Stone Soap Archives - South West London Tile Doctor

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Floor Polishing Twickenham

Terrazzo Tiled Cinema Hallway Floor Renovated in Twickenham

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 »

Acid Stained Marble Floor Renovation Twickenham

Shine Restored to a Dull Marble Tiled Wet Room Floor in Twickenham

1 Comment / Work History / London Tile Doctor

I was asked to renovate a beautiful dark Marble tiled floor in the wet room of a property in Twickenham. My clients had the tiles installed ten years ago and had never had it professionally cleaned in that time, over the years they had maintained the stone poorly using general floor cleaning products.

Unfortunately, cleaning products with an acid base are not suitable for use on calcium-based stone like Marble, Limestone, Terrazzo and Travertine. The acid reduces the life of the sealer and can react with the calcium leaving stains and, in some cases, etching.

Acid Stained Marble Floor Before Renovation Twickenham

I was able to reassure the client that although the Marble looked beyond renovation it was not the case and that they could be restored to their original condition. They are not the only clients to have had this issue with polished stone and Tile Doctor has worked out a solution that can be used to restore their original polished appearance.

Relieved there was a solution I was asked to provide a quote which was accepted and a date for the work to start agreed.

Cleaning and Repairing a Marble Tiled Bathroom

To start we did a small test in the corner to be sure the renovation plan would be successful, although we have worked on many of these situations before, we still like to do a small verification test before starting any job.

All was well with the test, so the remedy was deployed to the whole floor. This begins with the application of a coarse 400-grit diamond burnishing pad to the floor worked in with water and a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This combination removes any remaining sealer and dirt from the marble as well as removing etching. A wet vacuum is then used to extract the slurry from the surface.

Acid Stained Marble Floor During Renovation Twickenham

Once satisfied the tile was ready for the next pad we then went to work with a medium 800-grit pad to deep clean and begin to hone the tile to restore its polished appearance using only water. After another rinse and extraction, we then moved onto the fine 1500-grit pad to bring the tile to a polished appearance again using water for lubrication.

The last pad is a super fine 3500-grit pad which is applied dry using only a small amount of water sprayed onto the tile to fully polish the marble. Our client didn’t want a high gloss, so we concentrated more on giving the tile a nice depth and low shine.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Bathroom

Once the Marble tiles had dried, they were sealed using Tile Doctor X-Tra seal, wiping small amounts into the tile at a time and then removing the excess with a clean cloth. This is especially important with oil-based sealers as too much oil left in the tile will make it sticky once dry and leave a light residue on the surface.

Acid Stained Marble Floor After Renovation Twickenham

X-Tra Seal is rated for external use which makes it a good choice for wet areas, it’s also an impregnator that soaks into the stone protecting it from within and ensuring contaminates remaining on the surface where they can be cleaned away.

Once complete the Marble had a very attractive low gloss finish that was protected and ready for anything they could throw at it…anything but acid-based cleaners! It’s important that if you do ever accidently use the wrong cleaner you immediately wash it away with plenty of clean water. This will neutralise the acid and hopefully save the floor. For a sealed and polished floor like this I recommend Tile Doctor Stone Soap which contains a patina enhancer.

Acid Stained Marble Floor After Renovation Twickenham

Professional Renovation of Marble Flooring in a South London Bathroom

Shine Restored to a Dull Marble Tiled Wet Room Floor in Twickenham 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 »

Large Limestone Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Surbiton

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Surbiton Tile Cleaning / London Tile Doctor

This large Limestone tiled floor at a property in Surbiton had been recently maintained by a cleaning company who didn’t do a thorough job. They hadn’t done anything to improve the polish on the Limestone and unfortunately stripped off the original sealer during cleaning leaving it vulnerable to ingrained dirt.

Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Surbiton

The stone floor now looked very flat and lifeless and I was asked to do the job properly, including deep cleaning the grout, polishing the stone and finally replacing the sealer.

Stripping and Polishing Tumbled Limestone Tiles

I started work by focusing on the grout which had become darkened with dirt. For this I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean along the grout lines, left it to soak in for a few minutes and then worked it in with a wire brush. This process turned the grout from Black back to White and the dirt was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Limestone Floor During Cleaning Surbiton

Limestone Floor During Grout Cleaning Surbiton

The next step was to burnish the stone using a set of Diamond encrusted pads of increasing grits that range from a coarse 400-grit to a very fine 3000-grit. The pads are fitted to the rotary machine and are run across the whole floor lubricating with water which darkens as the dirt is lifted out of the stone. Each pad is moved slowly across the floor with the machine leaving small rings on each pass. The floor is then rinsed and all the slurry with a wet vacuum after each pad.

It was a large floor that extended from the hallway into the Kitchen so it took some time to cover every section thoroughly. I stopped one the 1500-grit pad had been applied and after another rinse and extraction left the floor to dry off overnight.

Sealing Limestone Tiles

I returned the next morning and set about sealing the floor with Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an impregnating natural look sealer that soaks into the pores of the Limestone protecting it from within. The sealer will ensure any dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

I left the sealer to dry for an hour before polishing the floor with the last in the set of burnishing pads which is a 3000-grit pad. I covered every angle of light to make sure I’d left no smudges anywhere. This pad is applied with only a little water sprayed on to the stone as its run over the surface, this technique is known as a spray burnish and leaves the floor dry.

Limestone Floor After Polishing Surbiton

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning which for polished stone floors, I recommend Tile Doctor Stone Soap which not only cleans but also help maintain the patina on polished stone.

Limestone Floor After Polishing Surbiton

Professional Renovation of a Large Polished Limestone Floor in South London

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