sealer and prevent it from working to its fullest capabilities.

I applied two coats of our solvent-based impregnating sealer known as Tile Doctor Colour Grow. As the name of the product suggests, Colour Grow not only protects the tiles against ingrained soil, it also thoroughly lifts and enhances the natural colours in the stone.

The new seal will make it easy for our customer to maintain the floor, making daily cleaning easier. It will also protect the stone against the nasty spillages that are common in kitchens and living rooms.

The customer was thrilled with the much-improved appearance of the Marble tiles and is very reassured that they will now stay in great condition for a long time. Another satisfied client!

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Acid Etched Marble Shower Cubicle Restoration in Twickenham

Marble Shower Tiles Restored After Being Etched With Cillit Bang In Twickenham

1 Comment / Marble Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Here at Tile Doctor we can’t stress often enough how careful you have to be when choosing a cleaning product for use on natural stone. Acid bases cleaners in particular can etch the surface so always read the label before buying. Unfortunately, this customer, who lives in Twickenham, learned this the hard way.

Limescale build-up on shower tiles can be an unsightly problem in hard water areas and this customer’s house cleaner had attempted to treat it with Cillit Bang on their Marble tiled shower room floor. Whilst good at removing Limescale on ceramic tiles, the product is acid-based and in this case caused severe etching to the surface of the Marble.

Tiled Marble Shower Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham

This customer is not the first to experience this problem with Cillit Bang and we have looked into this before and I can confirm it does say on the back on the bottle that you should not use it on all natural stone including Marble and Granite.

The mistake had really damaged the appearance of this lovely floor however the good news is etched Marble can be refinished and we do offer this service. Fortunately, this customer found us on-line and called us in to rectify the problem as

Burnishing a Marble Tiled Shower Room Floor

With high quality, acid-sensitive stone we find that rather than cleaning with a liquid product, it is lot effective to use a process known as burnishing. This involves the application of abrasive diamond encrusted pads to cut back through the damaged stone. This removes a layer from the surface to expose the undamaged stone, which in then polished.

Using different grades of small diamond pads fitted to a hand buffer I began burnishing the floor tiles. I started the process with a Coarse pad and worked my way through to Medium, Fine and eventually the Very Fine pad. A small amount of lubrication in the form water is used with each pad, but no chemical products are needed, making this a completely natural process. The floor was rinsed with water afterwards to remove any slurry from the polishing.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Shower Room Floor

After allowing the floor dry out overnight, I returned to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is a solvent-based, impregnating sealer designed to enhance the variety of natural colours and shades in the stone. It also protects the stone against daily exposure to chemical-based shampoo and soaps.

The customer was worried that the floor could not be restored, but she can now rest assured knowing not only knowing that the floor is back into top condition, but that professional help is at hand in case mistakes happen again in the future! Another happy customer for the Middlesex Tile Doctor.

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Slate Kitchen floor Before After Cleaining Sunbury on Thames

Neglected Slate Kitchen Floor Tiles Restored in Sunbury-on-Thames

1 Comment / Slate Tile Cleaning, Sunbury-on-Thames Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

We always recommend regular maintenance for stone tiled floors, especially in areas of high traffic and high possibility of spillages, such as kitchens. Unfortunately, most house owners aren’t aware of this as was the case case of this particular Slate tiled kitchen floor at a property in Sunbury-on-Thames. In fact, the sealer hadn’t been refreshed for seven years and I suspect had worn off some years prior. The result? Well, you can see it from the photographs below

Slate Kitchen floor Before Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

Heavy soil and general kitchen spillages was now able to penetrate the pores of the stone leaving it looking stained and grubby.Cleaning using run-of-the-mill household products was proving near impossible and with the customer at a loss as to how to resolve the situation, I was called in to provide the professional attention these tiles so desperately needed.

Cleaning a Dirty Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first order of business was to break down what was left of the old impregnating sealer. To do this I applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the floor, it was left to soak in for around ten minutes before being scrubbed into the stone. Remove and Go is a heavy-duty remover for old sealers, adhesive stains and paint splashes that is safe to use on stone, tile and grout.

Another product used was Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a powerful high alkaline cleaner which works well on stone and is especially good at cleaning up grout lines.

This combination of products helped to eliminate all oil-based stains and day-to-day soils from the stone. Next, using a specialised stone rinse extractor and water, I flushed all the old sealer, cleaning products and resultant soil away.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I left the floor overnight to dry completely following the cleaning. Upon my return to the property I applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer, an impregnating sealer which helps to protect the stone from spillages and ingrained dirt by filling the pores of the stone and acting as a barrier. This subsequently makes daily maintenance easier.

Slate Kitchen floor After Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

As you may have guessed from the product name, the sealer also enhances the natural colours in the stone. The photos below show just how significant a difference this make to the aesthetic appearance of the floor.

The customer was very pleased with the results and couldn’t quite believe seven years of poor maintenance could be remedied in just two days!

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Tumbled Marble floor before after cleaning in Hampton Middlesex

White Tumbled Marble Tiled Floor Refreshed in a Hampton Kitchen

1 Comment / Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This White Tumbled Marble tiled floor at a house in Hampton had been installed throughout the kitchen and dining area ten years back and was now in desperate need of a deep clean and seal to remove dirt that had accumulated in the pores of the stone. Once the dirt gets into the pores it makes it difficult to keep clean which is exactly the problem the property owner had experienced.

The ‘tumbled’ effect on the Marble is achieved by tumbling the tiles in drums to soften and age the edges and surface of the stone. However, it was difficult to appreciate this interesting style as the presence of dirt and staining was quite overwhelming and the owner was now keen to restore it back to its original condition.

Tumbled Marble floor before cleaning in Hampton Middlesex

Cleaning Tumbled Marble Tiles

I started the restoration by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This high alkaline cleaning product was spread across the floor and left to dwell for a short period, before I then worked it deep into the pores of the stone using a heavy duty rotary scrubbing machine.

Next, some of the stubborn, more deeply ingrained stains were scrubbed by hand, along with the grout lines, which were also particularly dirty. The resulting slurry of water and cleaning solution was then pressure rinsed away and soaked up with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected and areas that needed more attention were retreated using the same process followed by a final rinse with water. The wet vacuum was then used again to extract as much moisture from the floor as possible before leaving the now clean floor to dry off fully overnight ready to accept a fresh coat of sealer the next day.

Sealing Tumbled Marble Tiles

I returned to the property the following day and took a few moisture readings to ensure the Marble had dried off completely overnight. This is critical because even a small amount of excess moisture can damage the performance of the sealer.

Once I was satisfied that the tiles were dry I proceeded to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, a sealer which impregnates the pores of the stone, therefore protecting it from within. It also enhances the natural colours in the stone at the same time, hence the name ‘Colour Grow’!

Tumbled Marble floor after cleaning in Hampton Middlesex

The new sealer will now make it easy for the customer to maintain the floor and avoid the build up of dirt over time in the same way that it had before. It will also protect the stone against spillages.

Overall I think it’s fair to describe the result as a complete transformation. The tiles are bright and clean – and now they will stay that way! Certainly, the customer was pleased with her newly restored White Tumbled Marble tiled floor.

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Terracotta Floor Before After Deep Clean in Twickenham

Badly Maintained Terracotta Professionally Restored in Twickenham

1 Comment / Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

In our experience there is a general lack of good maintenance advice given when new tiled floors are installed which results in floors that looked fantastic following installation losing their appearance of the years that follow. Naturally Tile Doctor aims to fill this gap and this Terracotta tiled floor at a property in Twickenham, Middlesex is a good example. It had not been professionally cleaned since it was installed 18 years prior and due to a multitude of advice over the year’s various oils and sealers had been erroneously applied, leaving a build up of routine maintenance residues in the tile.

Terracotta Floor Before Deep Clean in Twickenham

Furthermore, due to its natural porosity, Terracotta tends to allow dirt and stains to become ingrained, making the tiles even more difficult to clean – and keep clean, for that matter. These types of floors need regular maintenance or the only remedy is to strip and deep clean the tiles followed by the application of a fresh seal which is exactly what we had to do in this case.

Deep Cleaning a Dirty Terracotta Tiled Floor

To restore the appearance of this floor I would need to strip off the old coatings; fortunately, we have a strong product just for that purpose so to start with I liberally covered the tiles in our heavy duty coatings remover, Tile Doctor Remove and Go. It helps break down old sealers and oils and I left it to soak in for ten minutes so it could get a good start. I then machine scrubbed the floor with a 17″ scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine which takes a lot of the hard work out of the job, although I still need to hand scrub in the corners and along the grout lines with a stiff brush.

Terracotta Floor Deep Clean During Grout Scrubbing in Twickenham

All of the resulting cleaning chemicals and soiled residue were then flushed and vacuumed away with our pressure rinsing system. This method leaves the Terracotta tiles completely fresh and clean, ready to receive a new sealer.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled a Floor

I left the property overnight, giving the floor a full 24 hours to dry completely. As most who read my posts will already know, a floor with outstanding damp issues cannot be sealed as even the slightest quantity of moisture can cloud the sealer and damage its performance.

Terracotta Floor Deep Clean after grout scrubbing in Twickenham

Upon my return to the property I ran a few damp tests as a matter of precaution. Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry, I proceeded to seal the tiles using seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, which works really well on Terracotta providing an aesthetically pleasing sheen finish and forms a stain resistant layer on the surface of the tiles to protect them from dirt and stains. I should mention it’s also a water based sealer so there’s no solvent smell given off as it dries which is always a bonus.

Terracotta Floor After Deep Clean and seal in Twickenham

As you can see from the pictures, the restoration has restored the lustre and colour of the Terracotta and the grout looks much cleaner; the very happy customer can be assured that maintaining the condition of the Terracotta will be much easier in the future.

Stripping and Sealing a Dirty Terracotta Tiled Floor in Middlesex

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Travertine Floor Before After Cleaning in Hampton

Polishing Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor in Hampton

1 Comment / Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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.

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 Stone Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Middlesex

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Slate Floor Before After Cleaning in Twickenham

Lustre Restored on a Dull Slate Tiled Floor in Twickenham

1 Comment / Slate Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Slate is a popular choice for tiled kitchen floors and when properly maintained looks fantastic, however like all natural stone products without an effective cleaning plan dirt will become ingrained in the stone and will start to lose its appearance.

Slate Floor Before Cleaning in Twickenham

This was the case with this fantastic Slate tiled kitchen floor in Twickenham which had the potential to look really nice, but hadn’t received the proper maintenance for a long while, leaving it looking very tired. It now needed what was left of its old surface sealer stripped off, followed by a deep cleaning of the tile and grout before having a fresh seal applied.

Cleaning a Dull Slate Tiled Floor

To begin the restoration, I mixed a 50:50 solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Tile Doctor Pro Clean. This was applied to the floor and allowed to dwell. Remove and Go functions as a stripper that breaks down the old sealer, while Pro Clean is a versatile, high alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on all types of natural stone flooring.

To use it to full effect, I machine scrubbed this solution into the floor to completely remove all dirt, stains, and old sealer. I also ran a stiff brush along the grout lines to remove the particularly stubborn dirt ingrained in the grout. The resulting cleaning slurry was then rinsed with water and extracted using a wet vacuum and the floor checked for stubborn marks which were retreated using the same process.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Floor

The floor was left to dry overnight and I came back the next day to apply a new seal. It’s important to leave a tiled floor to dry completely before sealing and at this time of year 24 hours is usually enough. This is necessary to ensures there is no excess moisture in the tile as this has the potential to cloud the sealer and affect its effectiveness.

The customer required a low sheen finish and a floor that was easy to maintain. I opted to use Seal & Go, which provides exactly that. It is a water-based with a high sheen blend of acrylic polymers that offers a both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low sheen finish, also being water based it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries. Seal and Go is also a breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise up through the tile and allow the floor to breathe.

Slate Floor After Cleaning in Twickenham

As you can see from the pictures, the lustre has been completely restored to the Slate tiles and the sealer will allow for easy maintenance for the customer in the future.

Dull and Dirty Slate Tiled Kitchen Restored in Middlesex

Lustre Restored on a Dull Slate Tiled Floor in Twickenham Read More »

Slate Floor Before After Cleaning In Hampton

Slate Tiles Cleaned and Sealed to Restore Condition and Lustre in Hampton

1 Comment / Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Slate tiles have been in use for centuries, often chosen for roofing and both interior and exterior flooring due to their hard-wearing nature. While the popularity of the material perhaps peaked a hundred or more years ago, punctuated by the so-called “Slate boom” in 1870s Europe, it is still seen used en masse in large construction projects globally, and Slate tiled floors remain a feature of many houses in the UK, both old and new.

Despite its natural durability, Slate still requires regular maintenance, especially when used as flooring in the high traffic areas of a house. This tired and dirty looking Slate tiled floor in the kitchen of a house in Hampton, Middlesex was in certain need of the old sealer being stripped off, following by a deep cleaning and the application of a fresh seal.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Floor

To begin the job, we mixed a strong cleaning solution consisting of Tile Doctor Remove and Go stripper and Tile Doctor Pro Clean. Pro Clean is a heavy duty alkaline-based cleaner that is designed to tackle significant levels of soiled build up on natural stone floors.

This solution was then spread evenly across the surface area of the floor and left for roughly ten minutes to dwell and soak into the Slate, allowing it to start stripping off the old sealer.

Next, I fitted a black scrubbing pad to my rotary buffing machine and proceeded to agitate the solution, breaking up the dirt and general muck afflicting the tiles, as well as the old sealer. As the slurry of muck emerged I promptly rinsed it away with clean water, before extracting the excess moisture with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Floor

After being left to dry completely over night, the floor was ready to receive a new application of sealer. Since the customer requested a high sheen finish and a floor that was easy to maintain, we opted to go for the solvent based topical sealer known as Tile Doctor Seal & Go. The sealer acts as a layer of protection for the floor against dirt and stains.

As you can see from the pictures, the restoration has fully restored the lustre to these Slate tiles and has set up floor to be easy maintained for the customer in the future.

Slate-Floor-After-Cleaning-In-Hampton-1829

Professional Tile Cleaning and Sealing of a Slate Tiled Floor in Middlesex

Slate Tiles Cleaned and Sealed to Restore Condition and Lustre in Hampton Read More »

Slate Floor Before After Cleaning In Shepperton

Maintaining A Slate Kitchen Floor In Shepperton

1 Comment / Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This slate floor was installed in the kitchen and adjacent dining area of this house in Shepperton, Middlesex and now as with all sealed floors the sealer had worn down and the floor was becoming difficult to clean leaving it looking dull and uninviting.

To remedy the old sealer would need to be stripped off, the floor deep cleaned and a fresh seal applied. I suspect the sealer had been eroded prematurely by the use of harsh cleaning chemicals and a steam cleaner. This had destroyed the sealer in parts and made the floor look very uneven. You do need to be very careful of supermarket cleaning products as many are designed for glazed ceramic tiles and contain acids which will eat through the sealer over time.

Slate Floor Before Cleaning In Shepperton

Stripping old Sealers off a Slate Tiled Floor

To strip the remaining sealer off the floor and give the slate and grout a really deep clean I prepared a 50:50 mixture of Remove and Go and Pro-clean diluted with water. This powerful stripper/cleaner solution was then machine scrubbed into the floor to break up the dirt and old sealer, a stiff brush was also run over the grout lines to get them clean as well. The slurry was then rinsed with water and extracted using a wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected and the process repeated where necessary until I was satisfied the slate and grout were as clean as they could be and free of any old sealer.

Sealing Slate Floor Tiles

The floor was left to dry off and we returned later to seal the floor. Sealers can be affected if the floor is damp so a damp meter comes in very handy at this point to confirm the floor is dry before sealing.

We have a number of sealer products available that all have different effects and in this case the customer required a high sheen finish and a floor that was easy to maintain. Tile Doctor Seal & Go gives exactly that result and being water based it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries, so we applied a number of coats and provided the customer with some advice on the use of pH neutral cleaning products for general cleaning going forward.

Slate Floor After Cleaning In Shepperton

Slate-Floor-After-Cleaning-In-Shepperton-1968

You can see from the pictures that the process has restored the lustre to the slate and the sealer will protect the floor going forward making it easier to maintain.

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate Kitchen Floor in Middlesex

Maintaining A Slate Kitchen Floor In Shepperton Read More »

Edwardian Style Floor Cleaned and Repaired in Twickenham, Middlesex

1 Comment / Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Edwardian style floor had been installed in a house in Twickenham around five years prior. The floor had a number of damaged tiles which needed replacing and that it had not been professionally cleaned since being installed and the original sealer had either worn off or turned yellow.

Edwardian style tiled floor twickenham before cleaning

Cleaning Edwardian Style Tiles

Before cleaning the broken tiles, adjacent grout and tile adhesive was carefully chipped out of the floor using a hammer and chisel. Once this was done the floor was soaked with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was applied with a mop and left it to dwell before being scrubbed into the tile using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The machine saves a lot of time however it struggles to get into the edges and corners and so it was necessary scrub those area by hand. The now soiled cleaning solution did a good job removing the dirt and old sealer and was washed away using fresh water and a wet vacuum. The tile and grout was inspected and the process repeated where required before giving the floor a final rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product. At this point the broken tiles were replaced with spares and grouted into place; the floor was then left for 48 hours so it could dry out thoroughly before sealing.

Edwardian style tiled floor twickenham after cleaning

Sealing Edwardian Style Tiles

On our return the floor was checked and then sealed with five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a topical high sheen sealer highly recommended for these types of tiles that will enhances the look of the tile and creates a barrier against dirt and spillages.

As you can see from the picture, the floor has been restored to its original condition and with the correct maintenance; it should last for years to come.

Maintaining Edwardian Style Tiles in Middlesex

Edwardian Style Floor Cleaned and Repaired in Twickenham, Middlesex Read More »

Marble Mosaic Shower Tile Refresh Richmond After

Marble Mosaic Tiled Shower Cubicle Refreshed in Richmond

1 Comment / Marble Tile Cleaning, Richmond Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Marble mosaic tiled shower cubicle in Richmond, Surrey was in need of a good clean, re-seal and re-silicone. Moisture had penetrated the old sealer and left mould and mildew in the pores of the tiles. This is quite a common problem in the modern insulated homes we live in today which invariably have in-sufficient ventilation. The silicone sealant around the base of the shower had also perished allowing water in behind the tiles around the base.

Marble Mosaic Shower Tile Refresh Richmond Before

Cleaning Marble Mosaic Tiles and Grout

We first stripped away all of the old silicone and proceeded to clean the tile and grout by scrubbing in a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which is a strong coatings remover that shifts just about anything but is also safe to use on tile, stone and grout. This did the trick and resulted in what was left of the old sealer being removed and had the added bonus of cleaning the grime away from the Marble tiles.

Sealing Marble Mosaic Tiles

The bathroom was allowed to dry out for a period of 2 days so as not to trap any moisture behind the new sealer. Then once dry we applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a solvent based sealer that reaches deep into the pores of the stone preventing other contaminates from becoming ingrained in the tile.

The final step was to applying a new silicone sealant to the joints and as you can see from the pictures the Marble tiles responded very well to the process and the shower now looks much fresher if not a new installation.

Refreshing a Marble Tiled Shower Cubicle in Middlesex

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Edwardian tiled floor Richmond after cleaning

Edwardian Tiled Hallway Cleaned and Sealed in Richmond

1 Comment / Richmond Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Edwardian tiled stone floor was installed in the hallway of a house in Richmond, Surrey. It had not been deep cleaned for a number of years and a number of layers of old sealer were visible causing a yellowing of the tile. The old sealant needed to be stripped off before cleaning could take place and leave the Edwardian floor in a state ready to receive a new seal.

Edwardian tiled floor Richmond before cleaning

Cleaning Edwardian Tiles

To remove the old sealer a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a solvent based stripper was applied to the floor, left to dwell for a while and then steamed into the tile which helps to break up the old sealers. The tiles were then scrubbed using a rotary machine and a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline product and the residue pressure rinsed away. The soiled residue was then removed using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed thoroughly.

Sealing Edwardian Tiles

After leaving the Edwardian floor for 24 hours to dry, we then applied seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go topical sealer. This not only gives the floor a high level of protection but it also enhances the contrast of the tiles and gives a nice shine,

Hopefully you can appreciate the difference from the photographs and how the appearance of the tiles now looks much fresher.

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Limestone Kitchen floor cleaned in Hampton After

Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaning in Hampton

1 Comment / Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Limestone tiled kitchen floor in Hampton, Middlesex, was proving troublesome to keep clean and was now in need of a deep clean and re-seal to ensure easy maintenance in the future. Being a high traffic area the tile and grout had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years and the tiles had lost their shine due to wear on the face of the stone.

Limestone Kitchen floor cleaned in Hampton Before

Cleaning Limestone Tiles

I gave the floor a quick wash down with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to ensure we had removed any surface soil and grit and then proceeded to burnish the Limestone tiles 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.

The grout lines were then scrubbed by hand using more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a fair amount of elbow grease; the whole floor was then washed down with the water being removed from the floor using a wet vacuum.

Sealing Limestone Tiles

The floor was then left for twenty four hours to allow it to dry and then I returned to seal the Limestone and Grout using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that occupies the pores in the stone so contaminates cannot become ingrained in the stone making it easier to clean in the future. Hopefully you can appreciate from the pictures how transformed the kitchen now looks.

Maintaining Limestone Tiles in Middlesex

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Tumbled Travertine After Cleaning in Teddington

Deep Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Travertine Kitchen Tiles in Teddington

1 Comment / Teddington Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

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

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.

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.

Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Travertine Tiles in Middlesex

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Victorian Hallway Hampton Court After Sealing

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Stripped and Sealed in Hampton Court

1 Comment / Hampton Court Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This was a straight forward strip and re-seal of a Victorian tiled hallway floor at a residence near the historic Hampton. The floor I suspect was an original feature of the house and the owners had maintained it well but like any Victorian floor they will show the effects of wear especially in high traffic areas like a hallway and benefit from a good deep clean and reseal every few years.

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

The floor was washed down in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a multi-purpose alkaline cleaner/stripper which is safe to use on tile, stone and grout. This was left to soak into the floor tile for about twenty minutes before scrubbing it deep into the tile using a rotary floor machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This did a great job of cleaning up the floor and removing what was left of the previous sealer. The soiled solution was removed with a wet vacuum and then washed down with clean water to remove any remaining product and neutralise the floor before sealing. There were a few stubborn areas that needed further attention and so I treated them with neat Pro-Clean and a steamer until I was satisfied it was a good I could get it, again once I had finished I gave the floor a good rinse with clean water.

Victorian Hallway Hampton Court After Cleaning

Sealing Victorian Tiles

I left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal the tiles which for Victorian tiles I usually use Tile Doctor Seal and Go. It’s a water based sealer so it leaves no smell add a nice shiny finish to the floor, six coats were require in the end which is not unusual for Terracotta due to the porosity of the tiles.

Restoring Victorian Tiles in Middlesex

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Terracotta Kitchen Floor Twickenham After Cleaning

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned in Twickenham

1 Comment / Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Terracotta tiled kitchen floor in Twickenham had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years. Spots and spills from kitchen activity had also proved impossible to remove by the owner which was due to the sealer breaking down; the floor was now in need of a deep clean, stripping off the old sealer and then re-sealing to ensure easy maintenance in the future.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Twickenham Before Cleaning

Cleaning Terracotta Tiles

The first step was to use a rotary scrubbing machine together with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a high alkaline cleaner for use with tile and stone. This action breaks down the soil in the tile and releases it along with the remaining old sealer. The floor was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores of the tile and grout lines scrubbed by hand with a stiff brush. Once I was happy the floor was clean it was given a thorough rinse to remove any remaining chemical and left it to dry.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Twickenham During Cleaning

Sealing Terracotta Tiles

The floor was left to dry for a period of twenty four hours before sealing which was done by applying five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This is a water based topical sealer that leaves no smell and will repel liquid and soil allowing the tile to keep its appearance and making it easier to maintain in the future. The sealer also gives a high sheen finish which reflects the light and enhances the colours of the stone. As you can see from the pictures, the restored floor brought the kitchen back to life and made the room look brighter.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Tiles Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Middlesex

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