Ultra-Seal Archives - Cambridge Tile Doctor

Slate Tiled Floor Cubicle Renovation West Wickham

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

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

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

Travertine Shower Tile Renovation Molesworth Huntingdon

Travertine Tiled Shower Refresh in Molesworth Cambridge

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Huntingdon Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning / Tom Conlon

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 »

Limestone Floor Polished in Fordham Cambridge

Honing Limestone Flooring Before House Sale in Fordham Village

1 Comment / Cambridge Tile Cleaning, Ely Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing / Tom Conlon

A client from Fordham on the outskirts of Cambridge called us in to renovate their polished Limestone flooring that ran throughout the ground floor. Years of general wear had made the stone lose it lustre and the client wanted it looking its best as they were looking to sell the property.

Large Limestone Floor Before Polishing Fordham

WC Limestone Floor Before Polishing Fordham

Polished stone flooring does look incredible and gives any property a premium feel, however it does require regular maintenance if it’s to look its best. In fact, Tile Doctor offers a Maintenance Plan for floors like this one where we pop back once or twice a year to re-polish the stone with a high grit pad and top-up the sealer.

Without maintenance of this nature the polish will slowly wear down and eventually the sealer will fail allowing dirt to becoming ingrained in the stone and making it difficult to keep clean. The solution is to strip what’s left of the old sealer off the stone, bring up the polish using a set of diamond burnishing pads (Honing) and then re-seal and this is what I recommended for this Polished Limestone floor.

Kitchen Limestone Floor Before Polishing Fordham

Cleaning and Honing a Polished Limestone Tiles

Before beginning the restoration, I took the usual precaution of covering the walls and kitchen units with thin blue plastic to protect them from exposure to any cleaning products or mess.

Working in the different areas one by one my first task was to give the Limestone a deep clean using a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which is a coatings remover designed to break down any old sealant remaining on the tiles. This product is scrubbed in and then extracted, as well as removing the old sealer it also does a good job of cleaning the stone and grout. To extract the soils and clean the tiles afterwards I use a high-pressure hot water cleaning and extraction machine which is built into my van and keeps any mess to a minimum.

After completing the initial cleaning process, I moved on to honing the stone which slowly restores the polished appearance. This is done using a set of Diamond encrusted burnishing pads of different grits which slowly resurface the appearance of the Limestone tile removing scratches and other imperfections.

The process starts with the application of a coarse 400-grit pad, fitted to a rotary machine and is applied only with water to help lubricate the process. The resultant slurry is then rinsed away and the process repeated with a medium 800-grit pad again with water. At this point the polish on the stone starts to build and after another rinse and extraction is followed by a fine 1500-grit pad.

Finally, a very Fine 3000 grit pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the stone. The process of burnishing is a gradual but highly effective means of achieving this kind of finish.

Sealing Limestone Tiles

After burnishing the tiles and to achieve a really hard wearing and high polish I covered the floor in Tile Doctor Shine Powder crystals and buffed them into the Limestone tiles using a White buffing pad. Then to give the floor extra protection I applied a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal, which soaks into the pores of the stone to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained there.

Large Limestone Floor After Polishing Fordham

Kitchen Limestone Floor After Polishing Fordham

Ultra-Seal was chosen because it’s an invisible sealer which won’t affect the appearance of the Limestone resulting in a very natural appearance. You won’t realise its there until you spill something on the floor and then you will notice it pooling on the tiles to form a bubble that can be easily wiped off.

It took some time, but once completed the Limestone looked great with a really deep high shine that the light bounced off.

WC Limestone Floor After Polishing Fordham

Professional Polishing of a Dull Limestone Tiled Floor in Cambridgeshire

Honing Limestone Flooring Before House Sale in Fordham Village Read More »