Burnishing Pads Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen Floor Renovation Rawtenstall Rossendale

Smooth Kerridge Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Rawtenstall

We were contacted by a new homeowner in Rawtenstall, which is in the borough of Rossendale, who having just moved in decided to contact us about her Sandstone kitchen floor. The stone floor was terribly dirty and was proving impossible to clean.

The stone was very smooth and having discussed it locally she had been told it was Kerridge Sandstone. I suspected from our conversations that it had not been sealed successfully as apparently even water from wet shoes would soak straight into the stone and cause staining.

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Rawtenstall Rossendale

I went over to survey the floor and discuss its renovation. Whilst there I was able to confirm the issues with the sealer and recommended deep cleaning the stone floor, stripping off what was left of the old sealer in the process and then re-sealing with something more durable.

I worked out a renovation plan and price, which was agreed, and scheduled a date for the work to start. Due to the unknown history of the floor, I expected the plan was going to require some adjustments to achieve the best result.

Stripping and Cleaning a Kerridge Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

Working in sections the initial focus was to get the floor clean which started by soaking the sandstone floor in a strong solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This product is a coatings remover and was left it to soak into the stone for ten minutes so it could get a head start breaking down the dirt and old sealer.

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Rawtenstall Rossendale

The solution was then agitated with a rotary buffer machine fitted with a coarse 200-grit diamond pad. This action released the dirt from the pores of the stone bringing it to the surface and turning the cleaning solution black. The grout was also given a scrub by hand to make sure it was as clean as possible. During the process the soiled solution was rinsed off the floor with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum as needed.

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Rawtenstall Rossendale

After another rinse and extraction, the floor was given and acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This further cleans the stone and neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline.

After another rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum a 400 and then 800-grit burnishing pad was run over the floor to refine the appearance of the stone following the use of the coarser pads earlier. Only water is used during this process to help with lubrication, and this turns into a creamy liquid which is rinsed and extracted after each pad.

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen After Cleaning Rawtenstall Rossendale

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Rawtenstall Rossendale

The floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum before being left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Kerridge Sandstone Tiled Kitchen

The day after the floor was tested with a damp meter to check it was dry and then sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a modern oil-based product that enhances colour and adds a slight sheen appearance that really lifts the floor. This product is an impregnator that works by soaking into the sandstone occupying the pores and thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen Floor During Sealing Rawtenstall Rossendale

Once complete the difference was extraordinary, the natural veins in the stone were now visible and the floor was completely transformed by the work, much to the pleasure of the new owner who left the following feedback:

“I have recently moved to a lovely cottage in the country, my dream, but my stone kitchen floor was not a dream when I found that it was impossible to clean with years and years of ingrained dirt. However, this is no longer the case!! My kitchen floor looks brand new and now compliments the rest of the room. I can’t recommend Kevin highly enough; he is professional and very skilled. Thank you, Kevin.”

Kerridge Sandstone Kitchen Floor After Sealing Rawtenstall Rossendale

For the aftercare cleaning of Sandstone flooring, I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which ideal for cleaning sealed stone. It has a pH neutral formula so won’t prematurely erode the sealer like many of the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of a Kerridge Sandstone Tiled Kitchen in South Lancashire

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Limestone Floor Cleaning and Polishing Colne

Polishing and Sealing a Dull Limestone Tiled Floor in Colne Burnley

1 Comment / Burnley Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing / Kevin Parry

Earlier this year I received an enquiry from Colne regarding a Limestone tiled floor that needed attention. The floor had been installed a few years earlier throughout much of the ground floor including the utility, hallway and large kitchen diner. It was last sealed by the installer and since then it had become quite soiled in parts, particularly the heavy traffic areas and grout. The client hoped for a lighter finish, with a light sheen/semi honed finish to the stone and cleaner grout.

Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Colne

The protective sealer had clearly worn down and was now letting dirt into the pores of the stone making it difficult to clean effectively. After surveying the floors, I recommended burnishing the Limestone with a set of diamond pads and then re-sealing the stone with a suitable modern sealer that would give the finish they were looking for. Happy with my quote we set a date to start the work.

Cleaning and Polishing a Limestone Tiled Floor in Colne

Diamond burnishing pads are the best tool for renovating honed stone floors like Limestone and after setting up the equipment work started with the application of a coarse 400-grit pad.

Limestone Floor During Cleaning Equipment Setup Colne

The pad is fitted to a weighted buffing machine and applied to the floor at low speed with water to lubricate the process. This coarse pad strips off old sealers and cleans the stone and is run over each tile three times, once done the resultant soiling is rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The burnishing process was then continued with finer 800 and 1500-grit pads which slowly restore a honed finish to the stone. After each pad is run over the floor the dirty water was extracted using the wet vacuum as before.

The next step was to scrub the grout joints using a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The solution is left to soak into the grout for ten minutes before being scrubbed in by hand with a stiff brush. Once done the now dirty solution was rinsed off with more water and extracted using the very useful wet vacuum.

The floor was then reviewed and any issues spot cleaned using a repeat of the various processes. Part of this work included hand finishing the edges and corners using a set of small hand burnishing blocks of different grits.

A lot of water was used during the cleaning process and the floor needs to be dry before applying the sealer. So once all the work was done the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum and then left to dry out for 24 hours.

Sealing a Polished Limestone Tiled Floor in Colne

On my return I set about polishing the Limestone using the last pad in the burnishing pad set which is an extra fine 3000-grit. This last pad is applied to the floor dry with only a little water sprayed onto the stone as you progress. It adds a lovely deep shine to the Limestone and leaves the floor dry and ready to be sealed.

To finish Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal was then applied to the Limestone, this is an impregnating sealer that provides a natural look finish. It works by soaking into the stone occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there, this ensures dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Limestone Floor After Cleaning and Polishing Colne

The floor looked much cleaner and lighter once done and my client was very happy with the result and left the following comment on our review page:

“Thoroughly professional job from start to finish with fantastic results!”

For aftercare I recommended using Tile Doctor Stone Soap for polished stone floors like this, it is a gentle effective cleaner that’s ideal for cleaning sealed floors and helps to maintain the patina.

Limestone Floor After Cleaning and Polishing Colne

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Ground Floor in South Lancashire

Polishing and Sealing a Dull Limestone Tiled Floor in Colne Burnley Read More »

Travertine Hallway Floor Polishing Bolton

Renovating Multiple Travertine Tiled Floors in Bolton

1 Comment / Bolton Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning / Kevin Parry

This homeowner from Bolton contacted us due to problems they were having with their Travertine tiled floor which ran through most of the ground floor. They had previously had some work done by a ‘cleaner’, but the results were not great. Hoping to do better they also had a go themselves without much improvement.

Travertine Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Bolton

They were ready to give up on the floor but due to the huge cost of replacement decided to look at alternatives. Researching the subject on-line they came across the reviews and transformative pictures on our website and decided to get in touch.

Travertine WC Floor Before Cleaning Bolton

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and could see the Travertine had clearly had a lot of unknown treatments in the past. Having assessed the floor I came up with a comprehensive plan that would restore the appearance of the travertine and grout. Happy with my quote we agreed a date for the work to start.

Travertine Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Bolton

Deep Cleaning Travertine Tiles

The first step was to apply a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left it to soak for ten minutes before working it in to the stone using a 240-grit carbide brush. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted using a wet vacuum. I had to repeat this process on stubborn areas but gradually the floor was stripped of old sealers and marks leaving it clean.

Travertine Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Setting up Bolton

To deal with the grout I applied Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to dwell for fifteen minutes to give it time to breakdown the soils. It was then scrubbed into the grout lines by hand using a stiff brush. The floor was then rinsed again, and the waste removed.

With the floor clean of dirt, it became apparent some of the dirt had masked cracks and holes in the stone. So, although this was not listed on the quote, I spent time filling them in to enhance the overall finish.

Work then moved onto burnishing the Travertine to restore its polished appearance. This starts with the application of a coarse 400-grit pad. Using water to lubricate the pad as its run over each tile several times to give the stone a very deep clean. The floor was then rinsed and extracted, before moving onto the finer 800-grit and 1500-grit pads which start building the polish on the stone.

The floor was left to dry off overnight and the next the burnishing process continued using a very fine 3000-grit pad which is applied dry to the floor using only a little water sprayed onto the tile. This leaves a lovely, honed finish on the stone.

Travertine Hallway Floor During Dry Burnishing Bolton

Travertine WC Floor After Cleaning Bolton

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen, Utility, WC and Hallway

To seal the stone a coat of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal was applied to retain the light colour the client liked and cloth off before applying a White Pad to remove any excess sealer and further bring up the polished appearance of the Travertine. Ultra-Seal is an impregnator that soaks into the pores of the stone adding protection from within, it’s also a natural look sealer that is almost invisible and doesn’t darken the colour of the stone.

Travertine Hallway Floor After Sealing Bolton

The process transformed the appearance of the floor and my client was delighted. So much so they left the following glowing review:

“Kevin contacted me and quoted for the job after I had sent him pictures of my Travertine Floor which needed deep cleaning and sealing. I confirmed I was happy with the quotation, and he sent me a list of products to purchase from the Tile Doctor which would be required to do the job. Kevin explained it could be a 2-3 day job dependant on how the floor reacted to the cleaning process. Kevin completed the work in 2 days and I am highly delighted with the result and I will be taking Kevins advice on keeping it clean with the products he left me. I would highly recommend Kevin and will be using him again in the coming years.”

Travertine Kitchen Floor After Renovation Bolton

For the aftercare cleaning of their polished stone floor, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap. It’s a gentle yet effective floor cleaning product with a formula that enhances the patina on the stone.

Professional Renovation of Travertine Floor Tiles in Greater Manchester

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Restoration of Victorian Hallway Tiles in Chorley

1 Comment / Chorley Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Kevin Parry

Joanna contacted us with regard her late Victorian (1893) L shaped tiled hallway at their large family home in Chorley.

They had discovered the floor under carpet during renovation work some years ago and had some work done to replace damaged and missing tiles. However, the floor had not had a deep clean an and therefore much of the floor had ingrained dirt so never looked clean. Having lived with this the problem which had only got worse over time we were asked to finish the renovation.

I went over to property to survey the floor and work out a plan to restore it. Whilst there I realised the property had a cellar and was concerned that water from the vigorous cleaning process may seep downstairs resulting in staining to the ceiling. To avoid this, I realised I would need to complete the cleaning using low moisture gel-based products. Whilst there I also took several moisture readings with a damp meter which indicated that it would be best to use a fully breathable non acrylic sealer to protect the floor.

Following the survey, I was able to work out a comprehensive plan for restoring the floor and provide the owner with an accurate quote for the work which was accepted.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Working in sections work commenced with a layer of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which was left to dwell before working it in with a low-speed weighted buffer fitted with a coarse 100-grit milling pad. The slurry generated was then vacuumed away before giving the floor a light rinse, working in small sections, and quickly vacuuming away the waste.

To further clean the tiles a thin layer of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was then applied and after five minutes scrubbed in using a 200-grit coarse milling pad, vacuuming the waste away afterwards.

With the floor showing great improvement we set about tidying up the edges using a set of diamond hand burnishing blocks. A scraper and a hand brush were used to remove paint splashes, carpet adhesive and dirt already loosened by the main clean. This was followed with the application of a 400-grit burnishing pad, again working in small areas to minimise water getting into the floor

Last step of the restorative cleaning process was to treat the tiles to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This was allowed to dwell for around five to ten minutes before being worked in with a Black scrubbing pad. The acidic nature of the product neutralises the alkaline cleaners used earlier and dissolves alkaline salts built up in the tiles which is a common problem on these older floors. The soiled solution was extracted as before and rinsed thoroughly with cloths and water to minimise moisture levels, vacuuming away the waste as I went.

The floor was allowed to dry thoroughly, and a damp meter reading confirmed the moisture levels back to where they started. A quick dry burnish using an 800-grit burnishing pad with dust vacuumed away was the final preparation before sealing could commence.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

After testing sealers, the preference was to revive the colours in the tile and give the floor a subtle sheen. Based on this I applied Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which was ideal for as first coat revived the colours in the tile and the second coat added a very subtle sheen finish.

After allowing the floor to partially dry, a light burnish with a soft white pad was the final part of the process.

Joanna stated she was very pleased with the results, and we discussed aftercare using Tile Doctor’s pH Neutral cleaner to prolong the life of the sealer. She also later gave a 5 Star review along with the following comment:

“Kevin was excellent. He responded promptly to my enquiry and answered all my questions. Delighted with my lovely clean floor!”

Victorian Floor After Renovation Chorley

Professional Renovation of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Lancashire

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