Nanotech HBU Archives - South East London Tile Doctor

Dilapidated Red and Black Victorian Tiled Path Restored in Lewisham

This customer contacted Tile Doctor about the dilapidated Victorian tiled path that led up to their property in in Lewisham. It was in quite a state as your can see from the photographs on this page, tree roots had lifted the tiles in certain areas and there were a lot of loose tiles. Intrigued I offered to come and take a look and see what could be done.

After visiting the property, I could see that as well as tiling, some repairs to the foundation due to the tree roots would be needed but generally the path was in solid condition. Also, there was still a good fall to the path so rainwater would drain away easily.

Victorian Tiled Path Before Restoration Lewisham

Before becoming a Tile Doctor my trade was tiling so I wasn’t put off by the significant amount of tiling that this project needed. I worked out a quote for the work needed which they were happy to accept and we set a tentative date for my return and hoped for good weather.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The weather was fine so I was able to start work by carefully lifting all the broken and loose tiles and putting them to one side for re-use where possible. This then exposed the path foundation, which needed digging out in in places and backfilling with cement. I also used a grinder to remove any high spots and leave the foundation base as flat as possible.

Victorian Tiled Path During Restoration Lewisham

Next came the tiling which had to match the existing geometrical pattern. I used a combination of the salvaged tiles from earlier which had to be cleaned up and new reproduction tiles that I had managed to source from a specialist supplier. The tiles were laid out dry initially to ensure the pattern was correct and only then were they fixed in place with new adhesive and then grouted. All these repairs may sound straightforward but the work actually took three days to complete.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The path was then left to set overnight and I returned later to give them a deep clean. To do this I started with a strong combination of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and Nanotech HBU stain remover. This was sprayed onto the path and left to soak in for a good ten to fifteen minutes to give it time to break down the grime and dirt that had built up over the years. The solution was then scrubbed in using a coarse 50-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary machine.

The dirt released from the tiles was rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum and the process repeated, this time with Tile Doctor Acid Gel and a 100-grit then 200-grit diamond pad. This process deep cleans and hones the tile removing ingrained dirt and improving their appearance. The path was rinsed and soiling extracted afterwards, then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The weather held out and I returned the next day to seal the tiles using three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a breathable colour enhancing impregnating sealer. Impregnators work by soaking into the pores of the tile, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there.

Victorian Tiled Path After Restoration Lewisham

The customer was very pleased with the results and the path has been saved for another 100 years. The new sealer would ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away for which I recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Pathway in Southeast London

Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor Renovation Keston

Renovating Chinese Slate Kitchen Flooring in Keston BR2

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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