Grout Clean-Up Archives - North Lincolnshire Tile Doctor

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Restoration Goulceby Louth

Lino Covered Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Restoration in Goulceby near Louth

I was asked to look at this Quarry tiled floor at a property in the village of Goulceby near Louth for a client who was renovating their kitchen. Previously it had been covered with lino and they lifted that to reveal the tiles underneath. Realising this floor was original to the property they decided to see if it could be restored and hence contacted Tile Doctor.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Goulceby Louth

I went over to survey the Quarry tiles and could see there was quite a lot of cement screed staining on the tiles, a lot of which was quite thick. The installers of the linoleum will have done this to provide a completely level base. Although difficult I knew it could be removed and provided the client with a quote for restoring the floor. This was accepted, and a date scheduled for the work to commence.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Goulceby Louth

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

From experience I know the quickest way to remove old screed is to soften it with a steamer and then scrape it off carefully with a large scraper. It is not quick, and the work is quite laborious, but it is effective, in fact removing the screed took the best part of two days.

With the bulk of the screed removed I gave the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this product breaks down mineral based contaminates such as the remnants of the cement screed and old grout smears. Being acidic it will also neutralise alkaline salts that may have built up in the tiles. Old floors like this are designed to breathe and the previous coverings would have prevented that. This can lead to moisture being trapped under the floor where it can potentially reach out to the walls and cause rising damp. The Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up was scrubbed in with a mechanical buffer and then the soiling was rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum.

I then gave the floor a deep clean using Tile Doctor Remove and Go to get rid of any old sealants and dirt trapped in the tiles itself. I used the previous method of scrubbing with the buffer followed by rinsing and extracting. Last step on day two was to spot treat any remaining problem areas by hand until I was satisfied the floor was as clean as it possible.

I used a lot of water during those two days so despite removing as much of it as possible with the wet vacuum I was concerned it may take a long time to dry out completely, so I left a couple of dehumidifiers in place for a further two days before I returned to apply the sealer.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

On my return I checked the moisture levels of the tiles with a damp meter, taking readings from different parts of the floor to confirm it was dry. All was well so I set about applying the first of two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a breathable colour enhancing impregnating sealer that works by soaking into clay tiles, occupying the pores and ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it is easily cleaned away.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor After Restoration Goulceby Louth

Once complete the Quarry tiled floor was transformed and as you can imagine my client was very happy with the result. They commented that they really didn’t think a tiled floor in this condition could be restored but figured it would be worth giving it a go.

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor After Restoration Goulceby Louth

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare, and recommended they use a sealer safe Tile Cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Lincolnshire

Lino Covered Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Restoration in Goulceby near Louth Read More »

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Restoration Lincoln

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Lincoln

I was asked to restore this Victorian tiled hallway floor at a property in Lincoln which as you can see was in quite a state. I don’t have the full history of the floor but essentially there were two large sections of missing tiles including under and in front of the stairs. these areas had been back filled with cement to level the floor so it could be covered with lino.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Restoration Lincoln

I’ve seen plenty of Victorian floors in my career, but I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. I discussed a price for the work which they were happy to accept and booked in a date to start.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Restoration Lincoln

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first job was to carefully remove all the cement from in front of the staircase and cut back the cement around the back of the staircase along the hall. The owner planned to create an understairs cupboard so there was no need to remove all of it as the cement floor would eventually be hidden.

With the ugly cement removed, the floor sections were brought level ready for tiling with a self-levelling compound. I had managed to source replacement tiles ready for the restoration, so then the next task was to use these to tile the floor following the existing pattern. Once they had set, I then grouted the floor.

Victorian Tiled Floor During Restoration Lincoln

The next step was to deep clean the old and new sections of tiling for which I used Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This was left to dwell and soak in for fifteen minutes before being scrubbed in with a Black pad. The residue generated was then rinsed off and then extracted with a wet vacuum. The tiles were then inspected, and stubborn paint splashes were spot treated with more product until I was happy the floor looked clean.

The next step was to give the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this counters potential efflorescence and neutralises the pH level of the floor after using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is alkaline. Efflorescence is a common problem with these old floors which don’t have a damp proof membrane and have been covered with rubber underlay or lino which prevents moisture rising through the floor. The floor was then rinsed and extracted again and left to dry out for a couple of days.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On my return I checked the moisture level of the tiles with a damp meter to make sure the floor was dry before starting. All was well so I sealed the floor with four coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which enhanced the colours in the tile and produced a lovely matt finish. Colour Grow is a breathable sealer which will allow for any moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface, this is an important feature for old floors that don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Restoration Lincoln

The floor looked so much better after the work was complete and my client was amazed at the transformation that had taken place. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective tile cleaning product that won’t harm the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Restoration Lincoln

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in North Lincolnshire

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Lincoln Read More »

Brick Slip Tiled Bathroom Floor Renovation Saxilby

Grout Haze Removed from Brick Slip Bathroom Flooring in Saxilby

1 Comment / Brick Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Lincoln Tile Cleaning / William

I was asked if I could improve the look of this new bathroom floor that had been laid with brick slips in a herringbone pattern at a property in Saxilby near Lincoln. The builder had done a solid job of laying the bricks but had been overzealous on the grouting and was unable to remove all of it resulting in a whitening of the red bricks due to grout haze. Unhappy with the appearance of their new bathroom floor and with little chance of resolution with the builder they contacted Tile Doctor to see what could be done to improve their appearance.

Brick Slip Tiled Bathroom Floor Before Cleaning Saxilby

Brick Slip tiles are basically a very thin brick which allows it to be laid like a tile, normally they are cut from an actual clay brick although there are other types. Thin like a tile and light weight they can be used to quickly create authentic looking brick walls and floors.

I visited the property to understand the problems and whilst I was there, I carried out a test clean to show the client what could be achieved. They were happy with what I showed them and booked me in to have the work done.

Removing Grout Haze from Brick Slip Flooring

To remove the grout haze, I started off with an application of Grout Clean-up which contains phosphoric acid and is designed exactly for this purpose. It was a small space to work in so the product was scrubbed into the tile by hand until I got them as clean as possible. This was followed by a quick rinse and extraction with a wet vacuum.

I then inspected the floor and could see more work was required so this time I laid down Acid Gel which is a blend of Phosphoric and Hydrochloric acids and left it to dwell for ten minutes. After another scrub I was pleased to see I had managed to remove all the grout haze and the red brick was really starting to come through. I then gave the floor a thorough rinse with water and then removed the soiling and as much moisture as possible with the wet vacuum. I left the floor to dry off whilst I went to lunch leaving an air mover in place to assist with the drying.

Sealing Brick Slip Flooring

Once it had dried the floor was then sealed using Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing product that as the name suggests improves colour in the tile, it’s also an impregnator which works by occupying the pores in the brick protecting it from within.

Brick Slip Tiled Bathroom Floor After Cleaning Saxilby

The client was over the moon and said that is how they wanted it to look originally. For cleaning I made the client aware of the problem of using harsh cleaning products on sealed tiles and advised them to use Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild but effective cleaner that won’t erode the sealer with regular use.

Professional Restoration of Brick Slip Flooring in Lincolnshire

Grout Haze Removed from Brick Slip Bathroom Flooring in Saxilby Read More »