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Travertine Shower Tile Renovation Molesworth Huntingdon

Travertine Tiled Shower Refresh in Molesworth Cambridge

I was contacted by a building contractor with a request to resolve an issue for a client in Molesworth (near Huntingdon) who had discoloured travertine tile and grout in their Travertine tiled shower cubicle. I offer a bathroom tile refresh service which includes cleaning up the tile and grout and replacing grubby silicone sealant and the firm was keen to try it out.

Travertine Shower Before Refresh Molesworth Huntingdon

On arrival I could see the tiles had become heavily soiled around the bottom of shower with the usual problems including discolouration from the dyes in shampoos, soap scum and mould build up. I gave the contractor a price for the work, and he was happy to go ahead. As this was a small job, I was able to get started straight away.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Shower

I began by spraying the tile and grout with Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is an effective double action cleaning product which cleans up grout and can remove mould and blackspot from grout and silicone. Then the Travertine was burnished with a set of six-inch burnishing pads fitted to a hand buffer. The pads come in different grades and are applied in sequence to the tiles starting with coarse and finishing with very fine. Water is applied to help lubricate the burnishing process and I rinsed off the soiling in-between each pad. Normally I would use a wet vacuum at this point to remove the soiling but working in a contained shower cubicle makes this easier as you can simply rinse the soiling away.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Shower

Once the area had dried, I was able to apply Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal to the Travertine to protect it and make further staining easy to remove in the future. Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an almost invisible product that doesn’t change the natural appearance of the stone and works by penetrating the stone, occupying the pores in the stone, and thereby protecting it from within. Ultra-Seal is also excellent for sealing the grout too and will make the water run off the wall and straight into the shower tray.

After sealing the old silicone sealant around the edges of the shower was stripped out and then replaced with a new mould resistant product. Once done the shower looked like a new installation.

Travertine Shower After Refresh Molesworth Huntingdon

The client was thrilled with their refreshed bathroom and later I received the following message from them:

“Just to say thank you so much for your amazing results today on our shower room. We are totally thrilled”

I also got a 5 star review from the building contractor.

” “Our customer was very happy with the end result.”

For regular aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Aqua Pro which will help to keep the shower tile and grout in good condition. This is a pH neutral cleaner which is mild enough to use after every shower and won’t impact the sealer which can be the problem with stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Shower in Huntingdon

Travertine Tiled Shower Refresh in Molesworth Cambridge Read More »

Renovating an Acid Etched Limestone Tiled Shower in Huntingdon

I was recently asked to take a look at a Limestone tiled shower cubicle at a house in the market town of Huntingdon. It turns out a cleaning company had tried to clean the tiles with an acidic product which was unsuitable for a calcium stone. I suspect they used a limescale remover which is very acidic. The owner was horrified by the damage that had been caused which as you can see from the pictures had ruined the appearance of the stone.

Etched Limestone Tiled Shower Before Renovation Huntingdon

Always check the label before applying an unfamiliar product to natural stone as most household and commercial cleaning products are simply not suitable. It is essential that the correct product is used and if in doubt talk to Tile Doctor who have a product for everything related to maintaining stone.

I discussed with the client what needed to be done to rectify the job. They were happy with my quote and were relieved that their Limestone tiles could be salvaged.

Renovating Damaged Limestone Shower Tiles

With the extent of the damage, most of the work to rectify was to be done by hand. I started by applying a set of handheld diamond blocks to cut back the stone to remove the etching. This was then followed up with a set of small diamond encrusted burnishing pads. The pads are applied to the Limestone tiles in sequence using a handheld buffer with water for lubrication. The sequence runs from coarse to very fine and we rinsed with water between each pad to remove the soil.

With a lot of man hours and elbow grease later, we had corrected the damage caused.

Sealing Limestone Shower Tiles

Once the stone had dried, I moved onto sealing the Limestone to prevent dirt and other stains from shampoo dyes affecting the stone going forward. To do this I applied several coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal, this is an impregnating sealer that seeps into the pores of the stone leaving a natural look yet leaving a delicate sheen. As you can see from the pictures the results were dramatic and very successful.

Etched Limestone Tiled Shower After Renovation Huntingdon

The client was impressed with the transformation I had managed to achieve and left the following feedback for me.

“Tom was punctual on both the day he quoted and on the day he arrived to undertake the work. He was also very mindful of our semi house cats and made sure he did not let them out. That sounds simple but of the many tradesmen we have had around in the last six months for restorative work on the house he was one of a couple that did not need constant reminding. The work he undertook was to rectify, as he put it, “some of the worst damage to tiles I have seen to date”! The tiles were limestone and had been badly marked by an acid based cleaner. By the end of five solid hours work he had got the tiles back to looking brand new with not a mark to be seen. He did so with no mess, a very cheerful disposition and several cups of coffee! I would not hesitate to recommend Tom to all my own clients and friends” Bob H, Huntingdon

Huntingdon