Slate Tile Cleaning Archives - Cambridge Tile Doctor

Multi Coloured Slate floor in desperate need of a deep clean West Wickham

By Tom ConlonPosted on December 15, 2022December 15, 2022Posted in Cambridge Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Slate Tile CleaningTagged Black Scrubbing Pad, cambridge, Deep Clean, floor tiles, hallway, Kitchen Diner, Multi Coloured Slate Tiles, Neutral Tile Cleaner, Newmarket, Remove and Go, Ultra-Seal, Utility, West Wickham1 Comment

Having previously completed the restoration of a stone floor for this client in the village of West Wickham near Cambridge I was asked to return to look at the Multi-Coloured Slate tiles in the Kitchen of a rental property. The Slate floor had been laid throughout the Kitchen/Diner through to the Hallway and Utility room.

Multi-coloured Slate Tiled Floor Before Cleaning West Wickham

Over the years the sealer had worn down and dirt had become engrained in the pores of the Slate and had discoloured the grout. They were now in need of a deep clean and the tenant was pleased to be having the work done. It is always a delight to have an existing client have you back as there is no better testament of how happy they have been your work.

I visited the property to measure the area and carried out a few patch tests to check the best process and from that I was able to provide an accurate quote for the work. Happy with the quote I got the go ahead and a mutually convenient time to do the work was agreed with the tenant. It was a large area so the work would be a little disruptive.

Deep Cleaning a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Floor

To start I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, left it to soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbed the floor with a black scrubbing pad fitted to rotary machine. This action brought a lot of the ingrained dirt to the surface where I was able to remove it using our van mounted cleaning system that applies pressurised water to the floor whilst simultaneously extracting the soiled water to a tank in the van via a vacuum. This keeps the mess to a real minimum and improves drying times.

The tiles and especially the grout was very dirty and it was necessary to repeat this process a few times, hand scrubbing where necessary until I was satisfied the Slate and Grout was as clean as possible. It was a large area so I had to work in sections until all the floors were complete and once done it was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Floor

Returning the following morning work started by taking several moisture readings from each area with a damp meter to ensure the tiles were dry and ready for sealing. The readings were fine so the first of several coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal was applied. This sealer is almost invisible and so doesn’t affect the look of the stone leaving it with a completely natural finish.

Multi-coloured Slate Tiled Floor After Cleaning West Wickham

The client and tenant were very happy with the end result and have ordered some Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner for the regular cleaning of the stone. Using our cleaner which is pH neutral will ensure the newly applied sealer is not compromised and will keep the floor in tip top condition particularly in the heavy traffic areas.

Professional Clean and Seal of a Multi-Coloured Slate Floor in Cambridgeshire

Dirty and Stained Slate Tiles Refreshed Near Duxford

By Tom ConlonPosted on January 9, 2017October 31, 2020Posted in Cambridge Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work HistoryTagged cambridge, dining room, duxford, kitchen, slate tiles, tile cleaning, tile sealing, toilet, utility room1 Comment

This wonderful Slate tiled floor at a property near the old village of Duxford had been installed throughout the ground floor kitchen, utility room, dining room, and downstairs toilet, making it a very large area. As such, the property owner had struggled to keep the tile and grout looking it’s best and had tried many off the shelf supermarket-quality products without much success and you can see from the photographs the slate was now looking tired and the grout was quite stained and so we were called in to work our magic

While Slate is typically known for its durability, any kind of porous stone will over time become dirty and stained if the sealer is not maintained, sealers do fail eventually and usually in the highest traffic areas first where they become worn down the most.

Cleaning Dirty Slate Tile

Before starting the cleaning process, we protected the walls and skirting boards from coming into contact with products by covering them with plastic. I also opted to remove the kickboards from around the edges of the kitchen units, kickboards are usually just clipped into place and are easily put back later.

Slate Floor Duxford Before Cleaning Adding Protection

I then applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the floor, which is a multi-purpose stripper/cleaner designed to strip away old sealers and remove grout haze, adhesives and paints. It also draws out ingrained stains. The entire floor was blanketed in a thin plastic sheet to give the chemical time to emulsify the old sealers without drying out.

Slate Floor Duxford With Plastic Blanket

Next, I used our high-pressure extraction system to remove all the emulsified sealers. The system works by applying hot water under high pressure to the floor deep cleaning the tile, whilst simultaneously extracting the dirty water back to a tank on our van. This process did a great job of getting the floor clean and free of old sealers etc., and after completing the initial clean a thorough walk through of the floor was done to identify any stubborn areas that needed further treatment.

Slate Floor Duxford During Pressure Cleaning

Finally, the floor was left to dry overnight.

Sealing Slate Tiles

Upon arriving back at the property, the next day, I ran some quick damp tests to check that the floor was completely dry and ready to be sealed. Once satisfied, I applied several coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, which works really well on Slate giving it that much needed protection against dirt and stains, along with a full lustre finish that enhances the character of the floor, it was a large area and you have to wait for the first coat to dry before applying the next so it took some time to complete as I’m sure you can imagine.

Slate Floor Duxford After Cleaning and Sealing

You should be able to see the floor was quite transformed after our visit and needless to say the customer was very happy with the result.

Refurbishing a tired Slate Tiled Floor in Cambridgeshire

Large Slate tiled floor Cleaned and Sealed in Hemingford Grey

By Tom ConlonPosted on October 27, 2014August 12, 2022Posted in Huntingdon Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work HistoryTagged cambridge, cleaning services, floor restoration, Hemingford Grey, large slate tiles, sealing slate tiles, slate tiled floor, tile cleaning, tile maintenance, tiled floor1 Comment

This is a 25m2 Slate tiled floor installed in a grade 2 listed coach house in the village of Hemingford Grey on the banks of the river Ouse. It was originally called the six bells and the original coach house sign is still hanging from its original ironwork in the entrance lobby. The slate floor was laid through the kitchen and hallway in 2000 and since then it had just been mopped and extra coats of polishes/waxes had been applied leading to a build-up.

Slates Tiles Hemingford Grey Before Cleaning

Cleaning the Slate Tiled Floor

Before starting work I protected the kitchen units and Aga cooker in plastic film to protect against splashing and mopped onto the tiles a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings remover. Remove and Go I should mention is not only an effective cleaning product but as its name suggests is ideal for removing sealers from floors.

To get the floor completely clean you need to strip it back to bare tile and because of the layers of sealer we let the Remove and Go soak into the Slate tile for some time before being worked in using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Then rather than wash the product away we blanketed the floor in a polythene sheet and left for two hours.

Slates Tiles Hemingford Grey During Cleaning

The polythene sheet prevents the floor from drying out and allows the chemical process of breaking down the layers of sealant to take place. After removing the sheet we scrubbed the floor again before removing the residue with our high powered internal pressure washing tool.

Slates Tiles Hemingford Grey After Cleaning

The floor was now bare and all the natural colours in the slate became far more evident. The tiles do need to be bone dry before sealing however so we left it to dry out for a day and left a number of special air blowers setup around the floor to assist with the drying.

Sealing the Slate Tiled Floor

When we returned the third day the floor was dry so we sealed it using five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a water based sealer (so no smell) that add good stain protection as well as adding a nice subtle sheen to the tile which really enhanced the colours in the slate.

Slates Tiles Hemingford Grey After Sealing

The customer was ecstatic with the result, so much so that before we left she gave us a thank you card in an envelope. On returning to our unit we opened the card and out dropped £50, well I was amazed, even though we explain all the processes to our clients and take the upmost care at their homes we really didn`t expect that level of generosity. This is how the card read:

“To Mick,
Thank you to you and Tom for your high quality in Service, Integrity and Value x Excellent craftsmanship. Much appreciated. So pleased with your work.
Kind regards. M. Evans”

It was a pleasure to work for such a nice lady and we look forward to returning in the New Year to restore some more stone and terracotta flooring for her.

Cleaning and Sealing a large Slate tiled floor in Cambridgeshire

Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Harston

By Tom ConlonPosted on March 4, 2014August 12, 2022Posted in Cambridge Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work HistoryTagged cambridge, cleaning services, cleaning slate tiles, floor maintenance, Harston, kitchen floor, sealing, slate tiled flooring, slate tiles, tile cleaning, tile restoration, tiled floor1 Comment

These photographs are from that lovely old period property in the village of Harston near Cambridge, you may recall an earlier post where I worked on the Victorian Tiled hallway. These photographs are from the Slate Tiled Kitchen floor which they asked me to clean and re-seal as well.

Harston Slate Tiled Floor Before Cleaning 1

Harston Slate Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Closeup Kitchen 2

Cleaning the Slate Tiled Floor

The process for cleaning and sealing slate is very similar to Victorian and Quarry tiles so this was as they say a bread and butter job for a Tile Doctor. The beauty of working in a kitchen is I was able to remove the kick boards instead of having to protect the skirting boards with tape. Once the preparation was done a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied and left to soak into the Slate tile for a while before being worked in using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Pro-Clean by the way is an alkaline cleaner so it’s safe to use on tile and stone unlike some acidic products which will cause damage over time.

As before I re-applied Pro-Clean on any stubborn stains and also gave the grout lines a good scrub with a stiff hand brush to make sure they were clean. Once happy with the general condition of the tile it was time to use the spinner tool which applies hot water under pressure effectively rinsing the floor whilst removing the water at the same time with suction. This does a great job of rinsing the floor and removing any trace of cleaning product before sealing, this is important to ensure a good finish when sealing.

Sealing the Slate Tiled Floor

The spinner tool does a good job of removing liquids from floors however the tile was still damp so it was left to dry assisted with air blowers until dry. Now normally I would use Tile Doctor Seal and Go to seal slate tile however the customer wanted a matt finish for this surface so it was sealed using two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which provides a more natural look it’s also recommended for use in food preparation areas.

Harston Slate Tiled Floor After Cleaning 1

Harston Slate Tiled Floor After Cleaning Closeup Kitchen 2

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate tiled kitchen floor in Harston, Cambridgeshire

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By Tom ConlonPosted on January 1, 2000September 9, 2020Posted in Cambourne Tile Cleaning, Cambridge Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Chatteris Tile Cleaning, Ely Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Huntingdon Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, March Tile Cleaning, Peterborough Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Soham Tile Cleaning, St. Ives Tile Cleaning, St. Neots Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Whittlesey Tile Cleaning, Wisbech Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History, Yaxley Tile Cleaning

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