Stone Restoration Archives - South East Wales Tile Doctor

Cardiff Patio Ruined by a Builder Restored in Cardiff

This customer from Cardiff was in despair after a builder ruined her expensive Black Limestone Patio after using brick acid to clean it up. She contacted Tile Doctor in the hope that it could be saved and being their local agent, I was asked to contact her.

Black Limestone Patio Before Renovation Cardiff

I visited the property to assess the damage to the patio and it was immediately clear to me what needed to be done as this is not the first time I had come across this problem. It turns out the builder was attempting to remove cement splatters from the stone after applying render to the back of the property. Limestone is a sedimentary stone composed primarily of calcium carbonate which can be dissolved in acid, so using acid on Limestone is never a good idea.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Patio Floor

I spent the first day removing the damage to the stone by burnishing the patio with a weighted buffer machine fitted with a 100-grit diamond pad lubricated with water and using a wet vacuum to remove the soiling it generates.

This was followed by a 200-grit, 400-grit and then finished with an 800-grit diamond pad until I had removed all the damage and resurfaced the Limestone. Again, water was used to lubricate the process and the floor was rinsed with fresh water after each pad and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum.

This work was done in August 2022 and I had purposely chosen a patch of good weather to do this work and was able to leave the patio to dry off overnight after another thorough round of rinsing with water and extracting.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Patio Floor

I returned the next day to finish the renovation, first checking first that the stone was dry with the use of a damp meter. The readings were good, so I went ahead and applied the sealer. Secondly its recommended for outdoor use and is UV safe so should last a long time ensuring the patio will now be able to withstand the outside weather and the stone will be protected from the elements.

The results were amazing, and my customer was relieved and delighted with the finished result allowing her to look forward to several summer garden parties that were planned.

Black Limestone Patio After Sealing Cardiff

Professional Restoration of a Black Limestone Tiled Patio in South Wales

Marble Tiled Church Floor Before After Renovation Cardiff

Black and White Marble Church Floor Tiles Renovated in Ely Cardiff

1 Comment / Cardiff Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Work History / Julian Iancono

I was contacted by “The Church of the Resurrection” in the Ely suburb of Cardiff to ask if we would improve the appearance of their Marble floor. We are always up for a challenge at Tile Doctor, so I arranged an appointment to visit the church, survey the floor and recommend a solution.

Marble Church Floor Before Renovation Ely

The church itself is relatively new and dates to 1934, the black and white Marble floor tiles were original however at some point in the past it had been covered in a carpet which had been glued down. The church committee now wanted to restore the Marble tiles back to its original beauty. I carried out a test sample which proved very successful and they were delighted with the results. I was very optimistic that this floor could be saved and would look pretty good at the end. We agreed a price and arranged the most convenient time to carry the work out when the church wasn’t in use.

Cleaning a Marble Tiled Church Floor

On my return I started the cleaning process by working in sections using a solution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go worked in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine to breakdown the glue. Next, I worked thorough a range of burnishing pads, first changing the pad to a coarse 100-grit diamond pad which was run over the floor using the Remove and Go as a lubricant. The soil was then rinsed off the floor with more water and extracted using a wet vacuum. The pad was then changed to a 200-grit pad and the process repeated. The combination of the Remove and Go and the pads cut into the surface of the tile and remove the adhesive staining.

Marble Church Floor During Renovation Ely

Then I continued with a 400-grit diamond burnishing pad this time applied with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. After rinsing and extracting the soil I moved onto an 800-grit, 1500 grit and finally the 3000-grit pad to achieve a finish that they desired. These 17-inch diamond burnishing pads are available in set of four and really restore the deep polish of stone.

Around the Altar there were two concrete areas which looked unsightly now that the floor was uncovered so I suggested that I carry on with the pattern of the floor using concrete paint. This proved very successful as it blended in well improving the general appearance of the area.

Last step in the cleaning process was to improve the appearance of the Black Stone steps in front of the altar which were dull and marked from years of use. It was confined working space, so I polished these with a handheld machine fitted with 6-inch diamond burnishing pads. to restore the polished appearance of the stone.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Church Floor

After cleaning and polishing the areas I proceeded to seal the Marble with Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within. Additionally, this sealer doesn’t change the colour of the stone, so it preserves its natural appearance. The black steps were sealed with Tile Doctor Stone Oil which really did enhance the jet-black lustre it was so in need of.

Marble Church Floor After Renovation Ely

The work was carried out in April 2019 and was completed over the coarse of a few days. The floor now looks stunning and gives the whole church a lift. Certainly, the project management team were delighted with the results as they had thought the floor was unsalvageable. They said they would highly recommend Tile Doctor again for future church projects, which is always very pleasing to hear.

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tiled Church Floor in South East Wales

Black and White Marble Church Floor Tiles Renovated in Ely Cardiff Read More »