Seal and Go Extra Archives - North Kent Tile Doctor

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor Renovation Staplehurst

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Staplehurst

This Terracotta tiled floor was installed in the 11m2 Conservatory of a property near Staplehurst. The owner was unhappy with the water staining that was spoiling the appearance of the tiles and decided it was time to have the Terracotta cleaned and resealed.

I went over to survey the floor and provide a quote for the work. I could see that tiles were in good physical condition however Terracotta is very absorbent and it was clear that any sealer present on the floor was now failing making it difficult to clean and therefore mark free.

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor Before Cleaning Staplehurst

As part of the survey, I ran a test clean on part of the floor ed a tile as a test and the results looked good. I left, asking the owners to wait until the tile had dried fully to let me know the result. The next day, the report was that the tile had improved significantly and they were keen to progress pending a quote. I duly submitted a quote that they agreed upon and the work was scheduled in.

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor Before Cleaning Staplehurst

Knowing how much water would be absorbed into the Terracotta during the cleaning process this was always going to be a two-day job, one day to clean and then when dry one day to seal.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor

Upon arrival, the owners had kindly removed all furniture and opened all the windows, this was much appreciated as the temperature that day was due to approach 29 degrees Celsius!

First job was to clean the floor with a generous dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a strong alkaline tile cleaner that’s safe to use on all types of tile and stone. The Pro-Clean was left to soak in for ten minutes to give it time to breakdown the dirt and any remaining sealing. The floor was then scrubbed with a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary buffer to loosen the dirt and bring it to the surface where it could be extracted with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected and Remove and Go used to spot clean several paint splashes on the tiles left over from decorating. I then turned my attention to the grout which needed further attention. The pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout lines so I find it more effective to get on my hands and knees and scrub these by hand with a wire brush and more Pro Clean.

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor During Cleaning Staplehurst

During the inspection of the floor, I noticed some areas were stained with White efflorescent salts which were spot treated with a solution of Grout Clean-Up. The acid in this product dissolves the salts and the residue was sponged off. Finally, I rinsed the floor in stages, replacing the water every 10-12 tiles and extracted with a wet vacuum. I repeated this process 2 more times to make sure any trace of cleaning product had been removed.

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor Before Cleaning Staplehurst

Even with the heat and the glass, the tiles would not dry out that day and having gone as far as I could, I called it a day.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor

I left it three days before returning to seal the floor; the tiles were certainly dry enough to seal but unfortunately the gallons of water had used during the cleaning process had resulted in more efflorescence salts being deposited on surface as it dried out.

To counter this the affected areas were given an acid rinse using more Grout Clean-up which was brushed in and then rinsed off and extracted with the wet vacuum. I then ran some errands and sat in the van doing some follow-up whilst waiting for the affected tiles to dry out.

With agreement from the owners, we had opted to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra to seal the Terracotta. This is a modern acrylic breathable sealer that leaves a nice low sheen finish on the tiles, additionally it has a built-in colour intensifier that will help highlight the unique patterns in each tile. Three coats were needed and mercifully, the day was cooler making the job so much easier! The new sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface of the tile where it is easily cleaned away with regular cleaning.

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor After Cleaning Staplehurst

Despite the sun and shadows coming through the conservatory glass, I think you can see from the photos how the stains were removed and a lovely finish was achieved! The last thing to do was provide aftercare instruction on how to best look after the sealer with Tile Doctor’s Neutral pH Cleaner which is a gentle yet effective product for cleaning sealed tiles.

Terracotta Tiled Conservatory Floor After Cleaning Staplehurst

Professional Cleaning of a Terracotta Tiled Conservatory in North Kent

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Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Maintained in Faversham

Terracotta Tiled Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Faversham

I was called to a rural area near Faversham where my clients owned a large old house with an expansive Terracotta floor that needed renovation. The house had been extended at some point and the whole lower floor was tiled with Terracotta which had previously been professionally deep cleaned and sealed some years prior by one of my Tile Doctor predecessors. As such, they were aware of the processes involved and had high expectations!

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Faversham

Although the sealer had stood the test of time, it had now worn thin on the most heavily used areas of the floor. Those areas were now allowing dirt to become trapped in the pores of the tile, so it was now due another deep clean and reseal. I performed a survey, discussed which sealer options they preferred, and submitted my quote. With the quote accepted, the dates were agreed, and the products were ordered to be delivered to their property well ahead of my arrival.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Hallway Floor

Previously, this had been a three-day job, but I enlisted the help of a colleague for day one to help get the work done in two. Work started with the use of a carbide brush attached to a rotary buffer machine to work a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean into the floor. This is our go to Tile and Grout Cleaner which is safe to use on all types of hard floor.

This not only took most of the old sealer off, but as the bristles flexed, they also cleaned most of the wide grout lines. The muck and the slurry were extracted with a wet vacuum. The next stage was for the pair of us to get on our hands and knees with wire brushes and more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to get the grout lines fully dirt-free. A black pad was then fitted to the buffer and the tiles were cleaned again, and the last vestiges of the sealer removed.

Next the floor was treated to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which was mopped onto the floor. This further cleans up the tiles by removing any stubborn mineral deposits and grout smears, being acidic it also neutralises the pH level of the floor following the use of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline. This was then rinsed off with water and extracted with the wet vacuum as before.

Terracotta is a very porous stone and given a lot of water had been applied during the cleaning process I was aware it could take some time for the tiles to dry. As a result, I left the floor to settle down and dry out for the following couple of days before I revisited to apply the sealer.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

The couple had been very happy with the look of the last sealer and its durability. So, they opted to go for more of the same. The product used was Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a water-based sealer that results in an attractive low sheen finish. Three coats were needed to fully seal the Terracotta.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Faversham

They were very happy with the results and that I had lived up to their expectations. The last thing to do was provide aftercare instruction on how to best look after the sealer with Tile Doctor’s Neutral pH Cleaner.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Faversham

Professional Cleaning of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen in North Kent

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Terracotta Kitchen Floor Tile Renovation Herne Bay Farmhouse

Dirty Terracotta Farmhouse Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Herne Bay

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Herne Bay Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning / Graham Davis

I was called to a large working farmhouse near Herne Bay to look at renovating a heavily soiled Terracotta tiled kitchen floor. Kitchen floors are one of the busiest in any house but even more so in a farmhouse where muddy boots and paws were frequent visitors.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Tiles Before Cleaning Herne Bay

Having inspected the floor I asked if it would be ok to do a cleaning test, so they could see the potential improvement and I could work out which products would have the best effect. I was confident I could have a major impact on the floor so I chose an unobtrusive tile under one of the counter tops to do the test, this way if the family decided not to progress with the work, then a glaringly clean tile wouldn’t be centre stage!

I cleaned the tile and demonstrated my results to the husband who would show it to his wife later that day. In the meantime, I put together a quote and emailed it through. Suitably impressed, they awarded the job to me but on the understanding that Christmas and New Year were to get in the way and that the work would need to happen in January.

Cleaning Dirty Terracotta Floor Tiles in Herne Bay

Dates were agreed upon and when they came about, I turned up at 9am sharp on the first day. Every floor is different, and I found that the best result for this particular floor was achieved by hand scrubbing the grout lines with a wire brush and a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, a powerful alkaline cleaner. The tiles were then cleaned individually using a six-inch carbide brush fitted to a handheld buffer.

I managed to extract a lot of ingrained dirt from the pores of the Terracotta, so It was clearly some time since the tiles had been sealed. The cleaning solution soon turned into a dark slurry which was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor then needed washing with a mop and bucket and further cleaning with a 17-inch Black scrubbing pad fitted to a floor buffer to make sure the floor was as clean as it could be. After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum I was satisfied. The work was time consuming, but well worth the effort to see the tiles transformed.

Terracotta is made from clay and like a sponge very porous, the tiles were now dark with the water they had absorbed and needed to dry out before the final step of applying a sealer could happen.

I had already arranged to leave a full day in-between before returning to seal and left a damp meter with the owners so they could check the tiles themselves. A day of drying was sufficient however and I got a call the night before that the tiles were sufficiently dry.

Sealing Old Terracotta Floor Tiles in Herne Bay

When I arrived the following morning, the floor looked so much lighter and 100% cleaner. Having retrieved my damp meter, I checked the moisture levels in the floor and confirmed it was ready to be sealed.

Having discussed desired finish with the clients during my initial visit it was clear they wanted the tiles to have a subtle sheen. From this I chose to seal the Terracotta with Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra, this is a topical sealer which works very well on porous clay tiles and would produce the sheen finish they wanted.

Seal and Go Extra works by forming a breathable barrier over the tile, thereby keeping dirt on the surface where is can easily be removed through regular cleaning. Three coats were applied allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. The colour intensifier in the sealer, along with the sheen, totally transformed the tiles.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Tiles After Cleaning Sealing Herne Bay

The customers’ expectations were comfortably exceeded, and they were so happy with the result they left the following glowing review:

‘Our floor looks incredible, better than we could have hoped for. It has changed our whole kitchen for the better. Graham was really nice and did a thorough and efficient job with beautiful results’

On the subject of regular cleaning, I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, this will ensure that the floor is cleaned without compromising the newly applied sealant. Household cleaners tend to contain strong chemicals such as bleach which will break down the sealer prematurely, so always check the label.

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Tiles After Cleaning Sealing Herne Bay

Professional Cleaning of a Terracotta Tiled Farmhouse Kitchen Floor in Kent

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Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Canterbury Kent

Renovating a Paint-Stained Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor in Canterbury

1 Comment / Canterbury Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning / Graham Davis

This Quarry tiled floor at a property in Canterbury had sustained a lot of paint staining from the owner’s friend who had decorated the kitchen and toilet. The customer was a builder and realised how much work would it be to resolve the problem, especially without the correct tools and know how. So, he contacted Tile Doctor and I arranged to perform a survey.

Structurally the Quarry tiles were sound, but the straining was quite obvious, especially near the walls and there was also a section of tiles in the middle of the floor that had been replaced and didn’t quite blend in.

Quarry Tiled Floor Before Renovation Canterbury

I provided a quote for stripping the floor of the paint stains and remaining sealer and then resealing to give the whole floor a consistent appearance. Happy with my quote we scheduled a date for my return to renovate the floor.

Removing Paint Staining from a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

To tackle the paint stains and strip off the old sealer I put down in stages Tile Doctor’s Remove and Go which is a multi-purpose stripper formulated with a long dwell-time to remove most sealers, epoxy grout haze, adhesives and, most importantly, paint!

After leaving it to soak in for ten to fifteen minutes the Remove and Go had softened the paint marks enough for them to be removed with a black scrubbing pad. The pad is fitted to a rotary floor buffing machine adding water along the way to help lubricate the process. Once done the soil generated was vacuumed up and then repeated using an application of diluted Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, again the black scrubbing pad was used to lift out the last of the dirt in the tiles and further clean up the grout.

This process was repeated, and some areas spot treated until I was satisfied all the paint staining had been removed. Again, the resulting slurry and rinse water was removed using a wet vacuum before the floor was left to dry completely over the course of a few days.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen and Utility Floor

Returning three days later, I took some moisture readings with a damp meter first. The readings were fine so satisfied that the tiles were sufficiently dry, I began applying what would be four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This product was chosen for its nice low sheen finish that it gives to the floor.

Quarry Tiled Floor During Sealing Canterbury

As you can see from the photos, the paint staining has gone, the replacement tiles have blended in with the original and the whole floor looks much fresher. Needless to say the customer was very happy with the renovation.

Quarry Tiled Floor After Renovation Canterbury

Before leaving I took time to discuss how to look after the floor including the importance of not using an harsh tile cleaning products on the floor which can reduce the life of the sealer. For the regular cleaning of sealed Quarry tiles, I recommend Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner.

Professional Renovation of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen and Utility in Kent

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