Floor Tiles Archives - South West London Tile Doctor

Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration Stanwell

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.

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 »

Terracotta Tiled Utility Floor Renovation Richmond-upon-Thames

Terracotta Tiled Utility Room Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Richmond

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 / London Tile Doctor

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 / London Tile Doctor

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 »

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 / London Tile Doctor

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 »