Stone Polishing Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Saddleworth

Cleaning Polishing and Sealing a Dull Travertine Kitchen Floor in Saddleworth

Late last year a landlord got in touch with us about the in a rental property they owned in Saddleworth. The client informed us that unfortunately the last tenant hadn’t maintained the floor very well and now it looked neglected and in need of renovation. Numerous cracks had also developed which wasn’t due to previous tenant but more likely due to poor installation by the tiler who hadn’t bedded the tiles in properly.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Saddleworth

My client was now considering selling the property and so naturally wanted the floor looking its best before putting it on the market. Happy to help I arranged a time to pop over and take a detailed look at the floor.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Saddleworth

After surveying the floor, I recommended giving it a deep restorative clean, polish and then applying a fresh sealer. I worked out a quote for this and included filling the many holes and cracks as far as possible all of which would make the floor aesthetically pleasing and easier to maintain.

My quote was accepted and I agreed to start the work at the earliest date possible.

Cleaning and Polishing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

To deep clean and renovate the floor I applied a set of Diamond burnishing pads fitted to a rotary floor machine and run over each tile three of four times. Using only water for lubrication this process starts with the application of a coarse 400-grit burnishing pad attached to the floor buffer. This produces a lot of slurry which was removed with a wet vacuum.

This left the Travertine clean, but rather raw from the coarse pad so to refine the appearance of the stone the next two burnishing pads were applied which are 800 and 1500-grit. These pads polish the stone and close the pores, restoring the natural sheen in the process. After each pad was applied the slurry was rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with the wet vacuum. Once complete the floor was left to dry off fully overnight.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Saddleworth

The cracks and pits in the travertine were then filled using a special resin filler that was then rubbed down to get it as smooth as possible. The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

On day two work started with the application of the fourth diamond burnishing pad which is a fine 3000-grit. This pad further improves the polished appearance of the stone resulting in a satisfying sheen. This pad is applied with only a little water sprayed onto the floor as the pad is run over the stone leaving it completely dry.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen

The last step was to seal the floor with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a natural look impregnating sealer that doesn’t change the appearance of the stone. The sealer works by soaking into the stone occupying the pores and thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Renovation Saddleworth

The work really transformed the floor making it look much cleaner and inviting. My client was certainly happy and took the time to leave the following feedback:

Kevin did a lovely job restoring my Travertine floor. Kevin was great to do business with and he achieved what he set out to achieve. I’ll definitely be contacting him again to organise maintenance requirements in the future.

For the care and maintenance of polished sealed floors I recommend the use of Tile Doctor’s Stone Soap which is a gentle but effective cleaning product that won’t impact the sealer and contains a patina enhancer that will help maintain the polished appearance.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Renovation Saddleworth

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Lancashire

Cleaning Polishing and Sealing a Dull Travertine Kitchen Floor in Saddleworth Read More »

Limestone Floor Cleaning and Polishing Colne

Polishing and Sealing a Dull Limestone Tiled Floor in Colne Burnley

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 »

Polishing and Sealing Travertine Tiles in Blackburn

1 Comment / Blackburn Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / Kevin Parry

Close-up photo below of a Travertine tiled floor installed in a house in the former mill town of Blackburn where simply put the polished appearance had worn off and was now looking dull and unappealing.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Polishing Blackburn

I popped round to the house to take a look and could see that the tiles would need to be burnished to restore the polished appearance. To demonstrate the difference this would make I polished one of the tiles using the Tile Doctor burnishing pad system which consists of the application of four 17 inch diamond encrusted pads applied in sequence from coarse to very fine with a rotary buffer. The customer was amazed at the difference and we agreed a date to come in and complete the whole floor in time for the Christmas holidays.

Stripping and Re-Polishing Travertine

On my return I repeated the burnishing process across the entire floor starting with the 400 Grit Coarse Red No.1 Burnishing Pad which strips off old sealers and dirt from the tile. You use a little water to help lubricate and once complete it’s necessary to rinse the area with water to remove the soil that is generated. The next step is to start building back the polish with the 800 and then 1500 grit pads which are applied in the same manner.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Polishing Blackburn

The floor was then rinsed again with water and I turned my attention to the grout which was scrubbed by hand using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a stiff brush. The floor was given another rinse and then inspected to ensure I hadn’t missed anything. Before leaving for the day I used the wet vacuum to extract as much moisture from the floor as possible.

At this point the customer commented that the floor looked amazing and that the floor never looked this good, even after it was first installed.

Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles

On the second days we used the 4th burnishing pad which is a 3000 grit pad to burnish and polish the surface until it came up looking gorgeous and glossy. With this pad you simply spray a little water on the floor during the polishing process, something we call a spray burnish.

The last step was to seal the tiles using a single coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which was applied and then buffed in with a white pad to remove any excess. Ultra-Seal is a premium, no-sheen, natural-look, penetrating sealer formulated to provide maximum stain protection.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Polishing Blackburn

The customer was really pleased with the difference we had made to the floor and before leaving we advised the customer of the best way to maintain the floor using neutral PH cleaners and to avoid strong cleaning products which can erode the life of the sealer prematurely.

Honed Travertine Tiled Floor Polished in South Lancashire

Polishing and Sealing Travertine Tiles in Blackburn Read More »