Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Limestone tiles carried out in South Essex

Cleaning and Renovating Limestone tiles

Limestone is a sedimentary stone, as such it’s generally very porous and acid sensitive and can be damaged through the use of even mildly acidic soaps, shampoos and body washes. Because of this we do not recommend it for use in wet rooms, shower cubicles or near swimming pools.

Like any stone Limestone needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming ingrained in its pores and many varieties including Blue Lias, Blue Moleanos, Jerusalem and White Moleanos to name a few can be polished to a high shine using a series of burnishing pads.

We have found that Black Limestone has become very popular in gardens where it contrasts well against green planting and looks fantastic when wet. One issue we find however is it easily upset by the use of acidic patio cleaners that leave the stone looking dull and lifeless. If this has affected you then not to worry we do have a way of restoring the beauty of the stone back to its original condition.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Limestone Kitchen Floor Renovation South Ockendon

Dirty Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in South Ockendon

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Ockendon Tile Cleaning /

Pictures below of another Limestone floor that I recently renovated, this time in the open plan kitchen and dining area of a home in South Ockendon. Originally installed over ten years ago it had never been sealed and over time dirt had worked its way into the stone leaving it looking dull and flat.

Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning South Ockendon

Stone floors need to be sealed if you want them to look their best, sealing ensures the dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. Sealers can also enhance the appearance of the stone and improve colour; the only downside is they do wear off with use but a good sealer can last three years or more if maintained correctly.

I went over to the property to survey and measure the floor to be able to give them an accurate quote for deep cleaning, polishing and then sealing the stone. I could see it would be a straight-forward job with little complications so I worked out a quote based around two days work and products needed to bring the Limestone back to life.

Cleaning and Polishing a Limestone Tiled Floor

The cleaning process was a repeat of a similar job I recently completed in Leigh-on-Sea and involved cleaning out all the dirt trapped in the pores of the stone by working in a 1:4 dilution of Pro-Clean using a coarse 200-grit pad. These coarse pads are fitted to a buffing machine and run over each tile several times to open up the pores of the stone allowing the dirt to be flushed out, they also remove minor scratches, sealers, and ingrained dirt.

Limestone Kitchen Floor During Cleaning South Ockendon

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 close the pores and refine the appearance of 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 and I returned a few days later to give the floor plenty of time to dry.

Sealing Limestone Floor Tiles

On my return I started with the application of an extra fine 3000-grit burning pad, this is applied dry to the floor using only a little water sprayed onto the tile a process we call a Spray Burnish. It leaves the floor nice and dry and is the last step in the polishing process leaving the stone with a nice subtle sheen.

As mentioned earlier sealers protect the floor and some will improve colour and for Limestone, I find Tile Doctor Colour Grow works well. The product contains a colour enhancing formula that really brings out the best in Limestone. Its also an impregnator which works by occupying the pores in the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. Only two coats of Colour Grow were needed to fully seal the stone.

Limestone Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Polishing South Ockendon

The Limestone floor responded well to the process transforming the space from dull and un-inspiring to one that was very appealing and inviting. The stone and grout looked so much lighter and cleaner with a subtle polish that made 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 Cleaning and Polishing in Essex

Dirty Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in South Ockendon Read More »

Limestone Hallway Floor After Renovation Leigh-on-Sea

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

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Southend-on-Sea Tile Cleaning /

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

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

Repairing Cracked Limestone Hornchurch

Cracked Limestone Floor Repaired and Polished in Hornchurch

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Upminster Tile Cleaning, Work History /

I appreciate my photography is not the best but hopefully if you take a close look at the lower half of the picture below showing a dull Limestone floor tiles you can see a couple of long cracks in the tiles. The picture was taken at a house in Hornchurch which is in the East End of London; we had been asked round to see if we could repair the cracked tile and put some new life into the floor.

Limestone floor before cleaning in Hornchurch

Cleaning and Repairing a cracked Limestone floor

To begin I gave the floor a thorough clean using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. I wanted the floor clean before I tacked the cracked tiles and this would also ensure any grit etc. would be removed from the floor before I started the polishing process. After cleaning the floor was rinsed with water and the soiled cleaning solution extracted using a wet vacuum. I should mention Pro-Clean is a versatile, alkaline cleaner recommended for cleaning natural stone floors such as Limestone. The crack was then filled using a special stone glue and hardener.

Polishing a Limestone tiled floor

Once the glue had hardened we started to restore the appearance of the Limestone using a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads which you apply in sequence from coarse to super fine with a little water for lubrication and a rinse with water in between. It takes a while to do but it does a great job of bringing back the polish on the tiles.

Once we were finished burnishing the next step was to apply Tile Doctor Shine Powder into the tiles, the shine powder is worked in using a white buffing pad attached to a rotary machine running on slow speed. It adds more depth to the polish and forms a very durable finish.

Sealing a Limestone tiled floor

Last step was to finish the floor by sealing it with Tile Doctor Colour Grow, Shine Powder works as a sealer too but Colour Grow gets deep into the pores of the stone protecting it from within and enhancing it’s natural colours.

Limestone floor after cleaning in Hornchurch

As you can image the owner of the property was very happy with the results and with the added protection of Shine Powder and Colour Grow it should stay that way for some time to come.
 
 

Cracked Limestone Floor Tile Repaired and Polished in Essex

Cracked Limestone Floor Repaired and Polished in Hornchurch Read More »

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