Floor Tiles Archives - South Middlesex Tile Doctor

Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor Renovation Hounslow

Black Slate Kitchen Floor Stripped and Resealed in Hounslow

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

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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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