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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 »

Renovated Multi-Coloured Slate Floor in Staines Upon Thames

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.

Slate Cleaning