Remove and Go Archives - South Kent Tile Doctor

Enclosed Victorian Tiled Balcony Foor Restored in Cranbrook

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

Travertine Kitchen Floor Renovation Paddock Wood

Travertine Floor Renovation Paddock Wood

We were called out to a property in Paddock Wood to look at renovating a large Travertine tiled floor. Travertine floors, if finished correctly, can look as good as its Marble counterpart however with it being a being a much softer material you will find the factory finish dulls rapidly.

Travertine Floor Paddock Wood Before Renovation

The polish had certainly worn off in this case and the floor also had many unsightly cracks that needed rectifying. There can be many reasons for cracking including poorly laid tiles and, on this occasion, I suspect it due to the constant expansion and contraction of the based due to under floor heating.

Travertine Floor Paddock Wood Cracked Tile Before Renovation

It had been a while since the floor had been professionally maintained and it was now looking very tired and unloved, after all as we say your floor is as much a piece of furniture as your beloved chesterfield sofa! After taking all the problems into account I worked out a thorough restoration plan and provided a quote for doing the work. Happy to accept a date was scheduled to do the work.

Deep Cleaning and Polishing Travertine Tile

The first step was to give the Travertine and adjacent grout a good scrub with Tile Doctor Remove and Go. The product is diluted with water, sprayed on the tile, let to soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. To remove the soiled solution and get an extra deep clean I use a high-pressure system that if built into my van. It applies water to the floor at high pressure and extracts the soil to a waste tank in the van which has the added advantage of leaving it reasonably dry.

Travertine Floor Paddock Wood During Renovation

To restore the appearance to stone floors such a Travertine and Limestone they have to be cut back and polished with diamond encrusted burnishing pads of various grits. It’s a similar process that you use on wood where you start with coarse sandpaper first and moving on to a finer grade towards the end.

Tile Doctor have developed several burnishing pads for this which start with a coarse red 400-grit pad applied with a little water to help lubricate. The coarse pad cleans the tiles and removes any topical sealers, scratches, and deeply ingrained dirt. Next comes the white then yellow pad which are a finer grade again applied using nothing but a little water. I use the high-pressure extraction system mentioned earlier after each pad to remove the soil that is generated. The last pad is a 3000-grit green polishing pad, and this really brings up the surface shine, this pad is applied using a little water sprayed onto the tile.

Filling Cracks in Travertine Tile

To deal with the cracks I use an epoxy resin putty which can be colour matched to the floor tile. I use a special colour matching card for this that gives you the exact formula you need to recreate the required colour and tone.

Travertine Floor Paddock Wood Touchup Palate

After removing any loose particles from the crack, the paint is then mixed in with the resin using the specified proportions and the crack filled with the resin. Using this system, I can get a very close colour match and once the floor has been finished the crack becomes unnoticeable.

Travertine Floor Paddock Wood After Renovation

Achieving a Durable Seal on Travertine Tiles

The next step was to further polish the floor using a white pad and Tile Doctor Shine Powder crystals. The crystals add a deep shine and durable protective surface. We use a rotary buffer as before to do this but run I over the floor at a slow speed.

Last step was to seal the Travertine by applying a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an impregnating sealer that seeps into the stone occupying the pores and thereby protecting it from ingrained dirt from within. Ultra-Seal is a colourless sealer that is almost invisible leaving the stone in its most natural state.

Finally, I ran over the floor using a fresh white buffing pad to remove any excess sealer and buff the polish up on the stone.

With clean grout lines, invisible cracks, and deep polish the floor transformation was complete. My client was overwhelmed with the result and his and many other satisfied clients have left their reviews of our work and can be seen here https://south-kent.tiledoctor.biz/customer-testimonials/

For the aftercare of a polished stone floor, I recommended Tile Doctor Stone Soap, its designed for cleaning polished stone tiles and will help maintain the patina and existing sealer. Additionally, it’s PH Neutral formula is environmentally friendly containing no acids, alkalis, or bleaches.

Professional Renovation of a Cracked Travertine Tiled Floor in Kent

Travertine Floor Renovation Paddock Wood Read More »