tile cleaning

Victorian Minton Tiled Floor Restoration Wigan

Old Minton Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Repaired and Renovated in Wigan

Earlier this year I was contacted by a homeowner from Wigan who could not believe it when they took up the old hallway carpet to reveal a lovely, but neglected, Victorian Minton tiled floor. Although the carpet had offered some protection It was covered with paint splashes and marks and there were some loose, cracked, and missing tiles.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Renovation Wigan

Whilst the clients had removed as much paint of as possible, lots of splashes remained. They wanted it cleaned, made sound, and missing tiles replaced before sealing also, if possible, have the cemented door threshold replaced with matching tiles. Basically, they wanted to retain the character of the floor and only replace where necessary.

Deep Cleaning Old Victorian Floor Tiles

To begin, I took moisture readings over all areas due to be worked on; an old floor like this will have been laid before Damp Proof Membranes (DPM) were made standard so its useful to get a baseline moisture reading. Next the floor was cleaned using Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which was scrubbed into the tiles using 50 and 100-grit pads fitted to a rotary floor buffer running at slow speed. Gel cleaners are ideal for use on floors without a DPM as they use less water which keeps the moisture levels lower. The resultant soiling was then extracted using a wet vacuum and the floor inspected. Stubborn marks and inaccessible areas were spot treated by hand with more Oxy-Gel and Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU Remover.

The next step was to give the tiles an acid wash using another gel product by Tile Doctor called Acid Gel. A 200-grit pad was used to work this into the floor and then it was removed using the wet vacuum as before. This product serves two purposes, first it will counter any efflorescent salts in the tile and second it neutralises the pH level of the floor following the use of the alkaline cleaning products used earlier.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Floor

The floor was Left to dry overnight, and I returned the next day to make the tile repairs discussed earlier. Victorian floors are still popular to this day so finding replacement tiles that match the originals isn’t a problem although they do need to be cut to fit the original size and pattern.

Victorian Tiled Floor During Renovation Wigan

Using the replacements and unbroken original tiles I was able to re-sit the loose tiles and replace the missing and damaged tiles whilst maintaining the character of the original floor.

Sealing Old Victorian Hallway Tiles

The floor needed to be dry before applying the sealer and so before getting to work I checked the floor with the damp meter and compared it with my previous readings. The use of gel cleaners had worked a treat, and the readings were all within range.

The sealer applied was Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an impregnating oil-based sealer designed to occupy the pores in the tile so dirt can’t become ingrained there. This keeps the dirt on the surface where it can be easily removed. X-Tra seal is fully breathable and rated for indoor and outdoor used so will cope easily with any dampness rising through the floor.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Wigan Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Wigan

The job took three days in total and on returning home on the last day and seeing the results the customer immediately commented “I love it, great job thank-you”. They also left the following review the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“Kevin was very responsive and talked us through exactly what the job entailed. We’re extremely pleased with the end result, just how I wanted my 130 year old minton tiles to look.”

For aftercare cleaning of sealed Victorian tiles, I recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild but effective tile cleaner that’s safe to use on sealed tiles. Its important to use a cleaning product like this as stronger product can erode the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Care Wigan

 

Victorian Floor Restoration in Greater Manchester

Old Minton Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Repaired and Renovated in Wigan Read More »

Victorian Tiled Chruch Floor Before and After Renovation in Rishton

1877 Victorian Tiled Church Floor Restored in Rishton

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.

Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Rishton Church Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Rishton Church

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 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 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

Victorian Floor After Cleaning Rishton Church

 
 

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

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Travertine Tiled Floor Before and After Cleaning Bury

Burnishing and Sealing to Restore Travertine Tiles in Bury

Travertine is a distinct and characterful stone that makes for some truly beautiful tiled floors. However, like any natural stone the main difficulty with Travertine tiles is keeping them looking fantastic and unfortunately without regular maintenance its appearance can decline over time.

This customer, who lives in Bury, contacted me for this exact reason. For the past decade, she had attempted to keep her Travertine floor clean by using some kind of wax polish, only to find that this actually made maintenance more difficult, the wax built up in layers and was difficult to remove.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Bury

I visited the property to conduct a test clean and determine the kind of results I could achieve through restoring the entire floor. The customer was very impressed with the small area I cleaned and booked me in on the same day to complete the full job.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Bury

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Floor

As a result of my successful test clean, I already knew that the best process to restore the tiles was burnishing. This involves the application of different grades of diamond encrusted burnishing pads to strip away dirt and staining, and gradually polish the stone to achieve a quality shine.

Normally on Travertine tiles I would start by applying the Coarse 400 and Medium 800 grit pads, followed by moving up to Fine 1500 and Very Fine. In this particular case, I started by using a Very Coarse 200 grit burnishing pad to strip off the wax coating and old sealers from the tiles. The pad was fitted to a rotary machine and lubricated with a small amount of water.

After finishing with the 200-grit pad, I removed all soiled water with my wet vacuum. There were still few areas of wax left in the corners of the room, and on these areas, I used a 200 grit handheld burnishing block.

When I finished with first round of burnishing, I repeated the exact same process with the 400, 800, and 1500 grit pads, rinsing away the soil in between until I was left with a high quality polished finish right across the floor.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Polishing Bury

After completing the burnishing, I filled a number of small pitted holes in the stone using a beige flexible epoxy-based grout to match the rest of the floor. I then left the floor to dry until the next day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Floor

The next day I returned to the property and used a damp tester to make sure the floor was dry enough for sealing. Usually with polished tiles this isn’t a problem, but sometimes the grout can be an issue. Luckily, there weren’t any issues with dampness.

Before sealing I went over the floor again using the Very Fine grit pad with a tiny amount of water as lubricant. Finally, I sealed the floor with our impregnating sealer known as Tile Doctor Colour Grow. The sealer penetrates the stone and enhances the natural colours and patterns in the stone. I polished off any excess sealer with several cotton cloths.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning Bury

To make sure the floor was in pristine condition I went over the floor for a final time with the Very Fine grit pad to smoothen the surface after sealing.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning Bury

The customer was extremely pleased with the result, and even promised to recommend me to her daughter to clean and seal her Marble tiled floor. I also left her a free bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help her ensure the floor stays beautiful, we recommend Neutral Clean for the regular cleaning of sealed floor as most supermarket cleaners are acidic and will reduce the life of your sealer over time.
 
 

Restoring the Polish on a Travertine Tiled Floor in Greater Manchester

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Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Before and After Refresh Moston

Removing Mould from a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Moston

The photographs below are from the bathroom of a house in the Moston area of Manchester which is primarily residential and only 3 miles away from the city centre. My customer had been primarily concerned with the removal of unsightly mould but was also keen to have the grout in the ceramic tiled shower cubicle given a good deep clean.

Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Before Restoration Moston Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Before Restoration Moston

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

To clean the Shower Cubicle, I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaner that works really well on grout. The Pro-Clean solution was decanted into a spray bottle and then sprayed onto the grout lines and left it to dwell. The air in the solution makes it lighter and easier for it to stick to vertical surfaces.

After a few minutes the Pro-Clean was scrubbed in using a stiff grout brush. The tiles were then rinsed with water to remove the soiled solution from the tiles and the process repeated where required.

Although cleaning process was a success there were still a few mould marks left so to tackle these I used Tile Doctor Mould Away spray using the same process of scrubbing and rinsing. The Mould Away spray did the trick for me and I moved on to remove the silicone around the shower cubicle. When removing silicone, you must make sure you get all mouldy silicone out otherwise it can spread from the old to the new.

Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle During Restoration Moston

After I had finished removing the silicone I tidied the shower cubicle and used a bit of gentle heat from my heat gun to dry the grout lines and edges where silicone used to be.

Grout Colouring a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

I used my damp tester to make ensure there was no dampness anywhere around the working area and then moved on to colouring the grout which would give the whole shower a fresh and consistent appearance. On this occasion, I used a White colour from the Tile Doctor range of Grout Colourant’s, it’s an epoxy based colourant that protects and rejuvenate the grout lines.

I had to use 2 coats of colourant to get the best result and then moved on to putting new silicone around the shower base with a high-quality mould resistant silicone. When finished adding fresh silicone I tidied up again and the job was complete.

Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle After Restoration Moston Ceramic Tiled Shower After Restoration Moston

I think you can’t argue the shower cubicle was transformed and customer even said it looks better then when it was new; we also fixed few chips for her whilst there and stripped and replaced the silicone around the sink as a bonus.

Ceramic Tiled Sink Grout Before Cleaning Moston Ceramic Tiled Sink After Cleaning Moston

 
 

Shower Tile Refresh in Greater Manchester

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Renovating Travertine Shower Cubicle in Newton Heath

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Shower Cubicle in Newton Heath

This is a follow-up post from last week where I detailed the restoration of a beautiful polished travertine floor that had been installed on most of the ground floor and bathroom at a property in Newton Heath. After cleaning, polishing and sealing the floor tiles the owners asked if I could apply the same treatment to their Travertine tiled shower cubicle which was not looking its best and had become stained over time.

Travertine Shower Before Cleaning Newton Heath

Cleaning Travertine Shower Wall Tiles

First I successfully cleaned the grout with a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbed into the wall grout with a special stiff grout brush, the tiles were then rinsed with water and the process repeated until I was satisfied with the result.

Travertine Shower Before Cleaning Newton Heath

To clean the Travertine wall tiles I used the same Diamond pad system as I did on floor, starting from 400 grit and moving up to 3000 grit pads lubricated with a little water, the only difference this time was that I used smaller six inch pads fitter to a hand held burnishing machine.

Sealing Travertine Shower Wall Tiles

After I completed all the cleaning and the tiles had dried I proceeded to seal them with Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer, this is the same sealer that I used on the floor and the excess was polished off with cotton cloths.

The last remaining step was to strip out the silicone sealant strip from around the base of the shower cubicle and replace with new. I used high quality anti mould silicone sealant that left nice lines and fresh look.

Travertine Shower After Cleaning Newton Heath

Needless to say, that customer was very happy with the work carried out on the floor and shower cubicle and recommended me to his neighbour straight away.

Travertine Tiled Shower Cubicle Refreshed in Greater Manchester

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Shower Cubicle in Newton Heath Read More »

Renovating Dull Travertine Tiles in Newton Heath

Cleaning, Polishing and Sealing Travertine Floors in Newton Heath

This customer in Newton Heath, just outside of Manchester, used to have a beautiful polished travertine floor on most of the ground floor and bathroom but over time it was getting duller and duller as the polish became worn down, not helped I might add by their choice of cleaning products which were not appropriate for this type of floor. Additionally, numerous cracks and holes had appeared in their floor and worried it was going to get worse they decided to call in some professional help and get the whole floor fully restored.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning and Sealing Newton Heath

When I got the call I went over to the house to take a in-depth look at the problem and recommended that the floor was burnished using diamond pads of different grades. They also asked if I could apply the same treatment to the travertine bathroom floor and shower cubicle as well, which I was very happy to do so we agreed a price and scheduled a date to do the work.

Travertine Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning and Sealing Newton Heath

Dull Travertine Floor Cleaning/Polishing

To start the burnishing process, I applied the Coarse 400 grit burnishing pad to the floor using rotary machine and water as lubrication to break down and remove any old sealer from the stone. When finished with first burnishing pad I removed all the soiled water left on floor with a wet vacuum. This removal process of soiled residue was repeated after each use of a burnishing pad.

Next, I moved on to the Medium 800 grit pad which is less coarse, but still rough enough to break down layers of ingrained dirt. I followed this up with the application of a Fine 1500 grit pad, which started to smooth down the rough areas of the surface to prepare the floor for a final polish with 3000 grit. However before moving straight on to the final of the four pads, I took the time to carefully fill in the all the small cracks and holes in the stone, before leaving the floor to dry until the next day.

Sealing Travertine Floor

The next morning, I returned to the property to finish off the floor restoration. As soon as I arrived I used a damp tester to make sure the floor was completely dry.

All was well so I went over the floor with the final Very Fine 3000 grit burnishing pad, this time without any water lubricant, to finally achieve a high quality polished finish.

For polished floors, we recommend the use an impregnating sealer that penetrates the pores of the stone rather than sitting on the surface of the floor, as this ensures the quality of the polish isn’t damaged. With this in mind I applied Tile Doctor Colour Grow to seal the tiles. This is a colour enhancing sealer that provides durable surface protection and allows the surface to breathe whilst enhancing the natural colours in the stone. At this point it’s important that any sealer that doesn’t penetrate the stone is removed by polishing it off with a cloth.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning and sealing Newton Heath

After this I went on to repeat the cleaning, polishing and sealing process on their Travertine Tiled shower cubicle but I’ll detail that in a separate post.

Needless to say, the customer was very happy with the work carried out on the floor and shower cubicle and recommended me to his neighbour straight away.

Travertine Bathroom Floor After Cleaning and sealing Newton Heath

 
 

Professional Travertine Tile Restoration in Greater Manchester

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Renovating Dull and Dirty Yorkstone Tiles in Hyde

Heavily Soiled Yorkstone Tiled Floor Cleaned & Sealed in Hyde

This customers, who live in the town of Hyde, Greater Manchester, were in the process of replacing their kitchen furniture when they realised just how soiled their fantastic Yorkstone tiled floor had become after years without attention.

Yorkstone Slab Floor Before Cleaning and Sealing in Hyde

If you’re not already familiar with Yorkstone, you may be interested to know it is a variety of Sandstone that is manufactured unsurprisingly in Yorkshire quarries since medieval times. It’s known for its hard wearing and durable qualities, but no stone can be completely immune to dirt and staining built up over years of use.

Yorkstone Slab Floor Before Cleaning and Sealing in Hyde

The customers were struggling for success with their own cleaning methods and supermarket products so they decided instead to see what a Tile Doctor could do to restore the floor. I was happy to oblige and on my first visit demonstrated what was possible by doing a test clean which the customers were very impressed with and booked me in straight away.

Cleaning a Soiled Yorkstone Tiled Floor

As a result of the test clean I knew I could get good results cleaning the floor using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a heavy duty alkaline yet flexible cleaning product that can also can strip sealers from tiles when used in a strong dilution. In this case a strong dilution was exactly what I needed and it was applied liberally across the floor, and left it to dwell and soak into the stone for about ten minutes. I followed this by scrubbing it into the stone with black scrubbing pad fitted to rotary machine, successfully eradicating the thick layers of muck and any remaining sealers in the process.

Yorkstone Slab Floor During Cleaning in Hyde

After scrubbing the entire floor, I extracted all the now soiled cleaning solution using a wet vacuum and then spot treated any areas that looked like they needed more work. On the whole, the cleaning process was a success, however, in one corner I discovered a thick tar stain that had been there for years. As the tar was solid as a rock I decided to apply an even stronger product to shift it. Fortunately, I have a number of products that I can use and in this case I was able to deal with it by applying Tile Doctor Nano Tech HBU, which is our heavy soil build-up remover. After application, it was left it to dwell for half an hour and then with the aid of a steamer and black scrubbing pad to soften the build-up even more I managed to remote it entirely.

Yorkstone Slab Floor During Cleaning in Hyde

Once I was happy with the condition of the flagstones and grout I gave the floor a thorough rinse with water, this was to ensure any trace of cleaning product was removed before sealing again the wet vacuum was used to remove the water from the floor and get the stone as dry as possible. The floor was then left to dry for 48 hours after cleaning.

Sealing a Yorkstone Tiled Floor

When I returned the the property two days later I promptly ran some damp tests all over floor and discovered a few minor issues. I solved these with heat gun and the floor was then ready for sealing.

To seal the Yorkstone tiles, I used Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which is topical water-based blend of acrylic polymers designed to provide durable surface protection and a low sheen finish. As a topical sealer (which sits as a protective barrier on the surface of the tiles) Seal & Go makes cleaning the floor much easier.

Yorkstone Slab Floor After Cleaning and Sealing in Hyde

I used four coats of the sealer, allowing for a 30 minute drying period between coats. As you can see from the photograph the result was truly fantastic! The customers were extremely pleased with the result and told me that they never knew there was such a lovely floor hiding underneath the muck. They also said that I saved them a lot of money and preserved the character of house because they now no longer feel compelled to replace the floor!

Yorkstone Slab Floor After Cleaning and Sealing in Hyde

 
 

Deep Cleaning a Heavily Soiled Yorkstone Tiled Kitchen Floor in Greater Manchester

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Restoring Dull and Dirty Sandstone Floor Tiles in Hattersley

Restoring Dull and Dirty Sandstone Tiles in Hattersley

This property in Hattersley had just undergone major building works which had lasted for couple of years. During that time the Sandstone tiled living room floor had suffered greatly during the building works.

Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning in Hattersley

Additionally, the sealer previously used on the floor was a clear impregnating product which did nothing to bring out any natural colours in the Sandstone, leaving them dull and lifeless. The situation had been made worse but the building work mess, and the property owners were keen to get their local Tile Doctor in to resolve the problems.

Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning in Hattersley

Cleaning a Dull and Dirty Sandstone Tiled Floor

For the cleaning process, I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, which is our strong alkaline flexible cleaner meant for heavy duty cleaning and when used in more concentrated form for the stripping away of old sealers. I applied a strong dilution of Pro Clean across the floor and left it to dwell for about ten to fifteen minutes so it could work its magic on the layers of dirt and old sealer.

I followed this by getting on my knees and scrubbing the product into the stone with a stiff scrubbing brush. In this particular scenario, there wasn’t much that could be done with a rotary machine as the floor was very rough in texture and with a scrubbing brush it was much easier to reach the ingrained dirt.

After scrubbing, I removed all of the dirty cleaning solution with a wet vacuum, before rising the floor several times with clean water to get rid of all chemicals. With the cleaning process a success, it was time to leave the floor to dry for 48 hours before sealing.

Sandstone Floor During Cleaning in Hattersley

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Floor

When I returned two days later to seal the tiles I started by using my damp tester to check for moisture that could affect the performance of sealer. Even the smallest quantity quantity of moisture can cloud the sealer and reduce its effectiveness.

Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry, I started sealing. I chose to use a topical Tile Doctor sealer called Seal & Go, which is a water based blend of acrylic polymers that is recommended for this type of stone providing stain resistance whilst enhancing the look of the tiles and providing an aesthetically pleasing low sheen finish.

I applied four coats of the sealer and the transformation was complete. I think the result speaks to itself, especially when you look at the before and after photos.

Sandstone Floor After Cleaning and Sealing in Hattersley

After completing the work, I left the very happy customers with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help them make sure future cleaning and maintenance is done correctly.

Sandstone Floor After Cleaning and Sealing in Hattersley

The customers were really pleased with the transformation in their floor and were good enough to leave the following feedback on the Tile Doctor website:

“Tony was very professional and did a great job on our Sandstone floor. We are really pleased with the results.”
 
 

Professional Sandstone Floor Restoration in Greater Manchester

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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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Quarry tiled porch floor before and after cleaning in Middleton

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.

Quarry tiled porch before cleaning Middleton

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.

Quarry tiled porch after sealing Middleton

 
 

Cleaning and Sealing of a Stained Quarry Tiled Porch in Greater Manchester

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