Neutral Tile Cleaner Archives - Devon Tile Doctor

Encaustic Shower Room Floor Tile Cleaning Honiton

Renovating Discoloured Encaustic Floor Tiles in a Honiton Hotel Bathroom

This enquiry came from a prestigious hotel outside Honiton (North of Sidmouth), they were concerned about the appearance of the Black and White floor tiles in one of their luxury bathrooms.

I visited the hotel to survey the floor tiles and could see the tiles were Encaustic and heavily soiled as described. Unlike Ceramic tiles encaustic’s need to be sealed to prevent the build-up of dirt becoming ingrained in the tile. In this case the sealer had worn off with wear and probably the use of strong cleaning products, without the sealer in place the tiles had become discoloured.

Encaustic Shower Room Floor Tiles Before Cleaning Honiton

I knew the problem could be resolved and so informed the manager there would be no need to pull the floor up and replace just before the season was about to start. She was very relieved to hear this and pleased that we could resolve the problem relatively easily and quickly.

Deep Cleaning Encaustic Floor Tiles

To restore the appearance of the encaustic tiles I applied a set of Tile Doctor’s Diamond encrusted Burnishing Pads. Starting with the 400-grit pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine I cut the surface of the tile down whilst lubricating with water during the process. Just enough is removed to get past the staining allowing the original, uniform colours to come back up.

Rinsing and extracting with the wet vacuum after each pad I moved through the series of pads onto the 800 and 1500-grit pads again using water to lubricate. It was then time for a light clean using a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to lift out all the remaining slurry and dirt in and around the tiles and joints.

I then put several fan’s on to assist the floor drying before using a spray burnish technique to finish the floor. This is where a small amount of water is sprayed onto the tiles and then a very fine 3000-grit polishing diamond pad fitted to a rotary machine is run over the floor. This process helps reinstate a good level of sheen to the tiles.

Sealing an Encaustic Tiled Shower Room Floor

The following day I returned to seal the tiles first checking the floor had completely dried out. To do this I take several moisture readings using a damp meter. The readings were fine so I was satisfied the tiles were ready to accept a sealer.

To seal Encaustic tiles, I selected Tile Doctors robust colour enhancing sealer called Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This will be particularly good for high traffic use and will stand up to the wear and tear in a hotel bathroom.

Encaustic Shower Room Floor Tiles After Cleaning Honiton

The hotel manager was extremely happy with the results and even more so with the fact the hotel doesn’t need to replace the floor at large cost and has insisted she book me back in periodically to work through the other bathrooms/shower-rooms which are all also tiled with encaustic tiles. I also took time to advise the use of Neutral Tile cleaner for the regular cleaning of the encaustic floor tiles, it’s an effective but mild tile cleaner that’s safe to use on sealed tiles.

As much of our business comes from recommendations and repeat clients, this type of work is invaluable to us, we were delighted we could help, now they are ready for the busy holiday season.

Professional Restoration of Encaustic Floor Tiles in Devon

Renovating Discoloured Encaustic Floor Tiles in a Honiton Hotel Bathroom Read More »

Quarry Tiled Lobby Before After Renovation Kenton Devon

Deep Cleaning and Sealing a Grubby Quarry Tiled Lobby in Kenton, Devon

This client called us out to look at their grubby Quarry tiled lobby at the front of their property in Kenton near Exeter. Being the main entrance to the property it saw a lot of foot traffic so once the sealer had worn down it wasn’t long before the dirt started penetrating the pores of the tile and became difficult to keep clean.

Quarry Tiled Lobby Kenton Before Renovation

The property was originally a school and dated back over 200 years. The Quarry tiles in the entrance lobby were probably as old as the building and as mentioned earlier were looking worse for wear having been partially covered for years. They weren’t sure how old the tiled floor was, but they were keen to see it restored. They were therefore desperate to get the floor deep cleaned and a fresh seal applied. They agreed to my quotation, and we arranged a convenient date to carry out the work.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor

I started by taping up the skirting to protect it from the cleaning products we would be using. I then applied Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor and covered the area with plastic sheets to stop the evaporation of the products so that I could achieve a longer dwell time. This would really get to the deep-seated dirt and loosen it so it can be lifted from the pores of the tiles.

I then worked the floor with 200-grit carbide brush fitted to a rotary machine to remove the dirt ingrained in the clay pores of the tile. Some of the grout was loose and dislodged in the process, however my client was expecting this and had already arranged for his tiler to complete a full re-grout once we had finished cleaning. The soiling released by the cleaning process was rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Lobby Floor

I wanted to seal the floor the next day so I left a couple of driers in place overnight to speed up the drying process. The next morning when I returned, I first checked the floor to make sure it was dry with a moisture meter.

The dryers had worked their magic so I was able to begin sealing the floor with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an effective interior and exterior sealer. With the lobby being a high traffic area, I applied four coats to ensure a durable seal. The benefit of this sealer is it gave the floor a nice sheen really bringing out the depth of colour in the tiles, and with the newly applied grout the floor looked great.

Quarry Tiled Lobby Kenton After Renovation

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a pH neutral product which is gentle enough for daily use. It won’t compromise the newly applied sealer which can be a problem with the stronger bleach-based products you find in supermarket products.

The work completely transformed the Quarry tiles and my client was very happy with the completed job and told me they wished they had tackled it sooner.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Lobby in Devon

Deep Cleaning and Sealing a Grubby Quarry Tiled Lobby in Kenton, Devon 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 »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation Exeter

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration Exeter, Devon

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

A couple in Exeter were nearing the end of an extensive house renovation and called me in to see what could be done to revive their Victorian tiled hallway. The previous workmen had managed to tread all sorts of building materials into the tiles, however I assured them all was not lost and that it would certainly be possible to put the life back into the floor and turn it into an eye-catching original hallmark feature once more.

After the initial free home survey, I issued them with a quote which they were happy with and they booked me straight in to complete the renovation. If your having work done to your property, I would agree it makes sense to renovate the flooring last but it will help if you protect the flooring as well.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I started the process by taping and protecting around their freshly decorated areas and custom fitted radiators. Tile Doctor Product Remove & Go was then diluted and applied to the floor and allowed to sit and dwell for a good 20 minutes. I then introduced my rotary machine with a 200-grit diamond pad to work off the stubborn surface debris, the left-over paint and cement stains. I repeated the process in some areas where the staining was particularly bad. The floor was rinsed each time and the waste was extracted with a wet vacuum.

Victorian Tiled Hallway During Renovation Exeter

A good deal of hand-block work was required around the perimeters where messy decorators had left their mark in the past. With the tile pores still open after the 200-grit pad I applied a Tile Doctor Acid Gel wash to the floor and let the product sit for half an hour before removing with the vacuum and taking any remaining excess product off with a damp cloth.

The next day I installed a course of tiles at the top end which they wanted fitting to tie in level with their freshly poured polished concrete kitchen floor. I had to build up a substrate first on top of the damp proof membrane already in place before cutting and fitting the tiles and grouting. Using quick set adhesive and grout meant these were soon dry, but they were still left overnight to set ahead of the final step of applying the sealer.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning on the final day, the first job was to test that the floor was dry using a damp meter. Once satisfied the day was spent applying two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which reinstated the vibrant colours and put the life back into the original Victorian Tiles. This is a modern breathable sealer which is oil based. It provides great protection from water and staining whilst leaving a nice subtle sheen.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Renovation Exeter

The clients were over the moon with the job and thanked me for bringing back to life this lovely feature of their period home. It was important for them to keep the balance between new and old in this modern renovation on their Victorian home. The hallway was now a lovely welcoming area.

For aftercare cleaning of sealed Victorian tiles, I recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. It’s a mild tile and grout cleaning product that won’t prematurely erode the lift of the sealer, many supermarket brands are simply too strong for use on sealed tiles.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Devon

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration Exeter, Devon 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 »