Milling Stone Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Sandstone Flagstone Kitchen Floor Restoration Ramsbottom

Sandstone Flagstone Floor Milled and Restored in Ramsbottom

I was invited to this 300-year-old building in Ramsbottom, Lancashire to look at restoring a Sandstone Flagstone floor. Despite some minor repairs over the years, it was now in very poor condition and after renovating the property outside and in the owners felt it was now time to tackle the floor. Having done their research, they decided to call Tile Doctor in to do the renovation.

Sandstone Flagstone Floor Before Restoration Ramsbottom

Having visited the property, I recommended milling the floor to remove years of wear and to reveal the new stone underneath. With old rough flagstones like this it is the only way to retain the character yet have a more serviceable floor that won’t shred mops.

Sandstone Flagstone Floor Before Restoration Ramsbottom

Happy with my recommendation and quote I was given the go-ahead to do the work.

Cleaning a Sandstone Flagstone Tiled Kitchen

I started work by taking notes of moisture readings from various areas, these base reading will be used later to understand if the floor has dried sufficiently for sealing.

To mill the floor, I started with the application of a very coarse 50-Grit DRB pad which was fitted to a weighted buffing machine and run over each flagstone several times using only water for lubrication. Once that step was completed the floor was rinsed with more water and the slurry extracted using a wet vacuum. The coarse pad removes a very thin layer of stone off the top of the flagstone leaving it smooth.

The floor was then cleaned using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was scrubbed in using a 240-grit carbide brush. Again, the floor was rinsed and the slurry extracted as before.

The 50-Grit pad is very coarse, so the next step was to refine the appearance of the stone using finer grit milling. Using the same process as before a 100-grit milling pad was applied to the stone with water, rinsed off and then the floor vacuumed. Then the process repeated with the 200-Grit milling pad.

The final step of the restoration was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up worked in with a 200-grit soft pad. Again, the floor was rinsed and vacuumed afterwards.

With the sandstone flagstones now cleaned I turned my attention to the old pointing which was also in bad shape and crumbling in many areas. This was removed and re-pointed with a modern breathable pointing product.

The floor was left to dry out and I returned a few days later to seal the floor which will protect it going forward from staining and ingrained dirt etc.

Sealing a Sandstone Flagstone Tiled Kitchen

Before applying any sealer, I took several moisture readings for the floor and compared them with the base readings I had taken at the start of the job. There were a few areas of concern, but I was able to resolve this with floor fans until the readings were acceptable.

I was then able to proceed with the final step of sealing the floor for which I used Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This sealer is a fully breathable oil-based sealer which improves the appearance of the stone and being breathable will cope with any moisture rising through the floor. It’s very important to use a breathable sealer on an old floor as it won’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane. The sealer was left to dry and then the process repeated with a second coat.

Sandstone Flagstone Floor After Restoration Ramsbottom

The Sandstone Flagstones were completely transformed by the process and my clients were over the moon with their new floor, they even left the following feedback:

“Kevin has just completed our very tired stone flags. The restoration was faultless from the first consultation to the hard work he put into it and the aftercare advice was amazing. We can’t thank Kevin enough for his professionalism, fantastic knowledge, hard work and friendly manner. Our floor looks as a 300 year old stone floor should look, really really pleased, price was also reasonable and knowing Kevin used the best products too! We would highly recommend!!”

Sandstone Flagstone Floor After Restoration Ramsbottom

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare which for Sandstone, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is pH neutral and ideal for cleaning sealed stone.

Professional Restoration of a Sandstone Flagstone Tiled Kitchen in South Lancashire

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1850’s Flaking Flagstone Flooring Renovated in Saddleworth

A couple from Saddleworth contacted us about their flagstone flooring which was laid throughout the ground floor in their home which was built around 1850. Since buying their home they had decided to take up the carpets and floor coverings to most of the ground floor (approx. 60sqm) to allow the floor to breathe and help with some damp issues in the walls. In addition, it would be in keeping with the house to have its original floor back in use and make a great period feature.

Flagstone Floor Before Renovation Saddleworth

With the stone covered for such a long period the main issue was ingrained dirt and grime as well as the remnants of self-levelling compound and paint. The whole floor also had flaking issues on numerous stones and was very uneven in parts.

After some discussion over the phone around the options of cleaning, stone milling, repointing, and sealing I scheduled a survey. I recommended the floor needed the render removed, stone milled (and possibly repointing) before cleaning and finally sealing. An impregnating sealer which provided a matt, colour-enhancing finish was recommended in view of the damp and animals. In addition, we suggested the use of breathable pointing.

Flagstone Floor Before Renovation Saddleworth

Whilst the work was more involved than initially anticipated, they fully understood the scale of the problems and what was needed and so decided to go ahead.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Work started with the application of 50-Grit Extra Coarse Milling pads which were fitted to a weighted rotary floor machine. The pads were run over each of the rough Yorkshire flagstones to remove the top of the flaking stone and reveal new stone underneath. The process was lubricated with water and Tile Doctor Remove and Go, the water helps keep the dust down and the Tile Doctor Remove and Go helps clean up the stone. We used quite a lot of these pads to clean up the whole floor. The resultant slurry was rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Flagstone Floor During Renovation Saddleworth

Once done, the process was then repeated using 100-grit and then 200-grit milling pads to improve the surface of the stone. I must give credit to Russell Taylor from Lancashire Tile Doctor for his experience and assistance on this job, an extra pair of hands were needed given the scale of the work and to speed up work given the owners were still living in the property.

We next used an acid wash Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, this is to counter any efflorescence salts that can be generated with floors like this that have no damp proof course. After application it was rinsed off and extracted with the wet vacuum.

After this the pointing was then redone using a modern flexible product.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Floor

The floor was then left to dry out for a few days before returning to seal the floor using Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that contains a colour enhancer to bring out the natural colours in the stone. This product is also breathable which is an important consideration for old floors like this.

Flagstone Floor After Renovation Saddleworth

The project went well, and the floor was completely transformed. My clients were very happy with the work and left the following feedback for us.

“Kevin and Russell did a great job on our flagstone floor. They regularly checked in with us throughout the process and worked around us being in the house most of the time with no problems! Highly recommend.”

For aftercare cleaning I recommend they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective tile cleaner that won’t harm the sealer.

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Flagstone Kitchen Floor Resurfaced Blackburn Lancashire

200-Year-Old Flagstone Floor Resurfaces and Restored near Blackburn

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

This house in Blackburn used to be used as an Old Mill 200 years ago and given the poor condition of the flagstone floor I suspect it was the same age. You can see from the photos below the rough state the Flagstone was in and I could see even a deep clean and seal wouldn’t do them justice.

Flagstone Floor Before Restoration Blackburn

High pressure water cleaning on an old floor like this without a damp proof membrane in place would have caused damp issues especially in the winter months. The client has considered having the floor sand blasted but they had a young baby, and the dust would have got everywhere.

Clearly another option was required and fortunately we had the solution.

Resurfacing a 200-Year-Old Flagstone Kitchen Floor

Our plan was to resurface the stone by grinding away the top layer with very coarse pads to reveal an uncontaminated surface underneath. We call this process milling and it requires a special set of Diamond pads fitted to a weighted rotary machine using only water for lubrication. The water also captures the dust that is generated as the stone is resurfaced and makes cleaning much easier.

It is however hard work and starts with the application of a very coarse 50-grit DRB pad and then moving onto a 100 and 200-grit DRB pad slowly refining the stone’s appearance until you are left with a smooth fresh surface. The water turns into a slurry due to the dust and is vacuumed off the floor after the application of each pad. On this occasion I used applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go as the last pad was run over the floor to make sure the surface was free of any contaminates that may have soaked into the stone over the years.

Flagstone Floor During Restoration Blackburn

Following the milling process the old loose lime-based pointing was carefully knocked out and then replaced with a new breathable flexible pointing product which adheres well past standard grout and holds fast without cracking.

Sealing a 200-Year-Old Flagstone Kitchen Floor

The next day the floor was dry and ready to be sealed. For this we used two coats of a fully breathable sealer called Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which brings out the colour and transforms the stone, it adds a little bit of a sheen to the stone as well. X-Tra seal is a very modern oil-based sealer penetrates the pores of the stone and copes very well on floors that have no damp proof membrane, its even recommended for external applications.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration During Sealing Blackburn

You can see the results for yourself, the stone is a lot smoother to the touch and easier to clean and even if it was sandblasted it would still be a rough finish so milling the stone was the best option for an old flagstone floor like this one.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Blackburn

Once finished the floor was transformed and our client was very happy with the work we had done.

One last point when caring for a sealed floor like this is it’s important not to clean the floor using strong bleach based cleaning products, even washing up liquid is too strong. It should be washed with a mild pH neutral cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner only that way will the sealer last the duration.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Kitchen Floor in Lancashire

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Sandstone Paved Floor Before and After Renovation Colne

Cleaning and sealing a Sandstone Kitchen Floor in Colne

1 Comment / Nelson Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

A customer from Colne near Burnley was absolutely frustrated with their newly installed Sandstone floor in the kitchen of their farmhouse. Ever since it was installed it had proved impossible to keep it clean. The customer contacted Tile Doctor in the hope that we could remove the ingrained dirt and make the floor much easier to maintain going forward.

Farmhouse Sandstone Floor Before Renovation Colne

I went over to inspect the floor and recommended a course of action. There was a section of stone which had a stain on it due to a pet accident, so we chose area to conduct a test clean. The flagstone responded well to the cleaning process which impressed the customer who booked us in for the job. There were happy to go ahead with my quote and quite relieved that she had finally found a solution.

Farmhouse Sandstone Floor Patch Test Zoom Colne

Cleaning a Sandstone Paved Kitchen Floor

Arriving on day one, first I taped up the plinths and skirtings to ensure they were not marked during the cleaning, especially as the kitchen was newly installed. Then, to deep clean the floor and remove the ineffectual coating applied by the installer I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and let it soak in for about ten minutes. The solution was then worked into the stone using a coarse 100-grit milling pad. This coarse pad was then followed up with the application of a finer 200-grit pad. Together these pads resurface and clean the stone and remove the coarse surface that was trapping dirt so easily.

Farmhouse Sandstone Floor During Cleaning Colne

The pads are applied with water which lubricates the abrasive action and results in a fine slurry that is rinsed off after each pad. The slurry is then extracted with a wet vacuum, keeping the mess to a minimum. The flagstone floor was then given a quick acid wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to clean the stone further and counter the alkaline cleaning product applied during the first stage of cleaning. After a further rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning the following day, the floor was first checked using a moisture meter to ensure it was dry. We then sealed with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which added a nice subtle sheen to the stone and as well as protecting the stone from staining ensuring it is a lot easier to clean going forward.

Farmhouse Sandstone Floor After Renovation Colne

I recommended they should use the Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, which is pH neutral so it will ensure that the sealant is not compromised during cleaning. This is a concentrated product so only a small amount is required, so a small bottle goes a long way.

The client was delighted with the floor and very relieved that it now looked exactly as it should.

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