Twickenham Tile Cleaning Archives - South West London Tile Doctor

Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovation Isleworth

Stained Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovated at Isleworth Rental

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

Stained Limestone Tiled Shower Cubicle Renovated at Isleworth Rental Read More »

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

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Renovated in Twickenham 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

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tiled Bathroom in Southwest London

Mould-stained Marble Tiled Bathroom Restoration in Twickenham Read More »

Professional Restoration of Kitchen Quarry Tiles in Twickenham

Neglected Quarry Tile and Grout Professionally Cleaned in Twickenham Kitchen

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

This Quarry tiled floor was installed in the kitchen of a property in Twickenham thirty-eight years prior. The tiles had never been professionally cleaned or sealed since installation and as you can see from the photograph both the tile and grout were in need of restoration.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Professional Tile Cleaning Twickenham

Having visited the property to inspect the floor I recommended giving the tile and grout a deep clean to remove the years of ingrained dirt and then sealing with a breathable sealant that would improve the appearance of the tiles. The main function of the sealer is to prevent dirt from becoming lodged in the porous clay tile, this keeps it on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. Whilst at the property I also discussed potentially colouring the grout as it was badly stained and may not respond as hoped.

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

Deep Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first part of this job was the restoration of the tiles themselves; stained with years of ingrained dirt they needed a deep clean with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. For the best results this is sprayed onto the tile and grout and then left to soak in for ten minutes before scrubbing with the black pad fitted to a buffing machine.

The grout was also hand scrubbed at this point with a wire brush and more Pro-Clean, I find the pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line, so this ensures a better clean. Once done the soiled cleaning solution was then extracted using a wet vacuum.

Next the floor was given an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which was mopped onto the floor and then brushed in. This further cleans up the tiles and removes old grout smears, it also neutralises the floor following the use of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean 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. Once done the floor was left to dry out for a few days.

Upon my return I noticed that as the floor dried several areas of efflorescence (White salts) had appeared, probably due to the amount of water needed during cleaning. This will have pushed salts up to the surface as the moisture in the tiles evaporated. To resolve this, I gave the floor a further clean with a weak solution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which being an acidic dissolved the salts.

Applying White Grout Colourant to a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was then inspected, and it was agreed that although the grout lines were much cleaner than before they were still stained in places, and this was bringing down the overall appearance of the tiles. So, it was decided to implement my contingency plan and colour the grout using a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in White.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor During Grout Colouring Twickenham

The colourant is painted onto the grout any excess is wiped off the adjacent tile as you progress. It doesn’t take long to apply however there were a lot of grout lines to cover due to the small size of the tiles.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

With the cleaning complete and the grout issues resolved it was time to move onto the final part of the floor restoration 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 along with the protection provided by the Grout Colourant will make maintenance cleaning much easier.

Overall, the floor came out well and my client was very happy, leaving positive feedback and more work booked in for a later date.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor After Professional Tile Cleaning Twickenham

Before leaving I recommended, they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for cleaning going forward, this product is safe to use on sealed tiles and won’t harm the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen in Southwest London

Neglected Quarry Tile and Grout Professionally Cleaned in Twickenham Kitchen Read More »

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Ashford Tile Cleaning, Brentford Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Feltham Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Kingston Upon Thames Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Richmond Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Staines Tile Cleaning, Staines-upon-Thames Tile Cleaning, Stanwell Tile Cleaning, Surbiton Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Twickenham Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Daniel Connelly

South West London Tile Doctor

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