Colchester Tile Cleaning Archives - North Essex Tile Doctor

Acid Etched Limestone Tiled Floor Renovated in Coggeshall

This Limestone tiled floor covered the entire ground floor of this house in the town of Coggeshall. The owner had matching tiles installed in an extension and realised that the tiler had not managed to polish off all the grout which had left them dull.

Limestone Floor Before Renovation Coggeshall

This is a common problem known as grout haze and after researching it online he decided to try cleaning off the grout with an acidic product. This is a common solution for more robust stone or tiles; however, Limestone is acid sensitive so instead of removing the grout haze he made the problem worse by etching the stone tiles instead.

The second problem he had was the grout on the original floor had darkened overtime with dirt being washed into the grout line whereas the grout on the new floor was much cleaner. You can see from the photos how odd this looked especially when moving between the two areas.

Limestone Floor Before Renovation Coggeshall

I was asked to deep clean the original grout, remove the grout haze on the new floor and then get the two floors to match as much as possible by polishing both floors (which would also remove the etching) and applying a fresh sealer. I worked out a quote based on three days’ work along with the necessary products, given the size of the floor I asked Bruce who is the Suffolk Tile Doctor to assist.

Grout and Limestone Tile Cleaning

To remove the old sealer and clean up the grout on the original floor, a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied to the tiles and worked in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. The grout was then scrubbed by hand with more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and the slurry rinsed off with water. There was a lot of grout lines to cover and in-total we used around five litres of Pro-Clean in the process.

Both original and new sections of floor were then burnished with diamond pads to blend the two floors together and remove the etching on the newly laid tiles in the process. This was done with a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads starting with 400-grit and working up to 1500-grit, water is used for lubrication and then the floor rinsed and extracted after each pad. The floor was left for a short while to dry out.

Again, this was a large area but with two Tile Doctors on the job we managed to get through it.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Ground Floor

To seal the Limestone the owner was happy to go with my recommendation of applying Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This product contains a colour intensifying formula which brings out the different colours and fossils in the stone. It’s also an impregnator which works by soaking into the pores of the Limestone, filling up the spaces and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained in the stone. Put simply, the sealer will ensure any dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. It was a large area so we used five litres of Colour Grow to seal the floor.

Limestone Floor After Renovation Coggeshall

The work took both of us three days to complete and once done my client was amazed by the transformation and was so happy that the two floors now looked the same. For aftercare I left them with a free bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to maintain their floor. This product is a gentle yet effective tile cleaner that won’t harm the newly applied sealer which can be an issue with stronger products.

Limestone Floor After Renovation Coggeshall

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Ceramic Floor Tile and Grout Renovation Dedham

Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tile and Grout Renovated in Dedham Essex

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Colchester Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning / Dean Copping / Black Pad, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Dedham, Dirty Grout, Essex, Grout Cleaning, Grout Colourant, Grout Colouring, Kitchen Floor, Pro-Clean

A homeowner from the village of Dedham near Colchester asked me to visit regarding their Ceramic tiled kitchen floor. The client was tired of the dirty looking Ceramic tile and grout and having tried all the general household cleaners on the market were frustrated that it still didn’t look clean. It was bringing down the overall appearance of the kitchen and decided it was time to call in some professional help.

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Dedham

I visited the property to inspect the floor and confident we could make a significant difference discussed with them the options. They were happy to go ahead with my quote and we arranged a suitable date a few weeks later to carry out the work, which would just take a day.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen

Work started with cleaning the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a powerful alkaline tile and grout cleaner. I like to leave it to soak into the tiles first for about ten minutes before working it into the tiles and grout with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. I also like to give the grout a good scrub by hand as the pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout lines. A few areas were particularly stubborn, so we reapplied and scrubbed again.

Once done the floor was rinsed with water and all the liquids and soiling removed with a wet vacuum. After inspecting the floor for further cleaning, I noticed a few areas that had missing grout. we always keep some grout on the van, so it was not a problem to replace it.

Once the floor and grout were dry, a further inspection was carried out and although the grout was much cleaner some areas has deep seated staining that no end of scrubbing could shift. I had discussed this possibility with the owner earlier and so it was agreed to colour the grout using a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in Limestone.

Grout Colouring is a straightforward process using a small brush to paint the colourant onto the grout. This forms a barrier over the grout giving it a uniform appearance whilst protecting it going forward. This gave the floor a clean fresh appearance that really uplifted the look of the kitchen, it was definitely the best solution.

Sealing Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

Ceramic tiles have a glazed surface so there is no need to apply any type of sealant to protect them. However, for aftercare cleaning we left a free bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for the client to use to maintain their floor. This is preferable to the stronger acidic household cleaners which she had been using previously.

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Dedham

Once done the floor looked great, and my client was very happy that the kitchen now looked as it should.

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Ceramic Bathroom Tile and Grout Renovation Colchester

Ceramic Bathroom Tile and Grout Renovated for New Colchester Homeowners

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Colchester Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning / Dean Copping / Acid Gel, Bathroom Makeover, Bathroom Renovation, Bathroom Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Colchester, Duo-Clean, Grout Cleaning, Grout Colourant, Oxy-Gel, Silicone Replacement, tile cleaning

This fine example of a Ceramic tiled bathroom is from a house in the city of Colchester. The property had just changed hands and the new owner didn’t know how to restore the tile, grout, and silicone to their standards. It was clear that the tile and grout had been neglected by the previous owner and mould had started to form.

Ceramic Bath Tile and Grout Before Cleaning Colchester

Refreshing stained tile and grout is such a quick thing to do and gives maximum benefit, especially if your selling a property as it will help achieve more interest. So, it always surprises me that many sellers don’t chose to do this before putting their house on the market.

Ceramic Bath Tile and Grout Before Cleaning Colchester

Cleaning a Ceramic Bathroom Tiles

Work started with a deep clean of the grout lines with a generous application of Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is a fast and effective grout cleaner and mould remover. This product is designed for this purpose and comes with a trigger attachment so it can easily be sprayed onto the wall. The solution was then left for five minutes before being scrubbed into the wall tile and grout with a scrubbing brush. This action brought out a lot of dirt and staining from the grout which was then rinsed off.

After reviewing my handywork I decided more work was needed to the grout so I followed this up with an application of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. This is a gel cleaner that sticks well to vertical surfaces allowing for longer dwell times. After ten minutes it was worked into the grout as before and then rinsed off.

The Tile and Grout was now as clean as it could be but there were some deep-seated stains in the grout that simply couldn’t be removed. However, I always knew this could be the case and had already agreed I would apply a grout colourant if this proved to be the case.

Grout Colouring Ceramic Bath Tiles

Before applying the colourant though I needed to prepare the grout to achieve a stronger bond with the colourant. I did this with another Tile Doctor product called Acid Gel which is applied as before. This etches the grout at a microscopic level and being acidic further cleans the surface by removing limescale deposits.

I then set about stripping out the silicone mastic sealant between the bathtub and wall tiles with a sharp knife; the sealant was heavily stained almost black in places so very much in need of replacement. Once all the rubbish was swept out, I dried any remaining dampness from the grout and tiles.

This left the grout ready to be recoloured. I did this over the course of a few hours, using a White colourant from the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant range. White is just one of eleven colours available in the range and was chosen in this case to give the grout a really fresh look and to blend in with the Ceramic tiles. The Grout Colourant not only colours the grout joints – it also seals and rejuvenates them leaving it looking new.

Once the restoration was finished, I filled the bath with water and resealed the shower base with fresh silicone mastic again in White to match the tile and grout. This last step finished the renovation leaving it looking like a new installation.

Ceramic Bath Tile and Grout After Cleaning Colchester

The Customer was amazed by the transformation of their bathroom and left the following five-star review.

Dean did an excellent job of getting the mould off my bathroom tiles and re-grouting them. It’s like having a new bathroom! I’m very grateful and would highly recommend North Essex Tile doctor. Georgina D, Colchester

Ceramic Bath Tile and Grout After Cleaning Colchester

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Terracotta Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Wivenhoe Essex

Blending New and Old Terracotta Floors Tiles in Wivenhoe Colchester

1 Comment / Colchester Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Dean Copping / Black tomettes, Cleaning Terracotta, Colchester, Grout Cleaning, Kitchen Floor, Neutral Tile Cleaner, Pro-Clean, Seal and Go, Sealing Terracotta, Suffolk, Terracotta Floor, Wivenhoe

This Terracotta tiled floor with Black tomettes was installed in the kitchen of a house in the town of Wivenhoe, south of Colchester. The floor had been partly replaced due to a water leak and the difference between the new and original was noticeable. Unhappy with the appearance the owner contacted me to see if anything could be done.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Wivenhoe

I visited the property to survey the Terracotta floor and I could see solution would be to deep clean the whole floor, including the Grout and then reseal with a sealer that would bring out the beauty in the tile and give both sections the same appearance. Happy to proceed with my plan we scheduled a date for the work to be done a few weeks later.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

Cleaning started with the spraying the Terracotta floor with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is our go to tile and grout cleaning product. After spraying onto the tile and grout it is then then left to soak in for around ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. This process removed the many years of dirt that had built up in the original floor and got both areas clean to the same standard. Two litres of Pro-Clean was used during this process and a wet vacuum was used to extract the soiling and water used to rinse the floor after scrubbing. Pro-Clean is an alkaline product so once satisfied the floor was clean it was given a good rinse with water and further extraction to neutralise the pH of the floor after cleaning.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was left to dry out overnight and after checking moisture levels the following day it was sealed with five coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which is a water-based sealer that adds a subtle sheen finish. Terracotta being made from clay is very porous and so absorbed two litres of sealer before it was fully sealed and protected from ingrained dirt.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Wivenhoe

The new sealer did a great job of blending in the appearance of the new and old Terracotta floor and will make future cleaning much easier. Speaking of which, I recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for regular cleaning, it’s a pH neutral tile cleaning product that can be used daily if required. It’s a mild cleaning product that won’t strip the tiles of the newly applied sealer like many strong household cleaners can. It’s also concentrated so a small amount goes along way.

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Bleach Stained Terracotta Kitchen Floor Renovated in Colchester

Bleached Stained Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation in Colchester

1 Comment / Colchester Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Dean Copping / Black Pad, Bleach Stain, Cleaning Terracotta Tiles, Colchester, Floor Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Kitchen Floor Cleaning, Neutral Tile Cleaner, north essex, Pro-Clean, Renovating Terracotta, Seal and Go Extra, Sealing Terracotta

The owner of this property in Colchester got in touch to have their Terracotta Kitchen floor tiles renovated after they were marked with bleach. If you look closely at the before pictures you will see the terracotta tiles have white lines running across them.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Colchester Essex

Intrigued, I arranged to visit the property and take a look at the problem. I suspect the Terracotta had been protected with some sort of sealer and the bleach being very acidic had basically cut through it leaving the conspicuous lines in the floor.

I was very confident that the floor could be deep cleaned and once a fresh seal had been applied the problem would be resolved and the tiles would look great. My client was happy to go ahead with the quotation and we arranged a mutually convenient time to carry out the renovation.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Colchester

First, I applied tape to all the the plinths and around the doorways to protect the wood from the cleaning products we would be using. To get the tiles clean a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed on to the tiles and left to soak in for roughly ten minutes. This dwell time allows time for the cleaner to breakdown the old sealer and ingrained dirt so its can be removed easier.

Next a Black scrubbing pad was fitted to a rotary buffing machine and was slowly worked over the floor to scrub the solution into the Tile and Grout to release years of dirt. More Pro-Clean was scrubbed in along the grout lines with a stiff brush to get them clean. In total two litres of Tile Doctor Pro Clean was used during the cleaning.

The cleaning solution went black with the dirt and the soiling was rinsed with water and extracted using a wet vacuum. Rinsing with water helps to neutralise any remaining cleaning solution and the wet vacuum is used to get the floor as dry as possible. At this point the floor looked a whole lot better and was left to dry out overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in Colchester

The following morning, I used the damp meter to check the floors moisture readings and I was pleased to see the readings were acceptable and the tiles could be sealed. If the floor was still damp the seal would not cure properly so this is an important step.

Terracotta is a porous material so four coats of sealer were applied allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. On this floor I used Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra which is a water-based sealer manufactured using a special acrylic-based formula that leaves a subtle sheen, Terracotta is quite a porous material so two litres of sealer were used in total.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Colchester Essex

Once complete the tiles looked much lighter and cleaner with no staining. Additionally, the new sealer will make the floor easy to maintain and my client was very pleased with the transformation.

On the topic of maintenance, I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to clean the floor. It is a pH neutral product which will not compromise the newly applied seal, which can be the problem with many household cleaning products which are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor. This will ensure the longevity of the seal and will make the floor easy to maintain which is of course a bonus.