Grout Cleaning and Sealing

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Grout carried out in Worcestershire

Cleaning and Renovating Grout

The top layer of grout is porous and can absorb grease, dirt and limescale. Spillages such as wine, lemonades or greasy substances will cause marks and patches in the joints in the floor. Grout between wall-tiles particularly in damp areas like bathrooms will become dirty and unattractive as a result of Mould, Mildew and Limescale.

Mould is one of the most unsightly problems, which usually starts off in the wettest area of the room, this could be the bottom of the shower or bath, then starts to spread and if left unchecked could cover a large area of the wall.

Another common issue we find is a problem known as Grout Haze or Grout Smearing where a thin layer of grout has been left to set on the surface of the tile. Once grout has set it is difficult to remove.

Discolouration of grout joints in bath or shower areas due to continued use of acid formulated shampoos and soaps. This causes yellow orange and pink stains to the grout over even a short period of time. Whilst Grout Joints can be cleaned, badly stained grout may need to be re-coloured.

Protecting your grout in advance with a sealer will prevent most of these issues and although relatively unknown in the UK, protection awareness is growing. Sealing forms an invisible barrier between the grout and the surface, this will then protect your investment for years to come.

We have solutions for all the problems listed above and below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past to resolve many of these issues. It should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Black Slate Kitchen Floor Restoration St Johns Worcester

Black Slate Kitchen Floor Renovated in St Johns Worcester

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning and Sealing, Slate Tile Cleaning, Worcester Tile Cleaning /

I’m not sure what was previously used to seal these Black Slate floor tiles in the kitchen of a property in the St Johns suburb of Worcester but something had not gone well. The sealer had completely failed and was starting to peel off resulting in a very unsightly appearance.

Slate Kitchen Floor Before Restoration St Johns Worcester

The owner was not happy, as well as the peeling the floor had lost its colour and now looked terrible. I was called in to strip the old sealer off the Slate and replace with something more hard wearing.

I visited the property to survey the floor and investigate the full extent of the problems. After running a few tests, I discussed the process for restoring the Slate. They were happy to go ahead with my quote and we booked in a mutually convenient date for the work to commence.

Removing Sealer from a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

To strip off the failed sealer the floor was sprayed with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel applied on top. Both these products are powerful strippers and Oxy-Gel is also a cleaner. Using a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine the products were worked into the floor.

This process did a good job of removing the old sealer and cleaning up the tiles and after the pad had been across the whole floor it was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum. The process was then repeated until I was satisfied that all the sealer had been removed and the ingrained dirt had been released from the pores of the stone.

Once the floor was clean, I moved my attention to the grout lines, these were flushed and scrubbed with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in by hand with a scrubbing brush. After another rinse and extract the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Slate Kitchen Floor During Restoration St Johns Worcester

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next day I returned to seal the tiles first checking they were dry using a damp meter. All was well so I moved onto applying the sealer which for this Slate floor I had chosen Tile Doctors newest sealing product called X-Tra Seal. This is an oil-based impregnator that works from withing by soaking into the pores of the stone, occupying the pores and thus preventing dirt from residing there.
Several coats of sealer were applied and by the time I had finished the floor was completely transformed. The new sealer had worked wonders on the Slate bringing out the dark colours and character whilst adding durable protection. The floor was now restored and looking how it should.

Slate Kitchen Floor After Restoration St Johns Worcester

For aftercare cleaning I recommended they use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which will help keep the floor in tip top condition. This is a pH neutral product which is mild enough to be used daily, it will ensure that the newly applied sealer is not compromised unlike some household cleaners which are simply too strong and can break it down.

The floor looked great as you can see from the pictures and the client was very happy with the completed work, another happy Tile Doctor client.

 

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Worcestershire

Black Slate Kitchen Floor Renovated in St Johns Worcester Read More »

Dirty Ceramic Tile Grout Before After Grout Colouring Worcester

Light Grey Grout Recolouring on a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Worcester

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning and Sealing, Grout Colouring, Worcester Tile Cleaning, Work History /

If you don’t like the colour of your grout or it’s severely stained, we usually recommend Grout Colouring which can be done with a kit from Tile Doctor and is available in ten popular colours. This was the case with a client of mine who wanted her Ceramic tiled Kitchen floor renovated.

Patchy Grout Before Recolouring in Worcester Kitchen

I visited the property in Worcester to survey the floor and discuss it with the owner. My client was mainly unhappy with the dark patchy floor grout and wanted the tiles cleaned and the grout deep cleaned to bring back the original lighter colour. We have multiple products for cleaning grout available but in this case the staining was so deep I recommended Grout Colouring. I usually keep a range of colours in my vehicle so I was able to demonstrate how it would look on an inconspicuous part of the floor and light grey was chosen.

Patchy Grout Before Recolouring in Worcester Kitchen

Grout Recolouring of a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned on the agreed date to renovate the floor and started by applying protective sheets to the kitchen units. Next I cleaned the floor with a green pad fitted to a rotary scrubbing machine. I used Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to cut through the grime and this soon darkened with the dirt that was released from the tile and grout. The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed with water and extracted using a wet and dry vacuum, keeping the mess to a minimum.

The next step was to ready the grout joints for the recolouring process, this is done by spraying Tile Doctor Grout Colourant Pre-Treat Cleaner into the joints, leaving it to dwell for a few minutes and then scrubbing it in by. As well as cleaning, the solution etches the grout which ensures a strong bond with the grout colourant.

The floor was then speed dried with blowers and a heat gun. The grout was then given two coats of the Tile Doctor Light Grey Grout Colourant. This product is painted onto the grout line using a small brush, it takes a little time to complete and any residue is removed with a baby wipe before it has time to dry. Although tedious to apply the result is worth waiting for and it left the floor looking so much lighter and fresher.

Patchy Grout Before Recolouring in Worcester Kitchen

The client was extremely happy and left a glowing review

“Mark proved to be a good choice for the three different floors that we needed to renovate. He explained clearly what he could do for each of them, carried out the work efficiently, and produced a finished job of a high standard. Mark is a good worker who is also easy to have around the house which is always an important aspect in the middle of major work being done. Adrian G, Worcester “

The grout colourant adds a tough barrier over the grout so it will keep its looks for a very long time, it also makes it much easier to clean. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a pH neutral product designed for the maintenance cleaning of tile and grout.

Patchy Grout Before Recolouring in Worcester Kitchen

 

Professional Recolouring of grout on a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen in Worcestershire

Light Grey Grout Recolouring on a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Worcester Read More »

Stained Grout Before After Colouring Kidderminster Worcestershire

Grout Colour Changed on Large Porcelain Tiled Floor in Kidderminster

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning and Sealing, Grout Colouring, Kidderminster Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Work History /

I visited this property on the outskirts of Kidderminster which had Porcelain tiles laid throughout the downstairs. The owner was happy with the tiles but unhappy with the grout which had become stained. This is not unusual as Porcelain tiles are very resilient but the cementous top layer of grout is slightly porous and can attract dirt. As a result, the grout can become discoloured over time and if it becomes very stained no amount of cleaning will bring the grout back to its original colour.

Large Porcelain Floor Before Grout Colouring Kidderminster

After a careful inspection we both concluded that the best way forward would be to apply a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in a darker colour to make maintenance easier in the future and give the whole floor a much needed, face lift. My quote was accepted, and the work scheduled.

The work would take four days to complete as there was 60 square metres of tiles where the grout needed to be recoloured, also some areas of grout needed replacing where the grout had perished.

Renovating Grout on a Porcelain Tiled Downstairs Floor

After re-grouting the areas where the grout had crumbled, I began to prepare the grout lines with the application of a Tile Doctor Grout Colouring Pre-Treater which is scrubbed into the grout lines and sponged away, the pre-treater cleans and etches the grout, so the colourant achieves a stronger bond.

To speed dry the grout I used a heat gun, so I could get on with the application of the grout colourant. It was a large floor, so I needed five tubes of 237ml Natural Grey Grout Colourant which was applied in stages so to minimise disruption to the owner. It’s very easy to apply, the trick is to make sure you wipe off any excess that gets on the tile before it dries.

The floor was then buffed with a white buffing pad to bring up the appearance.

Once completed the owner was extremely happy that the floor had been given a completely new look and looked as good as the day it was installed. The colourant will also form a barrier over the grout which will prevent staining in future and make it easier to clean.

Large Porcelain Floor After Grout Colouring Kidderminster

The customer was very pleased and left this review.

“I could not find anyone locally to carry out the work on the discoloured grout on my floor tiles – they were ruining the look of my new kitchen – so finding the Tile Doctor was a real godsend. Mark came promptly and was very reassuring – the work was done quickly and efficiently, and the finished result was amazing – I love my tiles again! Mark was pleasant and helpful – nothing was too much trouble and it was a pleasure to have him working in the house – he also gave me some good advice as to how to keep the tiles looking their best. Thanks to him an experience I had dreaded turned in to a very positive one – so a big thank you to Mark and the Tile Doctor – I would recommend you to anyone who has a problem with their tiles.
Mrs F, Kidderminster 19 July 2018”

 

Professional Grout Restoration of Large Porcelain floor in Worcestershire

Grout Colour Changed on Large Porcelain Tiled Floor in Kidderminster Read More »

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