Grout Cleaning Archives - South East London Tile Doctor

Encaustic Tiled Bathroom Renovation Blackheath SE3

Grout-Stained Encaustic Floor Tiles Renovated in a Blackheath Bathroom

My customer recently had a new bathroom installed in their apartment in Blackheath London, SE3, including all new wall and floor tiles. The tiles they chose for the floor were encaustic cement and laid in a geometric pattern. Unfortunately this type of tile is very porous and because they had not been fully sealed before grouting the Black grout stained the tiles. This made them look dirty and despite great efforts to clean them by the owner nothing appeared to work.

Encaustic Tiled Bathroom Floor Before Cleaning Blackheath SE3

This is a far too common problem; many installers mistake the tiles for ceramic which are glazed and very easy to install. To rectify it requires the tiles to be burnished with different grades of diamond pad, and then sealed to protect them going forward.

I informed the customer what the process would be and worked out a quote for the renovation. Happy that the problem would be resolved the job was booked in.

Cleaning an Encaustic Tiled Bathroom Floor

Work started with the application of a coarse 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary machine. Water is used to lubricate the process and the pad is worked across the floor making sure that it contacts every part of each tile. Once I had covered the whole floor in this manner the now dirty water was extracted with a wet vacuum.

Encaustic Tiled Floor During Cleaning Blackheath SE3

Encaustic Tiled Floor During Sealing Blackheath SE3

This process was then repeated with a full set of diamond burnishing pads with grits from 400 to 3000. These pads gradually refine the tile and slowly build-up a polish on its surface.
The last 3000 grit-pad is applied dry with only a small amount of water sprayed on to the tile thereby leaving the floor dry.

Sealing an Encaustic Tiled Bathroom Floor

The floor was then sealed later that day using four coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal to ensure it was fully sealed. Ultra-Seal is a natural look sealer that works by soaking into the tiles occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. This ensure dirt and liquids remain on the surface where they can be easily removed.

The burnishing removed the staining and added a lovely subtle sheen to the tile. My customer was very pleased with the result and relieved that the problem had been resolved.

Encaustic Tiled Bathroom Floor After Renovation Blackheath SE3

As long as the sealer remains in place it will ensure they remain easy to clean however you need to be careful what product you clean them with as strong bleach based cleaners will damage the sealer. For this floor I would recommend Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle yet effective Tile Cleaner that helps maintain the patina on polished tiles.

Professional Restoration of an Encaustic Tiled Bathroom Floor in North Essex

Grout-Stained Encaustic Floor Tiles Renovated in a Blackheath Bathroom Read More »

Limestone Floor Cleaning and Polishing Bromley

Tumbled Limestone Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Bromley

1 Comment / Bromley Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing / Jason Gates

I get called to renovate this Tumbled Limestone tiled floor at a property in Bromley every few years. The sealer does a good job of protecting the stone, but it does wear off with use and the natural crevices in the Travertine attract dirt easily. The other problem of course is the grout which due to its cementous nature also attracts dirt and darkens over time.

Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Bromley

Polished stone floors do regular attention if you want to keep them looking good and this is why we offer a maintenance program where we pop back to the property once a year to top up the sealer and repolish. In this case the owner also had a dog who was very well natured however dogs are not know for wiping their feet before entering your house.

Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Bromley

Stripping and Polishing Tumbled Limestone Tiles

With most polished Limestone floors, I would normally start with a set of burnishing pads which are the best way to restore the finish. In this case however I decided to start the cleaning process with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is left to soak into the stone for ten minutes before being worked in. This gives the product time to digest and breakdown the dirt that gets trapped in the crevices. I then use a silicon carbide brush fitted to a rotary floor machine to work the solution into the stone to bring out the dirt. The soiling is then rinsed off the floor and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to burnish the stone using a set of Diamond encrusted pads of increasing grits that range from a coarse 400-grit to a very fine 3000-grit. The pads are fitted to the rotary machine and are run across the whole floor lubricating with water which is deployed from a tank on the machine. After each the pad the soiling is rinsed away and extracted with the wet vacuum as before.

Limestone Floor During Cleaning Bromley

I stopped the burnishing process on the first day with the 1500-grit pad and turned my attention to the grout joints which are scrubbed by hand with a wire brush and more Pro-Clean. After another rinse and extract the Limestone and grout was already looking noticeably cleaner.

Sealing Limestone Tiles

I returned the next day and set about polishing the floor with the last in the set of burnishing pads which is a 3000-grit pad. This pad is applied with only a little water sprayed on to the stone as its run over the surface, this technique is known as a spray burnish and leaves the floor dry and ready to be sealed.

I was already aware that the owners of the property like the stone to look completely natural and so the sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This is an impregnating sealer that works by soaking into the pores of the stone so dirt cannot become ingrained there allowing it to be easily removed from the surface. It doesn’t change the appearance of the stone at all so it’s almost invisible and difficult to detect which is exactly what they were after. Ultra-Seal is also a great grout sealer and will ensure the grout keeps clean for much longer.

Limestone Floor After Cleaning Polishing Bromley

Once the sealer was dry gave the floor an application of Tile Doctor Shine Powder which is a stone polishing compound that is worked into stone, left to dry and then buffed off with a White buffing pad to leave a durable shine on the stone.

Limestone Floor After Cleaning Polishing Bromley

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and left them with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which not only cleans but also help maintain the patina on polished stone.

Professional Renovation of a Large Polished Limestone Floor in Kent

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Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor Renovation Keston

Renovating Chinese Slate Kitchen Flooring in Keston BR2

1 Comment / Bromley Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, West Wickham Tile Cleaning / Jason Gates

A client in Keston asked me to freshen up the Chinese Slate floor tiles that had been installed in the Kitchen. Kitchens are the busiest room in the house and overtime the floor had become tired and dull with ingrained dirt, the grout was also stained with dark patches. He had tried cleaning with lots of household products but nothing was improving the appearance.

Dull Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Keston

I visited the property to survey the floor and recommend a solution to the problem. I could see the floor had previously been sealed but it had degraded in several areas and in some places, there was no sealer present at all. Consequently, dirt was able to get into the pores of the stone where it is difficult to remove. All these problems detracted from what should be a very beautiful Slate floor.

To demonstrate my point, I picked a small area of tiling and conducted a test clean followed by the application of a fresh sealer; the floor came up well and my client could see that we could improve the floor significantly. Impressed with the different he was happy to go ahead with my quote and we returned the following month to carry out the work.

Deep Cleaning a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

There was an old topical sealer on the Slate which had to be removed first. To do this I like to use a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined with and Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU. I applied the solution to the tiles and grout and allowed it to soak in and get to work for around thirty minutes. The two products combined create a powerful solution that will remove the old sealer and start to break down the stains in the tile and grout.

After thirty minutes, I added water to the solution and scrubbed, paying particular attention to the grout lines, then I vacuumed up the solution using the wet vacuum we have on board. I then went over the tiles and grout with my steamer to ensure I had rinsed and removed all chemicals.

When dry I could see the grout staining was far too deep to be able to get perfectly clean so I applied a grey Tile Doctor Grout Colourant to the grout lines. As well as refreshing the grout to give a consistent and uniform colour it also seals the grout, protecting it with an epoxy barrier making it much easier to clean and maintain going forward. When the grout colourant was dry it was now time to apply the sealer to the slate.

Sealing a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I advised the client to switch from a topical sealer to an impregnating sealer that works by soaking into the stone, occupying the pores, and thereby preventing dirt from residing there.

Happy with my recommendation I sealed the slate with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which as its name suggests contains a colour enhancing formular that it perfect highlighting the natural colours in Chinese slate.

Dull Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor After Renovation Keston

The sealer adds a new level of depth to the Slate and being an impregnator is hardwearing and long lasting. The new sealer will make the floor much easier to clean in future and on that topic I also recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for that purpose.

Neutral Tile cleaner is a pH neutral product that is effective yet mild enough not to impact the integrity of the freshly applied sealer. Many household cleaning products are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor (always check the label) and will break down the sealer which may be the reason for the previous sealer failing in the past.

Professional Renovation of a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen in Southeast London

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Terracotta Conservatory Floor Renovation Herne Hill London SE24

Terracotta Conservatory Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Herne Hill SE24

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Lewisham Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jason Gates

The following photos are of a Terracotta floor I recently worked on in the conservatory of a property in the South London suburb of Herne Hill SE25. The room was going to receive a makeover and they were not sure whether to replace the floor or not. The terracotta tiles were very dirty and although they had tried cleaning it themselves, they struggled to get a result so decided to call in Tile Doctor.

I went over to survey the floor and could see that any sealer that was once on the tiles had completely worn away and without the protection of sealer dirt had become ingrained into the pores of the tile. Once that happens it can be troublesome to remove deep seated dirt from within Terracotta due the porosity of the clay-based tile.

Terracotta Conservatory Floor Before Cleaning Herne Hill London SE24

However, having done quite a few of these floors previously I was confident with the right approach it could be deep cleaned and then a fresh sealer applied to protect it going forward. On the subject of sealers, they told me that they did not want a shiny finish so I quoted the job to clean and seal with an impregnating sealer that would meet their requirements.

I quoted for two days work, one day to clean and one day to seal and with the quote agreed the work was scheduled.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Conservatory Floor Tiles

On my return I started the cleaning process by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined 1 to 1 with Nanotech HBU Remover. Remove & Go is a multipurpose stripper with a long dwell time designed to remove old sealers and ingrained stains and the “Nanotech HBU Remover” is a heavy build-up cleaning product that uses nano sized particles to penetrate below the surface and draw out the ingrained dirt and stains.

Nanotech is a gel like substance and combined with the Remove & Go it makes for a powerful double action tile cleaning product. For maximum results It was left to sit on the floor for 30 minutes without allowing it to dry up or soak in. I then scrubbed the solution into the floor with a black scrubbing pad attached to a rotary floor machine. This action released the dirt from the tile and grout causing the cleaning solution to go black. The resulting slurry was then rinsed away with water extracted using a wet vacuum.

Terracotta Conservatory Floor During Cleaning Herne Hill London SE24

With the floor already looking significantly cleaner I moved onto the next step of giving the tiles and acid rinse using a 1:5 parts dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This product is a phosphoric acid based cleaner, which amongst other things removes efflorescence and lime deposits, being acidic it also neutralises the strong alkaline chemicals used to clean. I apply this solution by hand using stainless steel scouring pads for the tiles and a wire brush for the grout lines. I work in one metre square sections at a time, not allowing the solution to sit on the tiles for more than five minutes before vacuuming up the dirty solution.

One I had cleaned the whole floor with the “Grout Clean-Up” solution I then rinsed it with a steam cleaner. I use a steam cleaner for two reasons, for one it doesn’t soak the floor and the heat means it dries quicker and two any stains still there get drawn out by the steam.

Terracotta Conservatory Floor After Cleaning Herne Hill London SE24

Sealing Terracotta Conservatory Floor Tiles

It’s not good practice to apply a sealer to a damp floor as the dampness can cloud the sealer and result in a patchy appearance. Because of this I always seal on a second day and in this case, I left the floor to dry out fully for two days before returning.

To seal the floor, I used four coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the Terracotta occupying the tiny pores and thereby blocking dirt from becoming ingrained there. Colour Grow as its name suggests improves the natural colours in the tile and in this case it did well to bring out the Orange/Red colours in the Terracotta, it also leaves a matt finish as requested by the client.

Terracotta Conservatory Floor After Sealing Herne Hill London SE24

For aftercare I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner, sealers are vulnerable to harsh chemicals so its important to use a cleaner that won’t impact them. It’s always worth checking the small print when buying a cleaner as the wrong product can degrade the sealer and then your back to square one with the floor becoming dirty with ingrained dirt.

Professional Renovation of a Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor in South London

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Reclaimed Quarry Tiles Patio Restoration in New Cross, SE London

Grout Cleaning, Lewisham Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jason Gates

This customer based in New Cross South East London had a significant problem with their patio. Their home is a period Victorian property so when choosing a stone for the patio, they bought reclaimed quarry tiles to marry up with the period of the house, and proceeded with their DIY project. Unfortunately they were not aware that quarry tiles are porous until sealed, and grout left on the tile and not wiped off immediately, will leave a grout haze or in this case stick to the tile altogether.

I inspected the tiles and confirmed this was the worst case of grout haze I had ever seen; un-deterred I proceeded to carry out a test clean (you can see this reflected in the photograph below) and this demonstrated successfully that the tiles could be restored.

Cleaning Patio Quarry Tiles

Satisfied with the results of the test clean I proceeded to clean the rest of the floor. For this I used Tile doctor Grout Clean-Up which contains concentrated acid and is designed to penetrate below the surface to remove grout smears; this was diluted 1 to 1 with water which is a very strong mix. I sprayed the solution onto the tiles, working 1sqm at a time, leaving it to dwell on the tiles for a few minutes before scrubbing the tiles by hand with a rough pan cleaner. I then rinsed the area off with water and used my wet vac to remove the soiled solution. The strong mix had the desired effect on the Quarry tiles but it was necessary to go over the area again after spotting some of the worse stains the first application had missed. Happy with the result, I carried out this process across the rest of the patio, working 1 sqm at a time.

Sealing Kitchen Quarry Tiles

When I was finished the customer was very happy with the result, and now had a patio they could use. The customer was keen to carry on with their DIY project, and wanted to seal the patio themselves, so I advised them to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is a colour intensifier and impregnated sealer; this will both protect and enhance the reclaimed quarry tile into the future.

Removing grout haze from reclaimed Quarry Tiles in London

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1 Comment / Beckenham Tile Cleaning, Bexleyheath Tile Cleaning, Bromley Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Chislehurst Tile Cleaning, Dartford Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Lewisham Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Orpington Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Sidcup Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Swanley Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, West Wickham Tile Cleaning, Woolwich Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Jason Gates

South East London Tile Doctor

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