Colour Grow Archives - Devon Tile Doctor

Marble Tile and Grout Cleaned and Polished in Crediton Devon

Grout Cleaning and Polishing a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in Crediton

This customer in Crediton originally enquired about grout cleaning for their Kitchen floor, however after speaking to them on the phone I discovered their tiles where Marble and so I suggested they may be interested in our stone polishing service as well.

Interested in the possibilities I arranged a time to pop over to the house and conduct a survey and test clean. I’m based in Crediton, so it wasn’t long before I was able to pay them a visit. Whilst there demonstrating grout cleaning, I explained how Marble responds wonderfully to our diamond pad burnishing system and would be possible to go one step further and make this floor a ‘wow’ feature again. I conducted a quick demonstration of the burnishing process which went well, and they agreed it was definitely something they would like to have done and were happy to book me in for both jobs.

Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Crediton

Having agreed my quote the only thing that was left was to agree a date to do the work which would take two days. As it turns out they had planned a holiday and so I it was agreed I would do the work whilst they were away to minimise disruption.

Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Crediton

Deep Cleaning Grout and Marble Kitchen Tiles

To start, I added low level protection to then the bottom 7 inches or so of the kitchen units and walls to stop any slurry splashes. After this I applied a coat of Tile Doctor alkaline cleaning/stripping product called Remove & Go and left to dwell and soak into the stone. This emulsified and broke down what remained of the existing sealer and ingrained dirt in the grout lines which was causing the discolouration.

After ten minutes the solution was then worked into the floor using a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. Where needed I also used a stiff grout brush along the grout lines until I was satisfied it was as clean and White as it could be. The soiled liquid was then rinsed off the floor and extracted with an industrial wet vacuum.

Next I started the burnishing process with the application of a coarse 400-grit diamond pad fitted to the rotary machine. Using only water for lubrication the pad was worked into each tile until I had covered the whole area. I then repeated this process through 800 and 1500-grit pads extracting the slurry between each pad with the wet vacuum. The pads deep clean the Marble and slowly refine the surface to build up the polished appearance.

After the 1500-grit pad I put several floor fans in place to accelerate the drying of the Marble floor before applying the last pad in the burnishing system which is a very fine 3000-grit polishing pad which adds lovely shine to the Marble and is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tile.

Once done the burnishing work had been completed and it was time to let the floor completely dry out overnight so it would be ready for sealing the next day.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor

I arrived in the morning and began work by inspecting the floor and taking a few moisture readings to ensure it has completely dry. I was happy with how clean the Grout looked and how well the Marble had responded to the burnishing process. The floor had that smart, eye-catching polished appearance and just needed sealing to protect it from dirt becoming ingrained into the pores of the stone.

Having discussed choice of sealers with the customer previous we had agreed to seal the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a great choice for Marble as it contains a colour enhancer that intensifies the lovely natural mineral colours in the stone which otherwise are lost when dry. Two coats were needed, allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second.

Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor After Polishing Crediton

A few days later I heard back from the clients who had just arrived back from their holiday, they were overjoyed with the results I achieved not just to the grout but how well their Marble floor now looked. For aftercare cleaning of polished stone floors, we recommend using Tile Doctor Stone Soap, it’s compatible with sealers and helps maintain the patina on the stone.

Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor After Polishing Crediton

Professional Cleaning and Polishing of a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in Devon

Grout Cleaning and Polishing a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in Crediton Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated Exmouth

Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated Ready for House Sale in Exmouth

1 Comment / Exmouth Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Harry Payne

This owners of this grand Victorian property in Exmouth were putting their home on the market and so decided to have its beautiful patterned Victorian Tiled hallway floor renovated to its former glory first.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Exmouth Before Cleaning

To get the best price for your property it needs looking its best and first impressions count so it makes sense to ensure the frontage and the hallway looks its best.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I began by applying Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor which was then left to soak in for twenty minutes. This gives the product time to breakdown and emulsify existing sealers and loosen ingrained dirt. I then worked the floor with a 200-grit burnishing pad fitted to a rotary machine which had extra weights fitted to improve contact. The pads are made with industrial Diamonds that cut into and release the dirt bringing it to the surface where it can be removed. To help with lubrication the floor was wetted with minimal amounts of water, old floors like this one will not have had a damp proof membrane installed so it’s best to keep fluids at a minimum.

The now soiled cleaning solution was extracted with a wet vacuum and I hand cleaned around the perimeter with Diamond burnishing blocks. A few rinses were required to remove the now dirty cleaning solution from the floor, again keeping water to a minimum and extracting with the wet vacuum afterwards. The Victorian tile and grout were then left to dry off overnight with the assistance from a couple for floor dryer’s that I left in place overnight.

The following day I went back over the floor with the Diamond handheld burnishing blocks focusing on anything I may have missed the day before such as paints spots from decorating and other stains. Once satisfied I gave the whole floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up worked in with a 400-grit burnishing pad. We do this to prepare the tiles for sealing and neutralises any leftover alkaline cleaning product left in the pores of the tile. This process also removes old grout smears and will counter any latent efflorescent salts in the tiles. Once done, the floor was rinsed, extracted, and left to dry off overnight as before.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Exmouth After Cleaning Sealing

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

it’s probably difficult to tell how dirty the tiles were from the earlier photographs but by the time I returned on day 3 the customers were already chuffed with how much cleaner the floor was looking.

Moisture readings taken from the floor indicated it was dry enough to seal so I set about applying a base coat of a colour enhancing sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow. There was 36m2 of tiling through the hallway section and into the more heavily used entrance way so it took some time to apply. One that was dry I then applied a topcoat of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal to add further protection.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Exmouth After Cleaning

The new sealer will protect against dirt from muddy wellies, boots, and pets, keeping the dirt on the surface where it can easily be removed using an everyday cleaning product like Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner.

Professional Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Devon

Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated Ready for House Sale in Exmouth Read More »

Terracotta Tiled Floor Sealing in Whimple Devon

Improving the Shine on a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Whimple

1 Comment / Exeter Tile Cleaning Service, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Harry Payne

I was contacted by a homeowner from the small village of Whimple, (Nine miles East of Exeter), about the sealer on their Terracotta kitchen tiles. The floor had only recently been cleaned and sealed by another company but the sealer left the floor looking dull and matte and she wanted a high sheen finish.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Whimple

Dissatisfied with the results I was asked to strip back the Terracotta tiles again and reapply a suitable seal which would finish the tiles in a high sheen. Tile Doctor have a range of sealers for all types of floors and finish and from the brief I knew that Tile Doctor Seal and Go would be idea for this floor, it leaves a lovely sheen finish and being a water-based product, it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

Work started by removing the kickboards and protecting up around any skirting to protect from water ingress. Once done a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go was sprayed onto the Terracotta tiles and left to soak in for a good 15 minutes to give it time to emulsify and break down the seal which their previous contractor had applied.

The floor was then scrubbed using a rotary machine fitted with a stiff nylon scrubbing head. This action removed the sealer into the cleaning solution and where I was able to extract from the floor using a wet vacuum. Once removed I ran a water test over the tiles to check the sealer was gone and repeated the exercise where required until I was satisfied all the sealer was gone. This is important as the new sealer may not be compatible with the original which could result in discolouration and potentially peeling off the tile later.

Remove and Go is an alkaline product so to neutralise the ph level of the floor after stripping and to further clean the tiled I gave the floor an acid wash using diluted Grout Clean-up. After a quick scrub the excess product was removed and the floor given several rinses with water, this was followed with the wet vacuum to remove as much moisture from the tiles as possible and thereby reduce the drying time.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was left to dry out overnight and after checking moisture levels the following day I was pleased to see it had dried and was now ready to accept a fresh sealer. Before applying Seal & Go however I decided to apply a base coat of an impregnating sealer called Colour Grow which as its name suggests will enhance the natural colour in the Terracotta.

After an hour, the Colour Grow had dried and I began building up coats of acrylic seal ‘Seal & Go’. Terracotta is quite a porous material and the floor took six coats of Seal & Go before I had achieved the right level of sheen desired by the customer.

On the customers return home they were thrilled to see the new finish was exactly what they wanted and have now set up an annual maintenance plan with me to keep the sealer topped up and floor looking the way they like it.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Whimple

For day-to-day cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a pH neutral tile cleaning product and recommended for sealed Terracotta. It’s a mild cleaning product that won’t strip the tiles of the newly applied sealer like many strong household cleaners can. It comes in a concentrate form so a small amount goes along way.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Devon

Improving the Shine on a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Whimple Read More »