Sale Tile Cleaning

Sale Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find examples of the cleaning and renovation of tiles carried out in Sale.

Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovation Chorlton

Renovating a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Chorlton

We were contacted by the client in Chorlton suburb of Manchester to look at restoring the appearance of a Ceramic tiled shower cubicle. The grout was very dirty and severely discoloured, despite trying multiple products nothing the client did could resolve the problem. Having given up on their own efforts they were considering having the shower re-grouted as a final option and contacted Tile Doctor.

I went over to the property to look at the shower cubicle and could see that although the Ceramic tiles were holding some dirt it was the grout that was the main issue. The cementitious and rough nature of the grout was holding onto the dirt and was developing mould in some places. What was once a nice crisp white shower grout had turned black and was now very uninviting.

Shower Cubicle Before Restoration Chorlton Shower Cubicle Before Restoration Chorlton

Although we have had a lot of success using grout cleaning products such as Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel and Duo Clean, I knew from experience that it would be very difficult to remove the deep staining completely. When the grout is this badly discoloured the best solution is to clean the grout as much as possible and then use a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant to restore the colour. I discussed with them the process and they were happy with my price and gave me the go ahead.

Cleaning and Restoring a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

I set about cleaning the grout using the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant Pre-Treatment spray which not only cleans the grout lines it is also slightly acidic, so it etches the surface of the grout enabling a superior bond with the colourant which is applied later. This was sprayed onto the tile and scrubbed by hand with a stiff brush. I also used a steam cleaner with a special grout nozzle to focus the steam and draw out as much of the ingrained dirt as possible.

Once I was happy with the grout, I turned my attention to the ceramic shower tiles which were scrubbed with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. I then rinsed the tiles and grout with water to remove the soil that had been released. Ceramic tiles are glazed so they don’t attract dirt as easily as grout which was the main problem with this shower. The shower tiles and grout were then wiped with a cloth and gentry dried with a heat gun.

Once the grout was dry, I applied Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in white, this is simply brushed on with a small brush and any excess that gets onto the adjacent tile is wiped off before it dries, one bottle was enough to complete the job. The Grout Colourant comes in ten different colours and there is also a pack available which includes everything you need. Whilst the grout colourant was drying, I removed the old silicone sealer between the tile and shower tray and replaced with new.

Shower Cubicle After Restoration Chorlton Shower Cubicle After Restoration Chorlton

The transformation was instantaneous and resulted in the shower looking like new, my client was really happy with the improvement.

It’s worth noting that the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant adds a protective barrier over the grout giving it some protection which unlike the grout itself makes it very easy to keep clean. For aftercare I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Aqua Pro which is formulated for the regular cleaning of shower cubicles and will help them to keep the tiles and grout clean.

Shower Cubicle After Restoration Chorlton

 

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Manchester

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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.

Grubby Shower Cubicle Before Renovation Chorlton Cum Hardy Rental Property

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.

Grubby Shower Cubicle After Renovation Chorlton Cum Hardy Rental Property

 

Shower Cubicle Cleaning in Greater Manchester

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

Old Quarry Tiled Floor Restored in Hale

Dirty Quarry Tiled Floor Transformed in Hale

We are very often contacted by customers to restore tiled floors they didn’t even know existed. Usually, the tiles will be hidden away underneath either carpet or, in some cases, linoleum. And, once the tiles are discovered, the likelihood is that the property owners want to have them restored to their original condition which is understandable as original features definitely add value to a property.

Here’s an example of this sort of work that I recently undertook at a property in the affluent suburb of Hale which is only ten miles from Manchester. The recently discovered floor in question was formed of very nice (but also very dirty) Quarry tiles. The customers had just bought the property and, having pulled up the carpets on the ground floor, were surprised with what they found.

Quarry Tiles in Hale Before Cleaning

They really wanted to get the floor restored in order to highlight the original character of the property, however, it was very heavily soiled and marked with glue deposits that proved very difficult for them to remove. As a result, they opted to search online for a solution – finding Tile Doctor in the process.

Quarry Tiles in Hale Before Cleaning

In the first instance, I visited the property to conduct a test clean and, with the customers pleased the result, we agreed dates for the full restoration to be carried out.

Cleaning a Dirty Quarry Tiled Floor

For cleaning the floor I started by using Tile Doctor Remove & Go, a product which is specially designed for removing coatings such as sealers, waxes and adhesives from tile – including the types of glue deposits left upon the removal of carpet. I left the product to dwell on the floor for 10 minutes before scrubbing it in to the tiles with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine.

Next, I removed the now soiled cleaning solution with my wet vacuum and rinsed the floor several times with water to neutralise it, again followed by extracting the water after every rinse. Overall, the cleaning process was a success, but there were a few problem areas where the adhesive proved particularly difficult to remove.

Quarry Tiles in Hale During Cleaning

To these areas I applied Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU Remover, which is a heavy build-up remover designed to work where other cleaners won’t. It utilises nano-sized particles to penetrate below tough stains and eliminate them. This was left to work its magic for about half an hour.

Following this, I steamed the tiles to soften the adhesive even further and then scrubbed the problem areas with hand held black scrubbing pads. This cleaning combination worked really well to clean the problem areas and all I had to do next was rinse them properly, before leaving the whole floor to dry.

Quarry Tiles in Hale After Cleaning

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

I returned to the property after allowing the floor to dry for three full days. Thankfully, I found that there were no damp issues to address, and so I could proceed with sealing without a problem.

Quarry Tiles in Hale During Sealing

The customers wanted to keep the floor as natural looking as possible, so I opted to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow, our impregnating sealer which soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from within enhances the colours in the process and leaving a matte finish. I applied several coats before polishing off the excess using cotton cloths.

Quarry Tiles in Hale After Cleaning

Looking at the before and after photos, I think you can agree that the floor is transformed! Certainly, my customers agreed – the newly restored Quarry floor will be a real asset to the property.

Quarry Tiles in Hale After Cleaning

 
 

Dirty Quarry Tiled Floor Hidden Under Carpet Restored in Greater Manchester

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Shower Refresh Hale After Cleaning

Shower Cubicle Tile and Grout Refresh in Hale

This Ceramic Tiled shower cubicle in a house in Hale was overdue a deep clean, the Ceramic Tiles were in reasonable condition but the grout lines had discoloured and become stained from the dyes in shampoo’s and soaps and the silicone needed to be replaced.

Shower Refresh Hale Before Cleaning 1

Cleaning Shower Tile and Grout

To clean the grout I decanted a strong 2:1 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean into a spray bottle and sprayed the solution on the tile and grout working in small sections. I think I’ve mentioned this before but in case you were wondering mixing the cleaner with air makes it lighter and allows it to stick onto vertical surfaces better. The solution was then worked in using a stiff scrubbing brush by hand before being rinsed off with water; this process was repeated until all the tile and grout was clean and then left to dry. If you’re doing this work yourself then you should know that Tile Doctor produces a product that comes with a spray attachment called Oxy Pro that is ready to use and can save you some time.

The next step was to take a sharp knife and remove and replace the silicone strip between the tile and the shower tray.

Grout Colouring

Although the grout was cleaner following the scrubbing it was still showing some staining so to improve it further a white Grout Colourant was applied, fortunately the tiles were large format and the grout lines minimal. The product we use is epoxy based and forms a thin impermeable barrier over the grout so not only does it look good it protects the grout as well; it’s very easily applied using a small brush along the grout lines and you just wipe of the excess so it wasn’t long before the grout was looking like new.

I think you will agree from the photographs the finished result looks like a new installation, certainly my customer was very pleased with job I had done.

Shower Refresh Hale After Cleaning 2

 
 

Refreshing a Ceramic Tiled Shower in Hale

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Greater Manchester Tile Doctor

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