Brentwood Tile Cleaning Archives - South Essex Tile Doctor

Silver Travertine Floor Renovation Shenfield

Renovating a Silver Travertine Kitchen Floor in Shenfield Brentwood

The tiles in the pictures below are Silver Travertine located in the Kitchen of a client in Shenfield which is an affluent suburb of Brentwood. Silver Travertine rich blend of Silver and Grey and displays lots of character when maintained. In this case the floor hadn’t been cleaned and sealed in some years and the previous sealer had now worn down leaving it vulnerable to ingrained dirt and resulting in a dull appearance.

Unhappy with how the floor now looked I was asked to quote for renovating it. The owner was struggling to keep it clean and wanted it cleaning and re-sealing, additionally the grout was stained in places and needed attention.

Silver Travertine Floor Before Cleaning Shenfield

I called in to survey the floor and was able to see for myself the problems they were facing. I worked out a plan for renovating the stone and grout and discussed what sort of finish they wanted for the floor which would affect the choice of sealer.

The renovation plan led to the creation of a quote which was accepted and a date scheduled for the work to start.

Cleaning a Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

On arrival I applied a 1:3 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell for thirty minutes so it could soak into the pores and break down the dirt, grease, and any remaining sealer. The floor was then scrubbed with a rotary buffing machine fitted with a coarse 400-grit burnishing pad to get the stone clean and free of sealer.

The grout was then hand scrubbed to get it clean as possible; the pads do clean the grout but can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line, so I always find following up by hand gets the best result. The slurry was then vacuumed off the floor using a wet vacuum and then rinsed with water and vacuumed again.

Next step was to apply the next burnishing pad in the series which is a medium 800-grit. This is the first step in the polishing process which improves the appearance of the Travertine and adds a pleasing shine to the tile. The pad is run over each tile several times using only water to help lubricate. Once done the floor is rinsed and extracted with the wet vacuum as before. This polishing process was then repeated using a fine 1500-grit.

After another rinse and extraction to the floor was left to dry off overnight with a turbo dryer left in place for several hours to speed things up.

Sealing a Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning the next day, I completed the polishing of the Travertine using a very fine 3000-grit burnishing pad which is run over the floor dry using a little water sprayed onto each tile as you progress. This left the Travertine with a lovely subtle shine; it also leaves the floor dry and ready for sealing.

To get the best from Silver Travertine we had chosen to seal the floor using Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that contains a colour enhancing formula. Two coats were applied leaving around thirty minutes drying time between each coat. Tile Doctor Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that enhances and improves the colour and texture of natural travertine whilst providing durable protection.

Silver Travertine Floor After Grout Cleaning Shenfield

My client was very happy with the improvement in the appearance of the floor, and I think you will agree the Travertine and Grout looks so much cleaner and inviting.

Silver Travertine Floor After Renovation Shenfield

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and recommended the client to use Tile Doctor Stone Soap as a maintenance cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen in Essex

Renovating a Silver Travertine Kitchen Floor in Shenfield Brentwood Read More »

Sticky Linseed Oil Removed from a Terracotta Kitchen Floor in Brentwood

1 Comment / Brentwood Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Matthew Tyler

This is a Terracotta tiled floor at a property in Brentwood that had been recently installed. Unfortunately, the tilers decided to seal the terracotta with a linseed-based sealer that hadn’t gone off and was still tacky to the touch causing it to trap dirt. I suspect they simply put too much down; however, I was surprised they used linseed as this is a very old-fashioned method of sealing terracotta when modern sealers offer far better performance.

Terracotta Floor Before Cleaning Brentwood

The solution I offered was to strip the linseed off the floor, give the tiles a good clean and then re-seal with a modern based sealer designed for the job. Happy with my quote and relieved the problem could be resolved, we agreed a date to complete the work.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

To strip off the Linseed Oil I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a powerful alkaline coatings remover. It was left to work breaking down the linseed for about ten minutes and then scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with a black 17″ pad. The soiling was then rinsed away with water extracted using a wet vacuum. This process had to be repeated several times before the floor was clear and I used several pads in the process.

The grout was then hand scrubbed using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, these were small terracotta tiles so there was a lot of grouting to cover. Afterwards the soiling was rinsed off and extracted as before using the wet vacuum.

The last step in the cleaning process was to give the floor an acid rinse using a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. It was scrubbed in with a deck brush to remove excess grout smears and neutralise the pH level of the floor following the use of alkaline cleaners. Once done it was rinsed away and extracted as before.

Terracotta Floor During Cleaning Brentwood

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

I left the floor to dry out for a couple of days, before returning to apply a new sealer which for this floor we had chosen Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile preventing dirt from becoming lodged there and thereby protecting it from within. Colour Grow as its name suggests includes a colour enhancing formula that improves the lovely orange/red colours so ideal for Terracotta.

Made from clay, Terracotta is a porous material and so does need quite a few coats before its fully sealed. For this floor I needed to apply give coats of Colour Grow, allowing for each coat to dry before applying the next. This is a low sheen sealer which will give the floor a much more hardwearing surface and it really brought out the natural colours in the Terracotta.

Terracotta Floor After Renovation Brentwood

My client was very happy with the difference and left the following 5-star review.

“Matthew was a pleasure to work with and did a fantastic job on a tricky terracotta renovation.”

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, which is a pH neutral tile cleaner, it’s a gentle yet effective product that won’t impact the sealer.

Terracotta Floor After Renovation Brentwood

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Essex

Sticky Linseed Oil Removed from a Terracotta Kitchen Floor in Brentwood Read More »

Multicoloured Slate Floor Renovation Stock Essex

New Sealer adds Life to a Dull Multi Coloured Slate Floor in Stock

1 Comment / Brentwood Tile Cleaning, Chelmsford Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning / Matthew Tyler

This multi-coloured Slate kitchen floor had been laid fifteen years prior and although in very good condition the owner was unhappy with the finish. Basically, it looked dull, un-inviting and the owner wanted some life putting back in the stone.

It was clear to me that the sealer that had provided previously provided the sheen finish had simply worn off with use. Without a sealer in place dirt was now becoming ingrained into the pores of the slate making the problem worse.

Multicoloured Slate Floor Before Cleaning Stock Essex

I visited the property to survey the tiles and provide a quote for renovating the floor. The work would take two days and would include removing what remained of the old sealer, deep cleaning the Slate and then re-sealing the tiles with a sheen finish sealer. The quote was accepted, and a date arranged to do the work.

Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Floor

I started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and let it soak into the stone for ten minutes. This product is a coatings remover and cleaner that is safe to use on all type of stone or tile. Then using a 200-grit milling pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer the solution was worked into the stone to strip off what remained of the remaining sealer and pull the dirt out of the stone. The floor was then rinsed, and the soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum.

Next, I treated the floor to an acid wash using another Tile Doctor product called Grout Clean-up. This is great for removing grout smears left over from tiling and neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Remove and Go which is alkaline. After scrubbing in the solution with a deck brush the floor was then rinsed and extracted again with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Floor

I left the floor to dry out overnight and returned the next days later to apply the sealer. Before doing so I checked the moisture level of the tiles with a damp meter to ensure they had dried sufficiently. This is always worth doing as applying sealer to a floor that is still damp can lead to an inconsistent finish.

All was well with the readings so I started applying the first coat of sealer which for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This product will protect the stone from ingrained dirt and adds a lovely subtle shine to the floor which matched the customers’ requirements exactly. After about forty minutes of drying time, I applied a second cost and as expected this resulted in a healthy sheen.

Multicoloured Slate Floor After Cleaning Stock Essex

My client was very happy with the result and left 5-star feedback along with the following comment.

Very Professional

For the aftercare cleaning of sealed slate floors, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective product that won’t upset the sealer like many of the bleach based products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen, Hallway and WC Floor in North Lincolnshire

New Sealer adds Life to a Dull Multi Coloured Slate Floor in Stock Read More »

=================================

Basildon Tile Cleaning, Brentwood Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Chelmsford Tile Cleaning, Chigwell Tile Cleaning, Colchester Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Ilford Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Ockendon Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Romford Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Southend-on-Sea Tile Cleaning, Stanstead Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Thurrock Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Upminster Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / TileProf

South Essex Tile Doctor

================================= Read More »