Southend-on-Sea Tile Cleaning Archives - South Essex Tile Doctor

Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Refurb Leigh-on-Sea

Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Refurb in Leigh-on-Sea

We were asked to help this homeowner in Leigh-on-Sea refurbish their original Edwardian Quarry tiled floor following a spot of decorating. The floor had been well maintained, and some parts of the floor were still being protected by an old sealer.

Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Leigh-on-Sea

I visited the property to carry out a survey and confirmed that the sealer however was worn down on the busier areas of the floor. This has resulted in the Quarry tiles becoming ingrained with dirt and that combined with the paint splashes meant it was time for a deep clean and fresh sealer.

I worked out a detailed quote later that day and emailed it over to the owner who replied confirming they would like to go ahead and provided several dates which would work for them.

Cleaning an Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway

To deep clean the floor, it would be necessary to remove all the sealer from the tiles, otherwise adding more sealer would result in inconsistent layers of sealer on different parts of the floor and a patchy result. The first step therefore was to strip the tiles of all sealer and dirt using Tile Doctor Remove & Go which is a coatings remover. This was applied to the floor, left to soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbed in using a black buffing pad fitted to a rotary machine running at a slow 150 rpm.

This action removed the old sealer and pulled dirt from the pores of the Quarry tile into the cleaning solution where it darkened the solution. The soiling was then rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

When the floor dried it was showing some signs of efflorescence, so it was treated to an acid wash with the application of Tile Doctor Acid Gel. The acidic nature of the gel dissolves efflorescent salts and further cleans the tiles, it also neutralises the pH level of the tiles after the use of Tile Doctor Remove & Go which is a strong alkaline.

The cleaning finished with another rinse and extraction and the wet vacuum used extensively to remove as much moisture from the floor as possible. Once done the tiles were left to dry off fully overnight.

Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor During Cleaning Leigh-on-Sea

Sealing an Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway

Work continued the following day checking first that the tiles had dried using a damp meter. The results were within tolerance, so a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer was applied to the tiles and left to dry; this is an impregnating matt sealer that improves colour. When dry this was followed by three coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which adds a nice satin sheen to the tiles and left a very appealing and attractive finish.

The results speak for themselves, and my client was very happy and left the following five-star feedback:

“Matthew was totally reliable from first contact. The floor cleaning and sealing has surpassed our expectations and looks amazing. He is so professional and a perfectionist. Thank you. By Joanna T, Leigh-on-sea”

Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Leigh-on-Sea

For the aftercare cleaning of sealed Quarry tiles, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a ph neutral tile and grout cleaner that won’t affect the sealer.

Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Leigh-on-Sea

Professional Renovation of an Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway in South Essex

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Limestone Hallway Floor After Renovation Leigh-on-Sea

Renovating a 12-Year Old Limestone Hallway Floor in Leigh-on-Sea

The Limestone floor in the picture below was actually installed by the homeowner in the hallway of their property in Leigh-on-Sea twelve years ago. They had managed to do a good job maintaining it however overtime dirt had accumulated in the pores of the stone and they realised it was time to have it professionally cleaned.

Limestone Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Leigh-on-Sea

I visited the property to survey the floor and provided them with a quote to deep clean the Limestone tile and grout, hone the stone to bring up the polish and then seal to protect it going forward. Happy with the quote we set a date for my return.

Cleaning and Polishing a Limestone Tiled Floor

On arrival the first task was to clean out all the dirt trapped in the pores of the stone. To do this I ran a coarse 200-grit pad over the floor assisted with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The coarse pads are fitted to a buffing machine and run over each tile several times to remove minor scratches, sealers, and ingrained dirt.

The floor was then rinsed and soiling extracted with a wet vacuum before applying the next coarse pad which was a 400-grit. This process was then repeated with a medium 800-grit and fine 1500-grit pad which are the first stages in bringing up the polish on the Limestone.

Next step was to scrub the grout lines using more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. I find this is best done by hand as the pads struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line. Once done the floor was rinsed and extracted several times to neutralise the floor and remove any trace of product.

The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Polished Limestone Tiled Floor

The next day I gave the tiles a spray burnish using an extra fine 3000-grit burning pad, this is applied dry to the floor using only a little water sprayed onto the tile. It leaves the floor nice and dry and is the last step in the polishing process.

To get the best out of the colour in the Limestone I recommended sealing it with Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which as its name implies contains a colour enhancing formula. Its also an impregnator which works by occupying the pores in the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. Two coats were applied and this ensures dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed with regular cleaning.

Limestone Hallway Floor After Cleaning Sealing Leigh-on-Sea

Once done the Limestone tile and grout looked so much lighter and cleaner making the owners very happy. For the aftercare cleaning of a polished stone floor like this we recommend using Tile Doctor Stone Soap. It’s a gentle yet effective cleaner that helps maintain the patina and won’t damage the sealer ensuring it lasts a long time.

Professional Limestone Floor Polishing in Essex

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Dirty Victorian Hallway Floor Cleaning Westcliffe on Sea

1 Comment / Southend-on-Sea Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jeremy

This extremely dirty and dull Victorian tiled hallway floor was at a house in Westcliffe on Sea near Southend. The tiles were well overdue for a deep clean and having worked on many of these types of floors before I was confident we could do the job.

Victorian floor before cleaning Westcliffe on Sea

Deep Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

Any sealer that was originally present had worn off years earlier so I went straight in with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted 1:1 with water. This was applied to the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes before being worked into the tiles with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine.

The soiled cleaning solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and the floor was rinsed. The process was then repeated a few times to ensure all the ingrained dirt had been removed and we also tackled a few paint splashes that became evident. The floor was given a final and thorough rinse with water to ensure all trace of cleaning products had been removed and dried as much as possible using a wet vacuum.

Sealing Victorian Floor Tiles

The Victorian tiles were left to dry out for two days before we returned and the floor checked for dampness using a damp meter. Everything checked out OK so we proceeded to seal the tiles using numerous coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is our recommended sealer for Victorian tiles as it gives a nice low sheen effect that enhances their appearance as well as protecting them from future staining.

Victorian floor after cleaning Westcliffe on Sea

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Floor Tiles in Essex

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Damaged Terrazzo Tiled Floor Repair In Southend

1 Comment / Southend-on-Sea Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Work History / Jeremy

A few months ago I was called down to the coastal town of Southend to restore a damaged Terrazzo tiled floor. Terrazzo is a very beautiful type of stone of Italian origin, and has been used for hundreds of years for residential flooring. The problem with this floor was a significant crack in the surface that was not only spoiling the appearance of the Terrazzo, but also posed a potential hazard for anyone walking in and around this area. I was also commissioned to give the floor a thorough clean and seal .

Cracked Terrazzo floor Before Repair Southend

Repairing a crack in a Terrazzo flooring

To begin the repair, I first mixed a strong solution of one part Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to three parts clean water. I then applied this solution to the hole and the surrounding area, making sure that any dirt and muck had been completely removed before filling. Pro-Clean is a versatile, alkaline cleaner recommended for cleaning natural stone floors.

The damaged area was then dried using an air blower to remove any moisture from in and around the hole, paying special attention to the tricky cracks that were not so easy to dry. The cracks were then filled with a stone glue and hardener. Once the filling had been completed I gave the area a coat of acrylic paint mixed with glue to match the original colour of the floor as much as possible. The final stage in the repair process was sanding down the treated area to achieve a smooth surface that was consistent with the rest of the floor. As you can see from the photograph, the finish came out very nicely however I apologise for the photograph which I appreciate could have been better.

Cleaning a Terrazzo tiled floor

As aforementioned, I was also commissioned to give the floor a thorough clean. I did this using a similarly diluted solution of Pro-Clean and water. The solution was worked into the stone using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor scrubbing machine. After completing the clean I rinsed the floor and removed the resulting soil with a wet vacuum, I then left the property to allow the floor plenty of time to dry before being sealed.

Sealing a Terrazzo tiled floor

I returned the next day to seal the floor using Tile Doctor Shine Powder. The crystallised powder is applied directly to the floor and then worked in with a buffing pad. The result is a nice durable shine which had previously become dull over time due to high usage and the breakdown of an old surface seal.

Cracked Terrazzo floor After Repair Southend

Terrazzo tiled floor repaired and polished in Esses

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South Essex Tile Doctor

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