Flexi Diamond Milling pads Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Transforming Worn Flagstone Flooring at a Saddleworth Farmhouse

The owner of an old Farmhouse in rural Saddleworth got in touch late last year to see what could be done with the Flagstone flooring that ran through the hallway and front room.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and could see the flagstones were very dark with all the ingrained dirt they had accumulated. You could no longer see any of the natural features of what can be a very beautiful stone. They were also very badly worn and stained so I recommended the best course of action would be to mill the stone to remove the top layer and reveal new uncontaminated stone underneath.

Farmhouse Flagstone Floor Before Cleaning Saddleworth

After measuring up I worked out a detailed quote for the complete restoration of the floors and emailed it over to the owner. Happy with the quote and having seen similar Flagstone floor restoration work on our website we were given the go ahead and a date set so the floor would be complete in time for Christmas.

Farmhouse Flagstone Hallway Floor Before Renovation Saddleworth

Cleaning a Flagstone Tiled Floor

One of the advantages of milling a floor is you only need to use a set of milling pads and water; there’s no need to use any cleaning products first. Because of this once the low-speed weighted floor buffer was setup I could get to work immediately milling the floor. I use a set of Tile Doctor Flexi Diamond Milling pads for this which come in several grits. You start with the very coarse 50-grit and work up from there running the pad over each tile several times to cut back the. Water is used to lubricate the process and after each pad the floor is rinsed with more water and the soiling extracted with an industrial wet vacuum.

Farmhouse Flagstone Floor After Milling Saddleworth

The pads also remove any flaking or loose material from the surface of the flagstones and any loose mortar between the flags soon works itself free. As a result, it’s necessary to go over all the mortar one the milling is complete, remove any that’s loose and replace it.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Floor

Once the flagstones were fully dry, I started applying the sealer which for this floor I applied Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal and then buffed off the excess. This is a hard-wearing oil-based sealer that adds structure and colour to the stone, it’s also rated for external use so was ideal for the hallway. X-Tra Seal is also fully breathable which is an important feature for old floors like this that don’t have a damp proof membrane.

Farmhouse Flagstone Floor During Sealing Saddleworth

Once sealed the floor really came alive and you could now see the unique and individual features in each of the flagstones. It was a lot of work but I was very pleased with the result, I always find it rewarding to see an old floor transformed. The farmhouse owner was also happy and left the following feedback:

“Kevin was absolutely fantastic. Very professional and knowledgeable. Great communication before and during the job. Has brought our stone floor back to life and we are very impressed with the results.”

Farmhouse Flagstone Floor After Renovation Saddleworth

Farmhouse Flagstone Hallway Floor After Renovation Saddleworth

The new sealer is an impregnator that occupies the pores of the stone preventing dirt from residing there, this ensures dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. Regarding aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is an effective and sealer friendly tile cleaner.

Farmhouse Flagstone Floor After Renovation Saddleworth

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Tiled Floor in South Lancashire

Flagstone Flooring Resurfaced in Ramsbottom

Transformation of a Tired and Stained Flagstone Flooring in Ramsbottom

1 Comment / Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning / Kevin Parry

This enquiry about the restoration of a flagstone floor came from a lady in Ramsbottom who had seen a similar floors to hers on our website. The main areas for concern were by the fireplace in the living room and dining room, also by the front door and the foot of stairs where previous coverings that had been glued to the floor and paint splashes had stained the stone. There was also an area that had once been covered in bitumen. The pointing was also in need of attention with gaps and crumbling in several spots.

Flagstone Floor Before Milling Ramsbottom

This wasn’t the first time she had investigated having the floors restored and had previously received mixed advice from other professionals which didn’t help. In the meantime, with the floor not a priority in the budget she occasionally spent some time chipping off some of the the old rubbish on the floor.

Having sent over lots of photographs, I was able to come up with an estimate for the floors restoration so she could consider how to fit the work into the budget before arranging a visit on-site to survey and provide a detailed quotation. We also discussed the financial benefit of completing both rooms together.

Flagstone Floor Before Milling Ramsbottom

Happy with the estimate I arranged to come to the property, survey the floor and provide a detailed quote which corresponded with our earlier estimate and was accepted.

Cleaning a Flagstone Tiled Floor

Work started with milling the flagstones in the lounge and dining room using a set of Tile Doctor Flexi Diamond Milling pads. These come in 50, 100 and 200-grit and you start with the 50-grit and work up from there using a specialised rotary floor buffer running at slow speed and weighted to increase traction. Water is used to lubricate the process, and the pads are run over each tile several times to cut the surface of the stone back.

Although time consuming, the process is so effective we often find that the pads are all you need to clean the stone so very little cleaning product is needed. Although I did use some Tile Doctor Remove and Go for spot cleaning here and there. The pads generate a lot of slurry though, so it’s necessary to rinse the floor with water after each pad and extract all the waste with a wet vacuum.

With the milling done, the next step was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which was applied with a soft 200-grit milling pad. The acidic nature of this product further cleans the tiles after milling to remove any residue and counters any alkaline salts in the stone which can be a problem with old floors.

The last step was to remove loose mortar and then repoint with VDW800 joint mortar and then the flagstones were given a final rinse with water and dried with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Floor

Once the flagstones were fully dry, I started applying the sealer which for this floor I used Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal mixed with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. These two impregnating sealers work well together to improve colour and enhance the natural characteristics of the stone. Both products are fully breathable which is an important feature for old floors like this that don’t have a damp proof membrane.

Flagstone Floor Sealing Ramsbottom

Once done the floors looked fantastic and my client said that despite the cost, she felt relieved that the saga of the downstairs floor was finally finished, she also left the following feedback.

“Lots of patient, helpful advice in the first place from Russell and then a spot on job from Kevin. Good communication, professional, zero quibble about the job.”

Flagstone Floor After Milling Restoration

The smoother stone and new sealer will ensure dirt can’t penetrate the pores of the stone keeping dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away; and on the subject of aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is an effective but sealer friendly tile cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Tiled Floor in South Lancashire

Transformation of a Tired and Stained Flagstone Flooring in Ramsbottom Read More »