Gainsborough Tile Cleaning Archives - North Lincolnshire Tile Doctor

Sandstone Staircase Cleaning Gainsborough

Sandstone Flooring and Staircase Renovated at a Gainsborough Mansion

Earlier this year I completed a job at an old mansion south of Gainsborough which had a unique Sandstone staircase and flooring. The home had been in the family for generations and my client was in the process of having it renovated. My involvement related to the Sandstone hallway and staircase which needed deep cleaning and sealing.

Sandstone Floor Tiles Before Cleaning Gainsborough

I visited the property first to survey the stone and it was clear it hadn’t been cleaned in decades so there was quite a bit to do. As an added problem there were old strips of adhesive on the steps that had been used to secure a stair carpet and the adhesive had absorbed into the stone staining it.

Sandstone Staircase Before Cleaning Gainsborough

Deep Cleaning a Sandstone Hallway and Staircase

My first task was to deep clean everything and my choice of product for this was Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This is a strong alkaline cleaner and coatings remover that’s designed for stripping off sealers and other contaminates such as adhesives; in this case however I suspect any sealer may have been work off years ago. I worked in sections and used a strong dilution decanted into a sprayer and applied to the stone; it was then left to soak in for a good ten to fifteen minutes before being scrubbed in.

For the sandstone floor tiles I used a 17-inch black scrubbing pad fitted to a weighted rotary floor buffer, the extra weight increases surface traction on the stone; I use the machine with a plastic skirt around the pad to minimise splashing. Once done the soiled solution was rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. This process was very effective, and you can clearly see the difference in the photographs between the dirty and clean floor.

Sandstone Floor Tiles During Cleaning Gainsborough

The large buffer machine wasn’t a practical choice for scrubbing the stone staircase so to tackle that, I used back 6-inch scrubbing pads fitted to a hand buffer. It is a slower process but combined with more Tile Doctor Remove and Go it got the job done.

After rising and extracting I inspected the staircase and it was clear that the marks from the adhesive strips would need more attention to completely remove the staining. I turned to another Tile Doctor product for this called Nanotech HBU Remover, HBU stands for Heavy Build-up and it is a real problem solver for issues like this. Again, the product was left to soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbed in using a similar process as before using the handheld machine. I had to do this a few times until we were happy with the results. I then used coarse 200 and 400 grit diamond burnishing pads to even out the surface.

Sandstone Staircase During Cleaning Gainsborough

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Hallway and Staircase Floor

After a final rinse and extraction, the floor was left to dry out completely for a few days; a lot of water is used in the cleaning process and the stone needs to be dry before applying the sealer.

On my return I took moisture readings with a damp meter to confirm the floor had dried and then started applying the sealer which for this floor I used Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone adding protecting it from within, it leaves the stone with a natural finish and is almost undetectable. This product is also fully breathable which is an important point when dealing with old floors that don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane.

Sandstone Floor Tiles After Cleaning Gainsborough

The client was amazed by the transformation and said she had never seen the stone so much lighter and clean. For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective cleaning product that is safe to use on sealed stone.

Sandstone Staircase After Cleaning Gainsborough

Professional Restoration of a a Sandstone Tiled Hallway and Staircase in North Lincolnshire

Sandstone Flooring and Staircase Renovated at a Gainsborough Mansion Read More »

Victorian Hallway Floor Repair and Renovation Gainsborough

Renovation of a Beautiful Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Gainsborough

The photographs below were taken during the renovation of a Victorian tiled hallway floor at a property near Gainsborough. The floor was in good condition except for several areas of missing tiles which had been back filled with cement.

Victorian Hallway Floor Before Renovation Gainsborough

There were also two doorway sections where the owner wanted additional tiles adding to match the original. Fortunately, there was a large entrance matting covering more tiles, so I was able to take what I wanted from there to carry out the repairs.

Victorian Hallway Floor Before Renovation Gainsborough

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Work commenced with the tiling work carefully removing the tiling from under the entrance matting and then cleaning them up. The matting was then dropped into the floor so it was level with the tiles.

The sections that had been replaced with concrete were then carefully scraped out and then prepped to take the tiles level with the existing floor. I dry fitted the tiles first cutting some of them as required to match the existing pattern.

Victorian Hallway Floor During Renovation Gainsborough

Once I was happy with the pattern, they were then secured in place with a rapid setting adhesive and then grouted. There were a couple of areas that needed this attention and the two door thresholds so this work took up the whole of day one.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day the adhesive and grout had set and I was able to turn my attention to getting the floor clean and removing any remaining sealer. To do this I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left it to soak in for twenty minutes. The dwell time gives the product time to work into the tile and break down the old sealants and dirt. The floor was then scrubbed using a black pad fitted to a rotary machine and you could see the dirt lifting out of the tiles.

I worked in sections and used a wet vacuum to extract the dirt that had been released from the tiles. Once done I inspected the floor and spot treated any areas that needed more work.

With that done I moved onto the next step of giving the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This cleans up the tiles further by removing grout smears, dissolving efflorescent salts in the floor and the acidic nature of the product also neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of strong alkaline cleaning products earlier. The floor was rinsed again afterwards, and then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum before leaving it to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day the moisture levels of the tiles were checked with a damp meter to ensure they were dry enough to be sealed. The readings were fine, so I was able to apply a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a breathable colour enhancing sealer. This is a super durable product which will give great protection to the floor, especially when it is in a high traffic area such as a hallway.

Victorian Hallway Floor After Repair and Renovation Gainsborough

My client was very happy with the result and hadn’t really expected it to come out as well as it did. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to maintain the floor. This is a pH neutral product which will is mild enough to use every day and won’t harm the sealer. It’s supplied as a concentrate so you only need a small amount of cleaning fluid to clean the floor and so a one litre bottle will last some time.

Professional Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lincolnshire

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Cleaning and Sealing Encaustic Kitchen Floor Tiles in Hemswell Cliff

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Gainsborough Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Market Rasen Tile Cleaning / William

The photographs below are of an Encaustic Tiled Floor which had been installed some years prior in the kitchen of at a property in the village of Hemswell Cliff which is between Gainsborough and Market Rasen.

I paid a visit to the property initially to survey the floor and discuss the problem with the client. The main issue was the tiles had become dull and she couldn’t keep them clean. I explained that Encaustic tiles are porous and need to be kept sealed to prevent the dirt from becoming ingrained in its pores; over the years since installation the sealer had simply worn down and now dirt was getting into the pores of the tile and once that happens it can be difficult to get it out.

To prove my point, I carried out a demonstration on how I would clean them and explained the different sealer options available and how each sealer can have a different effect. She was pleased with the demonstration and was happy to accept my quote to deep clean the whole floor and then re-seal it.

Encaustic Floor Before and After Cleaning

Deep Cleaning Encaustic Kitchen Floor Tiles

I set about scrubbing the floor using a hot water dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean Tile and Grout cleaner combined 50:50 with NanoTech HBU Remover which adds tiny abrasive particles to the solution to make a more effective cleaning product. The solution was worked into the tiles by scrubbing with a rotary machine fitted with a Black scrubbing pad.

The pads struggle to reach into the recesses between the tiles so to get the grout clean I scrubbed them by hand using a stiff brush. Once done the soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum and floor inspected to ensure it was as clean as possible. Any stubborn areas were spot treated by hand and then the whole area thoroughly rinsed down with clean water to remove any trace of cleaning product.

Finally, the wet vacuum was used to dry the floor as much as possible with assistance from a Turbo Air blower to help reduce the drying time.

Sealing Encaustic Floor Tiles

It wasn’t a particularly large floor and a warm day so I was able to complete the cleaning process by lunch time and after a few hours later with the assistance of the air blower the floor was dry and ready to be sealed.

Having discussed sealer choice with the client earlier a decision had been made to seal the encaustic tiles with Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle sheen to the tile. Five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were needed before the tiles were fully sealed, it’s a water based protective sealer so it doesn’t give off any odour whilst it dries and it provided the finish the customer was looking for.

Once completed the colours in the tiles were really vivid and resulted in one happy customer with a clean easy to maintain floor. On the subject of cleaning, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild but effective tile cleaner. The problem with many of the tile cleaning products you find in supermarkets is they contain bleach which is simply too strong for use on a sealed tile as it will strip off the sealer.

Professional Maintenance Cleaning of Encaustic Floor Tiles in Lincolnshire

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Indian Sandstone Patio Renovation Gainsborough

Algae Stained Indian Sandstone Patio Renovated in Gainsborough

1 Comment / Gainsborough Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning / William

This Indian Sandstone patio at a property in Gainsborough was covered with a film of green algae ruining its appearance. I must admit I come across patio’s all the time with a build-up of lichen and grime but rarely anything as lime green as this.

Indian Sandstone Patio Before Renovation Gainsborough

Indian Sandstone is full of character and looks great when its clean but like any patio material its appearance will suffer over the winter due to the weather and really needs to be maintained annually to keep it looking at its best.

Deep Cleaning an Indian Sandstone Patio in Gainsborough

I started by pressure washing the Sandstone and mortar with the compressor set to low. This dislodge as much detritus and grime as possible without harming the stone, especially the mortar which can become loose if the pressure is set to high.

With the initial soiling removed the next step was to deep clean the stone of ingrained dirt and what remained of that awful lime coloured biofilm. To do this I brushed in a Tile Doctor Driveway and Patio Cleaner diluted one part cleaner to four parts water and left it to soak in for twelve hours. Luckily there was no blackspot to treat this time so I expected it to respond well.

I find dwell time is essential for this product so it’s worth experimenting with longer times If needed. This product is very strong and really designed for professional use so If your using it yourself do read the label to make sure its compatible with the stone and do wear protection.

Once done the patio was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted. It was then inspected and any stubborn stains re-treated.

Indian Sandstone Patio After Renovation Gainsborough

This process completely transformed the Indian Sandstone paving which once done looked incredibly clean. The subtle colours of the stone paving were really evident and made a massive transformation from the original.

Its worth noting that although we usually work on internal stone and tile the equipment we have works just as well outdoors as it does in (weather permitting) so if your patio needs renovating in time for the summer do get in touch.

Renovating an Indian Sandstone Patio in Lincolnshire

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1 Comment / Brigg Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Gainsborough Tile Cleaning, Grimsby Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Immingham Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Lincoln Tile Cleaning, Louth Tile Cleaning, Mablethorpe Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Market Rasen Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Scunthorpe Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / William

North Lincolnshire Tile Doctor

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