Patio Cleaning

Yorkstone Paved Patio Before After Cleaning Shepperton

Yorkstone Patio Renovation in Shepperton

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.

Yorkstone Patio During Cleaning Shepperton

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 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.

Yorkstone Patio After Cleaning Shepperton

 

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Faded Slate Patio Before After Renovation Twickenham

Faded Slate Patio Renovated in Twickenham

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.

Slate Patio Before Cleaning Twickenham

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.

Slate Patio After Renovation Twickenham

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

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Slate Tiled Patio Before After Renovation Brentford

Renovation of Slate Tiled Patio in Brentford

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.

Slate Patio Before Renovation Brentford

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.

Slate Patio During Renovation Brentford

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.

Slate Patio After Renovation Brentford

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.

 

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