Renovation Archives - South East Wales Tile Doctor

Fossil Sandstone Floor Clean Seal Newport

Deep Cleaning a Fossil Sandstone Tile Kitchen Floor in Newport

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

The Fossil Sandstone floor pictured was installed in the kitchen of a property in Newport South Wales. The grout was originally a matching Sandstone colour, but it had been some time since the installation and now the stone and the grout had darkened with wear and ingrained dirt. The Sandstone itself was really grubby and the unique and beautiful fossils imprinted in the stone were barely recognisable.

Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor Tiles Before Renovation

Unhappy with the appearance of their stone floor and aware of our reputation from a friend, the owner got in touch to see what could be done and to get a quote for renovating the floor. I arranged to visit and conduct a survey and could immediately see that the protective sealer had long since worn off and not the stone was very dirty with ingrained dirt ruining its appearance.

Before creating a quote, I conducted a couple of cleaning tests on a small inconspicuous section of stone and grout to work out the best method and products to restore its appearance. Once I had worked out the best approach, I provided a quote for the renovation, and they agreed to go ahead.

Cleaning a Fossil Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

I had found the most effective method for cleaning this floor was to start by applying a combination of Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU Cleaner with the same amount of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. HBU stands for Heavy Build-Up which pretty much described the problem I was facing here however both products and versatile stone and grout cleaning products. The solution was applied to 2 square meters of floor at a time and given a light scrub with a handheld scrubbing brush paying specific attention to the grout.

Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor Tiles During Cleaning

The solution was left to soak into the floor for about five minutes and then with clean warm water added to the surface by a sponge from a bucket and then agitated with the scrubbing brush. It took quite a while as we were working on a small area at a time. But by working methodically it wasn’t long before it was completed.

Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor Tiles During Renovation

The grout joints were also scrubbed in the same way as the stone. As we cleaned the controlled areas the waste dirt was then vacuumed up. We then rinsed twice with fresh clean water, vacuuming the liquid waste away so as not to let the dirty water soak back into the tile. Afterwards the floor was inspected, and the process repeated until I was satisfied it was as clean as possible. The floor was then left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Fossil Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

On my return the sandstone tiles were tested for moisture using a damp meter. I wanted to ensure that it was dry enough to apply a sealer and I don’t recommend applying a sealer to a damp floor as the new seal won’t cure and I’d probably get a call back.

The preferred sealer was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnator that soaks into the pores of the stone to create a durable barrier that will prevent future staining and to make maintenance easier. Several coats were applied, allowing each one to dry before applying the next.

The clients were not home during the work being carried out as they went on a short break.
On their return they had a lovely surprise to see their floor looking in tip top condition.
They left a glowing feedback report to Tile Doctor stating their delight with the result. Another happy client!

Sandstone Floor Renovation Feedback Newport

Unfortunately, I forgot to get a final picture of the finished floor for this post however I did leave them a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner for aftercare cleaning.

Professional Cleaning of a Fossil Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor in South Wales

Deep Cleaning a Fossil Sandstone Tile Kitchen Floor in Newport Read More »

Terrazzo Church Floor Restoration Cardiff

Chancel Terrazzo Floor Restoration at a Cardiff City Church

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

During last summer I was asked to restore a Terrazzo floor in the chancel of a Catholic Church in the centre of Cardiff city centre. Our client was actually the architect in charge of the restoration, and he wanted to see if the Terrazzo floor that was laid around 1900 could be restored.

Terrazzo Church Floor During Restoration Vale of Glamorgan

The architect was coordinating different trades with a plan to restore the church interior back to its near original state and I’m proud to say that Tile Doctor was the architect’s choice of contractor to carry out the work. We talked though what needed to be done, how we would gain access, and agreed a plan of work, as well as the price for the job.

Deep Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Chancel Floor

The altar at the back of the church had been taken away for renovation which was just as well as the carpet ran underneath. With this section of the church to ourselves the first job was to remove the black rubber carpet underlay glued to the surface of the Terrazzo. To remove the bulk, it had to be scraped off using sharp blades and a great deal of effort. This was a messy process that could only be completed manually.

Once the underlying Terrazzo floor was visible, I was able to work out what products and processes would be the best option for the restoration. With the bulk of the rubber out of the way I decided to try burnishing the floor with Tile Doctor Diamond Floor Pads starting with a very abrasive grade lubricated with water.

To keep the mess to a minimum the waste was vacuumed up as we went, and this made it possible to crack on across the whole area. At this first stage we also burnished around the perimeter and awkward to reach areas with a handheld polisher to ensure nothing was missed and to blend the areas.

One finished with the coarse pad the floor was given a full rinse with water and the remaining soil removed with the wet vacuum. Once done finer grit burnishing pads were applied using the same process to bring up the polish on the Terrazzo. After the wet work was completed, the floor was left to dry out for a minimum of 24 hours.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Church Floor

On our return a few days later, the fourth and final polishing pad was used to create a shine and smooth the surface. The church council had requested a deep shine appearance to the Terrazzo so to finish the floor in two stages starting with the application of a sealer. For this floor I chose to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, a colour enhancing impregnating sealer which provides hard wearing surface protection whilst improving the colour contrast.

The final stage was to grind Tile Doctor High Shine Powder into the floor completing two sqm at a time and rinsing with clean water as we worked. This is a crystallising powder that provides a very high shine and provides a tough durable finish that works well on many floor types and was perfect for this terrazzo floor.

Terrazzo Church Floor After Restoration Vale of Glamorgan

Once the final polishing had been completed, we buffed the floor with a soft White Buffing Pad. The church members and architect were delighted with the finished result and contacted Tile Doctor to relay their thanks. This was a lovely project to complete, it is always nice to work within the community as well as for retail clients.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Church Floor in South Wales

Chancel Terrazzo Floor Restoration at a Cardiff City Church Read More »