grout colouring

porcelain tile and grout after cleaning bearsden

Porcelain Tiled Floor & Grout Restored in Bearsden near Glasgow

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.

Porcelain tile and grout before cleaning Bearsden

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.

Porcelain tile and grout after cleaning Bearsden
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 tile and grout after cleaning Bearsden
 

Porcelain Tiled Floor Cleaned and Grout Refreshed in East Dunbartonshire

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

Slate tiled kitchen floor before and after cleaning in Linwood

Slate Tile Cleaning and Grout Recolouring in a Linwood Kitchen

Kitchen tiles are never the easiest to keep clean. Food and drink spillages are likely to happen on a daily basis, especially if you live in a busy household. Not to mention the dirt and dust that builds up over time if the tiles are not treated to regular cleaning and maintenance. At this house in Linwood, a small town about 14 miles west of Glasgow, the Slate tiled kitchen floor, measuring approximately 8-10 square metres, wasn’t in a great state. In particular, the grout was very noticeably stained.

The property owner called me to help bring the floor back to looking it’s best again.

Slate floor tiles before grout colouring in Linwood

Cleaning Dirty Slate Tiles and Recolouring Grout

I started the restoration by cleaning the tiles and grout with Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This pH neutral cleaner is specially formulated for the regular cleaning of natural stone, unlike many supermarket-grade cleaners that are only really suitable for use on ceramics. The customer was also wary about the sealer on the Slate tiles being damaged, so I didn’t want to use anything stronger or acidic. Nonetheless, the Neutral Tile Cleaner did a fine job of removing any muck from the surface of the tiles and removing the stains from the grout.

Slate floor tiles during grout colouring in Linwood
I also recommended that the grout be recoloured in order to fully restore the appearance of the floor as a whole. I let the floor dry off completely following the clean, before applying our Natural 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. In this case, I felt Natural Grey would match in best with the natural colours of the Slate. I then left the grout to dry before polishing off any excess colourant.

Slate floor tiles after grout colouring in Linwood
As you can see the grout nows looks much fresher and neater. The epoxy nature of the colourant will protect the grout from any future discolouration and make it much easier to clean. Certainly, the customer was very happy as she left the following
feedback:

“Steven contacted me quickly and we booked my job in. My Slate kitchen floor’s grout was discoloured, so we agreed he would clean and stain the grout. He came and carried out the work and he was excellent. Very happy with the work and his attitude was first class. Would highly recommend.”

Professional Tile and Grout Cleaning for a Slate Tiled Floor Restoration in Linwood

Slate Tile Cleaning and Grout Recolouring in a Linwood Kitchen Read More »

Bathroom Floor Paisley Before and After Grout Colouring

Refreshing Bathroom Wall and Floor Grout in Paisley

To clean grout we normally recommend a good scrub with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an strong alkaline product, in some cases however the staining cannot be removed completely and the only thing your can do with the exception of re-grouting is to re-colour the grout with a Grout Colourant which are available in ten popular colours.

In the case of this bathroom at a house in Paisley near Glasgow both the floor of the bathroom and the shower wall tiles were in need of a refresh and after a review of possible solutions is was agreed the easiest thing to do would be to re-colour the floor grout with a Light Grey colourant and the wall tiles with a White colourant.

Bathroom Floor Paisley Before Grout Colouring Shower Wall Tiles Paisley Before Grout Colouring

Cleaning and Colouring Grout

The first step before grout colouring is to give the grout a good scrub with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to get it as clean as possible before applying the colourant. The grout was then rinsed and then dried ready for the colourant to be applied. You may be surprised to hear but we often find the biggest cause of staining to grout are the dyes contained in soaps and shampoos.

Once the grout is ready it’s a straightforward process of applying the colourant evenly along with thin coats along the grout line working the brush backwards and forwards whilst minimising the amount that gets on the tile. We were not changing the colour of the grout substantially so one coat of colourant was sufficient for both sets of tile.

With two colours being applied we were careful to ensure different brushes were used for each job to avoid any contamination and once the job was complete a damp pad was used to remove excess product from the tile surface.

Bathroom Floor Paisley After Grout Colouring Shower Wall Tiles Paisley After Grout Colouring

As you can see from the photographs the difference was immediate, the other advantage of the colourant is it forms a barrier over the grout protecting it from staining and making it easier to clean going forward.

Quarry Tile and Grout Cleaning and Colouring in Livingston, West Lothian

Refreshing Bathroom Wall and Floor Grout in Paisley Read More »

Bathroom in Kilmacolm After Refresh

Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Refresh in Kilmacolm

This bathtub with shower over was at a house in the village of Kilmacolm near Greenock. As you can see from the photograph below the grout was stained in places and a tile had become loose behind the taps due to a previous leak causing it to fall out.

Bathroom Refresh Before Kilmacolm

Refreshing a Ceramic Tiles Bathroom

The first job was to put the loose ceramic tile back on the wall, a process involving the scraping off the adhesive and grout from the wall and tile before re-fixing with fresh tile adhesive and the grouting. We placed a blanket in the bathtub during the work to protect it.

Next the tiles were given a wash down Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with particular attention paid to the grout by scrubbing it with a stiff brush. It was our intention to use a grout colourant on the grout and I wanted to ensure we had a good bond.

Whilst the tiles were drying I set about stripping off the old silicone sealant between the bath and the ceramic tiles wall, debris cleared and any remaining sealant was carefully scraped away and then replaced with new silicone.

Grout Colouring

Last step was to apply two coats of white Tile Doctor Grout Colourant, this product is basically painted on top of the existing grout with any excess wiped off the adjacent tile before it dries. It’s an epoxy based formula that becomes a long lasting barrier protecting the grout and also making it much easier to clean, it looks natural and combined with the new silicone it gave the whole bath surround a real uplift.

Bathroom in Kilmacolm After Refresh
The job was completed in a day and I think you will agree the whole bath area now looks like a new installation.

Refreshing a ceramic tiled surround in the Clyde Valley

Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Refresh in Kilmacolm Read More »

Porcelain tiled shower room in Inchinnan after

Deep Cleaning Porcelain Bathroom Tiles in Inchinnan

The Porcelain tiles in this bathroom installed at a house in the small village Inchinnan were in good physical condition but were looking dull and being let down by the grout which had gone dark in a number of areas. This is often the case with Porcelain floors which are very tough and generally out-live the life of the grout which has a porous top layer that is subject to staining especially from the dyes in personal products.

Porcelain tiled shower room in Inchinnan before

Deep Cleaning Porcelain Tile and Grout

To get the tile and grout really clean a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied to the tile and grout and left to soak in to the surface for around ten minutes before scrubbing it in; the area was quite restrictive so this process was done by hand. The soiled cleaning solution was then then rinsed away with warm water which was removed by a wet vacuum and stubborn areas sport treated. The floor was then given a final wash with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner diluted with water to remove any remnants of Pro-Clean and then dried as much as possible.

Grout Colouring

The cleaning process made a big difference to the Tile and Grout however there grout still showed evidence of staining. To resolve this we would have need to laboriously scrape out the grout and re-grout it; however this does take a long time and there is a quicker solution by using a Grout Colourant. Grout Colourants apply a thin but impermeable epoxy layer on top of the existing grout and come in a range of colours which is handy if you want to completely alter the look of your floor. In this case however the customer was happy to have the white original colour of the grout restored; two coats were sufficient to achieve this.

Once done and dry we gave the floor another rinse with Neutral Cleaner and finished by buffing the Porcelain tiles with a white pad on a hand polishing machine which brought up the natural shine on the tiles.

Porcelain tiled shower room in Inchinnan after
 

Rejuvenating Bathroom Tiles in Renfrewshire

Deep Cleaning Porcelain Bathroom Tiles in Inchinnan Read More »

Slate tiled floor Huston after cleaning and sealing

Slate tiled kitchen floor cleaned and re-sealed in Houston

This particular Slate tiled floor was installed in the kitchen of a house in Huston, that’s Houston near Glasgow not the city in Texas. This is another example of a natural stone floor was overdue a deep clean and re-seal, any remaining sealer on the slate has worn off and the tiles have become dull and stained.

Slate tiled floor Huston before cleaning

Cleaning Slate Floor Tile and Grout

First we stripped any remaining sealer from the slate tiles by applying a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak in before being worked into the stone using a black pad on a rotary bonnet machine; the resultant soiled cleaning solution was then extracted using a wet vacuum. This process was repeated three times to make sure all the sealer and dirt was completely removed and extracted.

After this we focused on cleaning the grout using more Pro-Clean this time worked in using a stiff grout brush by hand. Once done the floor was given a thorough rinse using clean water again using the wet vacuum to remove the water and get the floor as dry as possible.

Changing the Colour of Grout

We then left for the evening to allow the floor to dry off overnight and returned the second day and coloured the grout to dark grey using a grout colouring kit to achieve an even grout appearance. This is rather painstaking work but the effect is well worth the effort, then once that had dried we gave the floor a quick clean using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner.

Sealing Slate Floor Tiles

After allowing to dry overnight again, we came back the third day to seal the slate tiles for which we used six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a water based sealer (no smell) which added a nice sheen to the tile and gave the desired finish.

Slate tiled floor Huston after cleaning and sealing
 

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate tiled floors in Huston, Renfrewshire

Slate tiled kitchen floor cleaned and re-sealed in Houston Read More »

Dark slate tiled floor glasgow after cleaning

Dark Slate tiles cleaned and Grout Coloured in Glasgow

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.

Dark slate tiled floor glasgow after cleaning
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 »

Glasgow Ceramic Shower Refresh After Cleaning

Mouldy Ceramic Tiled Shower Refreshed in Glasgow

A customer contacted us regarding a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle problem they had with their house in Glasgow. The grout and mastic sealant had started to discolour and there was staining on both from mould which is quite a common problem in modern houses and our busy lifestyles and insulated homes with insufficient ventilation.

Cleaning Ceramic Tile and Grout

We started by giving the tiles a good scrub with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean then focusing on the grout we thoroughly scrubbed it with more Pro-Clean and a stiff grout brush, this process did well to clean up the tile and grout but unfortunately the grout had become too badly stained to be satisfactory. It’s a fact that the top layer of grout is actually porous and this is where the staining from the dyes in shampoos etc. will occur.

The next step was to cut out all the old and mouldy mastic and seal around the shower using a sharp knife taking care not to scratch the shower tray.

Glasgow Ceramic Shower Refresh Before Cleaning Glasgow Ceramic Shower Refresh After Cleaning

Recolouring Grout

To overcome the stained grout issue we gave the whole of the grout two coats of white Grout Colourant which is a very effective treatment that forms an epoxy barrier over the gout protecting it from future staining. Normally when you do this we recommend using a pre-treater product that provides a chemical key that allows the colourant to latch on to, in this case however I was happy that the scrubbing we gave the grout with Pro-Clean would have the same effect. The tiles were then wiped down using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to remove any excess colourant from the tiles and give them a finishing shine.

The last step was to Shower was finished off by applying new silicone sealant to the areas that were removed. The final result was a shower cubicle that looked recently installed.

Refreshing a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Glasgow

Mouldy Ceramic Tiled Shower Refreshed in Glasgow Read More »

Scroll to Top