tile maintenance

Polished Granite Floor After Cleaning and Polishing Fareham

Cleaning & Polishing Granite Floor Tiles in Fareham

Granite is as you would imagine a very hard surface that looks beautiful when polished; in this case however it the floor had been abused by workmen who had been working at this commercial premises in the market town of Fareham and trailed all sorts of building materials and dirt onto the floor during renovation work. The once beautiful Granite floor tiles were now looking in a sorry state and the site manager was keen to have them restored to their former glory.

Polished Granite Floor Before Cleaning Fareham

Cleaning Marble Floor Tiles

The floor a quick sweep and wash down with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean partly to ensure any surface grit etc. was removed but also so we could get a stiff grout brush in along the grout lines and give them a clean. Next the floor was rinsed down with water which was removed with a wet vacuum. The next step was to burnish the Granite with a set of four diamond encrusted burnishing pads which come in different grits and are applied in sequence working from coarse which removes old sealers and dirt through to medium, fine and super fine pads which build up the polish on the floor. The floor needs a rinse with water in-between each pad to remove any slurry and water is extracted from the floor using the wet vacuum, after the super fine pad we removed as much water from the floor as possible and left it to dry overnight ready for sealing the next day.

Sealing Granite Floor Tiles

Being a commercial floor I was concerned about the foot traffic wearing down the polish on the tiles so Tile Doctor Shine Powder was sprinkled onto the Granite and ground in using a little water to help lubricate the process and another pad at slow speed. Once this was complete the floor was buffed using a white buffing pad and now it looks transformed.

Polished Granite Floor After Cleaning and Polishing Fareham
 

Polishing Granite Floor Tiles in Hampshire

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Marble Tiled Floor Petersfield Before and After

Cleaning & Polishing Marble Floor Tiles in Petersfield

This polished Marble tiled floor was installed in a house in the old market town of Petersfield. The tile and grout was in good condition but like all polished stone floors they will go dull after a period of time and require burnishing and polishing to restore shine.

Marble Tiled Floor Petersfield Begin Marble Tiled Floor Petersfield Begin

Cleaning Marble Floor Tiles

We gave the floor a quick sweep and wash down with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean partly to ensure any surface grit etc. was removed but also so we could get a stiff grout brush in along the grout lines and give them a clean. Once done the floor was rinsed down with water which was removed with a wet vacuum, once done we moved straight onto burnishing the floor to restore the polish. Burnishing requires the application of a little water so there was no need to wait for it to dry.

Burnishing requires the application of four different diamond encrusted graded pads in sequence working from coarse which removed old sealers and dirt through to medium, fine and super fine pads which build up the polish on the floor. The floor requires a rinse in-between each pad to remove any slurry and water is extracted from the floor using the wet vacuum, after the super fine pad we removed as much water from the floor as possible and left it to dry overnight ready for sealing the next day.

Sealing Marble Floor Tiles

On our return the next day we made sure the floor was dry with the use of a damp meter and once we were happy we sealed the Marble tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer the occupied the pores in the tile to prevent other contaminates soaking into the tile. It also does a nice job of lifting the natural colours in the stone and enhancing the look of the tile.

Marble Tiled Floor Petersfield Finished Marble Tiled Floor Petersfield Finished

 

Polishing Marble Floor Tiles in Hampshire

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Milled Sandstone Finished

Milled Sandstone floor maintained in Warsash

This Milled Sandstone tiled floor was installed in the kitchen of a house in the village of Warsash on the south coast. The floor was looking washed out and lost most of its colour and the owner wanted it looking its best.

Milled Sandstone 26 Begin Warsash

Cleaning a Sandstone Tiled Floor

The first job was to remove the kick boards from around base of the kitchen units a followed by the application of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted with 10 parts warm water. This was left to soak into the stone and then worked in using a black scrubbing pad. This action gave the floor a good clean and the now dirty cleaning solution was removed using a wet vacuum, the floor was rinsed down with water and the process repeated in the areas where further attention was required until we were happy the tiles were clean. The final cleaning action was to wash down the tiles with clean water a final time to remove any cleaning product and neutralise the floor before the next step of sealing. The wet vacuum was used again to remove as much water from the floor as possible and we then left for the evening so the floor could fully dry overnight.

Milled Sandstone 26 Cleaning

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Floor

We came back the next day and tested the floor with a damp meter in a few different locations to make sure no dampness remained in the stone. The sandstone was dry so we proceeded to seal the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that occupies the pores in the stone preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there, it also as its name suggests brings out the colour in the stone and it certainly worked well on this floor and brought out the brown colours of the Sandstone, two coats were sufficient.

Milled Sandstone 26 Finished
 

Milled Sandstone Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Hampshire

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Cleaning Porcelain Tile and Grout in Warsash Before and After

Cleaning Micro Porous Porcelain Tiles and Grout in a Warsash Kitchen

Porcelain tiles are very tough and a great choice for kitchens where they are likely to see a large amount of foot traffic, you do need to be careful however if they are the micro porous porcelain which as the name suggests are slightly porous and if not sealed will trap dirt. The other problem you are likely to have with any tiled floor is the grout which has a porous top layer that can become stained. This kitchen floor at a house in Warsash had both these issues and needed to be cleaned and re-sealed due to dirt becoming ingrained in the tile and grout making it difficult to clean and losing its appearance.

Cleaning Porcelain Tile and Grout in Warsash Before

Cleaning and Preparing Porcelain Tile and Grout

To remove any remaining sealer and clean the tiles and grout a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied and left to soak in to the surface for around ten minutes before scrubbing it into the tile with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad and also a stiff hand brush along the grout lines. This was then washed down with warm water all of which was removed by a wet Vacuum. This stripping and cleaning process was repeated until the tile and the grout was looking new again after which the floor was given a thorough rinse in order to remove any trace of product and then dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum.

Sealing Micro Porous Porcelain

We left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal the floor first testing to ensure it was bone dry. Dry it was and so we proceeded to seal the floor using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which provides strong stain protection as well as lifting the colours in the tile. For those technically minded people reading this post an impregnating sealer penetrates into the pores of the tile to occupy the holes and therefore prevent any dirt from resting there.

Cleaning Porcelain Tile and Grout in Warsash After
I took the picture above whilst the floor was drying but hopefully you can see the improvement in the look of the tile and how clean the grout has become.

Restoring Porcelain Tiles and Grout in Warsash

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Polished Travertine Lymington Before and After Cleaning and Polishing

Cleaning & Polishing Travertine Floor Tiles in Lymington

The photographs below are from a house in Lymington where the Travertine Tiled floor had become dull and were now in need of a re-polish. It’s a fact that depending on the amount of foot traffic they receive all polished stone floors will lose their shine over time and require a re-polish.

Polished Travertine Lymington Before Cleaining

Cleaning Travertine Floor Tiles

To get the shine back on the floor we use a process called burnishing which is done using a set of four diamond encrusted pads, each one has a different grade from coarse through to super fine.

We gave the floor a quick sweep and wash down first to ensure any surface grit and other detritus was removed and then stated the burnishing process with the coarse pad fitted to a rotary machine with a little water. The burnishing pads are very good at removing dirt and sealers from hard stone including Marble; the surface water and loose dirt was removed used a wet Vacuum. And the process was repeated using the Medium and Fine pads. Before moving onto the superfine polishing pad we gave the grout a good scrub using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in using a stiff grout brush. The final Super Fine polishing pad was then applied and the floor given another wash down to ensure any dirt had been removed, the water being extracted from the floor using the wet vacuum.

Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles

The floor was still quite wet at this point so rather than sealing the floor we left it to dry naturally and came back the next day to seal it. It’s important the floor is dry before sealing so we test first using a damp meter in several locations to be sure. Once we were happy the floor was dry we proceeded to seal the Travertine tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a natural look sealer that doesn’t alter the look of the tiles but provides the necessary surface protection by filling the pores in the tile so dirt cannot penetrate.

Polished Travertine Lymington After Cleaining and Polishing
 

Travertine Floor Tiles Maintenance in Lymington

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Cleaning Travertine Floor Tiles in Havant Finsished

Cleaning & Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles in Havant

Travertine floor tiles look amazing when they have just been installed but after a few years the polish wears down, dirt starts to become ingrained in the stone and they start to lose their appearance. They do need regular maintenance and potentially re-polishing and these tiles installed in kitchen in Havant were no different.

Cleaning Travertine Floor Tiles in Havant Before

Cleaning Travertine Kitchen Tiles

First job was to remove the kickboards under the kitchen units and cover the free standing fridge with a wrap of plastic, this is a necessary precaution to stop fluids soaking into the wooden kicker boards and splashing the fridge. A dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied to the floor with a mop and left to soak in for around fifteen minutes. The grout lines were then given a good scrub and we ran a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine over the tiled floor to give it a good clean and remove any lose debris.

Cleaning Travertine Floor Tiles in Havant During
To restore the polished appearance of the Travertine it was burnished using a set of diamond encrusted pads which come in four grades and are applied to the stone floor with a little water in sequence from Coarse through to finally Super Fine which provides the final polish leaving a high shine finish.

Sealing Travertine Tiled Floor

The floor was given another wash and left to dry off overnight and we came back the next day to seal it. We check the floor was dry first and then proceeded to seal the Travertine tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which really enhances the colours in natural stone as well providing excellent stain protection.

Cleaning Travertine Floor Tiles in Havant Finished Cleaning Travertine Floor Tiles in Havant Finished

I think you will agree from the photographs above that the Travertine tiles looks so much better and the natural brown and gold colours in the stone have really come through.

Travertine Floor Tiles Cleaning and Sealing in Hampshire

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Terracotta Tiled Floor Before and After Cleaning in Andover

Terracotta Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Andover, Hampshire

This Terracotta tiled floor was installed in the dining room of a house in Andover and as you can see from the photograph below the floor had not been maintained very consistently and was now well overdue for a complete strip, clean and reseal.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Cleaning in Andover

Cleaning Terracotta Tile

To get the floor clean and remove previous sealers and coatings I mixed a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with NanoTech UltraClean which basically adds tiny abrasive particles to a heavy duty alkaline cleaning agent to produce a very effective stripper/cleaner which being alkaline is ideal for cleaning natural products such as Terracotta.

This formula was scrubbed into the tile using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine running on a slow speed which helps to reduce splashing; this activity soon brought the dirt off the floor and the soiled cleaning solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor was rinsed down with clean water. The cleaning process was repeated a couple of times until we were happy with the floor, a stiff hand brush was then used along the grout lines with more Pro-Clean to clean up the grout. There were a few stubborn paint splashes on the floor and these were removed by spotting the affected area with Remove and Go and a steamer to lift the stain out of the clay.
Once happy the floor was clean it was given a thorough rinse to neutralise it and remove any remaining chemical and left it to dry overnight.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Cleaning in Andover

Sealing Terracotta Tile

The next day we came back to seal the Terracotta using numerous coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is an ideal sealer for Terracotta and provides durable stain protection together with a low sheen finish. Terracotta is by its nature very porous and so it’s not unknown for it to take up to nine coats of sealer, which can take some time to apply as like paint you have to wait until it’s dry before you can apply the next coat.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Cleaning in Andover
 

Terracotta Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Hampshire

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Kitchen Tiled Worktop in Brighton Before and After Cleaning

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Worktop in Brighton

Following a referral from customer which is always nice to have, we paid a visit to a house in Brighton where the owner was having difficulty keeping their ceramic tiled kitchen worktop clean. As you can see from the photograph below the glazed ceramic tiles were in reasonable condition, it was the grout that was the problem; this is not unusual as glazer ceramics are very hard wearing but the top layer of grout is in fact porous and will trap dirt and become discoloured if not sealed.

Kitchen Tiled Worktop in Brighton Before Cleaning

Grout Cleaning

There were two ways this job could have been tackled, the first being to remove the top layer or grout using the flat blade of a screwdriver and then re-grout. It was a reasonably large area of worktop so this would have taken some time. The second and simpler option is to use a heavy duty tile and grout cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and that is exactly what we did, it also has the added advantage of cleaning the tiles at the same time.

The Pro-Clean was diluted with water and then left to dwell on the tile and grout for about ten minutes before being scrubbed in by hand with a stiff brush. For the wall tiles the solution was decanted to a spray bottle and sprayed onto the tiles, the combination with air makes it lighter and more able to stick to a vertical surface.

The tiles were then washed down with water and any stubborn areas re-treated with more Pro-Clean and elbow grease, it wasn’t long before the tile and grout was looking like new again.

Sealing Grout

Now glazed Ceramic tiles don’t need to be sealed as the glaze provides an effective barrier however as I mentioned before the top layer of grout is porous and will attract dirt over time and should be sealed, especially considering kitchen worktops are used to prepare food. Tile Doctor have a range of sealing products any of which will seal grout however in this case I used Wall Tile and Grout Sealer which comes in a spray bottle.

Kitchen Tiled Worktop in Brighton After Cleaning

Cleaning Ceramic Worktop Tile and Grout on the South Coast

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Southampton Slate Tiled Floor Before and After Cleaning

Cleaning Slate Tiles in a Southampton Kitchen

This beautiful slate floor installed in the Kitchen of a house in Southampton had tons of character but unfortunately years of use had left it looking rather washed out and was overdue for a deep clean and re-seal.

Southampton Slate Tiled Floor before Cleaning

Cleaning Slate Tiled Floors

I set about scrubbing the floor using a hot water dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean Tile and Grout cleaner combined 50:50 with NanoTech UltraClean which adds tiny abrasive particles to the solution to make a more effective cleaning product. The solution was left to dwell on the floor for a while before being scrubbed into the tiles with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad; a stiff hand brush was used along the grout lines. The soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum and floor thoroughly rinsed down with clean water. Pro-Clean works as a stripper as well as a cleaner and so any remaining sealer was also removed using this process, had that been a problem I would of resorted to Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a much stronger coatings remover.

The soiled cleaning solution was removed using a wet vacuum and this was followed by washing down the area thoroughly with clean water; any stubborn marks were revisited with a repeat of the same process until we were happy the tiles were clean.

Sealing Black Slate Floor Tiles

This process took most of the day so we left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal it using Tile Doctor Seal and Go, a highly recommended sealer for Slate which provides good stain protection with a low sheen finish, slate is quite porous and it took five coats before it was fully sealed.

Southampton Slate Tiled Floor after Cleaning
I think you will agree the floor is transformed, the natural colours of the slate have come through and the low sheen has given the floor a nice health appearance.

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate Kitchen Tiles in Hampshire

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Fareham Terracotta Floor Finished

Terracotta Tiled Floor Maintained in Fareham, Hampshire

This Terracotta tiled floor was installed in the kitchen of a house in Fareham. The floor was in need of a deep clean especially in the high traffic areas where the sealer had worn down and on the tiles near the kitchen units there were some stubborn stains from spillages.

Fareham Terracotta Floor Before

Cleaning Terracotta Tile

I started the job using a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a heavy duty alkaline product ideal for cleaning natural products such as Terracotta, this was scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. The cleaning process was repeated a couple of times and a stiff hand brush was used along the grout lines to clean up the grout. To treat the suborn stains we mixed Pro-Clean 50/50 with Tile Doctor NanoTech UltraClean which adds tiny abrasive particles to the cleaner making it even more effective; its best to leave the resultant solution to soak into the tile for half an hour before working it in with a scrubbing brush. Once happy the floor was clean it was given a thorough rinse to remove any remaining chemical and left it to dry overnight.

Fareham Terracotta Floor During

Sealing Terracotta Tile

The next day came back to seal the Terracotta but first checked the floor for any spots we might had missed and also to ensure it had dried sufficiently. Tile Doctor Seal and Go was used to seal the floor, it’s a water based sealer so it doesn’t give off an odour when it’s drying and also offers durable stain protection together with a low sheen finish. Terracotta is very porous and in the end the floor actually took seven coats of sealant before it was fully sealed. Applying a sealer does takes a long time to apply as you have to wait for it to dry before applying the next coat.

Fareham Terracotta Floor Finished
The work took two days in all and you can see the difference for yourself, the Terracotta tile and grout look wonderful and have lifted the overall look of the Kitchen.

Terracotta Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Fareham

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Southampton Slate Floor Before After

Cleaning & Sealing Slate Tiles in Southampton

The owners of this house in Southampton called us in to breathe some life back into their slate floor which had become rather dull and had lost its shine. We took a look and could see the previous sealer had been worn down and it was in need of deep clean and re-seal, sealers will wear off over time and once they are gone dirt will start to get trapped in the pores of the tile.

Southampton Slate Floor Before

Cleaning the Slate Floor

To remove any remaining sealer and give the floor a deep clean we applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This was left to dwell on the floor for a while before using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad to scrub the floor and get the slate floor really clean. The machine can struggle to reach the grout so it was necessary to get in with a stiff hand brush afterwards and scrub along the grout lines. Once I was satisfied with the condition of the stone floor it was given a wash down with clean water which was removed using a wet vacuum to make sure no chemical was left on the floor as this can affect the sealer later.

Sealing the Slate Floor

Sealing the Slate floor was a straight forward process once the floor was clean and free of any debris etc. The sealer chosen for this floor was Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a low sheen finish whilst providing stain protection. Five coats were applied using a paint pad applicator before the floor was fully sealed , the number of coats you need depend on the porosity of the stone and each floor is different and you need to let each coat dry before proceeding to the next.

Southampton Slate Floor Finished
 

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate floor in Southampton

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Southampton Grout Recolour Before and After

Grout Colouring in Southampton

This Porcelain Terracotta floor had dark grout and the home owner wanted the colour changing to lighten the floor. There are a number of products on the market for this purpose including grout colour pens which are ok for a quick touch up but for a large area like this you really need to use the range recommend by Tile Doctor which not only change the colour but also provides a protective barrier that seals the grout as well ensuring it keeps it appearance well into the future.

Southampton Grout Recolour Before

Preparing the Grout

Before applying a Grout Colour it’s important to ensure the grout is clean of grease and dirt; Tile Doctor Pro-Clean is a strong alkaline cleaner that’s good for this purpose, for best results you should allow the cleaner to dwell for a while and then get into the grout joints by hand with a stiff brush. Last step is to rinse the floor down with clean water to remove any remaining cleaning product, I recommend the use of a wet vacuum at this point to remove liquids from the floor.

Southampton Grout Recolour Before Southampton Grout Recolour After

Applying the Grout Colour

Once the grout has dried you can start applying the colourant which is a relatively straightforward process of squeezing the product onto a toothbrush and running it onto the grout. Don’t be tempted to use an old toothbrush for this purpose as it may contaminate the colourant leading to discolouration in the finish. The product sets in a couple of hours so I was able to do the whole floor in a day.

Southampton Grout Recolour After
 

Colouring Grout in Hampshire

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Travertine Tiled Floor Finished

Cleaning & Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles in Portsmouth

This beautiful Travertine Tiled floor was installed in a Kitchen in Portsmouth; it was in need of a little TLC so the house owner called in Tile Doctor to give it a make over.

Travertine Tiled Floor Portsmouth Before

Cleaning Travertine Kitchen Tiles

Before starting the cleaning we applied clear silicone in order to protect the Kitchen units, otherwise water can soak into the plinths and kicker boards, and this was left to cure while we worked on other parts of the kitchen. There was a paint splatter on one area which we managed to remove using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to dwell for an hour before being agitated with a scrubbing brush, the dirty solution was removed using a wet vacuum and we moved onto burnishing the whole tiled floor.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning
We stated the burnishing process with a red fitted to a rotary machine with a little water. The burnishing pads are encrusted with diamonds and are very good at removing dirt and sealers from hard stone including Travertine and Marble; the surface water and loose dirt was removed used a wet Vacuum. There are four coloured pads in the burnishing system and they are applied to the stone floor in sequence Red, White, Yellow and finally Green which provides the final polish leaving a high shine finish.

Sealing Travertine Tiled Floor

We left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal the floor. The floor must be dry before sealing so we test first using a damp meter in several locations to be sure. Once we were happy the floor was dry we proceeded to seal the Travertine tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which really enhances the colours in natural stone as well providing excellent stain protection. The tile must be dry before applying the second coat so we use an industrial air mover to speed up the drying process.

Travertine Tiled Floor Finished
 

Travertine Floor Tiles Cleaning and Sealing in Portsmouth

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