Stourbridge Tile Cleaning Archives - Worcestershire Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Hallway floor Restoration Stourbridge

Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Stourbridge

A customer from Stourbridge requested a visit to see what could be done about their Victorian tiled floor in the hallway. Changes to the property had required the installation of a gas pipe under the Victorian tiled floor in the hallway and so the beautiful tiles had been removed and a trench gouged out of the floor for the pipe. Naturally the owner now wanted to the tiled floor restoring to its original state.

I went over to assess the damage and informed the customer the gas pipe would need lowering by a gas safe engineer to enable me to install a new screed and continue the pattern. They agreed to get this organised and I worked out a price to restore the floor.

Victorian Tiled Hallway floor Before Repair Stourbridge

Happy with the quote they requested I track down the replacement tiles needed for the job and would be in touch once the gas pipe had been lowered.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Once that work was done, I returned to install a new screed level with the height of the existing base and left it to set for a few days. I had managed to source some reclaimed tiles that would match nicely so I ordered these up and returned to the property once they had arrived.

The tiles were then cut to shape and fixed in place to match the original pattern. Once set they were grouted in making sure to get a close to original match with the original floor as possible.

Once the floor has set, I was able to move onto cleaning the whole floor. To do this I applied Tile Doctor Acid Gel cleaner and scrubbed it in with a coarse 100-grit diamond pad. Being a gel, this product is more controllable and results in faster drying times. Gel cleaners are idea for Victorian floors which were installed before the invention of the damp proof membrane, their low moisture content ensures we don’t exacerbate any issues with dampness in the floor.

The gel was then rinsed off the floor using a little water and rapidly extracted using a wet vacuum. The process was then repeated using a 200-grit diamond pad to further clean and improve the surface of the tiles.

Once done the floor was inspected and stubborn stains spot cleaned by hand.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To seal the Victorian tiles, I applied a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra, this is a modern breathable sealer that improves colour and adds an appealing sheen finish. The new sealer helps blend in the replacement tiles and will protect the floor going forward ensuring any dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be cleaned away.

Victorian Tiled Hallway floor After Restoration Stourbridge

The customer was very pleased with the transformed floor and was especially happy with the tiling work which even if I do say myself worked out very well. I bet you can’t tell where the replacement tiles are in the finished photos.

Victorian Tiled Hallway floor After Restoration Stourbridge

For aftercare cleaning I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is specially formulated for cleaning sealed tiles. We don’t recommend tile cleaning products you find on supermarket shelves as the are usually too strong and can strip a sealer off the floor prematurely. If your choosing another product to clean your floor always read the label to make sure its compatible.

Victorian Hallway Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Merseyside

Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovated in Stourbridge Read More »

Honed Travertine Floor Polishing Belbroughton

Travertine Kitchen Floor Polished to a High Shine in Belbroughton

I received this enquiry regarding a dull Travertine tiled floor at a property in the small village of Belbroughton near Stourbridge. My client had been considering replacing the stone floor as they were unhappy with how dull it had become, also some holes had formed.

Honed Travertine Flooring Before Polishing Belbroughton

I paid the property a visit to survey the floor and work out a quote for renovating the stone. I talked through with the client how I could restore the appearance of the Travertine using a set of diamond pads. They were delighted to hear that the floor could be restored, and it would not be necessary for them to replace it. The quote was accepted, and the work scheduled, the work would take three days to complete.

Cleaning and Repairing a Travertine Honed Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first step was to ensure the kitchen kick boards were removed and silicone applied to base of the kitchen units to stop water penetrating the wood. I also sealed the skirting boards with silicone where needed. Preparation is essential to ensure the best experience for our clients and avoid damage.

The cleaning process could then begin. Using a 200-grit pad attached to a rotary machine I scrubbed the floor and grout lines using a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil was removed using the wet vacuum. I repeated this again to clean up the more stubborn areas.

Once I was happy the floor was clean I then filled the holes using epoxy resin, colour matched to the travertine. Filling the holes would prevent any dirt build up in the future, coupled with applying the sealer.

The following day was the start of the resurfacing and polishing of the stone. Starting with a 400-grit diamond pad I made several passes of the floor, I then moved onto the 800-grit all, then worked through the sequence of pads right the way through to 3000-grit. After each pad the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling generated extracted with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Travertine Honed Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was left to dry overnight and then we returned the following day to start the sealing process. My client wanted the Travertine to have a natural look, so I applied several coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This is a no sheen, natural looking sealer, it gives great stain protection to the stone and the grout and is really useful in areas such as kitchens where there is high traffic and spillages.

Honed Travertine Flooring After Polishing Belbroughton

To bring up the polished appearance of the stone further Tile Doctor Shine Powder were ground into the floor using a white pad. This last step gives the Travertine a high shine and very durable finish.

Once complete the Travertine looked stunning and the kitchen looked fantastic. Although happy my client was concerned the shine may dull again over time, so before leaving I spent time discussing ways to maintain it.

First, we talked about aftercare cleaning for which I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is an effective yet gentle cleaning agent that helps maintain the patina on the stone. I suspect the reason small holes were forming in the Travertine previously was due to use of strong cleaning products which are acidic and simply too harsh for use on Travertine. Second, I recommended we work out an annual maintenance plan for the floor where I would return once a year to further polish the stone and top up the sealer. With the combination of the two I was confident the stone would keep looking it’s best.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen floor in Worcestershire

Travertine Kitchen Floor Polished to a High Shine in Belbroughton Read More »

Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation Stourbridge

Stained Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Stourbridge

1 Comment / Stourbridge Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning / Mark Conway

It is tricky to tell from the photos but this Terrazzo tiled floor at a property in Stourbridge was stained with various contaminates and the owner has decided to call us in to get it cleaned. Stourbridge is a small market town in the West Midlands about 20 miles north of my base in Worcester and once famous for its glass making.

Terrazzo Floor Before Renovation Stourbridge

To renovate Terrazzo, you ned to understand that it’s made up of thousands of pieces of crushed stone including marble, so you need to treat it like a stone floor and use a set of burnishing pads to grind off the dirt, old sealers and bring up the polish. Our client was delighted to hear that the floor could be restored and that we would be able to improve the staining and likely remove it. They were happy to go ahead with our quotation and we arranged to complete the work later in the month.

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor

On arrival work began by taping up the skirting boards and surrounding wood trims to ensure they were protected. To renovate the Terrazzo, no chemical products would be needed for the cleaning, just a selection of burnishing pads starting with a very coarse 100-grit 17-inch diamond encrusted burnishing pad. The coarse pads break out the deepest stains, removing dirt and old sealers and are passed over each tile four times. Water is used to lubricate the process and it isn’t long before this turn into a dark slurry. Once done the floor is rinsed with a little more water and the slurry extracted with a wet vacuum.

This process was repeated with the 200, 400, 800, 1500-grit pads. After a final rinse the last pad in the sequence which is a 3000-grit pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto to the floor. This last pad is a polishing pad that adds a slight shine to the Terrazzo.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor

Due to the fact the cleaning process involved minimal amounts of water and the last pad is applied dry the stone was dry in no time and therefore ready for sealing. For sealing I had selected Tile Doctor Colour Grow which met the owners’ requirements and adds a durable protection which is great for areas such as hallways that experience a lot of foot traffic.

Three coats were applied allowing each one to dry before applying the next. All stains had been removed and the natural colours in the crushed stone were improved by the sealer which has a colour enhancing formula. The floor looked great, and the client was very happy with the work we had carried out.

Terrazzo Floor After Renovation Stourbridge

For aftercare on a floor like this I recommended using Tile Doctor Stone Soap which we usually use on polished stone. It’s a mild cleaner with a neutral pH which is ideal for sealed stone and will also help add a slight patina.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

Stained Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Stourbridge Read More »

Victorian Floor Stourbridge Cleaned Repaired and Sealed

Fantastic Victorian Tiled Floor Restored to New in Stourbridge

1 Comment / Stourbridge Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mark Conway

Victorian tiled floors are known for their interesting and unique mosaic patterns – and this one was no different. It was installed at a house in the historic West Midlands town of Stourbridge (famous for its glass industry). Unfortunately it was now looking worse for wear and was in dire need of not just cleaning and sealing, but also some minor repairs and the owner was keen to have it restored back to its former glory.

Victorian Floor Stourbridge Before Cleaning

Repairing Victorian a Tiled Floor

This particular Victorian tiled floor had been arranged in a fantastic pattern comprising tiles in shades of yellow, blue, red and white. There were, however, some missing tiles but fortunately I know a number of specialist suppliers where I can source replacements. I spent the first day making minor repairs and replacing the missing tiles, including the grouting, and then left the treated areas to set overnight.

Cleaning a Victorian tiled floor

On the second day I returned to the house to complete the cleaning process starting with a combination of Tile Doctor Remove & Go – a powerful sealer stripper – and Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU cleaner to lift out ingrained dirt and break down old layers of sealer. NanoTech HBU is particularly effective as it utilises tiny nano sized particles to penetrate deep into the stone and lift out the dirt. The resultant slurry was rinsed off the floor and removed using a wet vacuum.

The next step was to give the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel, this product can remove old grout haze and other mineral deposits, additionally being in a gel form makes it easy to control and although primarily designed for use on walls it works really well on floors as well. Following this I gave the floor a thorough rinse, dried as much as possible with a wet vacuum and left it to dry overnight, ready to be sealed the next day.

Sealing a Victorian tiled floor

Upon my return to the house on the third day I set about sealing the floor, checking first that the area was completely dried by running damp tests with damp meter, all was well so I able to start applying the sealer. The sealer chosen for this floor was Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a water based product which is a popular choice as it gives the floor a nice sheen and doesn’t leave the smell that the solvent based sealers do; three thin coats were applied to provide a robust surface seal and to achieve a semi-shine finish, as per the client’s requested.

My client was extremely pleased with the results, with a lot achieved over the space of roughly two and a half days. They left the following feedback:

“Mick did a fantastic job. He was polite and friendly and kept us informed at every stage of the work. He is extremely professional and it is obvious that he takes a great deal of pride in his work. We are thrilled with our ‘new’ floor.”

Professional Victorian Tile Restoration and Maintenance in Worcestershire

Fantastic Victorian Tiled Floor Restored to New in Stourbridge Read More »

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Worcestershire Tile Doctor

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