Sandstone Tile Cleaning

A customer from the Tunbridge Wells borough of Southborough got in touch with me regarding the renovation of their Sandstone Paved Drive and Patio. The paving surrounded the property and since all the facias had recently been renewed on the house the stone was letting the overall appearance of the property down.

It had been sometime since the Sandstone had been cleaned and as you can see from the photos what was once a beautiful stone had now darkened and lost much of its natural colour. I went to the property to do a quick site visit to check what needed to be done. I worked out a quote for cleaning to the stone which was accepted and a convenient time to carry out the work was agreed.

I have a very powerful high pressure cleaning system installed in my van which makes short work of cleaning stone and brick. Not only is it very effective at cleaning its designed as a closed system, so all the waste is extracted back to a large grey water tank in the van. Now you can use an everyday power washer to clean up external stone however they are not as powerful and so take much longer, also the result does not tend to be as good.

Deep Cleaning an Indian Sandstone Patio in Southborough

It was a large area, so I approached the job in sections and started by pre-wetting the stone with water. Then I applied Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner which is a powerful outdoor cleaning solution formulated to power through patio blackspots, lichen, moss, and stains. This is a commercial product designed for professional use so if you are looking at using it yourself, please take care and use the right protection.

The cleaner was left to soak into the really dirty areas whilst I focused on the cleaning the other parts of the drive and patio with the van mounted pressure washer. I was then able to return to the deeper stains later. Using a combination of the Tile Doctor Brick and Patio Cleaner along with our van mounted pressure cleaning system we were able to completely transform the properties kerb appeal.

Applying a sealer now the Sandstone was clean would have improved the look of the stone further and made the patio easier to keep clean going forward; however, it was a very large area which would require a lot of sealer. Keen to keep the cost down it was agreed not to apply a sealer and instead they intend to do more regular cleaning. The patio did look in great condition following the deep cleaning and so difficult to justify at this stage.

My customer was very happy with the transformed patio and the look of delight was clearly visible. It’s a great feeling when you have a happy customer and this was one of those jobs where their satisfaction was so uplifting, especially during these times.

 

Professional Renovation of an Indian Sandstone Patio in South Kent