Work by Location Archives - South West London Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor Cleaned and Sealed Richmond

Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor Renovated at Richmond Apartment Block

Pictured below is a large Victorian tiled floor in the lobby area of a residential apartment block in Richmond. Building work had been carried out at the property and the contractors had covered the floor using a used a sticky floor protector. Unfortunately, that left a sticky residue on top of the tiles and were overdue a professional deep clean. The floor was cleaned every day for the last eight years but this was done using a mop which isn’t the most effective method.

Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor Before Cleaning Richmond

I paid a visit to the property to work out the best product to remove the adhesive and measure up. From this I worked out a detailed quote for renovating the floor which included two days labour and all the products needed. This was accepted and a date scheduled.

Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor Before Cleaning Richmond

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The hallway was in use by the residents whilst I was there so I had to carry out the following work in sections. To remove the adhesive and give the floor a deep clean the tiles were cleaned with the application of Acid Gel. Being a gel it’s much easier to control and with less water being needed it results in quicker drying times.

The gel was applied and let to soak in for fifteen minutes to give it time to digest the dirt etc, then the floor was lightly moped and I got to work with a scraper to remove as much sticky residue as possible. More Acid Gel was applied and then scrubbed into the tiles using a Victor Trojan buffing machine fitted with a 400-grit burnishing pad and extra weights. The machine was moved slowly across the tiles ensuring all areas where covered.

Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor During Cleaning Richmond

After completing a small section, the soiling was rinsed and extracted using an industrial wet vacuum. Vacuuming this frequently ensures the fluids had less time to soak into the tile and results in a faster drying time.

Once I had worked my way to the end the floor was vacuumed again and more Acid Gel was applied, this was diluted with a small amount of water and the deep cleaning continued with an 800-grit burnishing pad. As before after each section the floor was rinsed and the soiling immediately extracted with the wet vacuum. Once I was satisfied the floor was in a good condition it was given a final burnishing using a finer 1500-grit pad applied with water and then vacuumed one last time.

Once complete the tiles were clear of the sticky residue and looking very clean indeed. It needed to be completely dry before the next step of sealing so work finished for the day and the tiles were left to dry off completely overnight. It’s important to do this and allow time for all the moisture to evaporate, this way any issues like efflorescent salts will become apparent and resolved.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned later the second day to seal the floor starting with several damp meter readings and a quick check of the tiles. Being a communal hallway I wanted to ensure they were still clean from the day before and any marks were spot cleaned.

The floor was then sealed with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing hard wearing impregnating sealer that leaves a matt finish and deepens the colour of the black tiles. Three coats were applied using a microfiber cloth and then any excess was buffed with a clean cloth after each application.

Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor After Cleaning Sealing Richmond

Once satisfied I called the managing agent to have a look and they reported that they were extremely happy with the result. In fact, they have since requested that I return every month to maintain the floor correctly and ensure it remains in top condition.

Professional Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor in Southwest London

Victorian Tiled Lobby Floor Renovated at Richmond Apartment Block Read More »

Multicoloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Surbiton

Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Surbiton

I was asked to visit a property in Surbiton to resolve a sealer issue with a Multicoloured Slate tiled floor that was laid in the Kitchen and adjacent dining area. The floor had been sealed professionally two years earlier and was showing signs of wear so the client decided to top up the sealer with three further coats. Unfortunately, the sealer went cloudy and the floor now looked awful.

I visited the property to work out a solution and it occurred to me the only guaranteed way to resolve the problem would be to strip the floor of sealer and re-apply. I worked out a detailed quote for the work which was accepted and a date set for the work to start.

Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Surbiton

Cleaning and Stripping a Multicoloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

To strip off the sealer the floor was sprayed with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and this was then left to soak into the Slate for ten minutes. Allowing the product to dwell gives it time to break down the sealer and contaminates. The floor was then scrubbed with a Victor Trojan floor buffer fitted with a black pad and an extra 65kg of weight to increase traction with the stone.

I brought along a colleague to work on this floor and worked backwards so as I scrubbed the floor with the Trojan he followed along with a Hyundai wet vacuum to remove the soiling. Removing the waste like these speeds up the operation allowing areas that need further attention to be dealt with quickly.

Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Surbiton

Once the sealer was removed attention turned to the Grout which was cleaned with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbed in by hand with a wire brush. The floor was then washed twice with clean water and a black pad to neutralise the floor and remove any trace of product. The wet vacuum was used again here to remove the dirty water.

Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Surbiton

After a final mop the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum and then left to dry of naturally overnight.

Sealing a Multicoloured Slate Tiled Kitchen in Surbiton-Upon-Thames

The next day work started by verifying the Slate was dry using a damp meter which confirmed the floor had dried out. With that confirmation the floor was sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal buffing off the excess with a white buffing pad afterwards.

Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal was chosen for this floor as it’s an oil-based sealer and that add structure to the stone and works well to bring out its features and colour. It’s also extremely durable and leaves an attractive satin finish.

Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Surbiton

The floor was transformed by the work and my client was extremely pleased with the result. For aftercare I recommended the use if Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it has a pH neutral formula that won’t impact the newly applied sealer. Typical household cleaning products tend to be bleach based and can strip off the sealer protecting the stone from ingrained dirt and so best avoided.

Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Surbiton

Professional Renovation of a Multicoloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in South London

Multicoloured Slate Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Surbiton Read More »

Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovation Isleworth

Stained Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovated at Isleworth Rental

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Twickenham Tile Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

Here we have a Limestone tiled shower cubicle with fifteen years of chemical damage and general grime at a rental property in the Hounslow borough of Isleworth. It had never been professionally cleaned since installation and previous tenants had used Viakal limescale remover.

Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle Before Renovation Isleworth

Limescale removers like Viakal are acidic with a low pH and will etch natural stone such as Limestone so definitely not recommended. The product states to avoid use on natural stone on the label, which in this case was ignored.

Fortunately, there is a solution however it involves using various grades of diamond burnishing pads to cut back the stone to remove the damage and restore its appearance. I worked out a quote for renovating the stone and cleaning the grout which was equally stained. Happy to have found a solution and keen to have the shower cubicle ready for the next tenant I was asked to go ahead,

Shower Tile and Grout Cleaning

I started off by cleaning the grout with a wire brush and Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. Unfortunately, the grout was so bad it couldn’t get it consistently clean so decided to apply a grout colourant on it later.

Next attention turned to resurfacing the Limestone starting with the application of a 400-grit 6-inch pad fitted to a DeWalt machine. The pads are applied with water for lubrication and are designed to resurface the stone to remove the etching. I very quickly realised however the 400-grit wasn’t having the desired effect so I dropped down to a 200-grit pad, this also didn’t work so I went down to a 100-grit. This did the job and the Limestone started to show improvement.

The 100-grit pad was then run across the all the effected Limestone again using water for lubrication. Once done the tiles were rinsed with water to remove and the pad switched for a 200-grit. This process was then repeated working through increasingly finer pads of 400, 800 and then finally 1500-grit.

Once the whole shower was burnished in this was the remaining water was vacuumed away with a Hyundai wet vac and the shower left to dry with a fan in place. When I came back, I checked the results of the burnishing and realised there were still visible marks on some of the Limestone tiles and so repeated the process starting with the 400-grit pad and up; eventually after around 6-7 hours I had the desired finish.

Sealing Limestone Shower Tiles

A lot of water was used during the burnishing so I left the shower to dry overnight and added the finishing touches the following day. This included cutting out the silicone sealant and sealing the stone with Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. I wanted to keep the stone light so decided against using a colour enhancer.

After allowing two hours for drying the last steps were to colour the grout using one of Tile Doctor’s Grout Colourants in a Limestone colour and then apply fresh silicone mastic around the edges.

Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle After Renovation Isleworth

This was the hardest job I’ve done so far but the result was worth it. The shower cubicle looked like a new installation and my customer was very happy with the result; they had very low expectations and this far surpassed them.

Professional Stone Tiled Wet Room Renovation in Berkshire

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Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Floor Polishing Twickenham

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Renovated in Twickenham

1 Comment / Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway

Late last year I was asked to renovate 1000m2 of Terrazzo tiles in the public spaces of a Cinema in Twickenham . It sounded like a dream job however the complication was the work could only be done out of hours, and I would need to start at 5am and be gone before they opened for business at 11:00.

The Terrazzo tiles had been regularly cleaned however the sealer had worn down with all the foot traffic they had received, and this resulted in dirt becoming ingrained in the tile leaving them extremely dirty. Another issue was that the installer had not managed to polish off all the grout during installation and so the tiles had grout haze staining over the surface which detracted from their appearance and resulted in a rough texture that trapped dirt easily.

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Before Polishing Twickenham

To resolve all the issues the Terrazzo needed to be burnished with diamond pads to remove the grout haze and bring up their appearance. Once that had been done, they would need to be sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores of the tile, this would also make them easier to keep clean. Due to the sheer size of the project, I had calculated the work would take approximately six weeks in total however due to the restrictions and other complications it would need to be done over a six-month period. The manager of the cinema didn’t want the operation of the cinema impacted by the cleaning so was happy to agree to the plan.

To complete this floor, I worked in small sections using an industrial Victor Trojan buffing machine and Tile Doctors diamond pad diamond burnishing system. I found the first 400-grit pad which was applied using only water immediately took off the dirt and grout haze from the terrazzo leaving the tile with a nice smooth face. This process generates a lot of soiling which is contained in the water turning it into a fine slurry which was then removed using a wet vacuum.

After this the 400-grit pad was switched to a finer 800-grit pad which is the first step in repolishing the tiles as well as taking off any areas of dirt missed earlier. The pad is run over the floor as before with water for lubrication and once done the soiled liquid was extracted again. Next up was the 1500-grit pad being a lighter pad used to give the tile a last wet polish before you move on to sealing and dry polishing.

Once the 1500 pad was completed, the floor was given a rinse with water and the now clean section of flooring dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum. The tiles were then left to dry with a hot air floor blower in place to speed up drying the floor.

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor During Polishing Twickenham

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor During Cleaning Twickenham

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor

It wasn’t long before the tiles were dry and ready for sealing with an application of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is a natural look impregnator that soaks into the tile and protects without changing its appearance. The sealer was rubbed in by hand with a micro fibre cloth making sure to remove any excess. Two coats were applied with a thirty-minute dry time in-between coats.

Once the sealer had dried the floor was burnished again, this time a very fine 3500-grit burnishing pad. Only a little water is applied when using this pad, dry polishing the tiles with a left right then circular movement. This works the sealer into the tiles, closes the pores and gives the tile a smooth, non-slip wipeable surface that will be difficult for dirt to penetrate in the future.

Once complete the grout haze was gone and the Terrazzo looked great with a deep shine. My client was extremely happy with the transformation and said it looked like a new floor.

The section of hallway in the photographs took four mornings to complete but it was the tip of the iceberg really with a lot more floor to do before the job would be finished.

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor After Polishing Twickenham

For the aftercare of Polished Terrazzo, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a ph neutral floor cleaner that contains a patina enhancer that will help maintain the appearance of the tiles without impacting the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Floor in Southwest London

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Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Stanwell

50-Year-Old Carpet Covered Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Stanwell

1 Comment / Quarry Tile Cleaning, Stanwell Tile Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

Here we have a fifty-year-old Quarry tiled floor in the hallway of a property in Stanwell that had previously been covered in carpet. When I arrived to survey the floor the carpet gripper rod was still glued to the floor. Although the floor had been protected by the carpet it was in quite a state with paint and cement staining.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Renovation Stanwell

None of this put me off, in fact I have seen worse and I was able to re-assure the owner that all the staining would come off and once cleaned and sealed it should come a treat. This was music to the ear of the owner who was looking at renting the property and keen to make the floor usable for the new tenants.

After measuring up and working out the product quantities needed to renovate the floor, I worked out a detailed quote which was accepted and a date set for the work to start.

Deep Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first job was to peel off the remaining carpet gripper which had been stuck to the floor with adhesive. Next it was time to tackle the staining so a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was mopped onto the tiles and a left to soak in for roughly ten minutes. This gives the product time to break down the adhesive, cement, ingrained dirt and soften the paint.

A black pad was fitted to a rotary floor buffer and run over the tiles which removed about 80% of the contaminates including the adhesive. I then got on my hands and knees with a scraper to remove the cement and stubborn adhesive. I also used a DeWalt handheld scrubber with a carbide brush and more Remove and Go to spot clean stubborn stains on the tile. During this process a wet vacuum was used to remove the soiling.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Renovation Stanwell

Next the floor was given an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which was mopped onto the tiles and then brushed in. This further cleans up the tiles and removes old grout smears and staining; it also neutralises the floor following the use of Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline.

The floor was then given a thorough rinse to remove any trace of product and dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry out for four days due to the amount of water that was used to clean the floor.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

With the cleaning complete and the floor dried it was time to move onto the final part of the floor renovation by sealing the tiles. Having discussed the required finish earlier the customer had chosen Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra for this. This product provides a lovely low sheen finish and due to the porosity of the clay Quarry tiles it took seven coats before the floor was fully sealed.

Once complete the work really lifted the appearance of the quarry tiles which were more colourful and brighter. Also, the new sealer will make the floor much easier to keep clean as it keeps the dirt on the surface where it’s easy to remove.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Renovation Stanwell

The floor responded well to the treatment which hopefully you can see in the photographs. Certainly, my client was happy and left the following positive feedback:

Daniel is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. He suggested doing a recce of the property, he explained everything he was going to do, co-ordinated with the letting agent and his final price was very reasonable.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor in Southwest London

50-Year-Old Carpet Covered Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Stanwell Read More »

Ceramic Tile and Grout Renovation Richmond

Colour Restored to Black Grout on a Ceramic Tiled Floor in Richmond

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Richmond Tile Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

This customer from Richmond called Tile Doctor due to see what could be done to improve the Grout on their Ceramic tiled floor which had been installed throughout the ground floor. Having previously called in a cleaning company to deep clean the tile and grout it now needed remedial work to restore the appearance of the grout. The grout had originally been painted black and this had been badly scrapped by the cleaning company leaving it in a bad state, also he felt the tiles could had not been cleaned properly either.

Having visited the property to survey the floor I was able to reassure the customer that the Grout could be restored and discussed the benefits of the Tile Doctor Grout Colourants. These colourants are made from epoxy and are much more hard wearing than the paint-based product which we usually only recommend for touching up.

Ceramic Tile and Grout Floor Before Cleaning Richmond

Ceramic Tile and Grout Bathroom Floor Before Cleaning Richmond

I worked out a quote for deep cleaning the tiles and colouring the grout with a black colourant to restore the appearance of the floor. After reviewing and answering any questions they quote was accepted and a date scheduled.

Deep Cleaning a Ceramic Floor Tiles

I started off by checking the whole floor for missing grout and then raking out the problem areas and re-filling using a fast-drying black grout.

Attention then turned to deep cleaning the Ceramic floor tiles starting with the application of a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This was left mopped onto the floor and then left for ten minutes before being worked into the tiles using a Victor Trojan floor buffer fitted with a Black scrubbing pad. The pad is run over each tile several times moving slowly with small circles to ensure the floor was getting a good scrub and I was getting everything off.

Ceramic Tile and Grout Floor During Cleaning Richmond

There was also a small toilet area to be done which was too small for the Victor machine so and I did this using the same process but with a handheld Dewalt polisher fitted with with a 6-inch black scrubbing pad. Once an area had been scrubbed it was rinsed with water and then all the liquids extracted using an industrial wet vacuum.

Once the floor was cleaned work started on epoxy sealing the grout using Tile Doctor Black epoxy grout colourant, this not only seals the grout but also gives everything a uniformed colour the whole way through. I didn’t need to wire brush and clean the grout on this occasion as the grout had already been cleaned earlier.

In total It took three coats of Black grout colourant to achieve the desired effect and nine hours of hard work on my hands and knees.

Ceramic Tile and Grout Bathroom Floor After Renovation Richmond

Ceramic Tile and Grout Floor After Cleaning Richmond

When finished the Ceramic tiled floor was cleaner, the black grout had been restored and my customer was very happy and requested I return to renovate two bathrooms. For aftercare cleaning I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is a mild yet effective product.

Ceramic Tile and Grout Colour Restoration in South London

Colour Restored to Black Grout on a Ceramic Tiled Floor in Richmond Read More »

Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor Renovation Richmond-upon-Thames

Terracotta Tiled Utility Room Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Richmond

1 Comment / Richmond Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

These are terracotta tiles installed 28 years ago in the utility room of a property in Richmond KT2. A new owner moved into the property a year ago and were going to pull the tiles up to replace with vinyl. They assumed the tiles were too far gone for restoration but decided to give me a call first to see if there was anything that could be done.

Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor Before Cleaning Richmond

I visited the property and conducted some tests and established that we could in fact work with the tiles. They were dark with dirt, but I was confident they would come up really well and provided the owners with a quote to deep clean the tiles and then re-seal to protect them.

Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor Before Cleaning Richmond

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor

The work began by deep cleaning the tiles and removing what was left of the original sealer. It was clear from the start that multiple coats of a protective coating of some kind had been applied and as this broke down with use, dirt had become deeply ingrained into this sealer and not the tile. Deep cleaning of the tiles could only commence once this coating was gone so I started by mopping Tile Doctor Remove and Go stripper diluted with water onto the floor and leaving it to soak in for fifteen minutes. The solution was then agitated with a brush and and the process repeated several times.

It was a small area, so a DeWalt handheld rotary machine fitted with an 80-grit carbide brush was then used to scrub the floor in an attempt to take the sealer off. I soon realised that due to the numerous coats that had been applied the process would need repeating several times. Each application and scrub improving the state of the tiles gradually giving me confidence that I was in fact on the right path.

Once the sealer had been removed, I decided to use Tile Doctor Heavy Build-Up Remover to help with the cleaning process. This was applied to the Terracotta and Grout and then left to soak in for twenty minutes before scrubbing the floor with the Dewalt machine fitted with the carbide brush. The resultant slurry was vacuumed away with a Hyundai wet vacuum. The work was done this way in small sections to ensure the Terracotta was as clean as possible.

Once I was satisfied, the tile and grout was cleaned to its best possible condition the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. The acid in this product does several things including dissolving any salts that may be in the tiles, further cleaning up the tiles and neutralising the PH level of the floor following the use of alkaline cleaners. After being brushed into the tiles and left for five minutes the solution was removed with the wet vacuum and the floor mopped lightly with clean water.

Terracotta is made of clay, which is very porous, so I decided it was best to leave the floor over the weekend to dry out. This allows for any water vapour to completely evaporate before sealing and allowed time for any remaining salt issues to appear so they could be dealt with before sealing.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Utility

On my return, I sealed the floor using Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra and a paint pad, it took four applications of the sealer before I achieved the correct level and resulted in a fully sealed surface.

Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor After Renovation Richmond

The result was a completely transformed floor; the dark and dirty red colour had gone and was replaced with a fresh orange Terracotta. My client was delighted with the result and left the following feedback:

Daniels standard of work is outstanding. Our tiles came out better than we ever imagined. He arrived on time and was very professional and explained the complete process. He was also very tidy. I would not hesitate to use him again and would thoroughly recommend him.

Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor After Renovation Richmond

Before leaving I took time to explain the importance of using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to maintain the floor going forward. This is a mild but effective Tile and Grout cleaner that won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor in Southwest London

Terracotta Tiled Utility Room Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Richmond Read More »

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Brentford

Renovating a 27-year-old Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Brentford

1 Comment / Brentford Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

This job is a terracotta tiled kitchen floor at a property in Brentford that was laid 27 years ago and then sealed using wax. Since then, it hasn’t been properly maintained the entire time they have been down and was looking dark and permanently dirty.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Brentford

Sometimes I can quote for renovating a floor from photos, however, in this case I made sure to book a survey as I could see that the tiles were heavily soiled, as you would expect from 27 years of use with no cleaning. On inspection of the tiles, I could see there was a lot of stripping that needed to happen to remove what was left of the wax.

I explained to the clients the process and the limitations and discovered their expectations for the floor. What the client was looking for was for the tiles to be as clean as possible with a good gloss on the top for easier mopping and maintenance. Once I had this information, I worked out a price and booked the work in.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

Once everything was protected, I carried out a damp proof reading on the tiles, noted it down and then applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go stripper to the top of the tiles. I mopped this around for 5 minutes and then agitated with a brush. Once happy it was taking effect, I used coarse carbide brush to scrub the solution in and remove the old sealer. Once complete and the resultant soiling rinsed away and extracted, I was able to inspect the floor and confirm the sealer had been removed.

Happy with stage 1, work progressed to the next step which involved covering the entire floor in a thick layer of Tile Doctor Acid Gel and allowed it to sit for 15 minutes. I did this to prevent too much penetration from the water during the next cleaning phase, but clay tiles like Terracotta react very well to acid during cleaning aiding the whole process. The next step was to use the rotary machine fitted with a black pad and give the tiles a good deep clean. I worked methodically ensuring not to flood the entire floor and again working in sections to allow me to vacuum off the surface water to avoid too much penetration into the tile.

Once happy with this I took a wire brush and cleaned the grout, although it had already mostly been cleaned by the carbide brush on the handheld it allows me to get down and close to the floor so that I can easily spot areas that may have been missed. I then said my goodbyes to the client and went away for 2 days, leaving a fan behind that they moved around to different sections of the floor each day until dry.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

I stayed in contact with the client leading up to the sealing day and we determined the floor was ready to go. On arrival I took a damp meter reading and after comparing it to the one I took earlier was happy with the result.

Sealing the floor began with the application of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra and a paint pad. Four coats of sealer were applied. This is a fully breathable modern acrylic sealer that performs well on Terracotta improving its appearance and adding long lasting protection.

The following day the client called to say that the floor looked a bit dull in places, so I immediately booked them in for the bank holiday Monday and made my way back. On arrival I could see that not all areas of the floor had taken the sealer as well as I thought so I proceeded to apply another 6 coats. Terracotta is a very porous clay-based material and so this is not unusual.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Brentford

The floor looked even better after this so I’m glad they requested a call back, visiting Terracotta floors more than once can happen, the most important thing is getting the correct results in the end with the least amount of disruption possible.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Brentford

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the client use Tile Doctor Ph Neutral Cleaner. It’s a mild yet effective floor cleaner that’s safe to use on sealed tiles.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen in South London

Renovating a 27-year-old Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Brentford Read More »

Grout-Stained Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Barnes

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Richmond Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

The pictures below come from a property in Barnes near Richmond upon Thames where a hallway floor had been laid with Terrazzo tiles. The tiles had been laid well but unfortunately the tiler had spread grout all over the tiles and not cleaned it off properly.

This is not uncommon when tiling a floor and is known in the trade as Grout Haze or Grout Smearing, the results in a haze over the tiles which detracts from their appearance. To make things even worse however, the tiler had then applied a sealer over the Terrazzo with the grout still on there. This locked in the hazy finish and left the tiles looking dull.

Terrazzo Floor Grout Haze Before Cleaning Barnes

Since that time the sealer had worn down and the floor had collected lots of ingrained dirt, leaving it darker and discoloured and subdued.

I was called in to renovate the floor and having surveyed the tiles I recommended burnishing the tiles with a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads which are made from different grades of industrial diamonds. They clean the floor, removing staining such as the grout haze and build an attractive sheen on the Terrazzo. Once done I would re-seal the floor with a natural look sealer.

I worked out a quote which was accepted, and a date set for the work to start.

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

Work started with the application of the first burnishing pad which is a coarse 400-grit and this is attached to a floor buffing machine that had an extra 55kg of weight added. The pad is run over each tile several times using only water for lubrication. The water turns black with the dirt released from the floor and after completing the whole floor it is rinsed away and extracted with a wet vacuum.

This process is then repeated with the finer pads of 800 and 1500 grit which start to build a polish onto the tile. After each pad is run over the floor the slurry is rinsed off and extracted as before. The last burnishing pad is a super fine 3500-grit, and this is applied dry with just a little water sprayed onto the tile to really bring up the shine.

Terrazzo Floor Grout Haze During Burnishing Barnes

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

The floor was left to dry off overnight and the next day I returned to seal it with Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a natural look almost invisible sealer that doesn’t alter the appearance of the tiles. It is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the tile, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from residing there, thus keeping the dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Regarding cleaning, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap, it is a gentle but effective tile cleaner made to a special formula that helps maintain the patina on the tile. It’s important to use a product like this for cleaning a sealed floor as many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong and will damage the sealer.

Terrazzo Floor Grout Haze After Renovation Barnes

The Terrazzo responded well to the burnishing and my client was very happy with the floor which had never looked like it should. As it turns out he is also the owner of three large independent cinemas in London with over 1000m2 Terrazzo spread across them and because of this job I’ve now been asked to go and do the same there too.

Professional Renovation of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in Southwest London

Grout-Stained Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Barnes Read More »

Severe Mould Stained Marble Tiled Bathroom Restoration Twickenham

Mould-stained Marble Tiled Bathroom Restoration in Twickenham

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning / Daniel Connelly

As you can see from the photographs below this Marble tiled bathroom at a property in Twickenham had a very bad case severe case of mould staining. The client was trying to decide if the tiles were too far gone for restoration after letting a property for the past 4 years, the tenants unfortunately didn’t let him know the state of things.

Severe Mould Stained Marble Tiled Bathroom Before Cleaning Twickenham

Keen to have the problem resolved quickly I managed to move some things around called into the property the following day. I was confident that the mould could be removed however you do need to be careful with Marble as its acid sensitive, also I could see the tiles had a factory seal so proceeded with caution and was able to demonstrate that the problems could be rectified.

Severe Mould Stained Marble Tiled Bathroom Before Cleaning Twickenham

Happy with the proposed solution and keen to get the property back on the rental market I was immediately booked to return the following week.

Cleaning Mould from Marble Bathroom Tiles

Day one for this job was to remove all mould from the tiles. To do this I lightly rubbed Tile Doctor Acid-Gel into small sections of the tiles until I could see the clean surface and then immediately washed off with clean water, making sure I got every part of the tiles to avoid any runoff.

Work proceeded in this manner until all the tiles free of mould and dirt. With the mould staining removed I noticed some of the tiles were effected by grout haze which happens when the tiler fails to polish off all the grout during installation. It wasn’t part of the initial quote however I felt obliged to deal with it so more Acid Gel and elbow grease was applied until that was removed allowing the details of the Marble tiling to come through.

Next step was to treat the grout lines using a similar process with Acid Gel but for this I used a wire brush to remove surface staining leaving the grout clean and returning the grout lines to their original colour.

To bring up the appearance of the Marble tiling a six-inch 1500-grit burnishing pad fitted to a handheld machine was run over each tile several times using only water for lubrication. This was then followed with a very fine 3500-grit pad to bring up the polish.

Once I was happy that the finish on the Marble tiles was as good as it could get, I then re-inspected the grout and decided to replace some areas of grouting that had suffered deep staining. I used a coloured grout to match what was originally there.

Last step before leaving for the day was to strip out all the silicone sealant from the wall verticals and along the bath and allowed the joints to dry overnight.

Applying a Grout Colourant to Marble Bathroom Tiles

The next day I returned the next day to finish the project off starting with an inspection to ensure nothing had been missed. At this point I felt the grout could still be improve so all grout lines were coloured with a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant to ensure a consistent appearance. I was hoping to avoid this but I felt it was the best solution to bring the bathroom to an “as new” appearance. The colourant also acts as a barrier over the grout making it much easier to keep clean.

Last step was to apply new mould resistant silicone sealant to the verticals and along the bath which finished off the project nicely. They still had some work to do including painting the ceiling but from my point of view I was very happy with the way the Marble tile and grout had responded to the treatment.

Severe Mould Stained Marble Tiled Bathroom After Cleaning Twickenham

My work was done so I called the client who was keen to come over and look. To say they were shocked is an understatement, they were considering ripping all the tiles out and replacing but luckily, we saved them a small fortune. For aftercare I advised increasing the ventilation and using a mild cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Aqua Pro.

Severe Mould Stained Marble Tiled Bathroom After Cleaning Twickenham

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