Essex Archives - North Essex Tile Doctor

Ceramic Floor Tile and Grout Renovation Dedham

Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tile and Grout Renovated in Dedham Essex

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.

Professional Renovation of a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Essex

Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tile and Grout Renovated in Dedham Essex Read More »

Terracotta Brick Tiled Kitchen floor Renovation Harwich

Terracotta Brick Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in a Harwich Kitchen

1 Comment / Brick Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Harwich Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Dean Copping / Brick Floor Cleaning, Deep Cleaning Bricks, Essex, Harwich, Kitchen Floor Cleaning, Neutral Tile Cleaner, Pro-Clean, Seal & Go Extra, Sealing Brick Tiling, Terracotta Brick

This Terracotta Brick tiled floor had been laid in the kitchen of a house in the port town of Harwich less than a year prior. I suspect the floor hadn’t been sealed very well after installation as it was already proving difficult to keep clean and was beginning to mark easily.

Terracotta Brick Tiled Kitchen floor Before Cleaning Harwich

Terracotta is made from clay and as a result a very porous material that needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming trapped in its pores. Sealing keeps the dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. I recommended giving the floor a deep clean to remove dirt ingrained dirt from the pores of the bricks and then sealing with a stronger product that could take some wear. Kitchens are after all one of the busiest rooms in the house.

Happy with my quote a date was agreed for the work to start and the products needed were ordered in time for my arrival.

Cleaning a Brick Terracotta Kitchen Floor

To get the brick tile and grout clean I sprayed the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to soak in for ten minutes. The dwell time is important as it gives the product time to start breaking down old sealers and ingrained dirt.

The next step was to run a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine over the floor which in turn with the Pro-Clean lifts out the dirt to the surface. The pads can struggle to get into the recesses of the grout lines and along the edges so I like to follow this up with a handheld scrubbing brush.

The floor was rinsed with clean water to remove all the dirt and soiling using a wet vacuum. I carried out an inspection of the floor at this point looking for stubborn marks and staining and then re-treated those areas to a spot clean using the same process.

I used a full litre of Pro-Clean on the floor getting it clean and then once satisfied it was as clean as it could be I left it to dry off fully overnight assisted with a couple of down blowers.

Sealing a Brick Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning on the 2nd day the tiles were tested for moisture using a damp meter to check they were dry enough to accept a sealer. The blowers had done the job and the meter confirmed all was well.

Work then started on sealing the Terracotta bricks using Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra, this is a modern acrylic based sealer that improves the appearance of the brick tile bringing out the colour. Terracotta is as mentioned earlier quite a porous material so it took the application of five coats to fully seal the floor, fortunately it was only a small area so only 1 litre of sealer was needed.

Terracotta Brick Tiled Kitchen floor After Cleaning Harwich

The work made a big improvement to the appearance of the floor and what was once a dull almost grey herringbone pattern brick floor is now a colourful attractive feature that will prove much easier to keep clean.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, which is a mild but effective, neutral ph cleaner. We recommend this as many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong and bleach based which will slowly strip off the sealer and allow dirt back into the floor.

Professional Restoration of a Brick Tiled Kitchen Floor in Essex

Terracotta Brick Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in a Harwich Kitchen Read More »

Limestone Fireplace Before After Restoration Chelmsford

Cleaning a Flood Stained Limestone Fireplace in Chelmsford

1 Comment / Chelmsford Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Work History / Dean Copping / Chelmsford, Essex, Essex Stone Restoration, flooding, Hearth Cleaning, Limestone Fireplace, Limestone Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Restoration, Limestone Tile Sealing, Stain Removal, Stone Cleaning, Stone Sealing

The UK has been experiencing an increasing amount of rain over the last few years and this has resulted in quite a few areas being flooded. One of those areas is the old city of Chelmsford in the middle of Essex which is prone to flooding due to the rivers Cam and Chelmer that run through the town.

Limestone Fireplace Showing Flood Staining Chelmsford

I was asked to visit a property in the town that had been flooded over winter and the red dye in the carpet that was lying on the floor adjacent to their lovely Limestone Fireplace had stained the hearth in several places but primarily around the edges.

Limestone Fireplace Showing Red Dye Staining Chelmsford

The fire place had never been sealed and because of this the stone had sucked up the flood water like a sponge. They had drying equipment installed and as the moisture evaporated the red staining became more and more evident. Since then several companies had been to try and remedy the problem and each one was unsuccessful. The couple contacted us, and we went to assess the problem fully equipped to carry out the work.

Cleaning a Dye Stained Limestone Fireplace Hearth

Had the Fireplace been sealed we our first task would have been to remove to ensure we would have no issues sealing the fireplace later. In this case however that wasn’t an issue, so we were able to move straight onto cleaning up the stone using a set of diamond encrusted hand-held burnishing blocks. We started with the coarsest block (50 grit) and rubbed the stone with a bit of added water as lubrication, before wet vacuuming away the excess residue. This process was then repeated with progressively finer blocks (100, 200 and 400 grit), and the hearths were given a final rinse with fresh water.

The burnishing blocks are excellent tools to remove scratches and marks from tile and stone and did a good job of removing the red dye from around the hearth. They also took care of some marks that had appeared where the owner had placed a couple of slate tiles on the flat part of the hearth.

Limestone Fireplace Showing Rust Stain Spots Chelmsford

Along with these marks were some corrosion spots where a metal ornament had been sitting on the hearth for several years. I treated these with Tile Doctor Rust Away which is a specialist product for removing rust stains from tile and stone after a few applications the stain was gone.

Sealing a Limestone Fireplace Hearth

After we had cleaned the fireplace up to the satisfaction of the client we used a smail dryer to dry everything out so that we could finish the job and seal the fireplace the same day. Once the stone moisture levels were at the correct level the Limestone Fireplace was sealed using three coats of Tile doctor Ultra-Seal leaving twenty minutes between coats.

Ultra-Seal is a no-sheen product that impregnates the pores of the stone protecting from within without changing the look of the stone thereby leaving it with a natural appearance. I’m please to say our efforts paid off and the Limestone Fireplace and Hearth is now stain free and looking like new.

Limestone Fireplace After Rust Stain Removal Chelmsford

Limestone Fireplace After Flood Stain Removal Chelmsford

Dye Stained Limestone Fireplace and Hearth Restoration in Chelmsford

Cleaning a Flood Stained Limestone Fireplace in Chelmsford Read More »

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before and After Renovation Bishop Stortford Essex

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Clean and Seal in Bishop Stortford

1 Comment / Bishop's Stortford Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work History / Dean Copping / Barn Conversion, Bishop Stortford, Clean, Essex, Floor, Grout Cleaning, kitchen, Seal, Terracotta, tile cleaning, Tiled

We had a request to visit a beautiful Barn conversion on the Essex side of the market town of Bishop Stortford, the lady of the house was concerned about her Terracotta tiled Kitchen Floor which was dirty and had become difficult to maintain.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Clean and Seal in Bishop Stortford

After taking look I could see that the sealer had worn down and was no longer preventing dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores of the Terracotta tile. This is a common problem with Terracotta which needs a sealer in place if you want to keep the floor looking its best. I recommended we strip off what was left of the old sealer, give the floor a thorough clean and then re-seal it over the course of two days. As it turns out the floor had not been cleaned and resealed in ten years, so my client was happy for me to do the work.

Deep Cleaning Terracotta Floor Tiles

The first step was to strip the floor off any remaining sealer using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The solution was left so soak into the tiles for about twenty minutes before being scrubbed in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. At this point I also ran a stiff grout brush along the grout lines to get those clean as well.

The now soiled cleaning solution was rinsed with water and mopped off the floor. Any stubborn marks were then retreated using the same process and when I was happy that the floor was clean the floor was given a thorough rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product.

Having removed the old sealer and cleaned the tile and grout the next step was to apply a new sealer however the tiles needed to be dry to do. I decided therefore to seal the floor the following day and left an industrial air mover in place overnight to help dry out the tiles.

Sealing Terracotta Floor Tiles

Returning the next day to seal the floor I checked the floor first to make sure it was dry. All was well, so I proceeded to seal the floor starting with a base coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tiles, protecting them from within whilst simultaneously enhancing the colours in the tile.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Clean and Seal in Bishop Stortford

Once the Colour Grow had dried I followed up with three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which like Colour Grow is a fully breathable sealer that lets moisture rise through the floor. Colour Grow however is a Matt sealer whereas Seal and Go adds a gives the floor a nice sheen.

Terracotta Floor Tile and Grout Cleaned and Sealed in North Kent

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Clean and Seal in Bishop Stortford Read More »

Slate Tiles Before and After Restoration in Thaxted

Lustre Restored to Dirty Slate Tiles in Thaxted

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Saffron Walden Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Dean Copping / Acid Wash, Dirty, Dri-Pod floor dryer, Essex, Floor, Grout Haze, Grout Smears, kitchen, Pressure Washed, Slate, Spinning Tool, Thaxted, Tiled

The single most important thing you need to do after having a new natural stone floor installed is to seal the tiles. The sealant acts as a barrier of protection for the stone against ingrained dirt, so without it the floor will become very difficult to keep clean.

This is the exact problem faced by my recent customer, who lives in the town of Thaxted in North Essex. Thaxted is a very historic place with over 1000 years of history and several fantastic medieval houses. The Slate kitchen tiles in the property had not been sealed after installation and, despite Slate being naturally durable and hard wearing, the tiles had quickly become dull and difficult to keep clean.

Despite valiant efforts at a DIY restoration, the customer required our professional assistance with deep cleaning and sealing the tiles to restore them back to their best condition.

Slate Tiled Floor Thaxted Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Dirty Slate Tiled Floor

To begin the cleaning process, I applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go across the floor and scrubbed it in using a slow speed rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. Remove and Go is a multi-purpose product: it strips away any old sealer, adhesive and paint stains, and draws out ingrained stains and removes heavy soil build-up. The resulting slurry was then removed using a wet-vac machine.

Next, I focused my attention on the dirty grout lines, treating them with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was then scrubbed in along the grout line using a stiff brush.

There was still evidence of some grout haze on the stone following installation some years back so the floor was then treated to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is a concentrated phosphoric acid cleaner designed to life grout smears haze (smears).

Once done I pressure washed the floor using a specialised spinning tool which blasts the tiles and grout with water to remove ingrained dirt from the most difficult-to-reach areas in the stone. The water is subsequently vacuumed back into a holding tank in my van without causing any splashing or overspill.

Sealing a Slated Tiled Floor

The customer was keen for the restoration to be finished within the space of a single day, so I installed a few Dri-Pod floor dryers to get the floor dry and ready to be sealed in no time. We typically leave at least 24 hours for these types of floors to dry naturally, but in this scenario the floor dryers were able to remove any excess moisture.

To complete the restoration, I applied four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra to the floor to seal it. This a special acrylic-based sealer that protects the stone and allows for moisture vapour transmission. The makes it ideal for situations in which no damp proof membrane has been installed.

The addition of the sealer gave the floor a beautiful lustre – as you can see from the photos below – and will make the floor much easier to keep clean in the future. After months of difficulty, the customer was over the moon that the floor had finally been restored to its peak condition.

Slate Tiled Floor Thaxted After Cleaning

Professional Restoration of a Dirty Slate Tiled Floor in Essex

Lustre Restored to Dirty Slate Tiles in Thaxted Read More »