Lancaster

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 »

Red And Black Victorian Tiled Floor Dorchester Pattern Restoration Lancaster

Dorchester Pattern Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration in Lancaster

This is a Red and Black Victorian tiled floor laid in a Dorchester pattern at a property in Lancaster. The owner has only just bought the property which dates to the 1890s and this floor had previously been covered in carpet which had started to smell and leave a pungent aroma in the air.

Red And Black Victorian Tiled Floor Dorchester Pattern Before Cleaning Lancaster

Once the carpet had been removed and the Victorian floor allowed to breathe and dry out the smell disappeared. This is the right course of action with old floors which were laid without a damp proof membrane, floors of this age need to breathe and allow moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface, carpets and underlay prevent this.

Red And Black Victorian Tiled Floor Dorchester Pattern Before Cleaning Lancaster

The damp issues had resulted in efflorescent salts being deposited on the surface of some of the tiles and this is an important consideration when cleaning the floor. Salts and damp go together, so the more water we use the more salts will come through after the floor has been cleaned. Additionally using an alkaline cleaner such as Tile Doctor Pro Clean or Remove and Go this will further increase the alkalinity of the floor and cause yet more salt issues so a different approach is required.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Naturally I didn’t want to exacerbate the moisture problems by using liquid products to clean the floor, so I used a low, moisture cleaning technique. This involves applying Tile Doctor Acid Gel as the main cleaning agent and working it in with a 200-grit milling pad fitted to a rotary machine. The gel keeps the moisture level low, and it is a very effective cleaning product and being an acid will neutralise the salts in the floor and keep the pH level at the correct balance. Once done the floor was briefly rinsed with water and all the soils extracted with a wet vacuum.

Red And Black Victorian Tiled Floor Dorchester Pattern During Cleaning Lancaster

The floor was left to dry off overnight then I called back the following day to see how it had faired. There were some areas where efflorescent salts had appeared, so I spot treated these areas with more Acid Gel and then scrubbed and rinsed with water using the wet vacuum again to remove as much moisture as possible. You will see on the photos how soft the salt was and I was able to scrape it off without too much difficulty, however if left untreated this salt would harden into a crystalline structure and become more difficult to remove.

Red And Black Victorian Tiled Floor Dorchester Pattern Efflorescencent Salt Removal Lancaster

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To make sure the sealer would cope with the damp floor I applied a thin coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal to several areas before leaving. The decision on which type of sealer to apply was influenced by the damp issues as the moisture needs to be able to evaporate at the surface, so it is important to select a fully breathable sealer.

Red And Black Victorian Tiled Floor Dorchester Pattern After Cleaning Lancaster

I called back the following day and the floor was more settled, and the sealer had fully cured, the client gave his thumbs up and we continued sealing the floor with one coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is fully breathable.

Red And Black Victorian Tiled Floor Dorchester Pattern After Cleaning Lancaster

Once completed the floor was transformed and worked well with other period features in the property. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of a Neutral PH cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Clean.

 

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

Dorchester Pattern Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Restoration in Lancaster Read More »

Indian Sandstone Patio Deep Cleaned in Lancaster

Large Indian Sandstone Patio Renovated in Lancaster

The picture below is of an Indian Sandstone Patio at a property in Lancaster which has turned green with algae and lichens from the surrounding bushes etc. It had been a while since it was properly cleaned and was likely to get worse over winter and slippery. You can see from the photograph that the beautiful stone was unrecognisable and clearly overdue a deep clean.

Indian Sandstone Patio Before Cleaning Lancaster

You would be right in thinking that Tile Doctors mainly work on internal floors but in fact were just as happy working outside as in, assuming the weather stays fine of course. In fact, we love working on driveways and patios as it’s nice to work outside for a change. We also have solutions for most problems including blackspot and deep-seated dirt.

Deep Cleaning an Indian Sandstone Patio in Lancaster

On arrival I started by power washing to remove as much dirt as possible, this was then rinsed off and the Sandstone inspected. I the sprayed the patio with Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner and left it to soak in and get to work for about half an hour. The patio was then scrubbed with a rotary machine fitted with a carbide brush. This process removes the deep-seated dirt and staining. The whole patio was then rinsed again to remove the soiling.

We have had some good weather this summer and so it wasn’t long before it had dried and I was able to inspect the patio and repeat the process focusing on the stubborn staining and to make sure the black spots were removed. To treat the Blackspot, I applied more Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner directly to the affected areas and left it to get to work before hand-scrubbing it in. To be thorough I also looked for paint stains which can happen during the decorating of window frames, sills, and doors; I didn’t find any in this case but if I had I usually treat them using Tile Doctor Remove and Go.

Sealing an Indian Sandstone Patio in Lancaster

We don’t usually seal external tile and stone (unless it’s a Black Limestone or Marble), the reason being that the weather in Lancaster is very variable with hot weather in the summer (record breaking this year) down to minus ten degrees in winter.

Outdoor sealers can cope with these temperatures but will break down outside of their tolerant range, also its important to apply sealers when bone dry as any moisture trapped in the stone or tile could freeze and breakdown the sealer prematurely. If this happens you have no option but the take off all the existing sealer and start again, because of this we have concluded that for most external stone and tiles it’s best to just power wash them clean once or twice a year.

Indian Sandstone Patio After Cleaning Lancaster

Once done the natural beauty of the Indian Sandstone came through and the patio was transformed much to the delight of the owner.

 

Professional Restoration of an Indian Sandstone Paved Patio in Lancashire

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Victorian Black and Red Floor Restoration Lancaster Lancashire

Original Red & Black Victorian Tiled Floor Fully Restored in Lancaster

This old Red and Black Victorian tiled floor at a property in Lancaster was in a bit of a state and had numerous issues that needed resolving as part of the restoration. This included dealing with an old, tiled fireplace hearth, but as the fireplace had been removed years ago it was now a bit of an eyesore as it did not match the rest of the floor.

Victorian Black and Red Floor Before Cleaning Lancaster

Additionally, some of the tiles had been ripped up along one edge of the floor to make way for a gas pipe, but this was now capped off. This area would need replacement tiles matching the original to be sourced and put in place.

Victorian Black and Red Floor Before Cleaning Lancaster

Lastly the whole Quarry tiles floor had previously been covered in carpet so there were adhesive stains all over the floor, not to mention the ingrain dirt that had accumulated in the tile itself.

Victorian Black and Red Floor Before Cleaning Lancaster

We specialise in restoring old Victorian tiled floors like this one and you will find lots of examples of this sort of work on our website. Our service is quite unique as we generally find other companies either offer a cleaning service or just a repair service; Tile Doctors on the other hand offer a full solution.

Removing Carpet Adhesive from a Victorian Tiled Floor

The first job was to remove the carpet glue and old splashes of paint which we tackled by spraying the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. Designed for use on tile and stone this product is a coatings remover combined with a cleaning agent. This was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before it was worked in with a coarse 200-grit pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine. The floor was rinsed with water and then an industrial wet vacuum extracted all the soils away.

Stubborn marks were retreated and then once happy with the initial clean the tiles were treated to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. Not only does this product remove old grout smears from the tiles it also helps to restore the natural pH of the floor after the use of an alkaline cleaner such as Remove and Go. The acid in this product also slightly etches the clay tile which will allow for a better bond with the sealer later.

Lastly, I had noticed evidence of efflorescent salt staining which is a common issue on old Victorian floors that don’t have a damp proof membrane. It’s caused by salts being carried up through the floor as moisture evaporates from the subfloor and results in unsightly white salt deposits being left on the surface of the tile. An acidic cleaning product such as Grout Clean-up can counter the alkaline salts but for best results, we like to use Tile Doctor Acid Gel, it’s a slightly stronger product and being a gel allows it to sit in place for longer. After finishing the floor, it was given another rinse with water to remove any trace of product and then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

A lot of water was used in the cleaning process, so the floor was left for four days before returning to add the sealer. For best results, It’s not a good idea to apply sealer to a damp floor and to avoid any doubt use a damp meter to obtain a moisture reading and compare it with one taken before cleaning.

To seal the floor two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied, this is a fully breathable sealer and if the salts do come back this sealer will let the efflorescence breathe through to the surface where it can be easily mopped off the floor, we use Tile Doctor Concentrated Neutral Cleaner for this.

Victorian Black and Red Floor After Restoration Lancaster

In the after pictures, you will see the difference we have made to this floor, bringing it back to its former glory, the house was built in 1901 so the floor is original and that makes it 120 years old. not all floors would look this good after that length of time.

Victorian Black and Red Floor After Restoration Lancaster

 

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Floor in Lancashire

Original Red & Black Victorian Tiled Floor Fully Restored in Lancaster Read More »

Victorian Hallway Floor Before After Restoration Lancaster

Yellow and Black Victorian Hallway Floor Tiling Restored in Lancaster

I thought I would share this case history of a Yellow and Black Victorian Tiled floor that we worked on at a large house in Lancaster last year. It’s a great example of the typical problems we face with old Victorian floors, especially around door thresholds where the transition between the different foundation invariable cause problems.

I didn’t know the full history of the floor, but it was now in quite a state and recent renovation work had left the floor unstable with loose and cracked tiles. The tiles needed to be removed and then the damaged subfloor carefully scraped out and replaced. Once that was done the floor would need relaying and then cleaned and sealed so everything would blend in.

After visiting the property and providing a quotation we were given the go ahead and agreed a date to do the work.

Repairing a Yellow and Black Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

We returned on the agreed date and set about carefully removing the loose and cracked Victorian tiles and put them aside for later use. Some would need replacing however this would not present a problem and they are still widely available, and I have several contacts I can turn to for this.

Yellow and Black Victorian Tile Floor During Restoration Lancaster

Once this was done and the subfloor exposed and cleaned up, I used self-levelling cement to bring the floor level up and in-line with the existing. This now needed to set hard, so the rest of the day was spent cleaning up the tiles we removed earlier with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and Pro-clean. Our goal is to reuse as many of the original tiles as possible to preserve the heritage of the floor.

The next day with the new subfloor set it was ready for tiling. This involves laying out the tiles first without adhesive carefully cutting and fitting new tiles as needed to maintain the overall pattern of the floor. Once I was happy the tiles were moved to a board and then fitted with fresh adhesive.

Yellow and Black Victorian Tile Floor During Restoration Lancaster

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I came back on day three with the aim of cleaning the floor so it could be sealed however whilst inspecting my new tiling I was disappointed to discover some were not as level as I had hoped. I had noticed the replacement tiles were not the same thickness as the originals the previous day but I had worked around this by using different levels of adhesive, clearly this plan was not as effective as I had hoped for.

To counter this problem, I used a set of 50-Grit, 100-grit and then 200-grit diamond pads in sequence to mill the floor flat and remove the lippage between them. This is done with water to lubricate the process and a weighted floor buffer. The pads generate a lot of slurry and so you need to rinse this off with more water and extract all the soil after each pad.

I followed this up with various Diamond burnishing pads of increasingly finer grits across the whole floor until we achieved a consistent finish and had the added benefit of getting the whole floor clean. More water is used to rinse the tiles after burnishing and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum as before. Once done and inspected the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Large Victorian Tiled Floor

Tile Doctor Colour Grow was applied to enhance the appearance of the tiles and protect them going forward. This product copes well with damp which can always be a problem with old floors like this one with no damp proof membrane present.

Yellow and Black Victorian Tile Floor After Restoration Lancaster

The floor looked amazing when finished and our attention to detail had really paid off, in fact you simply could not tell we had done any tiling work or replaced any tiles. For aftercare I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is designed for the regular cleaning of sealed tiles.

Yellow and Black Victorian Tile Floor After Restoration Lancaster

 

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

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Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Before After Clean Seal Lancaster

Renovation of a Black Slate Kitchen Floor in Lancaster

The photographs below are of a dull and dirty Black Slate floor that I was recently asked to renovate at a property in the City of Lancaster which is a few miles south of our base in Carnforth.

Black Slate Floor Before Renovation Lancaster

Slate isn’t very porous which is why you often find it being used as roofing; however, this means any sealer applied is primarily active on the surface where it is more prone to wear from foot traffic. Regular cleaning with a pH neutral tile cleaner combined with topping up the sealer every 12 to 18 months will make the sealer last a lot longer. This rarely happens though and once a sealer has been worn off dirt will begin to penetrate the stone making it difficult to clean and dull.

In this case my client explained that the sealer had been applied by the tiler a few years ago and that they had been using washing up liquid to clean the floor. pH levels for washing up liquids vary but the most popular product has a pH level of 9 which is far too acidic for use on a sealed tile and slowly stripped the sealer away. I discussed with the client the process for renovating the slate floor, agreed a price for the work and arranged to come back a few weeks later.

Cleaning a Black Slate Floor Tiled Kitchen Floor

To renovate the floor, I first attached a coarse 200-grit Diamond pad to a buffing machine and ran it over the floor using water as a lubricant. This removed what was left of the old sealer deep cleaned the stone. The Grout was then scrubbed with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and the floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected, and stubborn areas were spot treated with a little Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was sprayed on and left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in and rinsed off.

We finished the clean with a 400-Grit diamond padf followed by an Acid Wash with Grout Clean-Up, this left the Slate with a slightly acidic pH which helps bond the new sealer and counters the alkaline pH of the floor following the use of alkaline cleaning products.

Sealing a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before we sealed the whole floor, we always do some damp testing to make sure it is dry before sealing. This was an old floor with no damp proof membrane underneath so it needed to be very dry before we could apply the sealer.

Black Slate Floor Moisture Testing Before Sealing Lancaster

The client wanted a very high gloss finish, so we applied four coats of Tile Doctor High Shine sealer which is an acrylic sealer ideal for achieving this affect. If the floor wasn’t fully dry, we would have left it another day or two, but we find you can often speed up the drying process with the use of a dehumidifier and some air blowers.

Black Slate Floor During Renovation Lancaster

The client was very happy with the transformation in the Black Slate floor, they had looked dull and drab for quite a while and it was refreshing to see them look like new again. They also felt more confident that now they understood what had caused the problem and would be better able to maintain the floor going forward.

Black Slate Floor After Renovation Lancaster

 

Professional Restoration of a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Lancashire

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Quarry Tiled Floor Before After Renovation Lancaster

Old Quarry Tiled Floor Repaired and Renovated in Lancaster

The pictures below are taken from a property in Lancaster which had two areas of tiled flooring that needed work, one Quarry tiled and the other an original Victorian tiled hallway which was over 100 years old.

We often get called out to restore broken tiles, replace missing pieces and then do a clean and seal afterwards to make it all look as good as possible. Tile Doctor covers both areas and our aim is to restore a tiled floor to its best possible condition, ideally making it look new or at least as close to new as is feasible with an old floor.

Quarry Tiled Floor Lancaster Before Repair

Repairing a Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancaster

The focus of this article will be the renovation of the Quarry tiled floor which required a lot of tiling work due to cracked and missing tiling. This presents a problem as it can be difficult to find exact match replacements, especially when the floor has been down for some time. There are a few companies that specialise in reproduction Victorian tiles however Quarry tiles don’t have a dedicated store or website where we can get matching tiles. In this case the client had scoured the internet and hunted down replacements which came close to matching the original.

Quarry Tiled Floor Lancaster During Repair
The first step in repairing a tiled floor is to carefully remove any damaged tiles and, in this case, there were quite a few. The exposed area is the cleaned of old adhesive and grout and the subbase is made good where required. Next the replacement tiles are laid onto a base of new rapid set flexible floor adhesive, I prefer to use a flexible adhesive as it will allow for any further moment in the floor. Once the adhesive had set the tiles were grouted in and we then left floor to fully set overnight.

Deep Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancaster

I came back the next day with our cleaning equipment and products to get the floor clean which should help blend the new tile in with the original.

I started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the Quarry tiles and then scrubbed it in with a rotary floor machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Pro-Clean is a strong and effective alkaline cleaner which is safe to use on Tile and Stone and unlike acid wont damage the clay. The cleaning solution soon turned black with the dirt that had been released from the old Quarry Tiles, so I gave the floor a rinse with water and extracted the soil with a wet vacuum.

The last job was to give the tiles a light acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, this isn’t a strong acid like the brick acid you find in DIY stores so it’s safe to use on most surfaces if it isn’t left for too long. The Grout Clean-up removes any old grout and minerals such as efflorescent salts from the Quarry tiles and is then rinsed off with water and extracted with the wet vacuum. The other advantage of giving the floor an acid rinse is it counters the alkaline cleaning products used earlier effectively neutralising the pH level of the tiles. Lastly the acid slightly etches the clay tile ensuring a much stronger bond with the sealer.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancaster

The Quarry tiled floor was then sealed with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a matt sealer that impregnates the pores of the clay enhancing colour in the process and effectively adding protection to the tile from within.

Quarry Tiled Floor Lancaster After Repair
The quarry tiled floor looked much cleaner and fresher following the work, the cracked tiles were gone, and our customer was pleased with transformation we had managed to achieve.

 

Professional Restoration of an Old Quarry Tiled Floor in Lancashire

Old Quarry Tiled Floor Repaired and Renovated in Lancaster Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Before After Restoration Lancaster

Victorian Floor Tile Restoration Lancaster

We often get asked to restore old Victorian tiled floors which are generally over 100 to 150 years old and as I’m sure you can imagine they experience a lot of wear over that length of time.

Victorian floor tiles before restoration Lancaster

We recently visited a property with such a floor in Lancaster after the client got in touch looking to have their hallway floor tiles restored. We arrived to inspect the floor and could see straight away that it was looking a little tired and in need of care and attention. Some tiles had become loose and had broken apart, especially around the doorways. Also, this floor had suffered from subsidence in the past and this had created a crack line near the top end of the hallway which pushed up several of the tiles. We went through what could be done to restore it, the client agreed a price and we arranged a time to come back.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

My first task was to take the loose tiles up, grind the concrete screed back so it was as level as we could make it and then we needed to refit the tiles. Once all loose tiles were fixed, we left them to dry and cure.

Victorian floor tiles during restoration Lancaster

We then came back to start the main clean of the floor, we used Tile Doctor Diamond Burnishing pads for this, which bite in deep to the clay face and remove ingrained dirt far better than conventional alkaline cleaners can. We used a series of different grades of these diamond pads to get the finish we required and then rinsed with clean water once were finished, removing the slurry created with a wet vacuum.

Any areas we couldn’t reach with our weighted buffing machines we had to get on our hands and knees and use small handheld Diamond Blocks, using a bit of clean water and elbow grease, this is especially good on intricate edges and around doors and corners.

Victorian floor tiles during restoration Lancaster

The floor was given a quick rinse with water to remove any remaining clay resin and soil generated by the burnishing process. A wet vacuum is then used to extract the soil and remove as much moisture from the floor before being left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before we seal the Victorian Tiles, they looked very dull and washed out however this all changes once we apply the sealer. We checked the moisture levels in the floor which were fine. Our favourite sealer for this type of tile is called Tile Doctor Colour Grow, this is a fully breathable sealer which restores the colour lost in the cleaning process and allows for the floor to breathe, which is an absolutely necesity on an old floor without a Damp Proof Membrane where Efflorescence can be an problem.

Tile Doctor Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the pores in the tile, so dirt cannot become ingrained there. It leaves a matt finish and enhances the colours in the tile bringing them to life, as you will see on the photos.

Victorian floor tiles after restoration Lancaster

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 like cheap supermarket cleaners that contain anionic surfactants.

The client was very pleased with the restoration of her floor which is now in good physical condition and looks much brighter.

 

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

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Renovating Victorian Tiles at Lancaster Garage

Renovating Old Victorian Floor Tiles at a Lancaster Garage

We don’t get many requests to clean garage floors but this particular floor was quite old and tiled in black and red Victorian tiles. Many would have just washed it down with a hose pipe however this garage in the city of Lancaster housed a classic British built AC sports car which doesn’t like getting dust in its Carburettor’s and as a result the owner was keen to have the floor restored.

Lancaster Garage AC Sports Car
You can see from the photograph below the floor was in quite a state and as such the whole floor needed a thorough deep clean to remove the ingrained dirt and grease and then sealing to protect it.

Lancaster Garage Victorian Tiled Floor Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Garage Floor

With the exception of moving the vehicle little preparation was required and we soon got on with the job starting with the application of a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-clean which is a great product for deep cleaning tile and grout. The solution was left to soak into the tile for ten or so minutes before being worked in with a buffing machine fitted with a black buffing pad. This soon lifted the dirt from the tile turning the cleaning solution into a dark fluid that was rinsed from the floor with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

With old floors like these where no damp proof course has been installed it’s not unusual to get white salt marks appearing which leave a white bloom on the surface of the tile. This problem is known as efflorescence however it can be treated early on by giving the floor a wash with a strong acid which removes the salts. So the next step was to apply a Tile Doctor Acid Gel which being in gel form makes it easy to control once it’s on the floor, naturally acids are not good in general for any floor so it was not left on the tiles for too long before being extracted.

Last step was to give the floor a good rinse with water to remove any remaining trace of cleaning products before sealing, once this was done we used the wet vacuum to suck up as much moisture from the floor as possible.

Because of the water that was used, we had to let the floor dry out for several days before the sealer could be applied, this is especially relevant in the winter months when the water tables are high and thus a longer time is required for drying. Modern floors have a damp proof membrane so drying out can take twelve hours or less.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Garage Floor

When we returned to seal the floor we first checked the floor was suitably dry by checking for dampness using a damp meter. The readings were good so several coats of a breathable sealer called Tile Doctor Colour Grow which has a matt finish was applied. I should mention that Colour Grow has good VMT (Vapour Moisture Transmission) properties that will ensure any trapped moisture can rise up through the tile and sealer, it also lifts the colours of the clay and gives its a deeper hue, in fact its one of our most popular sealers for these tiles. Having good VMT properties also means that is , Also if efflorescence do come back, the sealer allows the substance to breathe through and you can just wash off the crystals with a wetted mop.

Lancaster Garage Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning
Last photo is of the car being parked in the garage by the owner, happy in the knowledge his prized possession is now living in a clean environment.

Lancaster Garage Victorian Tiled Floor After Cleaning
 

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Floor

Renovating Old Victorian Floor Tiles at a Lancaster Garage Read More »

Victorian floor Tile Vestibule Lancaster Before and After

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored to New in Lancaster

Sometimes we get asked to do restore very small areas of tiles, while more usually we will restore large area of up to 30 metres squared. However, we don’t mind adding small jobs to our busy schedule, especially if it helps homeowners who are struggling to keep their tiles looking great.

Victorian floor Tile Vestibule Lancaster Before
A recent example of this was a small Victorian tiled doorway we restored at a property in Lancaster. It clearly had not seen a thorough clean or a fresh seal in a while, but with the right Tile Doctor cleaning products and methods. I knew I could restore its appearance very simply.

Victorian floor Tile Vestibule Lancaster Before

Cleaning a Dirty Victorian Tiled Doorway

It doesn’t take that long to restore a small floor, but it still needs to be cleaned and sealed over two days. This is because we use a very strong cleaning system which involves chemicals that need to be rinsed away, and the tiles need to dry completely before we apply the sealer.

Our process for cleaning Victorian tiles involves firstly the application of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to strip away any old and no longer effectual sealers. This exposes the stone and allows the cleaning products to penetrate and eliminate ingrained dirt and stains. Normally we would do this with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine however in this case due to the space restrictions it was easier to do it by hand with a scrubbing brush.

The tiles quickly began to regain their original character once the years of muck had been removed, but to complete the restoration they would also need to be sealed. First, however, they were left to dry completely overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Doorway

The next day, the Victorian tiles were ready to be sealed. Since there was was no damp proof membrane (DPM) present in the floor we need to use a fully breathable sealer and so for these tiles we used Tile Doctor Colour Grow to seal the tiles.

As a fully breathable sealer, Colour Grow will help ensure that the tiles won’t be affected by issues such as efflorescence where your left with white salt deposits on the surface of the tile, or damp issues which are very common with these old floors (the DPM is after all a fairly modern invention!)

Victorian floor Tile Vestibule Lancaster After
I’ve included a few photos to show the huge difference made over a couple of days. We’re always happy to restore these fantastic Victorian tiled floors, regardless of size and I have to say this customer was very happy with the results here.

Victorian floor Tile Vestibule Lancaster After
 

Professional Victorian Tiled Floor Restoration in Lancashire

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored to New in Lancaster Read More »

Indian sandstone floor Lancashire after restoration

Milling and Sealing a Large Indian Sandstone Tiled Floor Near Lancaster

Here we have a six year old Indian Sandstone tiled floor located a property on the outskirts of Lancaster. Measuring 100 metres squared, the very large floor had under floor heating in the concrete sub base. The type of stone used inside the property is what we commonly refer to as ‘patio Sandstone’, a material which is usually used outside because of its very rough texture. It’s not particularly comfortable to walk across in bare feet, hence why many people consider it be impractical for internal flooring.

Indian sandstone floor Lancashire before restoration
Nonetheless, the property owner was keen to make the rough textured floor as feet-friendly as possible for people walking over it. At Tile Doctor we have developed a process known as milling, which utilises diamond encrusted pads combined with a weighted rotary machine to smooth the rough surface, leaving it looking and feeling a lot nicer and more practical to live with. The milling process is only done once, but while the Sandstone will still need cleaning and sealing in the future, it won’t be nearly as difficult as when it was rough.

The job would take over two weeks to complete due to the fact that the existing grout needed to be removed and replaced with a flexible floor grout: a very time consuming process.

Milling an Indian Sandstone Tiled Floor

As mentioned, the surface of the Sandstone was very rough, and so needed to be milled down to make it a lot smoother to look after and make it easy to clean and seal. This was achieved by using Tile Doctor’s 50 Grit diamond encrusted burnishing pads, fitted to a weighed rotary machine and run along the entire surface area of the floor. Through this process the stone became much smoother and more aesthetic – completing one of our main objectives for the customer.

Indian sandstone floor Lancashire during restoration
Next, we started breaking out the already loose and badly applied grout with our grout removal tools. The builder who had installed the floor had used a sand/cement-based grout which wasn’t flexible. As a result, it started to crumble and loosen quite quickly after exposure to the underfloor heating. We removed this and replaced it with a far more flexible grout.

Indian sandstone floor Lancashire during restoration

Sealing an Indian Sandstone Tiled Floor

Once the whole area had been successfully milled and the grout replaced, the Sandstone floor was left to dry out over the weekend. Upon our return to the property, we cleaned off any dust and resin left over from the milling and grouting processes, before leaving it to dry for a further 24 hours.

Indian sandstone floor Lancashire after restoration
The next day we returned to seal the whole floor with two coats of our impregnating sealer Tile Doctor Colour Grow. The sealer fills the pores of the Sandstone to prevent ingrained dirt and stains, while also emphasising the natural colours in the stone. It also provides a robust matte finish, which is what the customer wished for.

Indian sandstone floor Lancashire after restoration
It wasn’t the easiest of processes to get the Indian Sandstone into a condition where it would be both suitable for internal flooring and aesthetically pleasing, but the results proved to be very much worth the time and effort invested. The customer was very pleased with the transformation.

Smoothing, Regrouting and Sealing a Rough Indian Sandstone Tiled Floor in Lancashire

Milling and Sealing a Large Indian Sandstone Tiled Floor Near Lancaster Read More »

Applying Anti Slip Treatment to Ceramic tiles in Lancaster After

Application of Anti-Slip Treatment at an Office Block

We recently had a request to take a look at the Ceramic floor tiles installed at a fairly new office building in Lancaster. Well over 300 people work at the builder and they all come and go via the entrance hall where ceramic tiles have been installed which when wet were very slippery. To confirm this we conducted a pendulum test which is a specially designed piece of certified equipment that measures the surface co-efficient of friction which basically is a recognised measure of how much traction a surface has. The testing is very detailed and the output is an official report that can be used for insurance purposes; the report came back high risk which was expected so no surprise there, the next step was to see how this could be improved.

Applying Anti-Slip Treatment to Ceramic tiles in Lancaster Before

Cleaning Porcelain Tiles ready for Anti-Slip treatment

As well as maintaining Tile and Stone Tile Doctor are also trained in the application of Anti-Slip treatments so we were asked to apply Anti-Slip to the 36m2 of Ceramic tiles in the entrance and rectify the problem. We do this by first getting the floor as clean as possible for which we use a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked into the floor with a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The dirty cleaning solution is removed using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed with clean water.

Applying Anti-Slip treatment to Porcelain tiles

The second step is to apply a Priming and Locking solution which is part of the treatment diluted one part solution to four parts water. This is then left to dry and once dry is followed by the application of the Anti-Slip treatment itself.

The third step in the treatment is to re-apply the diluted Priming and Locking solution before the floor fully dries out and it’s this last step that activates the treatment and locks it in place. There’s no need to wait for the floor to dry at this point it can be used immediately after the last step has been applied.

Applying Anti-Slip Treatment to Ceramic tiles in Lancaster During
Once completed we conducted another Pendulum test so this could be compare to the original test to see if there had been any improvement. I’m glad to report the treatment worked as expected and the latest report came back as low risk. The customer keeps this to prove to any potential insurance claimant that steps had been taken to make the floor as safe as possible. You might notice that floor looks much better as well.

Applying Anti-Slip Treatment to Ceramic tiles in Lancaster After
I should mention that the work was carried out outside of working hours so no disruption was made to the normal operation of the building.

Surface Friction improvement at Derbyshire Golf Club

Application of Anti-Slip Treatment at an Office Block Read More »

Honed Travertine Lancaster After

Resolving Honed Travertine Tiled Floor Installation Problems in Lancashire

This honed Travertine tiled floor was newly laid by a professional tiler in South Lancaster, unfortunately however the tiler mistook some white lines in the stone as resin post installation and tried very hard to remove them damaging the finish of the stone (it’s quite common for new stone to have this issue). The white marks turned out be in the stone itself and not on the surface, to complicate things further the Travertine had been laid onto electric under floor heating so it would have been tricky to lift and replace the tiles without compromising the expensive heating matts placed underneath the stone.

The customer was left in a dilemma as the suppliers of the stone were blaming the tiler and the tiler the supplier, the only option was to call out Tile Doctor. On inspection and after conducting two cleaning tests we managed to get a result with our burnishing system with no white lines showing after the Travertine had dried out.

Honed Travertine Lancaster Before

Stripping and Re-Polishing Travertine

To get the Travertine looking new again we had to strip back the surface of the tile using a set of Diamond Encrusted burnishing pads fitted to a rotary machine. You start with a coarse stripper pad with water to strip back the surface and then move onto the finer pads to polish the floor. We also use some grinding discs to remove scratches left behind by the kitchen fitters who were clumsy when fitting the kitchen.

Once I was happy that all the problems had been resolved with the Travertine tile we resealed it using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to get a nice overall finish for the floor. Colour grow is a great sealer to use on natural stone as now only will it offer good stain protection it brings out the colours in the stone.

Honed Travertine Lancaster After
 

Honed Travertine Tiled Floor Problems resolved in Lancaster

Resolving Honed Travertine Tiled Floor Installation Problems in Lancashire Read More »

Silver Pearl Milled Slate Lancaster After Cleaing and ReSealing

Cleaning and Milling Silver Pearl Pearlescent Slate floor in Lancaster

Previously I had solved a lippage problem on this customers Limestone kitchen floor where the tiler had laid the tiles unevenly and they had asked me to remove and level the edges which we can do with diamond encrusted burnishing pads. I sorted that out and they asked me back to look at their Conservatory floor as well which was a Silver Black Pearlescent Slate, again laid with lippage but the slate had also been oiled prior to sealing causing it to loose all its Silver colouring making it look black all over. It was at this point the customer shared the whole story of how the floor had been laid when she had been away on her holidays and had trusted the Tiler to do a good job; unfortunately he hadn’t and was unable to correct the problem. The floor was left in a sad and sorry state for a number of years and the owner unhappy with the floor had to cover most of the floor in rugs so she wouldn’t trip on the lippage. It probably would have stayed that way until one day they noticed my Tile Doctor Van in a Lancaster car park where they stopped me so to get my business card.

Silver-Pearl-Milled-Slate-Lancaster-Before-Cleaing.jpg
So a few days later I called round to assess the problem and came up with a solution; I offered to Mill the whole floor with Diamond segments using burnishing pads and just to prove my faith in this system to help solve her floor issues, I moved the settee away and proceeded to Mill a small section, after rinsing with water and Vaxing the waste up, the customer was delighted with the results, not only had the rough lippage disappeared but she could see the Silver Pearlescent colour shine through the Black Slate, which is exactly why she bought the Tiles. We think the Tiler oiled the floor to darken it so you couldn’t see what a bad job he had done on laying the tiles, unfortunately this didn’t stop people tripping over them.

The great thing about milling a stone tile is it actually improves the look not diminish it, unlike wood the more it’s worked at the better it will look. I spent an extra day on this floor to get it right for the customer and the results were very satisfying for us both especially after I had put down several coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go on The Slate to lift the colours in the stone and also add a sheen to the tiles as well.

Silver-Pearl-Milled-Slate-Lancaster-After-Cleaing-and-ReSealing.jpg
I always mention to my customers the importance of using a nuetral cleaner like PH Neutral cleaning product for aftercare cleaning and not to use a bleach based cleaning product like flash, Domestos etc, or even Washing up Liquid which is slightly Acidic; all these will damage a stone sealer given time and diminish it’s protective qualities.

Cleaning and Milling Silver Pearl Pearlescent Slate floor in Lancaster Read More »

Milled Sandstone Floor Lancaster After

Rough Sandstone floor milled in Lancaster

Sandstone is generally a rough textured surface requiring regular cleaning and sealing to keep it looking good, I’ve also known customers to complain that the rough texture can shred mops during regular cleaning. This Sandstone tiled floor installed in a house in Lancaster was no different and so with the owner’s approval we decided to gently grind the sandstone to produce a smoother more manageable surface. At Tile Doctor we refer to this process as Milling and it’s especially useful for flattening a raised surface between tiles often called lippage.

Sandstone Floor Lancaster Before Milling Sandstone Floor Lancaster Before Milling

Milling and Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Floor

As far as I know Milling was developed at Tile Doctor to basically smooth down a rough textured surface to make it easy to clean, seal and maintain; it’s a one off process and is akin to sanding down a rough piece of wood with sandpaper. We don’t use sandpaper for this purpose but diamond encrusted burnishing pads which like sandpaper come in different levels of coarseness. Milling actually reveals more of the character in the surface of the stone which is further enhanced during sealing for which recommend the use of a matt finish sealer such as Tile Doctor Colour Grow or if there is still a bit of texture in the stone we recommend the use of a topical sealer such as Tile Doctor Seal and Go which also leaves a nice low sheen finish.

Milled Sandstone Floor Lancaster After Milled Sandstone Floor Lancaster After

The customer was on holiday when the work was done but was so pleased with the effect of the milled Sandstone floor she rang me up personally to say thanks and left the comment below on the Tile Doctor feedback system, she was experiencing a lot of trouble cleaning this floor and we managed to resolve that and still keep the texture and character of this beautiful floor.

“Total transformation of our floor. Can’t quite believe the results. No mess and an amazing result. Thank you v much
D. Rix, Lancaster”

Smoothing a Rough Textured Sandstone Floor in Lancashire

Rough Sandstone floor milled in Lancaster Read More »

Flagstone Floor After Cleaning

Flagstone Floor in a Victorian House in Lancaster

Restoration of Flagstone Floor in the Kitchen

Details of an original Flagstone Floor cleaning job below from a Victorian House in the City of Lancaster, we often find flagstone floor tiles in kitchens and hallways and in this case they were in the hallway. You can see from the photographs below that the flagstone floor tiles were in a very bad state and it became clear that no amount of cleaning was really going to remove the decades of trapped dirt embedded in the pores of the Sandstone.

Flagstone Floor Before Cleaning Flagstone Floor Before Cleaning

Cleaning the Flagstone Floor

To get over this problem it was necessary to remove the top surface of the flagstone using a milling pad together with a small amount of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The flagstones were then washed down with water which was then removed using a wet and dry vax machine. There was no damp proof course under the tiles so I left it to dry for a week before coming back to seal.

Flagstone Floor After Cleaning Flagstone Floor After Cleaning

Sealing and Restoration of Flagstone Floor

The milling process had opened up the pores in the sandstone flagstone floor tile so to seal it I used 1 coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow in order to bring out the colour in the stone and then topped this off wth a further 3 coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go.

Flagstone Floor Restoration in Lancaster

Flagstone Floor in a Victorian House in Lancaster Read More »

Victorian floor in Lancaster showing tile covered by Carpet

Victorian Floor in Lancaster

Victorian Floor Restoration in Lancaster

Details below of a Victorian Floor in the hallway of a house in Lancaster which the owner wanted restoring after it was discovered in poor condition under a carpet.

Removing the Carpet from the Victorian Floor

We removed the old carpet and applied a 50/50 mix of Remove and Go and Nanotech Ultra-clean which we left to soak for a couple of hours. We then cleaned the floor with a Steamer to remove all the dirt and muck and get any old sealer and waxes etc. to rise to the surface ready for a final rinse down.

Victorian floor in Lancaster showing tile covered by Carpet Victorian Floor Exposed under carpet
Victorian floor in Lancaster showing tile covered by Carpet Victorian floor Restoration in Lancaster after Carpet Removal

Victorian floor in Lancaster showing tile covered by Carpet

A number of Victorian Tiles where either broken or missing so some tiling work was in order before work could continue.

Victorian floor Restoration in Lancaster after cleaning Victorian floor Restoration in Lancaster after Sealing

Victorian floor Restoration in Lancaster after cleaning and then sealing

Sealing the Victorian Floor

The floor was cleaned again for a final time and left to dry thoroughly before applying the sealer. For Victorian Floors we always recommend Seal and Go which is a water based sealer and gives a nice low sheen, provides definition and lifts the colours to the surface.

Victorian Floor Restoration in Lancaster

Victorian Floor in Lancaster Read More »

Bathroom Grout Colouring After

Lancaster Grout Colouring

Grout Colouring a Ceramic Floor in Lancaster

Here are some details of a small 4m2 Tile Cleaning and Grout Colouring job we did in a shower room in Lancaster. The tiles were recently laid and unfortunately the 5mm wide grout had discoloured because the tiler had used the same bucket to mix the adhesive with and some of the remnants from that had got into the grout mix. If the tiler had used a separate bucket this wouldn’t have happened. The tiler didn’t know what to do to rectify the problem so Tile Doctor got the call. He had done a good job on the rest of the bathroom and the customer didn’t want to upset him over it any further so she was quite happy to pay me to sort the problem out, as long as it didn’t look false.

Ceramic Tiled Bathroom floor before Grout Colouring
Before Grout Colouring

First I cleaned the grout with the pre-treater spray that comes with the kit and washed off the excess with water. Although the directions recommend leaving the grout to dry for 2 hours I left it for 30 minutes followed by a blast from my heat gun to dry any dark wet spots, this speeds up the process immensely.

Applying the Grout Colouring

Next I applied the Grout Colourant, fortunately the tiles were ceramic and the excess grout colourant came off the tiles very easily where I had got some on by accident. The kit came with a special white abrasive cloth which is excellent at removing excess grout colourant from the tiles. I often find unglazed tiles or stone and even some porcelain tiles are slightly porous on the surface and if the grout colourant gets on to these tiles then it can be quite hard to get off. I find it’s always best to do a test first on a couple of rows, if you get any on the tiles, don’t leave it on for more than 10 to 15 minutes as it sets very hard. Porous stones should always be sealed beforehand as it will make them a lot easier to clean. Its worth noting that the Grout Colourant acts as a barrier and so will never need to be sealed, it’s also completely washable.

Bathroom Grout Colouring After
Tiled Ceramic Floor after Grout Colouring

Grout Colouring a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom floor in Lancaster

Lancaster Grout Colouring Read More »

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