Tag Archives: Honing Marble

Honing a Tumbled Marble Floor in Oxford

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The owners of this house in the historic city of Oxford contacted Tile Doctor about their Tumbled Marble tiled floor which was not looking its best and was proving difficult to clean effectively. The floor is part of a kitchen/dining room where the grout had darkened substantially with dirt. Oxford is only 12 miles from by base in Chalgrove so I spoke to the client on the phone and arranged an appointment to visit the property and survey the floor.

I could see that sealer had also worn off which is a common problem with natural stone floor and dirt was now trapped in the pores of the stone. They had tried multiple types of household floor cleaners and nothing was getting the floor to look clean, and as it was so light in colour it was really looking quite dirty.

Tumbled Marble Floor Before Cleaning Oxford

We find the best way to renovate hard stone flooring such as Marble is to use a set of diamond burnishing pads which hone the stone and restore its appearance. I recommended this method to the homeowner and worked out a quote. The quote was agreed, and we set a date to do the work which given the size of the floor I calculated would take two days, one to burnish and one to seal.

Cleaning/Repairing a Tumbled Marble Tiled Kitchen/ Dining room Floor

The burnishing process starts with the application of a coarse 400-grit diamond pad which is applied using a rotary floor scrubber and lubricated with water. This pad is run over each tile two to three times and this effectively cleans the stone removing any old sealer in the process.

After rinsing the fine slurry off the floor with more water and extracting with a wet vacuum I turned my attention to the grout. For this I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean along the grout lines and scrubbed it into grout with a stiff brush. The cleaner was then rinsed away with water taking the dirt with it and extracted as before using the wet vacuum.

I then continued to burnish and hone the Marble tiles starting with 800-grit pad and then followed by 1500-grit pad. Each pad was applied with water to lubricate and then the slurry rinsed and extracted off the floor as before. The floor was then left to dry out overnight.

Sealing a Tumbled Marble Tiled Kitchen/ Dining room Floor

On day two I returned and began work by checking the floor was dry enough to seal with a damp meter. All was well so I proceeded to apply the sealer. After discussing sealer options with the client, I opted to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour intensifying sealer which enhances the natural colours in the stone. It also provides durable protection by impregnating the pores of the stone preventing dirt from becoming engrained there. I applied two coats of Colour Grow allowing time in-between for the first coat to dry before applying the second.

Before leaving for the day I buffed the floor with a white pad to remove any excess sealer and give the floor a lovely sheen.

Tumbled Marble Floor After Cleaning Oxford

After I had finished the floor looked pristine and my client was over the moon.

 

Source: Tumbled Marble Tile and Cleaning, Honing and Polishing Service in Oxfordshire

Dull Marble Tiles Cleaned and Polished back to Health in Middleton, Greater Manchester

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This customer in Middleton near Manchester wanted to bring the shine up on the tiled floor in their Kitchen and Dining Room, it had been laid nearly fifteen years before and was now dull, lifeless and the grout was also in need of a clean.

I was told the tiles were Ceramic however after visiting the property and running some tests if became clear that the tiles were in fact Marble. There are some very realistic Ceramic and Porcelain tiles on the market however you usually find they have a set of repeating patterns whereas with natural stone no two tiles are the same.

Marble Tiled Floor Before Polishing Middleton Manchester Marble Tiled Floor Before Polishing Middleton Manchester

The floor had lost its shine over the years which is a common problem with natural stone such as Marble which ideally needs to be polished and have the sealer topped up every year to keep it in the best condition. The cleaning test results were so good that the customer booked us in to complete the floor straight away after agreeing the quote.

Cleaning and Polishing a Marble Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

We started by giving the floor a general clean with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean paying special attention to the grout where it was scrubbed in along the grout lines using a stiff narrow brush. The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed off and extracted using a wet vacuum.

The next step was to clean and re-polish the Marble using the 400, 800 and 1500 grit burnishing pads which re-hone the stone bringing up the polish gradually. You use water to lubricate the process and rinse with more water in-between each pad to rinse off the soil that is generated. The soil is then extracted with a wet vacuum.

After running all three pads over the floor in sequence and the floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to complete the work.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

On my return I started by running over the floor with the fourth burnishing pad in the set which is a very fine 3000-grit pad. It’s applied with a little water sprayed onto the floor using a technique we call a “Spray Burnish” and it really brings up the polish on the Marble tiles.

The last step was to seal the Marble tiles which will protect them from dirt becoming ingrained in the pores of the stone and make them easier to clear. For this I chose to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer which has the added benefit of enhancing the natural colours in the stone.

Marble Tiled Floor After Polishing Middleton Manchester Marble Tiled Floor After Polishing Middleton Manchester

It was the perfect choice for the floor and the final result was quite a transformation. Certainly my customer was very happy with the results and left the following feedback on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“Excellent professional service. The floor tiles are back to how to how they were 14 years ago.”

Before leaving I discussed aftercare and explained that the more a polished floor gets used the more the shine and sealer wears off, so I always advise having the floor re-polished once a year using the 3000-grit pad and then adding another coat of sealer. My customer agreed and has already booked me in for a years’ time to do the work which should only take about two hours.

 

Source: Marble Tile Cleaning and Polishing Service in Middleton, Greater Manchester

Polishing Stains out of Marble Floor Tiles in Northampton

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The Marble floor tiles in the pictures below covered a large kitchen, family room and utility area at a property in New Duston near Northampton. The client who was a builder had been recommended our services by one of his own clients, so he contacted us for advice on how to renovate the Marble flooring.

Marble Floor Restoration New Duston Before Polishing

I went to the property to survey the floor and could see straight away that the tiles were dull, lifeless with some staining and hardly recognisable as Marble. I recommended the floor was honed through a polished process known as burnishing, followed by the application of a sealer to provide durable protection for the stone. I organised a quote which was accepted, and we arranged a date for the work to start.

Marble Floor Restoration New Duston Before Polishing

Apologies in advance for the quality of the photographs, it’s tricky this time of year when the light is failing to capture a good photo.

Restoring Polish to a Marble Tiled Floor

I began the burnishing process, which involves the application of a set of Tile Doctor diamond encrusted burnishing pads attached to a 17” rotary machine. At Tile Doctor we work with a four-pad system that allows us to gradually refine the polish on suitable stone floors which generally including Marble, Travertine and Limestone. I started the process by applying a 400-grit coarse burnishing pad lubricated with a little water, working in small sections. Following this, I worked my way through the burnishing system, repeating the process with 800-grit medium and 1500-grit fine grit burnishing pads. I also used some small hand-held burnishing blocks in the difficult to reach corners and edges. The floor is given a quick rinse using a wet pick up machine between pads in order to remove the resulting slurry before starting with the next pad.

Marble Floor Restoration New Duston During Polishing

I left the floor to dry off overnight to give the Marble tile and grout time to dry and returned the next day to finish the polishing and seal the floor.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Floor

The last 3000-grit pad builds up a high polish on the floor and is applied dry with only a little water squirted on the tiles in a process we call a Spray Burnish. One of the advantages of this method is it leaves the floor dry so is ready for sealing.

Now that I had achieved a good level of shine, I then proceeded to seal the floor to protect the stone against future dirt, stains and damage, which is more common in busy areas of a house like the kitchen. I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal allowing drying time between each coat. This is a no-sheen, natural-look, penetrating sealer which is formulated to provide maximum stain protection, especially in food areas such as the kitchen. Once the sealant had hardened, I ran over the floor with a white buffing pad to further enhance the look of the Marble floor.

Marble Floor Restoration New Duston After Polishing

The customers were extremely happy with the results and as with all customers I advised on the best maintenance for their floor and provided a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap to help them maintain the beauty of their floor.

 

Source: Marble Tile Cleaning and Polishing Service in Northampton, Northamptonshire