Pro-Clean Archives - South Kent Tile Doctor

Quarry Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed Dover

Deep Cleaning and Sealing Quarry Floor Tiles in Dover

I was asked to look at Quarry tiled floor in the Kitchen of an old, thatched cottage in rural Dover. The owner was keen to have it deep cleaned and sealed and so I agreed to call in, survey the tiled floor and provide a quote for the work.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Deep Clean and Seal Dover

Kitchens and Hallways are the busiest floors in a house and this floor had clearly been in constant use due to the considerable levels of ingrained dirt, especially in the wide grout lines. I completed my survey and discussed all options open to the customer and I agreed to put together a quote.

The client was happy with my quote, and I was given the go ahead so we scheduled a date for the work to start which would take two days, one day to clean and one to seal.

Deep Cleaning and Restoring a Quarry and Quarry Tiled Floor

I turned up promptly on day 1 and started by protecting any areas susceptible to water damage. Once done, I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the grout lines and set about scrubbing them by hand. I find this is the best way to clean grout as pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout and it certainly paid off as it came up really well. To finish I rinsed the floor with water and extracted the soiling from the grout cleaning process with a wet vacuum.

Next it was time to turn my attention to the quarry tiles this time using a medium dilution of Pro-Clean. The solution was applied to the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes before being worked in with a coarse burnishing pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine fitted with a Black scrubbing pad and plenty of water. This process pulls the dirt out of the tile and the water soon turns into a dark slurry.

The slurry was removed with the wet vacuum as I progressed across the floor and the process repeated on stubborn areas. Finally, the floor was dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and a mop to get rid of the last vestiges. The floor was then left to dry out for two days over the weekend.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Barn Conversion Floor

Returning on Monday I started by taking several readings with a damp meter. It’s not a good idea to apply a sealer to a damp floor as the results can be inconsistent so I always like to check. The readings were within tolerance so I was able to apply the first of what would be three coats of Tile Doctor’s Seal and Go Extra which I felt was the best choice for sealing this floor.

I chose Seal and Go Extra because it’s a fully breathable sealer that adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles which matches the customers’ expectations. It was important to choose a breathable sealer as these old floors don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane and any moisture under the floor will be able to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface un-hindered.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Deep Clean and Seal Dover

Once completed, the floor looked amazing, not only was the Quarry Tile and Grout looking so much cleaner the sealer had enhanced the orange colour in the Quarry tiles. Needless to say, my customer was very happy with the result.

For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is designed for the safe and effective cleaning of sealed floors without impacting the sealer.

Professional Cleaning of a Quarry Tiled Floor in South Kent

Deep Cleaning and Sealing Quarry Floor Tiles in Dover Read More »

Victorian Tiled Balcony Floor Restored in Cranbrook Kent

Enclosed Victorian Tiled Balcony Foor Restored in Cranbrook

1 Comment / Tenterden Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / April Davis

I was asked to provide a quotation for renovating a Victorian Tiled Floor at a flat in the town of Cranbrook. It was a large building that been subject to fire damage and the property developers needed help with one of the flats which had an enclosed balcony with a Victorian floor.

Victorian Tiled Balcony Floor Before Restoration Cranbrook

They contacted Tile Doctor and I went along to perform a survey. I could see the floor was in a poor condition from years of neglect. There were broken tiles, heavily ingrained dirt and paint splashes from the decorating.

Victorian Tiled Balcony Floor Before Renovation Cranbrook

I provided a detailed quote following the assessment and was awarded the job.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Vestibule Floor

The first job was to replace the damaged tiles which involved breaking the out from the centre and carefully removing the debris. Once done they were replaced with matching replacements that had been sourced earlier. This work took most of the day although I did manage to complete this before the daylight went (there wasn’t a light available on the balcony!).

The next day with the tile adhesive set I was able to move onto the first step of the cleaning process using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go that would remove the dirt and soften up the paint spots. I followed the usual process of allowing it to soak in for ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. After extracting the soiling with a wet vacuum I could see I had managed to tackle the paint but more work would be needed to remove the ingrained dirt.

To further clean the tiles, I repeated the process using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was perfect for this job. It’s a powerful alkaline cleaner that’s designed to remove dirt from tile and grout. This time however I worked the solution in with a 200-grit burnishing pad. These pads are encrusted with industrial diamonds and usually used for polishing stone floors however they also work well on Victorian tiles.

The resultant slurry was extracted with the wet vacuum and I moved onto the last step in the cleaning process which was to treat the tiles to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This last process further cleans up the tiles by removing old grout smears and other mineral contaminates, it also neutralises the pH level of the floor following the application of alkaline cleaners used earlier.

My job was done for that day so I left, leaving the floor to dry overnight in readiness for sealing.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Vestibule Floor

The next morning, I arrived and tested the tiles for water content using a moisture meter. We don’t advise applying a sealer to damp tiles as it can affect the way it cures and affect the overall finish.

Happy that they were dry, I started applying a base coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer, this is an impregnator that works by occupying the pores so dirt can reside there. This sealer leaves a matt finish but it also contains a colour intensifier that enhances the natural colours in the Victorian tiles.

I left that to dry for an hour and then followed up with three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This is a compatible acrylic sealer that leaves the floor with a low sheen finish that looks good on Victorian tiles.

I was pleased with the finished result and confident that the new occupants would be too.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Balcony Floor in South Kent

Enclosed Victorian Tiled Balcony Foor Restored in Cranbrook Read More »