Molesey

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.

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.

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