Marble Tile Cleaning Archives - South East Wales Tile Doctor

White Marble Floor Before After Renovation Cardiff Bay

White Marble Hallway Renovation in Cardiff Bay Listed Building

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

This beautiful Marble Tiled Hallway can be found in a listed building in the heart of Cardiff Bay. Situated on a very grand corner plot the property was previously occupied by various banks which served the financial markets of shipping and coal import/export businesses for over 200 years.

White Mable Hallway Before Polishing Cardiff Bay Listed Building

The building has now been converted into fourteen very desirable apartments one being the penthouse on the top floor with panoramic views of the bay and even a private lift accessed from the main hallway directly to the lounge! Very impressive.

The Marble floor was mostly original and has been added to with similar Marble tiles during previous renovation works. The stone was an off-white marble with various colour veins running through the body. The area of the restoration was the main entrance and hallway to access the staircase and lift to the apartments.

Deep Cleaning a White Marble Hallway Floor

The main method I used to restore the floor was to apply a set of Tile Doctor diamond encrusted burnishing pads of various grits to rebuild the polish on the floor. Before starting that process however I gave the tiles a general clean with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbed in with a coarse black pad fitted to a rotary floor machine (also supplied by Tile Doctor). Afterwards the floor was rinsed with clean water and the soil extracted using an industrial wet vacuum. This was followed by scrubbing the grout lines with more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to get them clean, again extracting the soil afterwards.

I then proceeded to apply the first pad in the four-pad set which is a very course 400-grit pad which removes any light scratches and previous sealers or waxes. Using water to lubricate the process I run the pad over each tile around three times before moving on to the next. Once that section of floor has been completed the soil generated is rinsed off with more water and extracted with the wet vacuum.

White Mable Hallway During Polishing Cardiff Bay Listed Building

This process is repeated with an 800-grit pad which also cuts slightly into the surface of the tile and is the first step in rebuilding the polish on Marble. Finally, a finer 1500-grit diamond pad was applied which further brings up the polish on the tile. Again, after each pad was applied the floor was rinsed and extracted to remove the soil.

After allowing the section of floor to dry for 24 hours I applied the last of the four Tile Doctor burnishing pads which is a 3000-grit very fine pad. This last pad is applied dry with only a sprinkle of water to further build the polished appearance of the Marble and produce a pleasing shiny finish.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Hallway Floor

With the floor dry I was able to move quickly onto the final stage which involves applying a sealer to further improve the look of the floor and most importantly to protect it from staining. For this floor I chose to apply a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that protects the tile so it’s impervious to liquid spills and making it much easier to keep clean.

White Mable Hallway After Polishing Cardiff Bay Listed Building

Just to be thorough once the sealed section of Marble was dry, I then lightly went over the floor again with the 3000-grit polishing pad to remove any light smears and finished by buffing with a White buffing pad to bring up the shine even further.

After four days the Marble floor was looking immaculately clean with a high polish. They say first impressions count when selling property and the polished floor added that extra wow factor for those looking to buy.

Professional Marble Floor Renovation and Polishing in South East Wales

White Marble Hallway Renovation in Cardiff Bay Listed Building Read More »

Marble Tiled Floor Renovated Cardiff Wales

Marble Kitchen Floor Grout Cleaned and Polished in Cardiff

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

I took the pictures below during the renovation of a beautiful Marble floor that was installed in the kitchen and adjacent dinning area of a property in Cardiff. Busy family life had taken its toll on the floor and it had now lost most of its shine and the grout had darkened to an almost black colour due to ingrained dirt. Marble however is an amazing stone that responds well to polishing so I knew I could restore its appearance.

Covering Cardiff and the surrounding area I’m your local tile and stone restoration specialist covering the renovation of all types of Tile and Stone. My background is tiling, and I have been a member of the Tile Doctor restoration network for over ten years so if you need help do get in touch.

Deep Cleaning a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in Cardiff

First, I deep cleaned the grout lines using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, leaving it to soak into the grout for ten minutes before scrubbing it in by hand. I then rinsed off the solution with water and extracted the slurry with a wet vacuum to lift the deep staining.

Marble Kitchen Floor During Grout Cleaning Cardiff

With the grout now clean I turned my attention to the Marble tiles, I needed to remove any previous sealer and the ingrained marks. This was done using a 400-grit red burnishing pad applied to the rotary buffing machine. The pads are another Tile Doctor product and was the first in a series of four pads I would use to renovate this floor. After running the pad over each tile at least three times the floor was rinsed with water which was then extracted with the wet vacuum as before.

This was followed by an 800-grit pad to prepare and smooth the surface of the tile again rinsing and extracting afterwards. I then continued the process using a 1500-grit pad to smooth more and prepare the surface for the final pad. By using the pads in sequence, it is a gradual process and ensures the tiles have a consistent surface. The floor was then left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in Cardiff

I returned the next day to apply the final pad which brings up the polish on the floor. It is a very fine 3000-grit pad which creates a nice shine and is applied dry using a small amount of water using a process we call a “Spray Burnish”.

Finally, the sealer was applied to the Marble, the sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which soaks into the pores of the stone and protects it from within. Colour Grow is a very durable sealer that enhances the natural colours in the stone without making the surface shiny. In this instance however the client requested the floor to have a high shine, so I went back for the 3rd day to ensure the initial sealer was cured and then applied a coating of Tile Doctor Shine Powder. This is a crystal type substance which is ground into the tiles using a white buffing pad to build up a deep and durable polish on the Marble.

Marble Kitchen Floor After Renovation Cardiff

This final step gave the floor a very high shine with a deep lustre and the client was delighted with result. For the regular maintenance cleaning of polished stone, I recommend using Tile Doctor stone soap which is specifically designed for maintaining this type of floor and will help maintain its lustre.

Professional Renovation of a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in South Wales

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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 »

Marble Shower Enclosure Tiles Before and After Cleaining in Beddau

Badly Stained and Mouldy Marble Shower a Cubicle Transformed in Beddau

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

Tiled shower cubicles can very easily become tired and grubby looking without the right care. The shampoos and soaps we use in our everyday lives can have long lasting damage if their effects are not sufficiently dealt with, with grout mould being a very common problem for property owners in the UK where we have a cold climate that encourages us to seal up our homes limiting natural ventilation.

Marble Shower Enclosure Tiles Before Cleaning in Beddau

At this property in the small village of Beddau, near Cardiff, my customer had a particularly poorly maintained Marble tiled shower cubicle suffering from bad staining. Since Marble is an acid-sensitive stone it is especially vulnerable to damage when exposed to even slightly acidic shower products. The grout was also in a bad way, having turned from a pleasant off white colour to black. The entire area was now well overdue from some attention from the Tile Doctor.

Cleaning a Marble Tiled Shower Cubicle

To begin the restoration of these tiles I had to remove any old sealer. I did this by applying a combination of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, which is a versatile cleaner, stripper and degreaser, and Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU, which is a more powerful product designed for the removal of heavy soil buildup.

As the old sealer came away, I left the two products to soak into the tiles to lift out the stains and ingrained dirt caused by the Marble’s exposure to shampoo and soaps. This really helped to alleviate the grubby appearance previously held by the tiles.

As previously mentioned, the grout lines were also in a really bad state. Undeterred, I attempted for three hours to clean the grout lines with unsatisfactory results, and so resolved instead to remove the old grout entirely and re-grout with a new Jasmine coloured grout throughout the bathroom. I did consider simply recolouring the grout with one of our Grout Colourants but, as an experienced tiler, I felt for me it would quicker and easier to achieve the required results by re-grouting.

Marble Shower Enclosure Tiles During Cleaning in Beddau

Sealing a Marble Tiled Shower Cubicle

After leaving the grout and tiles to dry overnight following the cleaning and regrouping, I returned to the property to seal the area. To do this I opted to use two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, our solvent-based impregnating sealer which fills the pores of the stone to act as a barrier against trapped dirt and stains, and to prevent further contamination.

As a colour intensifying sealer it really emphasised the natural shades in the Marble. Colour Grow can achieve similar results on other types of unpolished stone, including Limestone, Flagstones, Quarry, Sandstone and Slate.

Marble Shower Enclosure Tiles After Cleaning in Beddau

I added the finishing touches to the restoration by removing all the mouldy silicone and replaced it with new silicone. Though this wasn’t the easiest of jobs, the final result is one of which I am particularly proud. It certainly pleased the customer!

Marble Tiled Shower Cubicle Professionally Refinished in South Wales

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South East Wales Tile Doctor

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