grout cleaning Archives - Glasgow Tile Doctor

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Cumbernauld

Travertine Tiled Floor Restoration in Cumbernauld Kitchen and Utility

We were contacted by a homeowner from the town of Cumbernauld in Glasgow about cleaning their Travertine tiled floor. The travertine tiles had been laid throughout the kitchen and utility room some years prior and since that time had become dull and unappealing. Kitchens are a high traffic area and more prone to staining than most rooms, in this case the grout had become very discoloured.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

I visited the property to survey the floor and check the extent of the problems. I could see that the original sealer and polish had basically been worn down with use over the years and to resolve it would need deep cleaning including the grout, stone polishing, and re-sealing. Having worked out a solution I explained the plan to my client and reassured him that the floor could be renovated, and we would soon have it looking good again. I gave them a price which was accepted and a date agreed for our return to do the work.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Utility Floor

This work was carried out over 2 days, on the first day we deep cleaned the stone and grout using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a versatile tile and grout cleaning product. This product was left to dwell for a short while allowing it to soak in and get to work on the ingrained dirt. It was then agitated using the rotary floor cleaner fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Afterwards the dirt is then rinsed away with water and the soiling extracted using a wet vacuum.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

Next, a 400-grit diamond burnishing pad was applied to start the honing and polishing and is the first step in restoring the polished appearance of the Travertine. We worked our way through the 400, 800, 1500 then 3000 grit burnishing pads that day, slowly cleaning and re-building the polish. In between each pad the soiling was extracted, and grout scrubbed reapplying Tile Doctor Pro-Clean as required to remove any residues left by the pads. The floor was then left overnight to dry ready for applying the seal the following day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Utility Floor

Returning the next day work began by checking the moisture readings of the floor using a damp meter. The readings were good and it confirmed the floor was dry and ready for sealing. If the floor proved to be damp then the seal would fail to cure properly.

To seal the floor, we had agreed on the use of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that contains a colour enhancer that will provide the stone floor with a lovely semi matt finish. The first coat of sealer was still visible after 10-15 minutes so the excess was buffed off with a White pad and then left to cure for an hour. We then went over the floor with the White buffing pad again just to bring up the shine on the Travertine. Sometimes it is necessary to apply several coats of the sealer, but this floor had taken it well, so this was not needed.

Travertine Tiled Floor Ater Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

One done the floor looked fantastic, it has a lovely light sheen and the natural brown tones of the floor looked fabulous. The client was over the moon with the work we had carried out.

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning which for a polished stone floor like this, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle cleaning product that won’t impact the sealer and will maintain the patina.

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Utility in Glasgow

Travertine Tiled Floor Restoration in Cumbernauld Kitchen and Utility Read More »

Flagstone Floor Before After Restoration Glasgow

Stained Flagstone Floor Resurfaced and Sealed in Glasgow West End

1 Comment / Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Glasgow Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Work History / Steven Thomson

These photographs are of a Flagstone floor tiled floor we stripped and sealed at a house in the West End of Glasgow. If you’re not familiar with Glasgow that well then, it’s worth knowing that the West End of Glasgow is the more favoured end and contains the best hotels and attractions, where as the East End is traditionally the industrial part.

Flagstone Floor Glasgow West End Before Restoration

The flagstone floor was very dirty and had numerous marks and staining. Interestingly we were not the first company to work on this floor, in fact before we got the call another company had already tried to carry out the work and made a mess of the floor followed by giving up and walking away from the job.

We clearly had our hands full however we have done this sort of work before and being part of the Tile Doctor network means we have the resources and experience of a large organisation behind us, so we were not overly concerned.

Cleaning a Flagstone Floor

Working in sections we stripped the floor using a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50:50 with Remove and Go. This creates a powerful coatings stripper and tile cleaner that can safely shift coverings from tiles. The solution was left to dwell before going over the floor with a very coarse 100 and then 200-grit diamond milling pad which worked well with the cleaning products to restore the look of the flagstones. Naturally it wasn’t as easy as it sounds, the process needed to be repeated several times to get the previous sealer removed and the stone surface restored.

Once satisfied the Flagstone surface was restored, we then gave the floor a couple of cleans using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to remove any remaining soil and to get the grout lines clean. Then to neutralise the pH level of the floor prior to sealing it was rinsed with tile doctor neutral tile cleaner.

The floor was then left to dry out overnight assisted by a couple of turbo air movers and a heater that we left behind.

Sealing Flagstone Flooring

The next day we returned to seal the floor first checking the floor had dried. Fortunately, the equipment we left behind had done their job and so we could proceed with the application of the sealer. The sealer we chose for this installation was Tile Doctor Seal and Go which will protect the stone and allow for easy cleaning and maintenance for customer.

Flagstone Floor Glasgow West End After Restoration

One finished the floor looked much cleaner, the stains had gone, and the sealer added a nice subtle polished appearance to the flagstones. The owner of the property was very happy with transformation we had achieved and much relieved that the floor could be restored.

Professional Renovation of a Flagstone Floor in Glasgow

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Porcelain Tiled Floor & Grout Restored in Bearsden near Glasgow

1 Comment / Glasgow Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Work History / Steven Thomson

The photographs below are from a 55m2 Porcelain tiled floor that we worked on recently at a house in the town of Bearsden which is an affluent suburb of Glasgow. The floor was laid well with large format tiles which were in good condition however like most floors the grout had become stained and was now patchy and inconstant in appearance.

Porcelain tile and grout before cleaning Bearsden

The owner of the property thought we may need to replace the grout however I was confident we could resolve the problem without having to resort to that.

Deep Cleaning Porcelain Tile and Grout

To get the tile and grout clean a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied to the floor and grout lines and left to soak in for ten minutes. Pro-Clean is an effective tile and grout cleaner that has a strong alkaline formula so it’s safe to use on all types of tiled floors including natural stone.

The solution was then scrubbed in with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad and the recessed grout lines were scrubbed by hand using a narrow stiff brush. Once this was completed the floor was rinsed with water and the now soiled cleaning solution extracted with wet vacuum.

This cleaned up the tiles nicely and also the grout, however although improved some of the grout was still discoloured and inconstant in appearance so I recommended we apply a grout colourant which would fully restore the appearance.

Applying Grout Colourant

I let the floor dry off completely following the clean before applying a Light Grey grout colourant, one of the ten different types of grout colourant we offer, which seals and rejuvenates the grout joints. Other colours include White, Black, and Cappuccino.

The colourant is applied using a small brush and then you wipe off any excess that gets on the tile before it gets chance to dry. It’s a laborious process however it was made easier by the large format tiles which meant there was less grout to apply the colourant too than usual.

As you can see the grout nows looks much neater and cleaner, also the epoxy formula of the colourant adds a barrier over the surface of the grout that will protect it from future discolouration and make it much easier to clean.

Porcelain Tiled Floor Cleaned and Grout Refreshed in East Dunbartonshire

Porcelain Tiled Floor & Grout Restored in Bearsden near Glasgow Read More »

Moroccan Encaustic Cement Tiles Barrhead After Cleaning

Moroccan Encaustic Cement Tiled WC Refresh in Barrhead

1 Comment / Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Paisley Tile Cleaning, Work History / Steven Thomson

Similar in many ways to Victorian tiles, these are Moroccan Encaustic Cement tiles which come in a huge range of patterns and are ideal for indoor and external use although they should be sealed to protect against water penetration and dirt as well as making cleaning easier. Very popular in hot countries, they certainly add a nice flair which they have done to this ground floor WC at residence in Barrhead which is a town south west of Glasgow in East Renfrewshire.

Moroccan Encaustic Cement Tiles Barrhead Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Victorian Floor

The tiles were looking rather dull and in need of a deep clean and re-seal so the first job was to clean the floor and remove and remaining sealer by applying a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary bonnet machine, with all the excess extracted using a wet vacuum. This process was repeated three times until I was satisfied any remaining sealer had been removed and the tile and grout was now as clean as it could be. The floor was then given a rinse with water and cleaned again with Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to remove any trace of Pro-Clean; again the fluids were extracted using a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Floor Sealing

The floor was left to dry overnight and we came back the next day to seal it using six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works well on these types of tiles as it adds a nice subtle sheen as well as adding the necessary stain protection.

Moroccan Tiled floor cleaned and sealed in Renfrewshire

Moroccan Encaustic Cement Tiled WC Refresh in Barrhead Read More »

Dark slate tiled floor glasgow after cleaning

Dark Slate tiles cleaned and Grout Coloured in Glasgow

1 Comment / Glasgow Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Steven Thomson

Slate is a hard-wearing product ideal for floors however it does need a sealer to bring out the best in it and sealers do wear off after a few years and this had happened with the Slate tiled floor in this post. The floor was now looking dull and the grout had also discoloured so time to call in Tile Doctor to breathe new life into the tile and grout.

Dark slate tiled floor glasgow before cleaning

Cleaning a Slate Floor

It’s not a good idea to apply a new sealer on-top of existing as it can affect the final result so the first task was to strip back the floor to the natural stone giving the Slate and Grout a thorough clean in the process.

To do this a strong solution of Tile Doctor Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied and left to soak into the floor for about 20 minutes; Pro-Clean has a strong alkaline base so it’s safe to use on Stone as opposed to a weak acid cleaner. After twenty minutes it was worked into the slate and grout using a low speed bonnet machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad with the excess extracted using a wet vacuum.

This process was repeated three times to make sure all the old sealer and dirt was completely removed and after this the grout was cleaned by hand using more Pro-Clean and a stiff brush. Once done the whole floor was then neutralised with more water to ensure there was no trace of cleaning product remaining on the floor prior to sealing.

Grout Colouring

The floor was left to dry off overnight and returned the second day to colour the grout to dark grey which made a big improvement to the overall look of the floor; the grout colours we use come in 12 colours so we can usually find one that matches the customers’ requirements, once applied they also form a great barrier preventing future staining. Once the colourant has dried the floor was given a further clean with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is an everyday cleaning product we recommend for sealed floors.

Sealing a Slate Floor Sealing

The floor was left to dry and we came back two days later to re-seal the tile for which we used five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a great sealer for Slate tiled floors as it leaves a low sheen finish whilst providing excellent stain protection. I should mention that Seal and Go is also a water based sealer so it doesn’t leave a smell whilst it’s drying.

We left the floor to dry overnight again and came back the third day to seal the Slate tiles for which we used six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which give a subtle shine to the tiles and matched the customers requirements.

Cleaning and Sealing Slate tiled floors in Glasgow

Dark Slate tiles cleaned and Grout Coloured in Glasgow Read More »