Patio Cleaning

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.

 

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Sandstone Patio Floor Before After Renovation in Bolton Le Sands

Black Spot Removed from an Indian Sandstone Patio in Bolton-Le-Sands

This Indian Sandstone Patio in Bolton-Le-Sands near Lancaster had not been cleaned successfully for several years. Although the owner had power washed it on occasion, that won’t rid you of Black Spot, Mould, Lichen etc and this will build-up over the years. It does clean the stone up to a certain standard but at some point, it will need further treatment.

My client had now reached this point and decided to give Tile Doctor a call to have it renovated. We discussed the Patio which ran around the house and calculated that it measured approximately 60m2. With the measurements and a summary of the issues I was able to work out a quote which they were happy to accept.

Indian Sandstone Patio Before Cleaning in Bolton-Le-Sands

Removing Black Spot from an Indian Sandstone Patio

To improve the appearance of the stone I started by giving it a power wash to remove the general grime and dirt. I used a top of the range Karcher Pressure Washer for this which can apply up to 20 bars of pressure. The machine also comes with a spinner attachment results in a much more even clean than simply using the spray head.

The patio was left to dry for thirty minutes before applying neat Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner. Please note this is a very powerful product meant for professional use so if you’re using it always wear gloves and protective glasses. You leave it on the stone for ten minutes or longer before working it in. The directions on the back of the bottle say recommend leaving it for two to four hours, but its general advice. Personally, I find it is best to test the timing on a small inconspicuous area first, leave it on for say ten minutes then add a bit of water, scrub the surface and if the Black Spot disappears then that is all the time you need. If the stain is stubborn, increase the time. The two to four hour recommendation is really for difficult Black Spots that have become ingrained into the stone and then the product needs longer to digest the stain before it can work.

Once that was done, I used the power washer on low pressure to wash the products off the stone and into the sewerage drain, a wet vacuum comes in handy for this. Don’t dispose of it into the grass or planting areas as the strong chemicals in the product could upset them. Many properties have a soak away to capture rainwater from gutters, so you need to make sure it’s the sewage drain you are using.

Indian Sandstone Patio After Cleaning in Bolton-Le-Sands

As you can see on the pictures, this product really does work and got rid of the Black Spot completely. To maintain the patio a regular jet wash was recommended, the household versions are ideal for keeping it clean and tidy.

Due to the size of the Sandstone patio the whole process took around six hours to complete. Once done though the patio looked transformed and was all ready for a barbeque and some guests. Hopefully, it will stop raining long enough for this to happen.

Indian Sandstone Patio After Cleaning in Bolton-Le-Sands

 

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