Stain Removal Archives - South East Wales Tile Doctor

Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration Cathays Cardiff

Neglected Quarry Tiled Floor Completely Restored in Cathays Cardiff

A customer from the old Cardiff suburb of Cathays got in touch earlier this year regarding a badly neglected Quarry tiled floor. The property dated to 1910 and had a long history, as did the floor which was in quote a bad state although I have seen worse. Keen to have it restored I was asked to pop round and advise on its renovation in the hope that something could be done to save it.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration Cathays Cardiff

It turns out the floor had been covered with carpet for many years and having decided to renovate the whole room they removed the carpet and were delighted to discover a tiled floor.

I arranged to meet the customers at the property and survey the floor to see what could be done to help them with their wish to restore it as an original feature. As you can see from the photographs the floor was in a very poor condition, but as I mentioned to the customer anything I do to it would certainly improve the look of it; it certainly couldn’t get any worse.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Restoration Cathays Cardiff

I worked out a detailed quote which was emailed over to the customer and a date set to begin the work.

Cleaning a Badly Stained Quarry Tiled Floor

The first job was to review the floor and replace any that were broken and refix any that were loose with flexible adhesive. I also took moisture readings from the floor which I would use as a baseline later.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Restoration Cathays Cardiff

The carpet underlay had been secured with adhesive the remanent of which were all over the floor including paint splatters and plaster from decorating. To tackle this work was done in sections started with a sharp blade was used to carefully remove any bulk material before scrubbing with a strong mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, Nanotech HBU and Remove & Go. Each of these alkaline Tile Doctor cleaning products solve a different problem and I like to use them together to create an effective cleaning solution, deal for badly stained tiles like these. Once done the area was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum as work progressed.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Restoration Cathays Cardiff

The next step was to give the floor an acid rinse using another Tile Doctor products called Grout Clean-up. The acidic nature of this product breaks down cement residues and dissolved salts in the floor which otherwise would result in white efflorescence appearing on the floor as it dries. This is a common problem with old floors with no damp-proof membrane and worth avoiding. The solution was brushed over the floor and then rinsed and extracted with the wet vacuum.

With the cleaning mostly completed attention turned to the step between the lounge and the kitchen. The customer had managed to acquire a lovely piece of black Slate from an old pool table and wanted it fitting in the threshold between the two rooms. (Slate is traditionally used beneath the green cloth on snooker and pool tables due to it being very flat and smooth.) I cut the slate to size to fit the doorway and added a short riser beneath to account for the hight difference between the two floors. After dry fitting it was cemented it in place.

After a final inspection of the floor and some spot cleanings where needed it was left to dry out for the weekend.

which proved dry enough to take a Sealer on the Monday.

Sealing a Quarry Floor Sealing

Work continued Monday starting with taking moisture readings from the floor. These were compared with the base reading taken at the start and this confirmed the floor had dried out and was ready to take a sealer.

The choice Sealer was an impregnator Sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is a breathable colour enhancer and very durable. It needed to be durable to cater for the needs of a very busy household and their large boisterous dog. Three coats were applied to ensure the Quarry tiles were fully sealed wiping the excess off between coats.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration Cathays Cardiff

The floor responded extremely well to the renovation and the customers were delighted with the results, the also left the following 5-star feedback:

Julian is a real professional. He worked very hard and didn’t rush the job. I am delighted with how the floor has turned out. Jack E, Cardiff

Quarry Tiled Floor After Restoration Cathays Cardiff

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and the importance of using a cleaning product that wouldn’t impact the sealer. A lot of products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for a sealed floor so I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Quarry Tiled floor restored in South Wales

Neglected Quarry Tiled Floor Completely Restored in Cathays Cardiff Read More »

Black and White Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Llantwit Major

Classic Victorian Tiled Geometric Floor Renovated in Llantwit Major

This client from Llantwit Major contacted Tile Doctor regarding their Victorian tiled hallway floor which was a classic Black and White geometric design but was now stained and in need of renovation. I’m the local Tile Doctor agent covering Cardiff and the surrounding area, so they asked me to pop over and take a look.

Black and White Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Renovation Llantwit Major

Black and White Geometric Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Llantwit Major

I contacted the client to arrange a viewing so I could survey the tiles and assess the work involved. The floor had been previously covered in carpet which was glued to the tiled floor. On removal of the carpet, traces of the glue were visible and heavy residues were thick in places. I worked out a quote for re-fixing the loose tiles, deep cleaning the floor and then applying a protective sealer, happy to get the work done the quote was agreed and a date scheduled.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Work started by addressing the loose tiles which were then carefully removed and cleaned up for re use. The gaps left were also cleaned up and the tiles stuck back in place using a quick setting adhesive. I also added new metal trims to the doorway thresholds.

I scraped as much of the glue from the floor surface with a heavy-duty razor blade tool. Then I mixed a solution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go with Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU and a little Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The combined solution was left to dwell for approximately half an hour before agitating with a course black pad. The dirty solution was then rinsed off with water and removed with a wet vacuum. I repeated this process on a couple of particularly stubborn stains.

The floor was then given an acid wash using neat Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to remove any old cement residues. Finally, the floor was rinsed again with clean water and dried with a wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned the following morning to check if the floor had dried out. I used a damp meter to take a few moisture readings, which were within the acceptable level. This is particularly important on a floor of this age as there was no damp-proof membrane installed and as a result can take longer to dry out.

The client wanted a low maintenance hard wearing sealer applied, so I selected Tile Doctor Colour Grow which soaks into the pores of the tiles protecting it from within, it also contains a colour enhancer which brought out the contrast in the Black and White tiles. Lastly this sealer is fully breathable and so will allow moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface; this is an important consideration when selecting a sealer for a floor without a damp proof membrane.

Once complete the floor was transformed, and the client was very happy with the outcome. I recommended for maintenance to use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which will ensure the floor keeps its appearance.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South Wales

Classic Victorian Tiled Geometric Floor Renovated in Llantwit Major Read More »

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovation Barry South Wales

Grubby Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Barry South Wales

1 Comment / Barry Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning / Julian Iancono

The customer from Barry in South Wales contacted Tiled Doctor to see if anything could be done to revive their Terrazzo hallway floor which was in need of renovation. I contacted them and arranged a mutual time for me to pop over a survey the floor.

Terrazzo is notoriously vulnerable to movement in the subfloor as it’s made from thousands of pieces of crushed stone including marble and laid as single slab so its not just as simple as replacing a tile should any cracks form. I’m pleased to say there was no evidence of any cracks, just signs of wear and tear due to the age of the floor and general maintenance issues.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Before Renovation Barry

The customer was about to put their house on the market and the Estate Agent had advised them it would be best if they were to sort the floor out first. Naturally first impression count and the hallway would be the first thing any prospective purchases would see when entering the house. Ideally once deep cleaned and polished the Terrazzo floor would add some wow factor to the property and help turn those prospective purchases into buyers.

Deep Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor

To renovate the Terrazzo, no chemical products would be needed for the cleaning, just a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads starting with a coarse 400-grit pad. The pads fit to a rotary floor buffing machine which is weighted to improve contact with the floor. The coarse pad breaks out the deepest stains, removing dirt and old sealers and each pad is passed over each tile four times. Water is used to lubricate the process and it isn’t long before this turns into a dark slurry. After each pad the floor is rinsed with a little more water and the slurry extracted with a wet vacuum.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor During Renovation Barry

This process was repeated with the 800 and 1500-grit pads again rinsing and extracting in-between. After a final rinse the last pad in the sequence which is a 3000-grit pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto to the floor. This last pad is a polishing pad that adds a subtle satin shine to the Terrazzo.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway Floor

Due to the fact the cleaning process involved minimal amounts of water and the last pad is applied dry the Terrazzo was dry in no time and therefore ready for sealing. For sealing I had selected Tile Doctor Colour Grow which not only seals the floor but enhances the colours of the stone segments to achieve a beautiful result.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor After Renovation Barry

Once done the floor looked cleaner, lighter and all the little characterful motifs really stood out. The customer contacted me a week later to say that the estate agent was delighted with the decision to go ahead with the floor restoration as it had certainly transformed the floor.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in South Wales

Grubby Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Barry South Wales Read More »