Porcelain Tile Cleaning Archives - South Middlesex Tile Doctor

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.

Professional Cleaning of a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor in Middlesex

Porcelain Tile & Grout Floor Renovation in a Shepperton Kitchen Read More »

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

Grout Haze Removed from Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles in Twickenham Read More »

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

Post Installation Clean of Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles in Middlesex Hampton Read More »