Work History Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Gloucester Tile Doctor

Victorian Hallway Tiles Restored Following Renovation Works in Gloucester

If you’ve even undertaken a property renovation, you’ll know that building works can take a very heavy toll on your floors if not properly protected. Not too long ago I was called to a house in Gloucester to see what could be done to restore the appearance of the tiles after the Victorian tiled hallway had been left in a sorry state following renovation work.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning and Repair in Gloucester

Upon arriving at the property, I also discovered that there was a row of tiles missing under one doorway. These would need to be replaced before any cleaning could take place. The renovation work had left very dirty and riddled with minerals salts and old grout smears.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning in Gloucester

If you have never been Gloucester it’s well worth a visit, dating back to the roman times it is in fact the country’s most inland port boasting some fantastic architecture include the historic docks and many period buildings.

Cleaning a Dirty Victorian Tiled Floor

Fortunately, I was quickly able to source matching replacements for the missing tiles to not disturb the original character of the floor. I took it upon myself to install these, fixing them in place and then grouting them.

While the grout on the new tiles was drying, I began the cleaning process using a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This is a high alkaline cleaner which we use reliably on most types of natural stone, including Victorian, Quarry, Slate, and Sandstone. The product was mixed with a small amount of water, and the solution was worked into the tiles using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a heavy weight rotary machine. This dealt with most of the thick dirt and staining that had been left over by the builders.

The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed away with water and extracted using a wet vacuum. After the first stage of cleaning, I washed the floor down with Tile Doctor Acid Gel, which is a blend of phosphoric and hydrochloric acid in gel form designed to remove any mineral salts and old grout smears.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

Once the cleaning process had been completed, I left the floor to dry overnight. Typically, it’s good to give a tiled floor at least 24 hours to dry in order to ensure no moisture was left over, because even the slightest quantity of moisture can cloud the sealer and damage its performance.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Cleaning and Repair in Gloucester

Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry I applied one coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is an impregnating sealer designed to enhance the natural colours in the stone. I then waited an hour this sealer to cure before applying four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which added the satin finish the customer had asked for.

The combination of sealers will provide the protection the floor needs and the customer will find it much easier to keep it clean in the future. The result was great and the customer was very happy indeed.

Professional Victorian Tiled Floor Renovation in Gloucester

Victorian Hallway Tiles Restored Following Renovation Works in Gloucester Read More »

Burnishing and Sealing Works Wonders for Limestone Tiles in Yate

1 Comment / Bristol Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Work History, Yate Tile Cleaning / Malcolm Crowther

Limestone is known on the international market for its premium toughness, durability and aesthetic characteristics. This can make it difficult to maintain however, especially if the stone has been polished and lustre on the stone has started to wear down which is inevitable with use.

The traditional method of getting a the shine back on polished stone is called honing which is expensive however at Tile Doctor we have worked out a much more affordable process called burnishing which utilises different grades of diamond encrusted pads to clean and then bring up the polish.

I recently undertook the restoration of a large area of Limestone tiles in the kitchen and lounge of a property in Yate, Gloucestershire. The floor as a while had become dull and dirty – and was long overdue some professional attention.

Limestone Tiled Lounge Floor Before Cleaning in Vale Gloucestershire

Burnishing a Limestone Tiled Floor

Before starting I removed the kick boards from the underneath the kitchen units so they wouldn’t get affected by the cleaning process. Once prepped I started the burnishing process which is a chemical free process that uses a small amount of water for lubrication and a quick rinse between the use of each pad. I started with the first of the four burnishing pads which is a coarse 400 grit pad that designed to grind away the dirt and old sealer on the surface of the floor.

After applying the first pad, I moved my way through the medium 800 and fine 1500 grit pads to gradually build up the shine. As the floor became cleaner it became apparent the grout lines were not in particularly good condition as well so I opted to clean these using a stiff grout brush and Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is specially formulated to remove old sealers whilst tackling dirt and stains.

After completing the clean and giving the floor a final rinse I extracted as much moisture from the floor as possible using a wet vacuum and left the tiles to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Floor

Returning to the property next day, I tested to check tiles were dry and then proceeded to buff the tiles once over using the last of the four pads which is a 3,000 grit burnishing pad that finished off the polishing process.

Finally, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal, which is an impregnating dealer designed to provide maximum stain production with a natural look finish. I buffed further in between each coat to ensure the best possible polish was achieved.

Limestone Tiled Lounge Floor After Cleaning in Vale Gloucestershire

This was a tricky floor to photograph due to the sunlight streaming through the windows on both days but hopefully you can appreciate the difference as much as the customer can.

Professional Limestone Floor Polishing and Sealing in Gloucestershire

Burnishing and Sealing Works Wonders for Limestone Tiles in Yate Read More »

Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Refresh in Cheltenham

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Cheltenham Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Work History / Malcolm Crowther

This Ceramic Tiled bathroom was at a house in the historic town of Cheltenham on the edge of the Cotswolds. As you can see from the photograph below the grout between the Ceramic tiles was very stained and had attracted black mould.

Bathroom Tiles Before Cleaning Cheltenham

Refreshing a Ceramic Tiles Bathroom

To get the tile and grout clean I sprayed on Tile Doctor Mould Away and left it to soak in for ten minutes before giving it a scrub with a stiff brush. The resultant slurry was rinsed off and then the process repeated once more.

The Mould Away made a difference to the tile and grout however the grout was still not 100% white, so I recommended applying a grout colourant which I was confident would have the desired effect.

Grout Colouring

Two coats of white Tile Doctor Grout Colourant were then applied; this product is basically painted on top of the existing grout with any excess wiped off the adjacent tile before it dries. It’s an epoxy based formula that becomes a long lasting barrier protecting the grout and also making it much easier to clean, it looks natural and I think you will agree it has made all the difference in fact the customer commented that it looks like a new bathroom.