Work by Category Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Greater Manchester Tile Doctor

Shower Cubicle Before After Renovation Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Grubby Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovated in in Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Shower Tile and Grout renovation is a speciality of ours and has made us popular with landlords who understand properties are easier to rent when the bathrooms look fresh. This was the case with this shower cubicle at a rental property in Chorlton-cum-Hardy which is a popular suburb of Manchester south of Old Trafford.

Grubby Shower Cubicle Before Renovation Chorlton Cum Hardy Rental Property

The shower cubicle was in quite a state and well overdue a deep clean. You can see from the photographs that the shower tray was very dirty, the white ceramic wall tiles were grubby, the white grout had gone black and the silicone sealant had darkened with mould.

Cleaning a Grubby Shower Cubicle in Chorlton

Working in sections from top to bottom I began the cleaning process by treating the tile and grout with Tile Doctor Duo-Clean which a double action cleaning product. Duo-Clean is a recent addition to the Tile Doctor range and combines the properties of an effective tile and grout cleaner with a mould remover. It cleans and can remove mould and blackspot from grout and silicone, so an ideal product for cleaning up neglected shower cubicles.

The spray attachment mixes the product with air making it light and allowing it to easily stick to vertical surfaces where it can get to work breaking down dirt and mould. It was sprayed onto the wall tile and grout and then left to dwell for five minutes before being scrubbed in with a stiff brush. The area was subsequently rinsed with water to remove the soil. In some stubborn places, I didn’t achieve the desired result right away, so I repeated the cleaning process a couple of times before moving onto the next section. I can tell you a lot of elbow grease was expended on this particular cubicle, I even cleaned up the shower tray which had gone green with an accumulation of soap scum.

When the tile and grout was cleaned to the best of my abilities, I used a heat gun to dry the walls quickly. Next, I removed all the mouldy silicone around the shower tray with a sharp knife and then further dried the area.

Sealing Shower Grout

After everything was cleaned and dried, I sealed the grout using Tile Doctor Wall Tile and Grout Sealer Aerosol Spray. The tiles were glazed ceramic so won’t accept a sealer however the top layer of grout is porous which makes it vulnerable to dirt, grease, mould and limescale. Sealing will therefore ensure it keeps its appearance for longer and reduce the need for regular maintenance. Being a spray on sealer it’s very easy to apply, all you have to do is wipe it off the excess sealer from the adjacent tile afterwards.

Grubby Shower Cubicle After Renovation Chorlton Cum Hardy Rental Property

When I had finished sealing the grout, I applied new, high quality and mould resistant silicone in White to match the tile and shower tray. With that, the restoration was complete.

The whole process took less than a day and although it was hard work both myself and the landlord were very pleased with the outcome. If you didn’t know any better, you would think it was a brand-new installation.

Shower Cubicle Cleaning in Greater Manchester

Grubby Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovated in in Chorlton-cum-Hardy Read More »

Ceramic Tile Grout Bathroom Before and After Grout Colouring Manchester

Bathroom Tile and Grout Refresh in Manchester City Rental Apartment

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Manchester City Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

A client with a high-rise apartment in Manchester city centre contacted us in relation to the look of their bathroom tiles. The grout had become grubby and black with mould and it was clear from their message that they were considering have the grout replaced in order to freshen up the bathroom.

We discussed the problem over the telephone, and they emailed a picture of the bathroom across so I could get a better idea of what needed doing. It turns out that the apartment had been rented out previously and they needed the bathroom renovating so they could start letting it again. Clearly, they were keen to have the work completed as soon as possible. Fortunately, we are sometimes able to come out on short notice, especially for small jobs like this and so were able to do the work the following week

Manchester Rental Apartment Bathroom Before Grout Colouring

Re-grouting is a lot of work and very time consuming so I explained the benefits of Grout Colouring which is much quicker and results in a more practical finish as I will explain. There was a small issue with parking as one would expect from the city centre, but we were able to use one of the parking spaces of a neighbour in the basement of the building.

Cleaning the Grout and Tiles in a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom

My first task was to get the grout as clean as possible before applying the colourant and given the amount of mould I decided to apply Tile Doctor Duo-Clean which is a Tile Cleaner/Mould Remover and ideal for use on ceramic tile and grout. The product was sprayed onto the tiles and grout and then scrubbed in by hand to get the grout as clean as possible. I also used a powerful steam cleaner to get the grout as clean as possible before rinsing the soil off with water. This process went well, and the grout looked much cleaner afterwards but was now a little patchy in places due to deep staining.

It’s worth noting that mould thrives in damp warm conditions and can easily be controlled by ensuring the bathroom has adequate ventilation. Some modern showers have a function that cool the bathroom down after use by running the shower on a cold setting. Improving cross-ventilation by leaving the bathroom door and a window open can also improve the situation and of course you can always apply Tile Doctor Duo-Clean on a regular basis.

Recolouring Grout in a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom

Once the grout was dry and as clean as it could be, I applied a White Tile Doctor Grout Colourant along the grout lines with a small brush taking care to wipe off any excess from the tiles as I went. Only one bottle of colourant was needed, and I have found baby wipes work well when wiping off the excess.

The last step in the bathroom renovation was to strip out all the old mouldy silicone between the bath and the tiles and replace with new mould resistant silicone.

The cleaning and grout colour completely transformed the look of the bathroom leaving it looking fresh. The grout which was previously dark and patchy was now a consistent white colour giving the impression it had only been recently tiled. The colourant also forms an epoxy barrier over the grout that will prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the grouts surface going forward, it’s also much easier to clean.

Manchester Rental Apartment Bathroom After Grout Colouring

The customer was most impressed with the result and has informed us since that they will back in touch about renovating the grout in their own home! They left the following comment on the Tile Doctor website.

“Kamila made a wonderful job cleaning my grout and silicone. The bathroom looks like new. She was also easy to deal, very friendly and professional. Thank you!”

Professional Bathroom Tile and Grout Refresh in Manchester Apartment

Bathroom Tile and Grout Refresh in Manchester City Rental Apartment Read More »

Varnished Marble Tiled Floor Grout Before After Renovation Oldham

Chequered Marble Tiled Porch Renovation in Oldham

1 Comment / Marble Tile Cleaning, Oldham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

Our client contacted us after they moved into a house built circa early 1900 with many Victorian era features. One of them was lovely tiled floor in their porch which consisted of a chequered pattern of Black and White Marble tiles. The white tiles were especially grubby and in need of a deep clean. Being a fan of period features they were keen to see if the tiles could be renovated back to their former glory.

The property was in Oldham, which is approximately 7 miles to the north east of Manchester near to Rochdale and well known for its history in the textile industry. We conducted a test on the tiles which worked well, and we were confident the whole floor could be significantly improved. The client was satisfied, we agreed a price and the job was booked in.

Marble Tiled Victorian Porch Before Restoration Oldham

Cleaning/Repairing a Marble Tiled Hallway Floor

Initially, to clean the floor we used Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was applied to the floor and left to soak into the tile and soften the dirt. This was followed up by scrubbing the product into the floor with a coarse black pad fitted to a rotary machine. The machine scrubbing really gets into the dirty areas and the grout lines. During the work we discovered that two of the tiles were loose, so they had to be removed, cleaned up and then re-secured using a flexible tile adhesive.

Being Tile Doctors, we are trained in all thing tile and so unlike regular cleaning businesses we are happy to carry out repairs along side the cleaning process. It also means we have a deeper understanding of the materials we are working with which enables us to complete the job to the highest standard.

Marble Tiled Victorian Porch During Restoration Oldham

We left site for a short while and then returned to carry out the sealing process which would protect them from dirt and stains going forward. It was a relatively small area and so it wasn’t long before the tiles were dry, and the new adhesive had set.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is an impregnating breathable sealer that will cope will with the damp environment and the elements that the floor would be subjected to in an external location. This product also enhances the black and white contrast in the tiles improving the overall look of the floor.

Marble Tiled Victorian Porch After Restoration Oldham

I think you will agree the pictures speak for themselves. It is lovely when you can get an old floor back to looking how it was when it was laid originally. The customer was astonished with the result and left the comment below.

Kamila from STOCKPORT was excellent. Did a wonderful job of refurbishing the Victorian tiles in our porch, was quick efficient and very accommodating to our timetables
Yvonne L, Oldham

Professional Cleaning of a Marble Tiled Porch in Greater Manchester

Chequered Marble Tiled Porch Renovation in Oldham Read More »

Old Flagstone Kitchen Floor Before After Restoration Broadbottom

Flagstone Kitchen Floor Resurfaced in Broadbottom

1 Comment / Ashton-under-Lyne Tile Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Work History / TileProf

The new owners of this lovely terraced house in the village of Broadbottom that was built circa 1900, inherited with it a lovely old flagstone floor in the Kitchen which was now in a rather bad state with ingrained dirt and stains.

Old Flagstone Floor Before Cleaning Broadbottom

I suspected that the White staining was due to alkaline salts, a problem more commonly known as efflorescence. However, I took a moisture reading of the floor with a damp meter and the readings were normal, so it may have been a historic damp problem that cause it. We are always wary of efflorescence issues when it comes to older properties as damp proof membranes which resolve this problem are a relatively modern invention.

After explaining the process, I worked out a quote which was accepted and booked a date in the diary for the work to commence, which would take place over two days.

Cleaning and Grouting a Flagstone Kitchen Floor

First the floor was in a terrible state and needed to be resurfaced if it was going to live up to its potential. To do this I used a 100 followed by a 200-grit coarse Diamond milling pads to grind off the top layer of ground in dirt, resurface the stone and reveal the beautiful stone beneath. These abrasive pads are run over the floor with a weighted floor buffer running on a nice slow speed and lubricated with water. The floor is rinsed with more water after each pad and then the soil extracted using a wet vacuum.

As the floor had quite a few areas where the grout had cracked and crumbled, I decided to rake this out and replaced it with a flexible grout using a colour sympathetic to the original. This and the milling made an immediate improvement to the overall appearance of the floor. The floor was then left to dry off overnight and I came back the next day to apply a sealer.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next day I checked the floors moisture level before sealing, all was well, so I applied a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that has a matt finish. Tile Doctor Colour Grow is also fully breathable so should cope well with any damp issues and allow moisture to rise through the stone and evaporate. This is important as otherwise moisture could become trapped under the floor where it could eventually cause problems in the walls.

Old Flagstone Floor After Sealing Broadbottom

The customers were delighted with the outcome, the colour of the stone had really improved also Milling the surface of the floor makes it smoother so it would now be much easier for them to keep clean in future.

For aftercare I left them with a bottle of concentrated Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which once diluted is a pH neutral product that will not erode the newly applied sealer. Many household cleaners are too strong for sealed floor and will prematurely erode the sealer over time.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen Floor in Greater Manchester

Flagstone Kitchen Floor Resurfaced in Broadbottom Read More »

Marble Tiled Floor Before After Polishing Middleton

Marble Floor Tiles Polished and Sealed in Middleton, Manchester

1 Comment / Marble Tile Cleaning, Middleton Tile Cleaning, Work History / TileProf

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 »

Terrazzo Kitchen Tile Floor Before After Cleaning Manchester

Deep Cleaning Grubby Terrazzo Kitchen Tiles at Manchester Apartment

2 Comments / Manchester City Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

I recently visited a customer with a grubby Terrazzo tiled kitchen floor who lived in the Skyline Apartments in the centre of Manchester. Billed as luxury accommodation the building has a Gym and apparently a 20-metre swimming pool on the roof. The floor in the Kitchen was around 6m square and my customer originally thought the tiles were Limestone, but I was able to confirm they were Terrazzo, not that it mattered from my point of view as the cleaning process would be the same.

Terrazzo Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Skyline Apartments Manchester

The previous owner of the apartment had never maintained the floor properly, so my customer inherited a very grubby Terrazzo floor and had tried getting rid of the dirt without much success. After running a few tests, I could see that that any protective sealer had long since failed and dirt was now ingrained in the pores of the tile. The tiles would now need to be burnished to restore the appearance and then sealed to protect it from ingrained dirt going forward.

Cleaning and Polishing a Terrazzo Tiled Floor

To get the floor clean and ensure what was left of the old sealer was removed I scrubbed a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go into the tiles. This product works best if you leave it to dwell on the tile for around ten minutes before working it in. Afterwards the soiled product was removed using a wet vacuum which makes light work of extracting liquids from hard floors.

To burnish the Terrazzo, I used a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing pads which are applied to the floor using a rotary floor buffer running a slow speed in sequence from coarse to very fine. Lubricated with water this process uses a coarse pad to cut back through the tile to remove marks and ingrained dirt. This is followed by the medium and fine pads rinsing the floor with water in between each pad and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum. The last pad which is a 3000-grit very fine pad is applied dry to the floor with only a little water sprayed onto the tile using a process we call a spray burnish.

Being a kitchen there were a few deep stains in the floor which I was able to spot treat with Tile Doctor Reduxa which is an interesting product that is absorbed into the floor and then when heat is applied it evaporates lifting the stain out with it.

Terrazzo Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Reduxa Skyline Apartments Manchester

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor

To seal the Terrazzo, I used two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which as the name suggest is a colour enhancing sealer. The product works by soaking into the tile occupying the pores so dirt cannot become ingrained there. It added a lovely finish to the Terrazzo, enhancing its appearance and will make the floor much easier to keep clean going forward.

Terrazzo Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Skyline Apartments Manchester

The completed floor now looks clean and fresh and an amazing transformation considering how dirty the floor looked when I first arrived. My customer was very pleased with the improvement and left the following short comment on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

Kamila is the best!! great job.

Terrazzo Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Closeup Skyline Apartments Manchester

Restoring a Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen and Family room Floor in Manchester

Deep Cleaning Grubby Terrazzo Kitchen Tiles at Manchester Apartment Read More »

Mouldy Ceramic Tile Grout Before and After Cleaning Eccles

Mouldy Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Restored in Eccles

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Eccles Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

An elderly couple from the Greater Manchester town of Eccles were in touch recently regarding their Ceramic Tiled Bathroom, they had a big problem with mould build-up due to a broken extractor fan and wanted it removing. Mould grows in humid conditions and with the extractor fan out of action it soon started to spread. If you have been reading my blog, you will have seen some of the bathroom transformations we have completed over the years, so I was confident we could resolve the problem for them and paid them a visit to take a look.

Mouldy Bathroom Before Restoration in Eccles

You can see from the photographs that the tiles were in good physical condition, but the grout and silicone mastic sealant was stained with shampoo dyes and mould spots, the worst part however was the ceiling which was covered in mould growth. I ran a test clean on the bathroom wall grout and ceiling which went very well so we quickly agreed on a date to clean the whole bathroom.

Cleaning a Ceramic Shower Cubicle

They say you should always start at the top and work down so my first task was to treat the mouldy bathroom ceiling with Tile Doctor Duo Clean which although marketed for use on grout it worked just as well on paint to remove the mould. When done with ceiling I moved on to the wall tiles spraying on Duo Clean, letting it soak in for ten minutes, working it in to the grout with a stiff brush and then rinsing off with water.

With four walls of tile and grout and a ceiling to clean the overall cleaning process took two days to complete and at the end of the second day I turned my attention to the silicone sealant. Taking care not to scratch the bathtub I carefully stripped out the silicone in-between the tile and bath with a sharp knife. Duo Clean works on silicone as well but you do need to catch it early so often the easiest thing to do is to replace it rather than clean it. I replaced the silicone with a good quality mould and bacteria resistant silicone.

When I returned on the next day I carried on with the Top/Down approach by turning my attention back to the ceiling which I painted with a white moisture resistant emulsion paint.

Mouldy Bathroom After Restoration in Eccles

With the ceiling freshly painted I then took another look at the grout which although clean was not a perfect white anymore and looked dull and uninviting. We do find this can happen with grout, especially if it isn’t the subject of a regular cleaning regime. There is a remedy though and what we find works well in these cases is to recolour the grout with an epoxy-based Grout Colourant which not only rejuvenates the grout it also protects it for years to come.

Grout Colouring Bathroom Wall Tiles

There are ten colours to choose from in the Tile Doctor range of Grout Colourant however in this case I felt the best outcome would be to use a White colourant to match the tiles and restore the original look of the bathroom.

The colourant is easily applied directly to the grout and in this case, I applied two coats with the aid of a small brush making sure to remove any excess that comes into contact with the tile. After applying the colourant, the bathroom transformation was complete, and it looked like a new installation.

It was a lot of work however I was really happy with the outcome and so were the clients who even left me a nice tip. The last thing to sort out is the extractor fan, however they will need a different tradesman for that job.

Bathroom Tile Renovation in Greater Manchester

Mouldy Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Restored in Eccles Read More »

Bathroom Wall Tile Before and After Renovation in Stockport

Tile and Grout Refresh for Neglected Bathroom in Stockport

1 Comment / Stockport Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / TileProf

If you’re a landlord, it can be quite difficult to know what your tenants are getting up to and whether they are taking good care of your property. It’s usually only when major problems emerge that a landlord will get involved.

Such was the case with a recent customer of mine who owns a property in Stockport, a large town in Greater Manchester not too far south from the main city centre. The tenants of the property either neglected or didn’t know how to take care of the tiled shower walls in the bathroom. Over time, the condition of the tiles and grout had become so appalling that the landlord had to call Tile Doctor to see about restoring them.

Bath Shower Tile Before Refresh Stockport

Cleaning Dirty Shower Tiles

I began the restoration by cleaning the grout lines, which were truly filthy. This was done using a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean. Pro-Clean is an ideal product for cleaning up neglected tiles and grout, since it removes all manner of dirt, including the soap scum and grease which had built up on these shower walls over the course of several months.

The product was left to dwell for a couple of minutes before being scrubbed deep into the grout. The area was subsequently rinsed with fresh water to remove the soil. In some stubborn places, I didn’t achieve the desired result right away, so I repeated the cleaning process a couple of times.

When the grout and tiles were cleaned to the best of my abilities, I used my heat gun to dry the walls quickly. Next, I removed all the mouldy silicone around the shower, a process which proved quite tricky because the tiles were all quite small, and there was newer silicone on top of old, very mouldy silicone, so I had to dig in deep to get it all out.

After doing this, I had to clean and dry the gap between the tiles and the bath because the old mouldy silicone didn’t leave it in a pretty state.

Sealing Shower Tiles

After everything was cleaned and dried, I sealed the walls using Tile Doctor Wall Tile and Grout Sealer Aerosol Spray. What makes this such a brilliant product is how easy it is to use. It is a spray-on sealer that adds long lasting protection against water, dirt, grease, mould and limescale. This reduces the amount of maintenance required.

When I had finished sealing the tiles and grout, I applied new, high quality and mould resistant silicone. With that, the restoration was complete. The whole process took only a day’s work, but you must agree that a fantastic outcome was achieved. The landlord and tenants were very happy with it, remarking that if they didn’t know any better, they would’ve thought it was a brand-new installation.

Bath Shower Tile After Refresh Stockport

Filthy Bath Tile and Grout Cleaned and Sealed in Greater Manchester

Tile and Grout Refresh for Neglected Bathroom in Stockport Read More »

Victorian Tiled Chruch Floor Before and After Renovation in Rishton

1877 Victorian Tiled Church Floor Restored in Rishton

1 Comment / Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / TileProf

Earlier this year I was asked to restore a number of Victorian tiled floors at the St. Peter & St. Paul’s Parish Church in Rishton near Blackburn. The Church has a lot of carpet flooring and some had to be removed due to some other work that was going on and these tiles were discovered underneath. The Vicar believe the tiles are originals and date back to 1877.

Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Rishton Church

You can see from the photograph above that the tiles were discoloured with years upon years of ingrained dirt but what you can’t see is the adhesive that was used to secure the carpet to the tile. The whole floor and the Altar behind would need several deep cleans to remove the dirt and glue and being a busy church with an active congregation it would need to be done in a few days. In need of an extra pair of hands I gave Derbyshire Tile Doctor Henri Mall a call and he was more than happy to help me out.

Deep Cleaning Old Victorian Church Tiles

To begin, I took moisture readings over all areas due to be worked on; Damp Proof Membranes were not invented until relatively recently, so it pays to know in advance how damp the floor is. Next, I gave the floor a quick clean in Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, mainly to remove any surface dirt and grit. This was then followed by the application of a 200 grit burnishing pad to grind off surface dirt and excess glue so we access the pores of the tile. The resultant soil was then rinsed off with water and then extracted using a wet vacuum.

The next step was to give the tiles a good soak in a solution of NanoTech HBU remover (HBU stands for Heavy Build-Up) which was then scrubbed in using a black pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. This process worked well to release the ingrained dirt from the tile and took off a lot of the glue however it took quite a few iterations and the use of a portable steamer to really get the floor clean.

Victorian Floor During Cleaning Rishton Church

There was a lot of tile to do so working in sections it took Henri and I two days to really get the floor clean. A lot of water was used in the process and although a lot of the moisture was extracted using a wet vacuum we felt it best to leave the floor to thoroughly dry out for a couple of days.

Sealing Old Victorian Church Tiles

The floor needed to be dry before sealing so on our return I checked the floor with the damp meter and compared it with my previous readings. All was so Henri and I started applying the first coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating and breathable sealer ideal for this situation. Colour Grow seeps into the pores of the tile protecting it from within and enhancing the colours in the tile. Three coats were needed so it took most of the day to complete.

Victorian Floor After Cleaning Rishton Church

While it was a lot of work we were very both pleased with the outcome, as was the Vicar who left the following comment on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

Many thanks to Tony Olmet, not only a very good job but he worked tirelessly, never stopped, to get it done. Nothing a problem, very helpful chap. Recommended.
Christopher Holden (vicar), Rishton 14 July 2017

140 Year Old Victorian Tiled Church Floors Restored in the Diocese of Blackburn

1877 Victorian Tiled Church Floor Restored in Rishton Read More »

Grout Cleaned and Recoloured in Manchester Office Toilets and Kitchens

1 Comment / Manchester City Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Work History / TileProf

We recently received a request from the Manchester headquarters of a global engineering and construction company which was founded in 1911 and now operates in over 160 countries. The company contacted us because they were keen to restore the tiled walls and floors in 20 different toilets and kitchens throughout the offices.

It would be a big job, but we were more than happy to respond to the enquiry. We agreed a complimentary visit to the office for us to test clean one of the floors to show what kind of results could be achieved. The management team at the offices was very impressed with the results of the test clean and asked us to complete the whole job.

Toilet Floor at Corporate Offices Manchester Before Cleaning

There was talk of replacing some of the grout completely and I explained that it would be less expensive and time consuming to restore the discoloured grout through cleaning and recolouring and they were happy to let us proceed on that basis.

Mens Toilet Floor at Corporate Offices Before Cleaning

Cleaning Discoloured Grout Lines

As there were 20 different rooms to clean and recolour, our team worked in a couple of rooms at a time to ensure firstly, that we got the job done in time and secondly, that we wouldn’t disturb the normal operations of the offices.

The process was as follows. To clean the grout, we used a strong mix of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, a strong Alkaline-based cleaner which reliably gets the job done in situations where most run-of-the-mill cleaners won’t. We applied the Pro Clean to the grout lines and tiles and left it to dwell for about 10 minutes. We then scrubbed the grout lines with specially designed grout brushes and followed by cleaning the tiles with a black scrubbing pad fitted to our rotary machine.

Ladies Toilet Floor at Corporate Offices During Cleaning

After scrubbing the tiles and grout, we rinsed and removed all the dirty water and cleaning solution with a wet vacuum. We repeated the rinsing process several times to make sure all chemicals were neutralised. Similar cleaning techniques were used to clean the tiles on the walls, but the walls took a lot longer to complete as the tiles were much smaller and therefore had a greater number of grout lines. When all the cleaning process was finished, we left the tiles to dry until the next day.

Toilet Floor at Corporate Offices Manchester After Cleaning

Recolouring the Wall and Floor Grout Lines

To recolour the grout lines, we used the Grout Colourant from Tile Doctor’s own range. Available in ten different colours, this is a brilliant product as it rejuvenates and also seals the grout. The fact that the colourant is epoxy based will also make future maintenance easier, as you can just wipe off the dirt.

Toilet Floor Grout During Recolouring at Corporate Offices Manchester

Toilet Floor at Corporate Offices Manchester After Grout Colouring

For the floor grout lines, we used the Natural Grey colourant and for walls we used White. The application of the colourant is simple yet quite laborious when working in large rooms. After finishing, we wiped off any excess product.

Kitchen Floor at corporate offices Before and After Cleaning

Overall, it took us two weeks to complete all the work but I think you will agree from the photographs that all toilets and kitchens look completely rejuvenated. We got lots of good feedback from the people who work at the company. They all stated that the toilets and kitchen look like new and even asked us about restoring grout in their own homes.

Commercial Toilets and Kitchen Grout Restoration at International HQ Manchester

Grout Cleaned and Recoloured in Manchester Office Toilets and Kitchens Read More »