Grout Cleaning Archives - Birmingham Tile Doctor

Dirty Porcelain Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in Edgbaston

The client from Edgbaston got in touch with me concerned about the state of the grout rather than the polished white porcelain tiles and was considering replacing all of the downstairs area.

Porcelain Tile Grout Before Cleaning Edgbaston

I did a test area which really improved the tiles and the dirty grout and convinced them to go ahead with the clean and revamp their floor. I worked out a quotation for cleaning the whole floor, which was agreed, and a date set for my return.

Edgbaston or Edgbaston Village as they would like to be known is an attractive area on the outskirts of Birmingham city centre yet its close enough to take advantage of everything the city has to offer.

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Hallway and Kitchen Floor

On arrival I decided that due to the size of the area it would be best to divide the work in to four sections. This would allow for furniture to be moved around whilst I worked on the floor.

Each section was cleaned with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go which was sprayed onto the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes. I then cleaned the grout by hand with a stiff grout brush, before cleaning the tiles and the grout again with a firm nylon bristle pad fitted to a rotary machine. The bristles were firm enough to clean the tiles, but not harsh enough to scratch them. I then rinsed the area with my Airflex Pro cleaning machine which pressure washes the floor whilst simultaneously extracting the soiling.

Once done the grout was looking so much cleaner and was almost camouflaged against the Porcelain tile. However, I wasn’t finished as I planned to give each of the tiles a polish, but before that could happen they needed to be dry. This was achieved with a combination of towelling off and help form three air movers.

I then polished up the tiles with a very fine 3000-grit diamond pad, which really made a real difference to their appearance. These tiles are sealed at the factory during manufacture so there was no need to apply a sealant.

Porcelain Tile Grout After Cleaning Edgbaston

The client was very happy with the tiles and grout appearance especially as they didn’t think they would see an improvement in the tile appearance, more so the grout. They were delighted that they would not need to replace the tiles, saving both the expense and the upheaval. The same process was carried out for all the areas. On completion I left a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner to help maintain the floors appearance and would make maintenance nice and easy.

Porcelain Tile Grout After Cleaning Edgbaston

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Travertine Tiled Floor Renovation Wolverhapton

Travertine Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Polished in Wolverhampton

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Wolverhampton Tile Cleaning / Kieron Norton

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.

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.

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.

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Porcelain Kitchen Floor Renovation Edgbaston Birmingham

Textured Porcelain Floor Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in Edgbaston

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning / Kieron Norton

This Porcelain tiled floor was laid in the kitchen of a property in Edgbaston around eight years ago. The customer contacted me regarding how dirty the tile and grout had become since being installed despite them being regularly cleaned. Happy to help I agreed to call in, survey the floor and give them a quote for deep cleaning and returning it to its original condition.

Whilst at the property I could see the Porcelain tiles had a coarse textured surface which has the advantage of being less slippery than a smooth tile however over the years it had been trapping dirt and making them difficult to clean.

Porcelain Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Edgbaston

I ran a cleaning test on an inconspicuous area to understand the most effective way of cleaning the tile and grout. The test went well, and it quickly showed the difference between a clean and dirty tile, it also gave me a good idea of what it would cost to renovate the floor and provide an accurate quote. The customer who had been cleaning the floor for the last eight years was impressed with the difference and happily accepted my quote.

Cleaning Textured Porcelain Hallway and Kitchen Floor Tiles

The cleaning process began by spraying a combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined with Remove & Go onto the floor, these are both alkaline cleaners although Remove and Go is designed to remove sealers and other coatings. I left it to soak in for ten minutes before starting to work it in with a rotary buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

As I progressed, I noticed there were some stubborn marks on the tiles which were being left behind so I switched the Black pad out for a 240-grit silicon carbide brush. This may sound harsh for use on Porcelain, but I have used it many times before on textured porcelain with no problems only good results.

After cleaning the main area of the kitchen and utility I turned my attention to the floor edges and corners which I did by hand. I then spent time cleaning the grout with more Pro-Clean scrubbed in with a stiff brush.

Porcelain Tiled Floor During Cleaning Edgbaston

Once finished the floor was rinsed the floor with an Airflex Pro machine which applies hot water under pressure whilst simultaneously extracting it to a tank on the machine. This is an expensive piece of kit very popular with carpet cleaners but equally as useful on hard floors, it leaves the floor looking very clean and saves a lot of time compared to rinsing and vacuuming.

The last step was to set up some air movers to help dry the tiles and grout. The floor was looking much improved already and I hadn’t finished.

Sealing a Porcelain Tiled Floor

Most Porcelain tiles won’t take a sealer however these were the micro porous variety and I was confident they would take a seal. So once the floor was dry I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which will help to make it easier to clean and protect the grout.

Porcelain Tiled Floor After Cleaning Edgbaston

On completion the Porcelain tile and Grout looked so much cleaner and my client was relieved that I had managed to get all the ingrained dirt out of the floor. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and left the customer with a bottle of pH Neutral Tile Cleaner that will help maintain the appearance of the floor in the future.

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