Adhesive Removal 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 »

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

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.

Adhesive Removal