Once the whole floor had been treated, I repeated the process for a second time to ensure all the dirt had been removed. After the second rinse the floor looked much better and was left overnight to dry off. Sealing a Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway Floor

I began by scrubbing in Tile Doctor Cleaner/Stripper product called Remove & Go, this emulsified and broke down the wax seal, loosened up any surface dirt and marks and cleaned up the grout lines which was significantly discoloured due to years of use. I suggested that they passed on our card to the new occupiers as resealing the patio annually would keep it in great condition and maintain the longevity of the patio. We offer annual maintenance plans for just this, I also suggested that if there were planning on using the jet wash, then use it on a nice low setting. Following the initial clean the colours were already much stronger. Next step however was to improve on that by giving the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This removes mineral deposits and generally brightens up the appearance of the tile. After another round of scrubbing the floor was rinsed with our high-pressure washer and then vacuumed, extracting all of the dirty water and dirt away in one go. The floor was looking a lot better and was left to dry overnight. Now the floor has been properly sealed it will be far easier for the customer to keep them clean in future. For maximum longevity of the sealer I recommend maintenance cleaning with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Don’t be tempted to use supermarket cleaning products without reading the label first, many are simply too strong for cleaning sealed surfaces and will strip off the sealer prematurely leaving the tiles unprotected. Following the clean, we low pressure rinsed the floor with water and vacuumed all the residue away, leaving the floor ready for sealing. The Limestone tiles and grout looked much better already after cleaning and it was left to dry overnight. Sealing a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

Cleaning Limestone Tiles

Upon my return to the property I ran a few damp tests as a matter of precaution. Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry, I proceeded to seal the tiles using seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, which works really well on Terracotta providing an aesthetically pleasing sheen finish and forms a stain resistant layer on the surface of the tiles to protect them from dirt and stains. I should mention it’s also a water based sealer so there’s no solvent smell given off as it dries which is always a bonus. Colour Grow is a durable impregnating sealer that works by occupying the small pores in the Slate thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. It will protect the stone from the elements and being a colour enhancer also improves the look of the Slate bringing out its natural colours and beauty. After inspecting the Victorian floor, I worked out a restoration plan and confirmed I could source matching replacement tiles. This enabled me to create an accurate price for the work which was agreed and I booked in a two-week slot with the owners to carry out the work. Repairing and Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Exminster is a village on the southern edge of the City of Exeter, and I often find myself working there, so it was no problem to pop down and visit the property to investigate the problem fully.

The best way to clean and polish Travertine wall tiles is with a hand-held polishing machine using a set of six inch Burnishing pads, we find using chemicals less effective on vertical surfaces and can lead to staining. The process is thus, spray the No.1 Red Burnishing pad with water then apply to the wall tile until the dirt and old sealer had been removed. Then switch to a No.2 Blue Burnishing pad and repeat the process followed by a No. 3 Yellow Burnishing pad straight after. This method is also the best way to treat the build-up of Limescale as the acidic cleaners commonly available for this will actually damage the Travertine.The next step was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which further cleans the tiles by removing grout haze and other contaminates. Being an acidic product, it has the added benefit of neutralising the pH level of the floor after the use of the alkaline Remove and Go earlier, it also microscopically etches the tile to improve the bond with the sealer which will be added later. After the floor had been buffed dry, I finished by sealing the marble with Tile Doctor Ultra seal which is a specially formulated seal specifically for polished marble. It’s a natural look sealer that doesn’t change the characteristics of the stone and is almost invisible. To begin the restoration, I applied both Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a high alkaline cleaner, and Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which a heavy-duty stripper and remover, to the floor and scrubbed the products in using a scrubbing pad fitted to a professional rotary machine. Extract the soiled cleaning solution using a wetvacuum and then neutralisethefloor by rinsing with water again using a wet vacuum to remove as much water was possible after. (Any cleaning productsleft on the surface may impact the performance of the sealer). Allow the tilestodry out for at least 12 hours or more. Having discussed choice of sealers with the customer previous we had agreed to seal the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a great choice for Marble as it contains a colour enhancer that intensifies the lovely natural mineral colours in the stone which otherwise are lost when dry. Two coats were needed, allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second.

To restore the appearance of this floor I would need to strip off the old coatings; fortunately, we have a strong product just for that purpose so to start with I liberally covered the tiles in our heavy duty coatings remover, Tile Doctor Remove and Go. It helps break down old sealers and oils and I left it to soak in for ten minutes so it could get a good start. I then machine scrubbed the floor with a 17″ scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine which takes a lot of the hard work out of the job, although I still need to hand scrub in the corners and along the grout lines with a stiff brush. Fortunately, the weather has been amazing of late and so it did not take long for the floor to dry, being a small space and a little encouragement from a heat gun always helps. Removing excess moisture before sealing is essential as even a small amount can cloud the sealer resulting in an uneven appearance.This customer in Crediton originally enquired about grout cleaning for their Kitchen floor, however after speaking to them on the phone I discovered their tiles where Marble and so I suggested they may be interested in our stone polishing service as well. it’s probably difficult to tell how dirty the tiles were from the earlier photographs but by the time I returned on day 3 the customers were already chuffed with how much cleaner the floor was looking. I left the property overnight, giving the floor a full 24 hours to dry completely. As most who read my posts will already know, a floor with outstanding damp issues cannot be sealed as even the slightest quantity of moisture can cloud the sealer and damage its performance. For regular cleaning use a sealer friendly cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Stone Soap which has been especially formulated for the regular cleaning of Sealed Stone and Tile surfaces keeping them fresh.