Neutral Tile Cleaner Archives - Bedfordshire Tile Doctor

Grout Stained Encaustic Tiled Floor Renovated Ampthill

Grout Haze Removed from Modern Encaustic Floor Tiles in Ampthill

Last year I was asked to look at cleaning a modern Encaustic tiled floor at a property in Ampthill with a striking design. Many people are drawn to the luxury look of encaustic tiling which are often featured in high end magazines so I thought it would be worth sharing.

It’s absolutely a beautiful type of flooring, however, as our client from Ampthill realised, the tiles must be installed by a professional who understands their makeup. Unlike ceramics they are made from cement and are porous and need to be sealed. In this case the floor had only recently been laid and the tiler had not managed remove all the grout haze before sealing. Consequently, the rough haze attracted dirt making the floor look less than desirable.

Encaustic Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Ampthill

Encaustic Tiled Floor Before Restoration Ampthill

Cleaning and Renovating an Encaustic Tiled Hallway

To remove the Grout Haze, it was first necessary to remove the sealer which was done using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This is a powerful stripper that is safe to use on tile and stone. The solution was sprayed onto the tiles and and then left to dwell for about ten minutes before being scrubbed into the floor with a coarse 200-grit diamond pad. This effectively cleaned the floor removing the sealer and the grout haze.

The next step was to rinse away the soiling from the cleaning and give the tiles a deep clean for which I used a high-pressure truck mounted spinner tool. The tool applies water at high pressure to the floor whilst simultaneously extracting the waste back to a tank on the vehicle leaving it clean and almost dry.

Sealing an Encaustic Tiled Hallway

Once the tiles were completely dry, they were then sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a fully breathable impregnating sealer, it provides water and stain repellence and adds robust protection and enhances the overall beauty.

Encaustic Tiled Floor After Cleaning Ampthill

For aftercare cleaning of any sealed floor, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective tile and grout cleaner. This is a pH neutral product which ensures the newly applied sealer isn’t stripped off which can be the problem with the stronger floor cleaning products you often find in supermarkets.

Professional Cleaning of a Modern Encaustic Tiled Hallway in Bedfordshire

Grout Haze Removed from Modern Encaustic Floor Tiles in Ampthill Read More »

Victorian Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Restoration Elstow

Efflorescence-Stained Quarry Tiled Floor Restored at a Listed Building in Elstow

I was contacted by a homeowner in Elstow who after seeing a similar Quarry tiled kitchen floor on my website was keen for me to restore theirs. The property was Victorian and formed part of a listed building in a prominent Bedfordshire estate.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the old Quarry tiles and work out a plan for its restoration. The floor had obviously been covered in Vinyl at some stage as there was a residue of resin glue all over it as well as signs of efflorescence.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Elstow

Old properties don’t have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor so putting a waterproof barrier such as Vinyl over the floor is not a good idea. These old floors were designed to breathe and allow any moisture building up under the floor to evaporate, preventing that can result in damp reaching out to the walls. In this case it had resulted in efflorescence as White salts were deposited on the surface of the Quarry tile as the floor dried out.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Elstow

I worked out a quote to deep clean the floor, remove the efflorescence and then seal it to protect it going forward. This is turn was then presented to the Local Planning Authority who had insisted on reviewing and approving all the products and methods being used to restore the floor due to it being a listed building.

After going through the hoops with the planning department and providing lots of information the project was finally approved and I was given the go ahead.

Cleaning and Removing Efflorescence from Victorian Quarry Tiles

To remove the remnants of glue the floor was sprayed with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline coatings remover. This was left to soak into the tile and breakdown the adhesive for around fifteen minutes. Then the floor was scrubbed with an abrasive Black pad fitted to a heavy-duty rotary floor machine. This process released the old glue and dirt from the tiles turning the solution into a dark slurry. The soiling was then removed using a high-powered extraction machine that is fitted into our van.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor During Restoration Elstow

The next step was to deal with the efflorescence staining by giving the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. The acidic formula literally dissolves the alkaline salts allowing them to be rinsed off the floor and extracted as before, it also neutralises the pH level of the tiles following the use of Remove and Go earlier. Also being a gel product less water is used in the process allowing for a quicker drying time.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor During During Acid Wash Elstow

The floor was then left to dry out overnight with the assistance of a couple of floor fans.

Sealing Victorian Kitchen Quarry Tiles

I returned the next day to apply a sealer that will enhance the appearance of the floor and protect it. First however I wanted to be certain the floor was dry as applying sealer to a damp floor can result in patchiness. To do this I took several moisture readings with a damp meter.

As I mentioned earlier, old floors like this one need to allow moisture to pass through the tile and evaporate at the surface, as I result you need to use a fully breathable sealer that will allow for that. In this case we chose to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is fully breathable and contains a colour enhancer that brought out the orange and red colours in the Quarry tiles.

Victorian Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor After Restoration Elstow

Last step was to run a 3000-grit polishing pad over the floor to even out the sealer application and provide a balance look which exceeded everyone’s expectations. Finally, I took time to discuss maintenance cleaning which for a sealed floor like this I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective floor cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor in Bedfordshire

Efflorescence-Stained Quarry Tiled Floor Restored at a Listed Building in Elstow Read More »

Victorian Minton Tiled Floor Restoration Bedford

Minton Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Fully Restored in Bedford

1 Comment / Bedford Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Mike Conlon

We often see Victorian tiled floors, like this Minton tile example in Bedford, where they have become damaged or broken due to years of neglect or simply because pipes were laid for central heating. Owners of floors like this often have them covered up with carpet until a new owner reveals what was under the carpet and decides they would like the original feature back. The owner of this property had made exactly that decision and contacted Tile Doctor to find out what could be done to resolve their Victorian tiled hallway floor.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and immediately saw there were two sections of tiling that had been dug out during the installation of radiator pipework. The sections were then backfilled with cement ruining the look of the floor.

Victorian Minton Tiled Hallway Floor Before Restoration Bedford

The client required the original look back again to enhance the original features of the property.
Having restored numerous period floors previously I was confident all these problems could be resolved and the floor renovated to a high standard.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Minton Tiled Floor

Before cleaning the floor the cemented sections needed to be dealt with starting by carefully chipping out the cement that had been used to provide a level surface for the carpet. The rubble was raked out and a new bed laid with self-levelling cement. Since my initial visit I was able to track down matching replacement tiles and these were then used to rebuild the missing sections of flooring.

Victorian Minton Tiled Hallway Floor During Repair Bedford

Once the repairs had set the cleaning process could begin starting with the application Tile Doctor Remove and Go worked in with a coarse 200-grit diamond pad. Remove and Go is a powerful tile cleaning product that as the name suggests will remove all sorts of coatings such as sealers. Small hand-held Diamond blocks were used for cleaning up the corners and edges where the pads struggle to reach. This action pulls the dirt out from the pores of the tile to the surface where it is then rinsed away with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

The final clean involves giving the floor an acid rinse for which I use Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up. This final step removes old grout smears, efflorescent salts and counters the use of alkaline cleaning products such as Remove and Go leaving the floor with a neutral ph. Lastly it etches the tile slightly resulting in a stronger bond with the sealer, improved finish, and better performance. After another rinse and extract the floor was then dried to a sufficient level using floor fans and I returned two days later to seal the floor.

Sealing a Victorian Minton Tiled Floor

After checking the floor was dry with a damp meter, I set about applying a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile improving colour and adding protection from within. Once dry it was followed up with several coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which provided the subtle sheen finish my client wanted.

Victorian Minton Tiled Hallway Floor After Restoration Bedford

As usual before leaving we like to advise the customer on how to maintain the tiles using a compatible cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. This aftercare product has a neutral ph. which won’t impact the sealer like many of the standard bleach-based products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration in Bedford

Minton Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor Fully Restored in Bedford Read More »