Ultra-Seal Archives - Devon Tile Doctor

Travertine Tiled Patio Renovation Rousdon Devon

85m2 Travertine patio renovation in Rousdon, Devon

A client from the village of Rousdon in Devon asked me to take a look at a large Travertine patio which was laid approximately five years ago and was now in a bad state. I contacted her and arranged a time to pop over and conduct a free survey of the patio which was approximately 85m2.

Travertine Patio Before Cleaning Rousdon Devon

Upon arrival I could see that garden furniture had been left on the patio and not moved for a long-time, this had resulted in rust stains from the metal and wooden furniture which had leached into the travertine causing staining. Normal cleaners and just jet washing would not be able to clear the stains.

I performed a test with our Tile Doctor product – Patio and Driveway Cleaner which is a very strong cleaner designed to remove the toughest mildew, growth and staining on exterior stone and tiled patios and driveways. The test went well and the client was thrilled with the results and asked if I could achieve the same finish throughout the whole patio. I informed her I could, however, we would need to postpone the booking until spring at the earliest so that the weather and air has time to warm up so the products and sealer both do their jobs.
She was happy to take this advice and accepted my quotation.

Cleaning a Travertine Patio Tiled Floor

I returned in April on a warm, dry weekend to carry out the work as intended.

Work started with the generous application of around ten litres of Tile Doctor Patio and Driveway Cleaner which was left to dwell for approximately three hours, checking every 15 minutes on progress. After this time, I agitated the areas using a Viper rotary machine fitted with a stiff bristle brush to work the product into the stone and get into the pits and grout lines.

Immediately after the agitation process I used my pressurised water system to collect the slurry and remove any remaining moss and algae from the patio – this also neutralised the stone from any remaining products and removed much of the moisture from the stone so it could dry out quickly.

In the lasting afternoon sun, the patio dried out quickly with the assistance of floor fans to speed up the process.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Patio Floor

The following day I ran some moisture tests which confirmed the patio was dry and could accept a sealer. It’s not a good idea to apply a sealer to damp stone anyway but outside even more so as moisture can become trapped in the stone and then freeze over winter resulting in damage to the sealer.

All was well and I was able to complete the job with the application of three coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. This kept to the brief from the client who had requested a completely natural stone finish.

Travertine Patio After Cleaning Rousdon Devon

Once completed the patio was transformed and my client was over the moon with its new appearance which is now ready for summer entertaining. To make sure the patio keeps it appearance they have requested I come back every year going forward to do a spring clean and top up the sealer. I offer an annual maintenance plan for customers with high maintenance floors/patios like this one so I’m more than happy to do that.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Patio in Devon

85m2 Travertine patio renovation in Rousdon, Devon Read More »

Cream Marble Tiled Floor Polished in Lympstone Devon

Wax Sealed 130m2 Cream Marble Tiled Floor Polished in Lympstone

I was asked to pop over to the village of Lympstone to survey a beautiful Cream Mable tiled floor. The owner of the property was unhappy with its appearance as the wax-based product used to seal it previously had significantly dulled over the years resulting in a flat/matte look and making marks extremely obvious and difficult to remove.

Wax based products like the one used on this floor and a traditional method for protecting Marble floor but its easily marked, tricky to remove and with the advent of modern stone sealing products it’s not a solution we recommend

After surveying the 130m2 of Marble tiles, I could see the best way forward would be to remove the wax, clean the floor and then use a ‘Burnishing’ process to bring up the deep natural shine in the stone and then seal to protect. I explained the process in full and a date was agreed for my return to do the renovation.

Marble Floor Before Polishing Lympstone Devon

Deep Cleaning Red and Brown Marble Kitchen Tiles

I began by scrubbing in Tile Doctor Cleaner/Stripper product called Remove & Go, this emulsified and broke down the wax seal, loosened up any surface dirt and marks and cleaned up the grout lines which was significantly discoloured due to years of use.

I find the best was to do this it to spray on the Remove and Go, then let it soak into the tile and then run over each tile with a black scrubbing pad. Pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line so to ensure a thorough clean I also run a stiff hand brush over the grout.

The floor was rinsed with water and then the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum. It was important to remove the wax before starting the next stage of burnishing other wise the diamond pads used in this process will become clogged with remnants of wax.

Marble Floor During Polishing Lympstone Devon

With the wax removed the chemical clean was complete and I was ready to move onto burnishing the Marble. On this occasion I stared with an 800-grit diamond burnishing pad fitted to a rotary machine running with added weight to make better contact with the floor. I only use water to lubricate the process and make eight to ten passes over each section. The process is then repeated without the weights using a 1500-grit diamond pad and water before vacuuming up the slurry.

Finally, I spray a small amount of fresh water onto the floor and burnish the Marble until almost dry with a 3000-grit diamond pad. This is the last step in the polishing processed and adds a lovely sheen to the stone.

Sealing Red and Brown Marble Kitchen Tiles

After the floor had been buffed dry, I finished by sealing the marble with Tile Doctor Ultra seal which is a specially formulated seal specifically for polished marble. It’s a natural look sealer that doesn’t change the characteristics of the stone and is almost invisible.

Ultra-Seal is an impregnating sealer that provides durable protection by impregnating the pores in the stone with sealer, so dirt cannot become ingrained there. The results were sharp and obvious and the customers were both very happy with the results and was a large job on their renovation tick list completed.

Marble Floor After Polishing Lympstone Devon

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.

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in Devon

Wax Sealed 130m2 Cream Marble Tiled Floor Polished in Lympstone Read More »