Shower Tile Cleaning Archives - Greater Manchester Tile Doctor

Ceramic Bathroom Tiles Before After Restoration Levenshulme

Glazed Ceramic Mosaic Bathroom Tiles Restored in Levenshulme

I recently visited a property in Levenshulme where the bathroom tiling and grout needed renovation. Although they resembled small square mosaic tiles, they were actually large 45cm x 60cm sheets of glazed ceramic tiles which are easier to install and require less grouting.

Over time the tiles had attracted a lot of dirt from showering and now needed a good clean, additionally mould had got a grip on the lower tiling and mastic sealant between the tile and bath.

Mouldy Shower Bath Tiling Before Cleaning Levenshulme

Levenshulme sits halfway between Manchester City centre and Stockport and was recently declared by the Times Newspaper as one of the best places to live in the North West. It’s actually only a few miles drive from my base so well within my service area.

Cleaning White Ceramic Mosaic Bathroom Tiles

Normally I would look to renovate the grout lines with a grout colourant however grout had only been used between the sheets of tiles and what appeared to be grout between the small square mosaic tiles was in fact part of the glaze. I knew the colourant would struggle to achieve a bond with a glazed surface and so my only option would be to give the tiles a good scrub with a strong cleaning product.

My solution was to spay the tiles with Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is an effective double action grout cleaner and mould remover. It’s designed for cleaning up bathroom tile and can remove mould and blackspot from grout and silicone. I worked in sections allowing the product to soak in for a good ten minutes before scrubbing it in by hand with a stiff brush. After rinsing the tiles down with water, they were inspected and the procedure re-applied if needed. I found in fact that I had to do this several times before I was happy with the tile, grout and silicone were as clean as the could be. I often find longer dwell times can help the situation.

Mouldy Shower Bath Tiling After Renovation Levenshulme

The bathroom looked new by the time I had finished, it was quite the transformation and my client was really happy with the result and left a long testimonial for me which is copied below.

I could not be happier with Kamila’s work. She is delightful, efficient, and quite frankly a genius. My tiles were horrible and my bathroom seal mouldy and disgusting. Now thanks to Kamila I feel like I ha e a new bathroom all over again. She has done the most amazing job and I am so so pleased. I cannot recommend her highly enough! She has done the most outstanding job and the results are better than I could ever have dreamed of. Thank you so much 😊 – By Sarah B, Stockport, 03 August 2020

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Mosaic Shower Cubicle in Manchester

Glazed Ceramic Mosaic Bathroom Tiles Restored in Levenshulme Read More »

Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovation Chorlton

Renovating a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Chorlton

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

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

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

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.

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Manchester

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Limestone Tiled Shower Tile Before After Restoration Manchester

Renovating a Mouldy White Limestone Shower Cubicle in Manchester

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Manchester City Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

I was asked to look at renovating a shower cubicle at a property in in Manchester city centre that had been clad in White Limestone tiles. I understood the bathroom had been installed 12 years prior, but now the tiles were looking grubby, mouldy and dirty.

Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle Before Mould Removal Manchester City Centre

The client had lived at the property for the last two years and in an attempt to resolve the problems had used a few different household products such as flash and bleach, they had tried everything, and nothing had helped. I suspected that these strong acidic cleaners had actually made the problem worse by stripping off what was left of the sealer that was protecting the Limestone, allowing dirt to become ingrained in the stone.

I visited the property and ran a few cleaning tests in the shower cubicle with Tile Doctor products. This allows me to see which product will have the best results and gives the customer confidence that we can resolve their issues. The results were immediate, they could see the difference and they were happy to accept my quote and agree a date for my return to complete the work.

Removing Mould from a White Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle

I arrived several weeks later and made a start. The tiles were scrubbed by hand with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go with excellent results. This product is designed to remove coatings and sealers, and in this case, it did a great job of drawing out the ingrained stains and dirt build-up. This removed what was left of the sealer and took off most of the dirt and mould. The Limestone tiles and grout were then rinsed with water to remove the soil.

Next I needed to restore the smooth surface of the limestone which had been etched by the use of strong acidic cleaning products. To do this I used a set of six-inch diamond burnishing pads attached to a hand buffer to hone and restore the stone.

I then dried the shower tiles and grout with a heat gun checking the moisture levels with damp meter until I was satisfied it was completely dry.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle

The last step was to re-seal the Limestone and Grout using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is natural coloured intensifying sealer which provides durable protection to the surface allowing it to breathe and enhancing the colours.

The Customer was amazed with the difference and left the following feedback!

“Kamila was friendly, professional and kept me informed about what to expect before she took on the job and during the tile cleaning. The tiles look absolutely amazing after her work – I feel as though I have a brand new bathroom! Kamila also gave me helpful tips on looking after limestone tiles. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle After Mould Removal Manchester City Centre

For future cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro which is a pH neutral shower tile cleaner designed for use on sealed surfaces. Most cleaning products you find in supermarkets are overly strong and will erode the sealer prematurely, so when choosing a cleaning product always read the label and make sure it’s safe to use on Sealed Stone tiles.

Professional Renovation of White Limestone Shower Tiles in Manchester

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