Quarry 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

Edwardian Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Refurb in Leigh-on-Sea Read More »

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor Renovation St Peters St Pauls Black Notley

Restorative Cleaning of Victorian Floor Tiles at St Peter and St Pauls Church Black Notley

Recently I was asked to clean a Victorian Quarry tiled floor at St’ Peter and St’ Pauls Church in Black Notley on the outskirts of Braintree. Originally of Norman origins the Nave floor was probably laid in 1879 when the church was renovated by the Victorians. Naturally these floors see a lot of wear from parishioners and the tiles were now dull and in need of a restorative cleaning and sealing.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor Before Cleaning St Peters St Pauls Black Notley

I paid a visit to the church to discuss its renovation and quoted for cleaning and sealing the aisles in Nave which had seen the most wear. Any remaining sealer on the tiles would need to be stripped off before the floor was cleaned and then re-sealed so I quoted for deep cleaning and then re-sealing. The quote was accepted and a date set for the work to start that would work into the schedule of the church.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Quarry Tiled Nave

Working in sections the floor was sprayed with a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go which was left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. This process removes any remaining sealer and pulls ingrained dirt out of the pores of the tile and grout to the surface where it becomes held in the cleaning solution. The solution darkens as the dirt is released and is then rinsed with water and extracted from the floor with a wet vacuum.

Next step was to ensure the grout was clean which was done by inspecting the floor and hand scrubbing the grout with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up where required. Once done the soiled solution was rinsed off with water and extracted with the wet vacuum as before.

The last step in the cleaning process was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. Using too much water when cleaning is always a concern on old floors like this that were laid before the invention of the damp proof membrane so using a gel product helps minimise that. Being an acidic product, it neutralises the floor after the use of Remove & Go which is a strong Alkaline and it will counter acts any alkaline efflorescent salts inherent in the floor. After being scrubbed in with a brush It was extracted with the vet vacuum and the floor rinsed with water and extracted again.

The floor now needed time to dry out completely before the final step applying the sealer so it was sectioned off and left to dry for several days.

Sealing a Victorian Quarry Tiled Church Floor

When I returned my first task was to check the floor was dry using a damp meter. The readings were fine so started by applying a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating hard wearing matt sealer that improves colour. Once dry it was followed up with several coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which adds a nice sheen to Quarry tiles and leaves a satin finish.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor After Renovation St Peters St Pauls Black Notley

Once complete the floor had re-gained its vitality; the Church Warden and his wife were extremely happy with the results and left the following feedback:

Matthew was extremely professional. His communication was excellent and he did exactly what he said he was going to do. He was fastidious in his efforts to get a perfect result for the tiles in our Church. We are delighted with the outcome and would highly recommend Matthew.

Professional Cleaning of a Victorian Tiled Church Floor in Braintree

Restorative Cleaning of Victorian Floor Tiles at St Peter and St Pauls Church Black Notley Read More »

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Woodham Walter

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Satin Sealed in Woodham Walter

1 Comment / Chelmsford Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning / Matthew Tyler

The photos are of a large Quarry tiled Kitchen floor at a property in Woodham Walter which is a small village between Danbury and Maldon. The floor had been installed 20 years ago by the current owners and although in reasonable condition they felt it was time to have them renovated as the tiles had lost their sheen and now looked flat and unattractive.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Woodham Walter Maldon

I went over to survey the floor and quote for deep cleaning and then re-sealing. The photographs don’t really show it, but it was clear to me that the sealer had worn off and it was the sealer that had brought the depth and colour to the quarry tiles.

We discussed the process which would take two days and decided on a sealer that would best match their expectations. They were happy with my quote and the work was booked in.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

On arrival I set about prepping the floor for cleaning which for this floor primarily meant removing the kick boards from underneath the kitchen units.

Working in sections I set about cleaning the quarry tiles using Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This as the name of the product suggests is a coatings remover that cleans the floor and removes any sealer left on the tiles. Although it had been some time since it was last sealed its important that all the previous sealer is removed before applying a new sealer. This ensures you don’t end up with different levels of sealer and some areas appearing darker than others.

The Remove and Go was left to soak in for ten minutes before being worked in with a rotary buffing machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The grout was also scrubbed into the grout lines by hand using more solution and a stiff brush. This action lifts the dirt out of the floor and turns the cleaning solution and old sealer into a slurry, this is then rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Next, I treated the tiles to an acid rinse using a 1:5 dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This further cleans the tiles and will neutralise the pH level of the floor following the use of Tile Doctor Remove and Go earlier which is a strong alkaline. The acidic nature of the product microscopically etches the tiles to ensure a stronger bond with the sealer.

The Grout Clean-up was brushed into the floor and then rinsed off with more water before being extracted with the wet vacuum. After another rinse with water the wet vacuum was then utilised to get the floor as dry as possible before leaving it to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room

The next day the moisture level of the Quarry tiles was checked using a damp meter to ensure the floor was dry enough for sealing. This is always worth doing as applying sealer to a damp floor can result in a patch appearance.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor During Sealing Woodham Walter Maldon

The moisture readings were fine and so work started on sealing the tiles using Tile Doctor Seal & Go which works really well on Quarry tiles and results in a warm satin sheen finish. This product is also water based so you don’t get that solvent smell being given off as it dries.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Woodham Walter Maldon

Sealers work by keeping the dirt on the surface of the tile where it can be easily cleaned away and on the subject of aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. It’s important to use a neutral tile cleaner on sealed floors like this as stronger bleach-based products will wear the sealer off prematurely.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room in Essex

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Satin Sealed in Woodham Walter Read More »

Grout Haze Removal from a new Quarry Tiled floor in Woodford, E18

1 Comment / Chigwell Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work History / Jeremy

These photographs are from a recently laid Quarry tiled floor in Woodford. East London where the tiler had smothered the tiles with grout and left it on the surface too long where it had then dried and he was unable to remove it. Unable to rectify the problem the Quarry tiles were then sealed, I suspect this was in an attempt to improve the look of the floor which unfortunately left it looking quite the opposite.

Remove Grout Haze and Cleaning Quarry Tiles

Undeterred by the state of the floor which we were confident could be put right we took the job on. The first step was to remove the sealer by using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 3 parts water to 1 part Pro-Clean. This was left to dwell on the tile surface for ten minutes before scrubbing with black pads fitted to a rotary scrubbing machine.

Removing Grout Haze

Once we were happy the sealer had been removed we could tackle the Grout Haze with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. It’s applied to the tile surface and again scrubbed in with black scrubbing pads. There was a lot of grout haze so the processes had to be repeated; all the edges were done on hands and knees with small doodle bug pads. Once the haze was removed we washed the floor three times with water to remove any residue.

The dirty solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the floor was rinsed three times to remove the residue and neutralise it, the floor was then left for 48 hours to allow it dry fully prior to sealing.

Sealing Quarry Tiles

When we returned we sealed the Quarry tiles using Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is recommended for sealing quarry tiles and give’s a nice low sheen effect. Five coats of sealer where needed in total which took some time to apply as you have to let the sealer dry before applying the next coat.

The result was a very satisfied customer.

Grout haze removed from new Quarry tiles in East London

Grout Haze Removal from a new Quarry Tiled floor in Woodford, E18 Read More »

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