Walton on Thames Archives - South Middlesex Tile Doctor

Pale Limestone Floor Clean Seal Walton-on-Thames

Pale Limestone Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Walton-on-Thames

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

This Pale Limestone floor was installed in the kitchen and adjacent dining area at a property in Walton-on-Thames around three years ago. Unfortunately, it was not sealed after installation and over those three years dirt had slowly become ingrained in the stone giving it a darker/dirty appearance.

Kitchens especially are high traffic areas and so always under attack from foot traffic and spillages from cooking. Additionally, the adjacent dining area had patio doors and was vulnerable to dirt being walked in from the garden.

We always recommend sealing porous flooring material like natural stone such as Limestone. Otherwise, dirt becomes lodged in the pores of the stone and once that happens it becomes very difficult to remove.

I visited the site to survey the floor and carried out a small test clean at one end of the Kitchen to work out the best cleaning solution and to show the client the result that could be achieved.

Limestone Floor During Test Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

The test went well, and the clean tiles showed up well against their neighbours. My clients were very happy to see the potential of a full clean and were happy to go ahead with my quotation.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

To deep clean the Limestone, it was initially wetted with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which as is name suggests is a powerful cleaning agent designed to remove coatings and stains from tiles. Working in sections the solution was applied and left to soak into the stone for around fifteen minutes before being scrubber into the tile using a black pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer.

During scrubbing the cleaning solution soon turned black as the dirt was broken down and pushed out of pores in the stone. The soil was then rinsed off the floor and extracted using a low-pressure extraction machine. The buffing pad can struggle to reach into the depths of the grout so after cleaning the tile I gave the grout a good scrub by hand using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean.

Limestone Floor During Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

After a final rinse and extraction to remove any remaining products and dirt from the floor you could see huge difference between the clean and original sections of floor. Some areas that were very heavily soiled did need more work though, so the process was repeated until I was satisfied that the floor was as clean as possible. The floor was then left to dry overnight, ready for sealing the following day.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning the next day, the moisture level of the floor was checked with a damp meter to ensure it had fully dried out. Satisfied with the readings two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow tile sealer were applied to the floor. Colour Grow is a premium impregnating sealer which gives excellent protection against spillages and general foot traffic, making the floor very easy to maintain in the future. I chose this sealer as it improves colour and brings out the best in Pale Limestone.

Limestone Floor After Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

Once complete the Limestone looked so much cleaner and brighter and as you would expect given the transformation my client was very happy with the work.

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and with the floor being sealed, I recommended in future they use a milder cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Stronger household tile cleaning products can prematurely break down the sealer and once that happens, they will soon be back to square one.

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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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Slate Tiled Floor Before After Renovation Walton-on-Thames

Removing Varnish from a Slate Tiled Floor in Walton on Thames

1 Comment / Shepperton Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jonathan Oldham

Our client had previously employed another company to tackle this large Slate floor in Walton on Thames but they hadn’t managed to remove the old sealer due to it being an old varnish seal. Varnish was used as a traditional way of sealing stone but can be damaged by scratching and it does little to improve the look of the stone. Varnish is also very difficult to break down which is a problem as it’s important to remove the old sealant before applying new, applying a new sealer onto Varnish simply wouldn’t work.

Slate Floor Before Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

I visited the property to survey the floor and work out which combination of products and methods would work best and after some testing and I was able to confirm that not only could the old varnish be removed but once re-sealed with a modern sealer the slate would be transformed.

The client was over the moon to hear this news as they had thought there was nothing, they could do to improve the floor.

Removing Varnish and Deep Cleaning Slate Floor Tiles

With a price and schedule agreed I returned to the property at a later date and started by tackling the varnish. The method I used was to apply Tile Doctor Remove and Go, let it soak into the floor for ten minutes and then work it in with a heavy rotary scrubbing machine fitted with a black pad. The soil was then rinsed with water and extracted off the floor with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected, and each tile checked to ensure the varnish was completely gone, any stubborn areas were then spot treated and scrubbed by hand. Once I was satisfied, I set about giving the stone a deep clean by repeating the same process with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. As before all the soil and cleaning products were then low pressure rinsed off the stone and vacuumed away. The floor was then left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the following day to apply a new modern sealer. First, I tested the floor was dry using the moisture meter. It was in the acceptable readings range, so I was able to start applying the sealer straight away.

Slate Floor After Cleaning and Sealing Walton-on-Thames

For this floor I chose to apply Tile Doctor Seal and Go, it works really well on Slate tiles and as you can see from the photographs it completely transformed the appearance of the stone. Seal and Go is a water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish, being water based it has the added advantage of not giving off any odour as it dries. The client had specified earlier that they didn’t want the floor to look shiny to the resultant silky appearance was the perfect solution. Thee coats were applied, and my client was very pleased with the finish.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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