Wolverhampton Tile Cleaning

Wolverhampton Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find examples of the cleaning and renovation of tiles carried out in Wolverhampton.

Limestone Floor Renovation Codsall

Limestone Floor Installation Clean and Polish for Codsall Builder

A builder got in touch with me about aLimestone tiled floor he had installed for a client in Codsall near Wolverhampton. He was doing some renovation work on the property and clearly stone floors were not his speciality. The tiles had been sealed incorrectly and then covered up which had left marks in the stone. To his credit he did attempt to make good the issues, but ultimately got into a mess with it and decided to call us in to rectify.

Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Codsall Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Codsall

I went along to survey the floor and work out a plan to rectify the issues and as part of this conducted a few tests. The testing went well and it confirmed to me which products and methods would work best on the floor, it also demonstrated that the Limestone floor could be renovated to a good standard. Luckily, I had a spare couple of days so I could do the job quickly, so the builder was very relieved, and the client pleased it was going to be resolved.

Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Codsall

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

The firstly job was to strip the floor of the sealer and give it a deep clean. To do this I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the floor, left it to dwell and then went over the floor with a Black pad fitted to a rotary machine. The soiling generated was then rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

After this I started burnishing the stone tiles with a 400-grit diamond pad covering each tile at least three times; the floor was then rinsed and the soiling extracted with the wet vacuum as before. I purposely worked on the floor in two sections so it didn’t dry out and leave a chalky finish, especially in the grout as this can be difficult to remove when dry. I then moved on to the 800-grit pad and then a 1500-grit pad using the same method. I also used smaller 6-inch pads around the edges and corners where the rotary machine could not reach using a hand polisher.

After rinsing and drying off with three air movers, I asked the client to have a think overnight if they wanted to leave it at the 1500-grit finish or go up to a 3000-grit very fine finish. My concern was that an adjoining room which wasn’t being cleaned wasn’t that high a finish and the two floors would look different.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned the next day and checked the moisture readings of the floor using a damp meter, the readings were good confirming the floor was dry and ready to be sealed. Having thought about it overnight the client agreed with my concern and was happy to leave it at a 1500 grit finish.

To seal the Limestone floor, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a penetrating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone to provide maximum protection and leaves a natural finish. Additionally, this sealer is particularly good in a high traffic area such as the hallway.

Limestone Floor After Renovation Codsall

My client was delighted with the transformed floor and was now happy which was a relief to the builder who was keen to get the job signed off. For aftercare cleaning I left the client a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which will allow them to keep the tiles clean and help to keep the polished patina finish.

Limestone Floor After Renovation Codsall

 

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Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Pattingham

1950’s Terrazzo Kitchen Floor Tiles Renovated in Pattingham Wolverhampton

This Terrazzo tiled floor in the kitchen of a property in Pattingham was laid in the 1950’s and had become dull over time. The otherwise modern looking kitchen was being let down by the dull floor and the client now wanted it cleaned and polished to lift its appearance.

Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor Pattingham Before Cleaning

The country village of Pattingham is directly West of Wolverhampton and a thirty-minute drive from my base in Bilston. Happy to help I spoke to the owners over the phone and arranged a time to pop over and survey the floor.

After visiting the property, I could see that the Terrazzo tile and grout needed a thorough deep clean and then sealed to bring back the natural colour of the tiles and ensure they were protected in the future. I gave them a price for the work which they were happy to accept, and we arranged a suitable time to start the work.

Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor Pattingham Before Cleaning Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor Pattingham Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor

To start the cleaning, I sprayed a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go onto the floor and left it to soak for ten minutes and start breaking down the contaminants. The floor was then scrubbed using a Black pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine which loosens the dirt and brings it to the surface.

The floor was then rinsed with an Airflex Pro machine which applies water to the floor at high pressure and then extracts the waste using a powerful vacuum. This helps dislodge the soiling and ensures mess is kept to a minimum. Once this was done, I checked the floor for any stubborn areas that needed further work and repeated the process as required until I was satisfied the floor was as clean as possible.

I then moved on to burnishing the floor which is the best way to bring up the polish on stone-based flooring. This is done using a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads fitted to the rotary machine with added weights to increase the traction. 400, 800 and 1500 grit burnishing pads were applied in sequence rinsing and extracting after every pad. These pads further clean the Terrazzo and buildup a natural sheen.

The corners and edges were done by hand with a handheld polisher fitted with smaller 6-inch version of the pads. After giving the floor a final rinse and extraction, it was left to dry with the aid of several air movers.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the next and went over the floor with a very fine 3000-grit burnishing pad, this tightened the pores in the stone and deepens the natural sheen appearance. This final pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the floor and once done it leaves the floor ready to be sealed.

The sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which works by occupying the pores in the floor thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. It’s also fully breathable which is an important consideration when sealing old floors like this and it contains a colour enhancer that improves the look if the tile. Three coats of sealer were applied and then when dry it was buffed to a shine with a White pad.

Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor Pattingham After Cleaning

For aftercare I left the client with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner to help maintain the floors appearance. It’s a mild but effective tile cleaner for use on sealed floors, many products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor and will reduce the life of the sealer.

Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor Pattingham After Cleaning Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor Pattingham After Cleaning

 

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Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor Renovation Wolverhampton

Dull and Lifeless Multi-Coloured Slate Floor Renovated in Wolverhampton

A client in Wolverhampton contacted me about the Multi-Coloured Slate floor in their Kitchen. They had a lot of building work done recently and so dirt had built up on the tiles making them appear dull and lifeless.

Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor Before Cleaning Wolverhampton Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor Before Cleaning Wolverhampton

Happy to help I paid a visit to the property to survey the Slate floor and carry out some cleaning tests to work out which method and products would yield the best approach. The results from the testing came up well and they were happy with the quote I worked out, so we booked the work in.

Deep Cleaning a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

This was a straightforward job, the type of job Tile Doctors tackles every week, i.e., cleaning the floor tile and grout followed by sealing. Due to the big size of the kitchen and the utility area I decided to break the work in four sections rather than tackling the whole area in one go.

Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor Before Cleaning Wolverhampton

To start I sprayed a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor and allowed it to soak in for ten to fifteen minutes making sure that it didn’t dry out. I then cleaned the area with a 120-grit silicon carbide brush attached to a weighted rotary machine which loosened up the dirt and followed with a stiff brush along the grout lines to give them a good scrub. Remove and Go was chosen for this floor as the testing I did earlier revealed traces of an old sealer and this product is ideal for removing old coatings whilst cleaning.

I then rinsed the floor using my Airflex Pro machine which deploys water at high pressure washes and then vacuums the soiling away. These machines are quite expensive but are a good investment as they make light work of cleaning floors and are very popular with carpet cleaners. This was repeated for all areas and once I was satisfied that we had achieved a good clean throughout the kitchen and utility it was left to dry off fully overnight. Before leaving for the day, I set up four air movers to assist with drying out the floor.

Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor During Cleaning Wolverhampton Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor During Cleaning Wolverhampton

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

On returning the following day, the tiles were already looking so much cleaner that the day before. Before applying the sealer though the Slate needed to by dry so I tested the floor using the damp meter. If you try to apply the sealant before the floor is dry, it will not cure properly leading to a patchy appearance.

The readings were acceptable so I was able to move on to the final part of the renovation and apply a fresh sealer to the tiles. For this I selected Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal, this is a strong oil-based sealer, it does take a while for it to be absorbed especially on Slate as it’s not as porous as other types of tile. The new sealer will give the Slate a great durable stain resistant finish which should last for many years to come. It’s ideal for a kitchen which can experience lots of foot traffic and spillages. Only one coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal was applied and after a couple of hours it had dried out and could be walked on.

Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor After Cleaning Wolverhampton Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor After Cleaning Wolverhampton

To finish off I buffed the floor with the rotary machine fitted with a White pad which removed any excess sealed and gave the floor a very subtle sheen finish. My client was very happy with the results and for aftercare cleaning I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is pH neutral and is mild enough to use daily without impacting the newly applied sealer which is the problem with the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Multi-Coloured Kitchen Slate Floor After Cleaning Wolverhampton

 

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Travertine Tiled Floor Renovation Wolverhapton

Travertine Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Polished in Wolverhampton

My client from Wolverhampton got in touch with me about their large Travertine tiled floor, which was installed throughout the kitchen and dining room and needed renovation. The floor also a included a couple of patterned feature areas laid with Limestone also needed attention. Interestingly a friend of mine had sold the house to the client so I knew the house quite well.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Wolverhampton

I went over to the property to conduct a survey of the tiles to see what needed to be done. During that visit I conducted a cleaning test to understand which treatment would be the most effective solution and this allowed me to create an accurate quote. The work would be carried out over two days. The client was happy with the quote and a date was scheduled for the work to begin.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Wolverhampton

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

The get the Travertine clean a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto the floor and allowed to dwell and soak in for ten minutes, then with a rotary machine fitted with a 240-grit silicon carbide pad I cleaned the floor. This helped get into the pitted areas and release the dirt. I also went over the grout lines with a stiff grout brush and more Pro-Clean to ensure the grout was as clean as it could be. To remove the slurry generated during the cleaning I used an air flex pro machine which is a powerful industrial pressure cleaner and vacuum.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Wolverhampton

Next, I started the burnishing process, which meant applying diamond encrusted pads with grits ranging from 400, 800 and 1500 to the travertine, rinsing the floor between pads to remove the slurry. This process renovates the stone and brings up its polished appearance. Before leaving for the day, I did some repairs to some deep pitting and some cracks with appropriate flexible grout and allowed this along with the floor to dry overnight. To aid this I left two air movers with the client.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Wolverhampton

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

The next day I returned and went over the floor with a 3000-grit very fine burnishing pad, this added a natural sheen to the stone and removed any excess grout from the repairs I had made. To finish off the floor I sealed it with three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which as well as adding protection to the floor also enhances the natural colours in the Travertine. Finally, I buffed the floor with a white pad to give it the best finish.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning Polishing Wolverhampton

I advised the client on how to maintain the appearance and left a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner with them to clean the floor going forward, this is a mild cleaner and will keep the floor in great condition and ensure that the newly applied seal stays intact. My client was very happy with the work we had carried out and the overall finish.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning Polishing Wolverhampton

 

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Sandstone Flagstone Floor Before and After Renovation Wolverhampton

Grubby Sandstone Tiled Floor Transformed in Wolverhampton

This client had recently moved into a house in Wolverhampton and was hoping to improve the appearance of their Sandstone flagged kitchen/Diner floor which looked very unappealing. The client got in touch with us at Tile Doctor and asked us to take a look to see what could be done.

Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning Wolverhampton

I’m based very close by in Bliston, so I know Wolverhampton quite well; in-fact Wolverhampton was historically a part of Staffordshire but is best known as a city in the new very metropolitan West Midlands and did you know the ‘native’ people of Wolverhampton are actually known as ‘Wulfrunian’.

Being so close it wasn’t long before I was able to survey the floor which was looking quite grubby, there were paint stains and overall it was in need of a good deep clean and reseal. The floor was a large kitchen diner and in constant use, so it needed to be easier for them to look after and maintain. A test clean was done for them which came out well and showed what could be achieved. We agreed the price and organised a suitable date with the client to return and renovate the floor.

Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning Wolverhampton

Cleaning and Restoring a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was covered in a thick dirty grime and had paint splashes in areas, so the floor was deep cleaned with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, this is a heavy-duty alkaline cleaner that also works as a stripper and degreaser when applied in concentrated form.

The solution was left to dwell for 15 minutes then scrubbed in using a weighted rotary machine with a black stripping pad. The floor was then rinsed with water and the resultant slurry rinsed off and extracted using a wet vacuum. The Sandstone floor was then inspected and the areas that needed more work were such as the corners and edges were completed with hand using hand burnishing pads. The cleaning solution had softened the paint splashes and were now able to carefully scrape them off.

Once we were satisfied that the floor was as clean as possible, the floor was given another rinse and then allowed to dry off fully over the weekend.

Sandstone Floor During Cleaning Wolverhampton

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

On my return I first checked that the Sandstone floor was dry; all was well so I was able to move onto sealing with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour intensifying breathable sealer which provides a durable surface as well as enhancing the appearance of the stone. It worked really well on the Sandstone and brought out the natural colours of the stone which can be seen in the pictures.

Sandstone Floor After Sealing Wolverhampton

The client was amazed with the transformation as they hadn’t realised what colour the tiles actually were; impressed with the results they left a great testimonial on the Tile Doctor feedback system for me. The floor looked great and it is always lovely to receive good feedback as our business is built on our reputation.

“Kieron was fantastic, very knowledgeable and friendly. I’m over the moon with the work he did on the stone floor in our new house. I had no idea that it was a light coloured sandstone floor, I’d thought it was dark brown slate before he came over and gave it a proper clean! We would definitely recommend to anyone considering having a professional floor clean. It’s made a huge difference to our home and will last for years.”

Sandstone Floor After Sealing Wolverhampton

Before leaving I gave the customer a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance. This product is especially formulated for the regular cleaning of stone tiles and has a pleasant smell. Most household cleaners are made for ceramic tiles and will prematurely erode the sealer, so it is important to use the correct product for the job.

Sandstone Floor After Sealing Wolverhampton

 

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