Skegness Tile Cleaning Archives - South Lincolnshire Tile Doctor

Scratched Limestone Floor Polishing Horncastle

Dull and Scratched Limestone Floor Polished in Horncastle

Here we have a beautiful Limestone tiled floor installed in the kitchen and adjacent dining area at a property in Horncastle. We were asked to polish the floor in order to bring up the finish and also remove the fine scratched and etching caused by furniture and pets.

Scratched Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Horncastle

Polished stone floors like this one do need regular polishing to keep them looking their best and, in this case, it had been a while since had last been done. After measuring up and investigating a few problem areas we discussed the plan to renovate the floor and worked out a quote for the work. Happy with the quote we set a date for my return.

Polishing Limestone Flooring

To remove the light scratches and bring up the polished appearance of the stone the best course of action is to hone the stone with a set of diamond burnishing pads of different grits. After adding protection to vulnerable areas, the burnishing work then started with a coarse 400-grit pad fitted to a rotary machine which had extra weight added to increase traction with the floor.

Scratched Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Horncastle

The 400-grit pad removes old sealers, light scratches and opens the pores in the stone so the dirt can be flushed out. Once the pad has been run over each tile several times the floor is rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

The pad is then swapped out for a medium 800-grit and the process repeated and then again with a fine 1500-grit pad. These pads close the pores and build-up the polished appearance of the Limestone.

The burnishing process is then finished off with the application of a very fine 3000-grit pad which is applied in the same way but with only a little water sprayed into the floor.

Once complete a floor fan was setup and left to run overnight to ensure the floor would be nice and dry and ready for sealing the next day.

Saling a Polished Limestone Floor in Horncastle

On our return the Limestone was checked for moisture using a damp meter. This confirmed the stone was dry and work could then start to apply the sealer to the floor.

I used a colour enhancing sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow for this which helps bring out the natural colours and shades in the stone. It’s also an impregnator which means it works by soaking into the stone, occupying the pores, and thereby preventing dirt from residing there. This ensures dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be cleaned away.

Scratched Limestone Floor After Renovation Horncastle

Once complete the scratches were gone and the floor looked amazing with a lovely deep polish that reflected the light. The customer was delighted, and the new sealer will ensure the floor is easier to keep clean in future.

Scratched Limestone Floor After Renovation Horncastle

On the subject of maintenance cleaning, we recommend Tile Doctor Stone Soap for polished stone floors, it won’t impact the sealer, and contains a patina enhancer that will help maintain its appearance.

Limestone Tiled Floor Professionally Polished in Horncastle

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Victorian Tiled Floor Before After Renovation Horncastle Manor

Restoring an Impressive Victorian Manor House Hallway Floor in Horncastle

1 Comment / Skegness Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Phil

The owner of a large Manor house near Horncastle invited us round to survey their large Victorian tiled hall. The tiles were thought to be around 150 years old and in good condition considering their age. Unfortunately, they were last sealed with Varnish which is the last thing you should seal a floor with, not only is it easily scratched but it can become a skating rink when wet.

My client requested a deep clean to remove the varnish and then sealing with a more appropriate product that would bring out the best in the tile. Being the entrance and main hall, it was important to renovate the floor so it looked its best and give the best impression to visitors.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Horncastle Manor

On inspection I could see the floor would need some repairs and a deep clean with diamond pads to remove the old sealers/varnish and deep clean the tiles. It was also important to use a breathable sealer on an older property where no damp proof membrane is present. Our quote was accepted and time arranged to complete the work.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Removing Varnish Horncastle Manor

Deep Cleaning a Large Victorian Hallway

On the first two days I set about deep cleaning the tiles using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean Tile and Grout Cleaner and Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a stripper/coatings remover. These products were applied to the floor, left to soak in for ten minutes and then worked in with a 200-grit and then 400-grit diamond pads fitted to a weighted buffer machine.

The pads are run over each part of the floor which generates a lot of soiling and then the soiling is removed using a wet vacuum. This process was completed three times to make sure the tiles were clean; the old sealer and varnish was gone and the vibrant colours had come back to life. After a final rinse and extraction, the floor was reviewed and any stubborn areas and edges were spot cleaned by hand as needed.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning Horncastle Manor

We spent a total of 2 days cleaning the whole floor and rinse extracting after each clean. Repairs were carried out to the grout and a few tiles replaced. The last step was to give the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to help counter any efflorescent salts and further clean up the tiles. After a final rinse and extraction, the cleaning process was completed and the floor was left to dry out overnight with several dryers in place to help speed up drying.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

On the third day the floor was first tested with a damp meter to ensure it had dried before starting to apply the sealer. Fortunately, being August, the weather was excellent and as hoped the moisture readings were fine.

The best sealer option for is a product called Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating colour enhance sealer that leaves a matt finish, it’s also fully breathable so will allow for moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate. Four coats of sealer were applied in all allowing time between each coat to dry. As you can see from the photographs it was a large floor so by the time I had applied a coat I was able to go back to the beginning and start the next.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Sealing Horncastle Manor

The results were worth all the hard work and the customer had a stunning feature floor with a lost lasting impregnating sealer. Its worth mentioning that to help a sealer last as long as possible we recommend using a pH neutral tile cleaning products such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner; reason being that other products can simply too strong and contain bleach which can damage the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Renovation Horncastle Manor

Professional Renovation of a Large Victorian Tiled Floor in Lincolnshire

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Flagstone Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated in Spilsby

Renovating a Natural Stone Hallway Floor at Spilsby Rental Property

1 Comment / Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Skegness Tile Cleaning, Work History / Phil

We were asked by a client who had rented her property out near Spilsby Lincolnshire, if we could restore her very dirty natural flagstone hallway. The previous tenants had subjected the floor to heavy usage and unfortunately it had not been maintained very well. Spilsby is a small market town that has retained its’ character and not changed much since the 19th century. Being about 17 miles East of my base in Woodhall Spa it wasn’t long before I was able to go over and survey the floor.

Natural Stone Floor Before Cleaning Spilsby

As you can see from the pictures the flagstones were very well used and had lost all their natural beauty. The stone would normally have a lovely mixture of colours and grains showing, as you can see these were nowhere to be seen. I suspect the tenants had been using household cleaners on the floor which tend to strip the protective sealant due to their acidic composition leaving the stone vulnerable. The stone tiles were riven so once the sealant had started to break down the dirt soon becomes ingrained in the uneven surface making them difficult to clean.

The client was keen to get the floor looking nice and clean ready for the next tenants to move in so after discussing the process to get the floor looking good again, we agreed a price and booked in a date for the work to be completed.

Cleaning and Restoring a Natural Stone Tiled Hallway Floor

Arriving on the first day, we taped up the skirting and plinth to prevent them getting damaged. A strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was then applied to the stone floor and left to soak in for ten minutes so it could get to work breaking down the dirt and any remaining sealer. Pro-Clean is a professional tile and grout cleaning product that is ideal for cleaning dirty stone tiles like these.

The stone tiles were riven (not a smooth) so we used a Rotovac system to get the tiles clean. The machine scrubs the floor with soft brushes whilst simultaneously extracting the soil using self-contained pressurised water. It’s a very efficient way to deep clean the floor and vacuum all the dirty solution away from the floor. It immediately transformed the look of the stone and achieved a 1st class result in removing all the grime and dirt from the stone.

Natural Stone Floor During Cleaning Spilsby

Natural Stone Floor After Cleaning Spilsby

The cleaning process went very well and by the time we had finished the whole area looked much brighter. The natural tones of the stone had come back to life and with the application of a sealer they should stay that way for some time to come. Before this could happen however the floor needed to be dry so we the help of a couple of turbo dryers the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Natural Stone Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day after making sure the floor was dry by testing with the moisture meter, we sealed the floor with two coats of our natural look sealer Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This is an impregnating sealer that works by seeping into the pores of the stone thereby preventing dirt and liquid from becoming ingrained there.

Natural Stone Floor After Cleaning Spilsby

The sealer gave the stone a natural look that the client requested, and she was delighted with the end result. Hopefully she will have no trouble renting out the property, the floor now looks stunning!

Professional Restoration of a Natural Stone Tiled Hallway Floor in Lincolnshire

Renovating a Natural Stone Hallway Floor at Spilsby Rental Property Read More »

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Bathroom in Horncastle

1 Comment / Skegness Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Phil

The owner of this Victorian tiled bathroom floor in Horncastle had tried scrubbing and scraping these tiles will little to show for it, in the end after spending hours on this cold floor and trying lots of different products he was fed up and it still looked less than satisfactory. The tiles were very old and dirty and had remnants of glue stuck around the edges indicating they had previously been covered by something else such as lino, fortunately Victorian tiles are our bread and butter and we have managed to restore tiles in a much worse state than this.

Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle before Cleaning3

Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle before Cleaning2

Cleaning Victorian Tiles

We set about cleaning the tile using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong coatings remover which is ideal for removing old sealers and adhesive products. It was left it to dwell on the floor for a while in order to give it chance to soak into the tile and get to work on the glue before being agitated using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The soiled solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and the floor given a good rinse with clean water again using the wet vacuum to get the floor dry. This process tackled the glue but the tiles were still in need of a good clean so Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaning product safe to use on tile and stone was applied; this was left to dwell and then scrubbed into the tiles to get a really deep clean, stiff brushes were used along the grout lines to get them clean as well and then the floor was given a thorough rinse to neutralise the tile and remove any trace of cleaning products.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

The next step was to seal the floor, however the tiles need to be dry before you can do this so we got our Turbo drying system out of the van, switched it on and it soon had the floor dry. Four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were applied to the floor allowing twenty minutes to dry between coats; this particular sealer is recommended for Victorian tiles and does a great job of adding a nice sheen to the floor as well as adding stain protection.

Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle after Cleaning2

Victorian tiled floor near Horncastle after Cleaning1

We managed to complete the work in a single day and the owner was absolutely delighted by the results.

Deep Cleaning Victorian Tiles in Lincolnshire

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Bathroom in Horncastle Read More »

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Horncastle

1 Comment / Skegness Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work History / Phil

This Terracotta tiled floor was laid in the kitchen of a property located in Horncastle, Lincolnshire. The tiles were well maintained and in reasonable condition compared to some floors I have worked on but they had started to look tired and dull in some areas and so the customer wanted them deep cleaned and resealed.

Terracotta Horncastle Before Cleaning

Cleaning Terracotta Tiles

I began the job using a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a heavy duty alkaline product ideal for cleaning natural products such as Terracotta and stripping off old sealers, this was scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. We repeated the process a couple of times and also used a stiff hand brushes along the grout lines where the pads can often struggle to reach. Once happy the floor was clean it was given a thorough rinse to remove any remaining chemical and left it to dry.

Terracotta Horncastle Before Sealing

Sealing Terracotta Tile

We left the floor to dry and then returned then next day to re-seal it. Tile Doctor Seal and Go was used to seal the floor, it’s a topical water based sealer that doesn’t give off an odour when it’s drying and also offers durable stain protection together with a low sheen finish which I think you will agree has added a nice shine to the floor. Terracotta is very porous and this floor actually took five coats of sealer before it was fully sealed. Applying a sealer does take a long time to apply as you have to wait for it to dry before applying the next coat.

Terracotta Horncastle After Sealing The work took two days in all, you can see the difference for yourself.

Kitchen Terracotta Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Lincolnshire

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