Burnishing Pads Archives - Tile Doctor Lancashire

Black Limestone Floor Renovation in Lancaster

Clean and Seal of a Black Limestone Kitchen Floor in Lancaster

This customer from Lancaster contacted us about cleaning and sealing what they thought was a Blue Slate kitchen floor. Having spoke to them over the phone I arranged to pop over and survey the floor to get a better understanding of the work that needed to be done. Lancaster is a few miles South of our base in Carnforth and I’m always passing though.

Having visited the property I was able to confirm that the floor wasn’t Slate but Black Limestone which is notoriously high maintenance due to its acid sensitivity. I mentioned this and they were quite surprised as it had only been laid a few years earlier and it was sold as Black Slate. The two materials do look identical, but if you drop a small amount of something acidic on Black Limestone the stone fizzes and turns Grey and White.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Lancaster

The big problem with Black Limestone is unlike Slate its very porous, this is why you see Slate being used for roof tiling and is still popular covering even to this day. Also, its very acid sensitive, so even Tea, Coffee, Juice, or Wine can mark it, so although popular in gardens it’s certainly not a stone we would recommend for use in a kitchen or bathroom.
Another problem you have is Black Limestone contains natural oils and it’s the oil that gives it that beautiful black colour. Once the oil is washed out of the stone over time or through the use of acidic cleaning products it leaves the stone looking grey and unattractive. This can be resolved however using an oil-based sealer but it is more expensive than a regular stone sealer.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Lancaster

This stone is still workable though, so it’s not all bad news, with the right treatment it can look as good as the day it was laid (if not better) so I came up with a renovation plan that would do exactly that. They were happy to have the work done so we scheduled a date for the work to start.

Cleaning a Black Slate Floor Tiled Kitchen Floor

We find the best way to renovate floors like this is to use coarse diamond pads that can cut into the stone remove any surface damage, contaminates, old sealers and generally leave the stone very clean.

With this floor I started with a very coarse 50-grit DRB pad which is run several times over each stone using only water to lubricate the process. The process generates a lot of soiling and loose sediment that has to be rinsed off the floor with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum. Once this is done the process is repeated with a 100 and then 200-grit pad which together effectively re-hone the stone and remove any scratches caused by the previous pad. A dilution of Remove and Go was also used with the 200-grit pad to ensure the tiles were clean and any remaining sealer not caught by the pads had been removed.

The last step on the first day was to re-point the stone tiles where needed to remove failed and crumbling mortar. This was then left to set hard overnight so we could continue with the renovation the next day.

On day two we followed up the renovation of the stone by moving onto finer Burnishing pads starting with a 400-grit diamond pad applied in the same way and rinsing and extracting afterwards. This was followed by the application of an 800 and then 1500-grit pad to further refine and improve the stone.

Sealing a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day the Black Limestone was sealed with a coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal which is the Oil based sealer I mentioned earlier. It brings out the true colour of this stone and the seal leaves a sheen appearance to give a very appealing finish. We find one coat is usually enough for this sealer as it’s a lot thicker that other sealers.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor During Sealing Lancaster

Before leaving I talked through aftercare cleaning with two buckets and the importance of using a pH Neutral cleaning product. We recommend avoiding steam cleaners and not to use cheap bleach or acidic cleaning products which can damage the sealer with repeated use.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor After Renovation Lancaster

We always encourage feedback from customers, and I’m pleased to be able to quote the following message they left on our feedback system:

Great service very organised and professional service would highly recommend

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor After Renovation Lancaster

Professional Restoration of a Black Limestone Kitchen Floor in Lancashire

Clean and Seal of a Black Limestone Kitchen Floor in Lancaster Read More »

Terrazzo Floor Renovation Beziers France

Renovating a Large Terrazzo Tiled Floor in Béziers France

The English owner of a French Chateau contacted Tile Doctor about the hard floors at their property in Béziers in the South of France. There were several floors at the property including Terrazzo, Limestone and Black and White Encaustic tiles all around a hundred years old and in a bad state of repair. There was a lot to cover so for this post we will focus on the Terrazzo flooring.

Terrazzo Floor Before Renovation Beziers France

We have been known to carry out tile renovation work in other counties so we were more than happy to consider a visit to the South of France and help bring the floors back to life. Previous overseas projects have included a hotel restaurant in Addis Ababa, holiday cottages in Ireland and a villa in France.

Luckily for us the customer had invested in some machinery that he had found on eBay but he didn’t have the technical knowledge to do the work and so had decided to seek help. Having discussed each of the floors in detail over the phone and with photographs sent via email I worked out a restoration plan for each floor.

We supplied the products he needed and we were flown down from Manchester to Béziers Cap d’Agde Airport where we were picked up by the client, (very Hollywood). If you have never been to Béziers before it’s well worth a visit, it’s a beautiful area, well laid out, with parks and rivers, an old 12th Century Monastery and the property had great views all around.

Tile Doctor Floor Renovation Bezier

Deep Cleaning and Filling Terrazzo Flooring in Béziers France

On arrival at the property work started with setting up the machinery and conducting some preliminary cleaning tests to work out the best approach. After that however our host insisted on showing us round Béziers, it was a Saturday afternoon and we were in the South of France so why not, they certainly know how to live properly down there.

Terrazzo Floor Before Renovation Beziers France

So, work started on the Sunday with the application of a 200-grit Milling pad and Oxy-Gel cleaning solution. I was concerned (due to some hairline cracks in the Terrazzo) that water would seep through into the rooms below (this was a big old townhouse set on four levels) so by using a gel-based product it would be easier to control and the moisture would be kept to a minimum.

Terrazzo Floor During Cleaning Oxy-Gel Beziers France

The resultant soiling was then extracted with a wet vacuum and attention moved to filling the cracks in the Terrazzo with a resin filler. Once the resin had cured the floor was cleaned again, this time with a 200-grit DRB Milling pad which contains diamond segments. The process was lubricated with water and progress was checked underneath several times to ensure the pad was working as expected.

Terrazzo Floor During Renovation Beziers France

Polishing a Terrazzo Floor in Béziers France

This work continued with increasingly finer diamond encrusted burnishing pads starting with a 400-grit Diamond burnishing pad and moving up to an 800-grit and finishing with a 1500-grit pad. Only water was used for lubrication and the soiling was extracted with a wet vacuum after each pad was applied. This method slowly improves the surface of the Terrazzo adding a long-lasting polished appearance.

The floor was left to dry overnight and the following day treated to a spray burnish using a very fine 3000 grit burnishing pad; the pad is applied dry to the floor with only a little amount of water which is sprayed onto the surface.

Sealing Terrazzo Flooring in Béziers France

This final 3000-grit pad leaves the floor dry and allows the floor to be sealed shortly afterwards. The sealer chosen for the Terrazzo was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnator which works by soaking into the pores preventing dirt from residing there. Sealing the floors keeps the dirt and other contaminates on the surface where it can be easily removed.

Two coats of Colour Grow were applied and this brought out the lovely pink tones in the Terrazzo which together with the polished appearance really transformed the appearance of the floor.

Terrazzo Floor After Cleaning Beziers France

For aftercare cleaning I got the customer to purchase a five-litre bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner along with the other products. You must be careful what you clean sealed floors with as many products contain bleach and are simply too strong resulting in the premature degradation of the sealer.

We spent the whole week at the property and as well as working on the other floors did find time to do some more sightseeing before flying back the following weekend.

Professional Renovation of a Terrazzo Flooring in France

Renovating a Large Terrazzo Tiled Floor in Béziers France Read More »

Geometric Victorian Tiled Kitchen Floor Restored Clitheroe

1920 Geometric Victorian Floor Fully Restored in Clitheroe

1 Comment / Preston Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Russell Taylor

This property in Clitheroe dates to the 1920’s and the current owner wanted to have original Victorian Tiles in the Kitchen restored in time for the installation of new units. You can see form the photographs that the old tiles were in quite a state with 100 years of grime and some parts of the floor were missing large sections of tiling altogether.

Geometric Victorain Tile Before Restoration Clitheroe

It was clearly going to be a big project with lots of tiling required however unphased by the complexity I was happy to do the work and looked forward to seeing it completed with a new kitchen fitted. The work would need to be completed in two parts starting with the reconstruction and initial cleaning of the floor and then returning after the new kitchen units had been fitted to finish the restoration.

Restoring a 1920’s Victorian Floor in Clitheroe Part 1

On our first visit to the property the tiles were given the first of what would be several deep cleans. This involved soaking the tiles in a strong concentration of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, leaving it to soak in for ten minutes and then working the solution into the floor using a 200-grit diamond encrusted burnishing pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine. The cleaning solution soon turned black with the dirt that was flushed out of the tile, this was then rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The initial clean had to be repeated several times to get the tiles in a reasonable condition. Then with the initial clean completed attention was turned to the tiling work which involved relaying large sections of tiles that would be hidden by the new units to the other parts of the floor where there were none. The location of the new units had been marked out with black tape so we were able to identify where we could lift tiles from. Doing it this way rather than using replacements meant that the whole floor would be original and in keeping with the 100-year-old building.

Geometric Victorain Tile During Restoration Clitheroe

This work took several days and once complete the floor was left covered to protect it whilst the new kitchen was being fitted.

Restoring a 1920’s Victorian Floor in Clitheroe Part 2

On our return a few weeks later, it had become apparent that the design of the kitchen had changed slightly so more tiling work was needed to rectify the problem. Once done the second part of the clean was carried out with a focus on the White tiles which were proving very stubborn to get White again.

The customer wanted it perfect as did we, but I had stated from the outset that with tiles of this age and an unknown history it would be impossible to guarantee the outcome and this is more likely with White and the Sand coloured tiles which are more liable to staining. You will see on the after photos some of the White tiles are more off White in colour which I can assure you this isn’t due to a lack of effort on our part and when it comes to taking on old flooring like this one, there’s only so much cleaning we can do until you realised that this is the best it will get. Fact is you don’t know for sure how well these types of job are going to go until you get stuck in and sometimes even a small pre-test clean can be very misleading and this is what was proven to be the case here.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

With the cleaning completed the next step was to apply a sealer to the tiles to protect them from further staining and ingrained dirt. To do this a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied. This product is a fully breathable sealer which restores the colour and allows for the floor to breathe, which is an absolutely necesity on an old floor like this one which will not have a damp proof membrane installed.

Geometric Victorain Tile After Restoration Clitheroe

As you can see from the photographs the Kitchen was completely transformed by the time we had finished. The customer was happy with the overall result and the White tiles although not perfect showed a lot of character befitting their age.

For aftercare we always advise our customers to use Tile Doctor pH Neutral tile cleaner as it’s specially designed for cleaning sealed surfaces without damaging the sealer which can be the case with stronger bleach-based floor cleaning products you find in supermarkets many of which contain bleach and are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

1920 Geometric Victorian Floor Fully Restored in Clitheroe Read More »

Honed Travertine Kitchen Floor Renovated in Preston

Renovating a Large Stained Travertine Tiled Floor in Preston

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Preston Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning / Russell Taylor

This customer in Preston in Lancashire had just moved into a house with a large 60m2 Travertine tiled floor that was installed throughout most of the ground floor. Travertine is a lovely stone but the previous owner had not maintained the sealer on the tiles and as a result it now looked grubby and there was a lot of dirt ingrained in the tiles leaving black staining, especially in the Kitchen.

Honed Unfilled Travertine Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Preston

This is a common problem with all natural stone floors, some are hardier than others but without a protective barrier in place they will attract dirt as the sealer become worn off. The new owner was seriously considering having the tiles ripped up, fortunately however they came across our service and decided to try having them renovated first.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Floor

To get the stone clean and bring back the beautiful appearance of the Travertine I used several diamond burnishing pads which are run over the tiles with water for lubrication. The first was a coarse 200-grit pad which is fitted to a rotary floor machine and buffed into the stone in a circular motion. This process generates a lot of slurry which is then rinsed off afterwards and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Honed Unfilled Travertine Kitchen Floor During Renovation Preston

This process was then repeated using finer burnishing pads and continued with a 400-grit, 800-grit and finally a 1500-grit, again each pad was run over the tiles several times and then the slurry extracted as before. It’s a completely abrasive process with no other products needed and the result is a sealer and dirt-free tile.

At this point I inspected the floor to see if the pads had been able to clean up the grout as well as the tile. Pads can struggle to reach down into the recess so I often find more work is needed on the grout. As suspected the Travertine had responded well to the treatment however it was clear the grout would need more work and was still stained black in places.

Normally use a grout cleaning product called Tile Doctor Pro-Clean for the grout but on this occasion, I felt something stronger would be needed. So, on this occasion I applied undiluted Tile Doctor Remove and Go along the grout lines and left it to soak in for ten minutes. It was then scrubbed in by hand, rinsed off and the soil remove with the wet vacuum. The grout cleaning had worked a treat and happy with the condition of the floor it was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next morning time was spent filling in holes (aka pitting) in the Travertine with colour matching grout before running over the whole floor with a very fine 3000-grit polishing pad to further bring up the appearance of the stone. This is done using a little water sprayed onto the tile a process we call a spray burnish.

Spray burnishing also leaves the floor dry and ready to be sealed. The owner wanted the Travertine to look as natural as possible so two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal were applied. This is an impregnating sealer which is recommended for use on polished stone and for use in kitchens.

Honed Unfilled Travertine Kitchen Floor After Renovation Preston

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and how important it is to avoid the use of strong cleaning products (especially bleach) on Travertine, not only will it degrade the sealer but can also harm the stone. For the regular cleaning of sealed Travertine, I recommend using Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle but effective cleaner that also helps maintain the patina.

Professional Renovation of a Travertine Floor Tiles in Lancashire

Renovating a Large Stained Travertine Tiled Floor in Preston Read More »