middleton Archives - Greater Manchester Tile Doctor

Marble Tiled Floor Before After Polishing Middleton

Marble Floor Tiles Polished and Sealed in Middleton, Manchester

This customer in Middleton near Manchester wanted to bring the shine up on the tiled floor in their Kitchen and Dining Room, it had been laid nearly fifteen years before and was now dull, lifeless and the grout was also in need of a clean.

I was told the tiles were Ceramic however after visiting the property and running some tests if became clear that the tiles were in fact Marble. There are some very realistic Ceramic and Porcelain tiles on the market however you usually find they have a set of repeating patterns whereas with natural stone no two tiles are the same.

Marble Tiled Floor Before Polishing Middleton Manchester

The floor had lost its shine over the years which is a common problem with natural stone such as Marble which ideally needs to be polished and have the sealer topped up every year to keep it in the best condition. The cleaning test results were so good that the customer booked us in to complete the floor straight away after agreeing the quote.

Cleaning and Polishing a Marble Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

We started by giving the floor a general clean with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean paying special attention to the grout where it was scrubbed in along the grout lines using a stiff narrow brush. The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed off and extracted using a wet vacuum.

The next step was to clean and re-polish the Marble using the 400, 800 and 1500 grit burnishing pads which re-hone the stone bringing up the polish gradually. You use water to lubricate the process and rinse with more water in-between each pad to rinse off the soil that is generated. The soil is then extracted with a wet vacuum.

After running all three pads over the floor in sequence and the floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to complete the work.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

On my return I started by running over the floor with the fourth burnishing pad in the set which is a very fine 3000-grit pad. It’s applied with a little water sprayed onto the floor using a technique we call a “Spray Burnish” and it really brings up the polish on the Marble tiles.

The last step was to seal the Marble tiles which will protect them from dirt becoming ingrained in the pores of the stone and make them easier to clear. For this I chose to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer which has the added benefit of enhancing the natural colours in the stone.

Marble Tiled Floor After Polishing Middleton Manchester

It was the perfect choice for the floor and the final result was quite a transformation. Certainly my customer was very happy with the results and left the following feedback on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“Excellent professional service. The floor tiles are back to how to how they were 14 years ago.”

Before leaving I discussed aftercare and explained that the more a polished floor gets used the more the shine and sealer wears off, so I always advise having the floor re-polished once a year using the 3000-grit pad and then adding another coat of sealer. My customer agreed and has already booked me in for a years’ time to do the work which should only take about two hours.

Professional Renovation of a Marble Tiled Floor in Greater Manchester

Marble Floor Tiles Polished and Sealed in Middleton, Manchester Read More »

Stained Quarry Tiled Porch Cleaned and Sealed in Middleton

It’s not uncommon for us to hear from customers who have decoration work undertaken, only for the builders to leave plaster and paint stains all over the floor. These types of stains can be particularly difficult to remove from tiles – especially if you rely on using everyday, supermarket quality products.

Quarry tiled porch before cleaning Middleton

This was a problem for this customer from the town of Middleton, who had just had a new porch built and in the process the Quarry tiled floor had become very noticeably stained. Struggling to deal with the problem herself, the customer found Tile Doctor online and decided to make use of our expertise.

Cleaning Stained Quarry Tiles

To clean the porch tiles we used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, our powerful alkaline product designed to remove dirt and stains on natural stone tiles and grout. We evenly applied Pro Clean and left it to dwell for five minutes, allowing it to seep into the tiles. We then agitated the product with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine, breaking down the stubborn paint and plaster marks.

The resulting slurry was then removed using a wet vacuum, before the floor was rinsed thoroughly to remove any chemicals from the stone. With the tiles looking fresh and clean, we left them to dry completely overnight. We recommend a natural drying period of about 24 hours, although in some circumstances heat guns and turbo dryers can assist in speeding up the process.

Sealing Quarry Tiles

I returned to the property the next day, starting by using my damp tester to check whether the floor was dry enough to seal. There were some areas that were still damp, but I managed to get them dry quickly with my heat gun.

For sealing, I used four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, our water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low-sheen finish that compliments the natural stone. The addition of a fresh sealer will make the tiles far easier to keep clean in the future.

Quarry tiled porch after sealing Middleton

The customer was very pleased with the overall result. However, she was keen to make sure she could give the tiles the regular maintenance they need, so I left her with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This gentle, pH-neutral cleaner is perfect for regular maintenance as it reliably removes dirt and stains without damaging the sealer. You can use it to clean all types of tiles, stone and grout.