Stroud Tile Cleaning Archives - Gloucester Tile Doctor

Plaster Stained Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Renovation Stonehouse

Plaster Stained Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Stonehouse

This client from the town of Stonehouse near Stroud contacted us about their Victorian tiled hallway following a recommendation by a neighbour. She wanted to get the floor renovated and had been struggling to find someone to complete the work. They had tried to clean the floor themselves but had little success and decided it was time to call in the experts.

Plaster Stained Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles Before Cleaning Stonehouse

The whole house was being renovated and unfortunately the contractor working on the hallway had not taken care to cover up the floor and it has subsequently become covered in all sorts of mess including a lot of plaster. I explained that it would not be an issue and was confident we could remove the plaster and renovate the floor back to health.

Happy with my quote we scheduled a date for our return which was following conclusion of the remaining renovation works.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting the renovation of her floor, the first job was to cover the walls and skirting with masking film to protect the newly plastered walls from splashing during cleaning. Next and with a focus on removing the plaster a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was sprayed onto the tiles and left it to dwell for 10 minutes. Then using a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine the solution was scrubbed into to remove as much of the plaster and old coatings etc as possible. Once done the resultant slurry was vacuumed away using a wet extraction vacuum.

The next step was to treat the floor to an Acid Wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which was left for 5 minutes and then worked in with a coarse 100-grit pad. This treatment has a lot of benefits for tiled floors and is great for removing old grout smears and other contaminates such as salt staining. The floor was then wet vacuumed again and the process repeated with a finer 200-grit pad.

After another wet vacuum to extract the slurry, the floor was rinsed with water and extracted again. The floor was then left for two days to allow it to fully dry off.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On our return the floor was tested with the damp meter to check it was dry. The moisture readings were good, so I was happy to go ahead with the sealing process.

I had discussed a desired finish with the customer earlier and as a result Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra was chosen. This is a modern product that provides high stain resistance and is perfect for a hallway. It has a low sheen finish so does not make the floor too shiny, but allows the lovely colour of the tiles to shine through. Two coats of sealer were applied leaving each one to dry before the next was applied.

Plaster Stained Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles After Renovation Stonehouse

My client was amazed how well it came up and delighted that the contractors had not ruined her floor! For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to maintain the floor going forward, this is an effective yet gentle tile cleaning product that won’t damage the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Gloucestershire

Plaster Stained Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Stonehouse Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before and After Restoration Nailsworth

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Nailsworth

1 Comment / Dursley Tile Cleaning, Stroud Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Malcolm Crowther

This Victorian tiled hallway floor at a property in Nailsworth needed repairs to four areas and then required a deep clean and seal. The client was unsure if this was something, we would be able to help with but after speaking to him on the phone and review the photographs he sent over I reassured him it should be possible.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Renovation Nailsworth

The owner was keen to progress to I arranged an appointment to visit the property and survey the floor to get a better idea of the issues and provide a price for fully restoring the floor to the best condition possible. As the pictures show the Victorian tiles looked dull and washed out, there were also white paint spots on the tiles. I was confident the floor could be saved, and the owner was happy with my quote, so we scheduled a date for the work to start.

Repairing and Cleaning and a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I spent the first day repairing the floor which in most cases requires carefully lifting the old tiles, scraping out the adhesive and cement and then re-fixing the original tile or a replacement back in place. We are usually able to source replacement tiles, either reclaimed or reproduction and we had managed to find some to match this floor. It’s a slow process and with four areas of Victorian flooring in need of attention so this step took up much of the first day. The floor was left to dry overnight so the adhesive would set.

On the second day I deep cleaned the tiles with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary buffer using water to lubricate. The resultant slurry was then extracted with a wet vacuum and the process was repeated with a 400-grit burnishing pad. All the edges were done with water and small handheld diamond blocks as the rotary machine was too large to reach the corners and edges.

To finish the cleaning I treated the tiles to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up which as well as removing any old grout smears would neutralise any efflorescent salts contained within the floor which can be problem on old floors like this that don’t have a damp proof membrane installed. Another advantage of doing this is that you achieve a stronger bond between the sealer and the tile.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was left to dry for 3 days after which I returned to seal it. Before starting thought I took some moisture readings with the damp meter. Once I was satisfied, I started applying the first of what would be five coats of sealer and for this floor I chose Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. There were several reasons for choice including the satin finish however my main thought was the age of the floor which meant it would not have a damp-proof membrane installed so any moisture would need to rise through the tile without being impeded, Seal and Go extra allows for this.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Repair Nailsworth

My customer was really pleased with the result and happy to have the floor restored back to its original state.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Nailsworth

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in the Cotswolds

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Nailsworth Read More »

Ceramic Tile End Of Tenancy Before After Cleaning Stroud

End of Tenancy Clean of a Ceramic Tiled Floor in Stroud

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

This customer from Stroud was soon to be re-letting her house but the Ceramic tiled floor and especially the grout had been left in a poor and dirty condition by the previous tenant. The ceramic tiled floor was installed throughout the Kitchen and through into the adjacent conservatory. Conscious this would affect future lettings she contacted Tile Doctor to see if we could help.

Ceramic Tiled Floor Grout Before Cleaning Stroud Kitchen

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and discuss how we would restore the Ceramic tiles and get them looking clean again. She was happy to hear we could help and agreed to my quote and we booked the work in for the following week. It would only take a day which suited her perfectly as she was keen to get the property back on the market.

Stroud is a lovely market town and in the centre of Gloucestershire. It is the main town in Stroud District and forms the centre for numerous surrounding market towns.
The Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty surrounds the town, and the Cotswold Way path passes by it to the west, so it really is a desirable place to live with lots of lovely walks.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Floor

The first job was to protect all the walls and units to ensure they did not get splashed by the products we would be using. I then sprayed Tile Doctor Remove and Go all over the floor and the grout lines, this was left for a short time to dwell and get to work breaking down the dirt. The floor was then scrubbed using a black buffing pad fitted to a buffing machine finishing off by scrubbing the grout lines with a stiff brush. The soil released from the floor was then rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. Once I was happy with the result the floors were speed dried with a blow heater. The alternative was to leave the floor overnight, but as time was of the essence speed drying was the best option.

Sealing Grout on a Ceramic Tiled Floor

Later that day the floor was dry, and I was able to seal the grout lines with Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. I used a pipette to apply the sealer directly to the grout to ensure maximum coverage. The tiles themselves did not require any sealant as ceramic tiles are sealed at the factory when they are produced. Grout being cementitious however does attract dirt and so sealing it will keep it looking fresh for some time to come and make it easier to clean.

The client was very pleased with the results and relieved she could re-let the house again. Now the floor was clean and much more attractive it would ensure she could achieve the best rental value.

Ceramic Tiled Floor Grout After Cleaning Stroud Kitchen

I suggested she left a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for the new tenants as this would be the best product to keep the floor clean moving forward, you only need a small amount to dilute and it has a pleasant fresh fragrance. At least if the product is on site the tenant is more likely to keep the floor looking good and not resort to everyday household cleaners which eventually break down the grout and its’ seal. She thought this was a great idea.

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Gloucestershire

End of Tenancy Clean of a Ceramic Tiled Floor in Stroud Read More »

Mexican Terracotta Tiled Floor Before and After Renovation Stroud

Wax Sealed Mexican Terracotta Floor Stroud

1 Comment / Stroud Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work History / Malcolm Crowther

We were called by a customer with a Mexican Terracotta floor who was looking at having it taken it up and replaced but before doing wondered what it would cost to have it renovated. I visited the property in the nearby market town of Stroud in the centre of Gloucestershire to survey the floor and advise on options. Stroud by the way is a lovely part of the county and sits within the Cotswolds which is an area of outstanding beauty.

Wax Sealed Mexican Terracotta Tile Before Cleaning Stroud

The customer had this floor laid thought the ground floor just five years earlier and had been was advised to seal it with wax. After three months the wax had broken down and started collecting dirt as you can see from the pictures. Unfortunately, he had not been advised the correct way to look after his floor and was now fed up with its appearance. Help was at hand and I was confident I could restore the floor for a lot less than replacing it, I explained what could be done, agreed a price which was accepted and agreed a date for carrying out the work.

Stripping Wax Off Mexican Terracotta Tiles

So, the first job was to strip the layers of wax and sealant off using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Remove and Go. I combined the products together to make a very effective cleaner and coatings remover and left them to soak into the Terracotta tiles for ten minutes, before scrubbing them in with a black pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. This process released a lot of dirt and waxes from the floor which I extracted with a wet vacuum and then retreated areas that needed more work until I was happy it was as clean as it could be.

After the floor was clean I set about on grout lines these were also in a bad state, they needed a lot of manual scrubbing with Pro-Clean which was worked in with a narrow stiff brush to get them clean.

Wax Sealed Mexican Terracotta Tile After Cleaning Before Sealing Stroud

Afterwards, happy with the result, I rinsed the floor three times with water to remove any trace of the cleaning products and soil from the floor. Because I had to use so much water and cleaning products to achieve a good result I left the floor for nearly a week, so it could thoroughly dry out. Mexican terracotta is very porous, and it would need to be dry before sealing so I figured five days should be enough time.

Sealing Mexican Terracotta Tiled Floor

I returned after five days and checked that moisture levels of the floor were satisfactory with my moisture meter. Once I was satisfied I was good to go ahead with the sealing. I decided to use two different types of sealant on this job. For the first coat I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnator that soaks into the pores of the clay tile protecting it from with and enhancing the natural colours in the process. I then applied six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go letting it dry in between coats. Seal and Go is a water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant seal and a durable low-sheen finish, which the customer had requested on this job.

Wax Sealed Mexican Terracotta Tile After Cleaning Sealing Stroud

The customer was pleased with the result, he never expected it to look so good and had thought he was going to have to put a new floor down. Not only had we completed a great job for them, they had been saved significant expense too.

Professional Restoration of Mexican Terracotta Tiles in Gloucestershire

Wax Sealed Mexican Terracotta Floor Stroud Read More »

Old Flagstone Floor before and after Renovation in Minchinhampton

Old Flagstone Tiles Restored to New in Minchinhampton

1 Comment / Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Stroud Tile Cleaning, Work History / Malcolm Crowther

Minchinhampton is an ancient market town located on a hilltop in the Cotswolds area of Gloucestershire, famous for being one of the UK’s areas of outstanding beauty. The town has a long history and many of the residents live in some truly picturesque and characterful cottages that date back to the 18th century and beyond.

I was recently contacted by a property owner in the village. She had just uncovered an original Flagstone tiled floor in her cottage, which dates to 1765. The floor had previously been covered by a wooden floor and the property owner was keen to see if I could restore it. We’ve had some fantastic success with restoring similar floors in the past, so I was more than happy to see what could be done.

I visited the property initially to conduct a test clean and check that I would be able to remove the copious wood adhesive left on the floor after the covering had been lifted. This test clean was successful, and the customer booked me in for complete the full restoration straight away.

Old Flagstone Floor Before Restoration at Minchinhampton Cottage

Cleaning a Dirty Flagstone Tiled Floor

My first action in the process of restoring the floor was to mix a strong solution of two products – Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU and Tile Doctor Remove and Go. Remove and Go is designed to strip away any old sealer on the floor and dissolve any adhesive and paint stains, while NanoTech HBU is a potent cleaner which uses nano-sized particles to penetrate deep into the stone and eliminate ingrained dirt.

This solution was applied across the floor and left to dwell for 40 minutes. Then, using a poly-brush fitted to a floor buffing machine, I cleaned the floor and in doing so removed 85 percent of the ingrained dirt. To tackle the rest of the ingrained dirt, I spot cleaned the stubborn area using Tile Doctor Acid Gel in combination with a handheld steamer. Acid Gel is a concentrated mix of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids.

I also used a handheld buffing machine fitted with a Coarse 100 grit diamond encrusted pad to grind away any outstanding dirt and level off the surface of the tiles. When I was satisfied with the results of the cleaning process, my next operation was to replace all the missing grout on the floor. I did this using a Limestone grout, which was a good colour match for the Flagstone.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Floor

With the first day of work complete, I left the floor to dry out for the next three days. With the floor being particularly old, it was important to give it a long period to dry to help avoid any damp issues.

Upon returning to the property, I ran some quick damp tests to check the floor could be sealed. When satisfied that there was no excess moisture to deal with, I proceeded to seal the floor with three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, leaving 30 minutes to dry between coats. This will give the floor robust protection against ingrained dirt along with the high-quality satin finish the customer had requested.

Seeing the result, the customer was really pleased with her floor. She had previously thought there was nothing that could be done to restore these old Flagstones, but with the right combination of products and cleaning methods I was able to achieve a fantastic restoration. Another satisfied customer.

Professional Tile Cleaning and Sealing for an Old Flagstone Tiled Floor Restoration in Minchinhampton

Old Flagstone Tiles Restored to New in Minchinhampton Read More »

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Bishops Cleave Tile Cleaning, Bristol Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Cheltenham Tile Cleaning, Cirencester Tile Cleaning, Dursley Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Filton Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Gloucester Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Kingswood Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Lydney Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Moreton-in-Marsh Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Stroud Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Tewkesbury Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Winchcombe Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History, Yate Tile Cleaning / Malcolm Crowther

Gloucester Tile Doctor

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