Sealing Flagstones Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Flagstone Flooring Resurfaced in Ramsbottom

Transformation of a Tired and Stained Flagstone Flooring in Ramsbottom

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 »

Flagstone Floor Restoration Standish Wigan

Flagstone Flooring Restoration at 300-Year-Old Cottage in Standish

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

A client from Standish near Wigan contacted Tile Doctor about the Flagstone flooring in the dining room and kitchen of their 320-year-old cottage. The floor was approximately 50m2 and after sending over several pictures of the floor via email we had a call to discuss the issues in detail. The floor clearly needed a deep clean and there were gaps in the pointing that needed to be filled and then the whole floor sealed. The flags were the original flooring from when the house was built in the late 1600’s, he wasn’t sure if they were sandstone, or something else.

Flagstone Kitchen Floor Before Milling Standish Wigan

Having seen examples of similar floors on our website he was keen to understand more about our milling service which is an aggressive cleaning option we offer. The system utilises coarse abrasive pads to remove a thin layer of stone from the surface taking out flaking in the process and resulting in an unblemished fresh surface. I sent over a few photos of more recent work I had completed on flagstones showing the results of the process and he felt it was exactly the finish they were looking for.

Unfortunately, a burst pipe in the kitchen added to the issue requiring some flags to be lifted and re-laid recently, some repairs were also needed to the kitchen units, but he wanted to deal with floor first. He wanted to retain the original flooring as it was in keeping with his home so replacing it was not an option. Keen to help I agreed to pop round and take a more detailed look at the issues.

Flagstone Floor Before Milling Standish Wigan

After surveying the floor and discussing the condition, requirements and budget we quoted on milling the flagstones in the kitchen, lounge and hallway floor using flexi diamond milling pads. Happy with the quote, we set a date for the work to start.

Milling a 300-Year-Old Flagstone Floor in Standish

Milling started by working over the flagstone with a coarse milling pad fitted to a specialised weighted rotary floor buffer. Using only water for lubrication and with the machine operating at low speed the pad was run over each flagstone several times to cut the stone back.

Flagstone Floor During Milling Standish Wigan

Flagstone Floor During Cleaning Standish Wigan

The process is so effective we often find that the pads are all you need to clean the stone so use very few chemicals are required with this process. Having said that I did have to scrub some Tile Doctor Remove and Go onto some stubborn staining during the process but in general the pads did most of the heavy lifting.

Flagstone Floor During Restoration Standish Wigan

There are several pads used in the burnishing process, starting with coarse and then moving onto finer grits. It’s also worth mentioning that the water turns into a fine slurry that has to be rinsed with more water and then extracted with a wet vacuum after each pad.

Once the milling was complete the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which was worked in with another pad to further clean the stone and counter any alkaline salts that can be an issue with old floors with no damp proof membrane.

Whilst the floor was drying attention moved to the mortar. For this the old and loose mortar was removed and then repointed using a modern permeable epoxy joint mortar.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen, Lounge and Hallway Floor

Once the floor was fully dry it was sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an impregnator that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from withing. This product also allows for vapour transmission so it will allow for any moisture to rise through the stone and evaporate at the surface. It’s important to use a fully breathable sealer on old floors like this to avoid damp building up under the floor where it can pool and reach out to the walls.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Standish Wigan

The floor was transformed by the process and now looks great, also the new sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed with regular cleaning. I was very happy with the result and so was my client who left the following feedback:

“We recently had our 300+ year old sandstone tiled kitchen and dining room professionally cleaned and treated by Kevin, our local Tile Doctor, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The floors, which had dulled over time, have been brought back to life with care and expertise, revealing the natural beauty and character of the original stone. Although there may be cheaper options out there, we genuinely believe the quality of the work justifies the cost — it was money well spent. The attention to detail, professionalism, and clear passion for the craft were evident throughout. We’re absolutely delighted with the outcome and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Kevin and Tile Doctor to anyone looking to restore their stone floors to their former glory”

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Standish Wigan

Before leaving, I took time to discuss aftercare which for this floor I recommended cleaning with Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is safe to use on sealed floors.

Professional Restoration of a Tired Flagstone Floor in South Lancashire

Flagstone Flooring Restoration at 300-Year-Old Cottage in Standish Read More »

1850’s Flaking Flagstone Flooring Renovated in Saddleworth

Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Oldham Tile Cleaning / abzdominise

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.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Tiled Floor in Greater Manchester

1850’s Flaking Flagstone Flooring Renovated in Saddleworth Read More »