Tumbled Marble Floor Refreshed in Twickenham

Posted on February 22, 2017 by AbzDominise

Marble tiles can be tumbled in large drums to achieve an aged and softened effect, and this can look very nice providing that the stone is adequately maintained.

In the case of this floor at a property in Twickenham South West London, the Marble tiles that had been laid over five years ago, and in that time the sealer had worn down offering the floor little protection. Dirt had now become ingrained in the pores of the stone and grout, and a deep clean and fresh seal were required to restore the stone’s original colour and lustre. The property owner asked me to complete the job and I was more than happy to oblige.

Tumbled Marble floor in Twickenham Before Cleaning

Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Marble Tiles

To begin the restoration, I applied both Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a high alkaline cleaner, and Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which a heavy-duty stripper and remover, to the floor and scrubbed the products in using a scrubbing pad fitted to a professional rotary machine.

The chemical solvents in the Remove and Go helped to break down any old sealer that remained inside the stone, allowing the Pro Clean to then work its magic on the stubborn ingrained dirt the customer had struggled to remove previously. Some of the deeper veins and grout lines I chose to scrub by hand to ensure the fullest and most meticulous clean possible.

Tumbled Marble floor in Twickenham During Cleaning

The resulting soiled cleaning solution was then pressure rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet-vacuum, leaving a completely clean floor that was now ready to be sealed using a new sealant.

Sealing Tumbled Marble Tiles

I returned to the property the following day after allowing the Marble tiles to dry fully. Drying the tiles is a crucial part of the restoration process, since even a small quantity of excess moisture can cloud the sealer and prevent it from working to its fullest capabilities.

I applied two coats of our solvent-based impregnating sealer known as Tile Doctor Colour Grow. As the name of the product suggests, Colour Grow not only protects the tiles against ingrained soil, it also thoroughly lifts and enhances the natural colours in the stone.

Tumbled Marble floor in Twickenham After Cleaning

The new seal will make it easy for our customer to maintain the floor, making daily cleaning easier. It will also protect the stone against the nasty spillages that are common in kitchens and living rooms.

The customer was thrilled with the much-improved appearance of the Marble tiles and is very reassured that they will now stay in great condition for a long time. Another satisfied client!

Source: Marble Tile and Cleaning and Sealing Service in South Middlesex

Marble Tiles Restored After Being Etched With Cillit Bang

Posted on February 16, 2017 by AbzDominise

Here at Tile Doctor we can’t stress often enough how careful you have to be when choosing a cleaning product for use on natural stone. Acid bases cleaners in particular can etch the surface so always read the label before buying. Unfortunately, this customer, who lives in Twickenham, learned this the hard way.

Limescale build-up on shower tiles can be an unsightly problem in hard water areas and this customer’s house cleaner had attempted to treat it with Cillit Bang on their Marble tiled shower room floor. Whilst good at removing Limescale on ceramic tiles, the product is acid-based and in this case caused severe etching to the surface of the Marble.

Tiled Marble Shower Floor Before Cleaning Twickenham

This customer is not the first to experience this problem with Cillit Bang and we have looked into this before and I can confirm it does say on the back on the bottle that you should not use it on all natural stone including Marble and Granite.

The mistake had really damaged the appearance of this lovely floor however the good news is etched Marble can be refinished and we do offer this service. Fortunately, this customer found us on-line and called us in to rectify the problem as

Burnishing a Marble Tiled Shower Room Floor

With high quality, acid-sensitive stone we find that rather than cleaning with a liquid product, it is lot effective to use a process known as burnishing. This involves the application of abrasive diamond encrusted pads to cut back through the damaged stone. This removes a layer from the surface to expose the undamaged stone, which in then polished.

Using different grades of small diamond pads fitted to a hand buffer I began burnishing the floor tiles. I started the process with a Coarse pad and worked my way through to Medium, Fine and eventually the Very Fine pad. A small amount of lubrication in the form water is used with each pad, but no chemical products are needed, making this a completely natural process. The floor was rinsed with water afterwards to remove any slurry from the polishing.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Shower Room Floor

After allowing the floor dry out overnight, I returned to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is a solvent-based, impregnating sealer designed to enhance the variety of natural colours and shades in the stone. It also protects the stone against daily exposure to chemical-based shampoo and soaps.

The customer was worried that the floor could not be restored, but she can now rest assured knowing not only knowing that the floor is back into top condition, but that professional help is at hand in case mistakes happen again in the future! Another happy customer for the Middlesex Tile Doctor.

Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Restoration Service in Middlesex

Renovating White Tumbled Marble Tiles

Posted on January 19, 2017 by AbzDominise

This White Tumbled Marble tiled floor at a house in Hampton had been installed throughout the kitchen and dining area ten years back and was now in desperate need of a deep clean and seal to remove dirt that had accumulated in the pores of the stone. Once the dirt gets into the pores it makes it difficult to keep clean which is exactly the problem the property owner had experienced.

The ‘tumbled’ effect on the Marble is achieved by tumbling the tiles in drums to soften and age the edges and surface of the stone. However, it was difficult to appreciate this interesting style as the presence of dirt and staining was quite overwhelming and the owner was now keen to restore it back to its original condition.

Tumbled Marble floor before cleaning in Hampton Middlesex

Cleaning Tumbled Marble Tiles

I started the restoration by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This high alkaline cleaning product was spread across the floor and left to dwell for a short period, before I then worked it deep into the pores of the stone using a heavy duty rotary scrubbing machine.

Next, some of the stubborn, more deeply ingrained stains were scrubbed by hand, along with the grout lines, which were also particularly dirty. The resulting slurry of water and cleaning solution was then pressure rinsed away and soaked up with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then inspected and areas that needed more attention were retreated using the same process followed by a final rinse with water. The wet vacuum was then used again to extract as much moisture from the floor as possible before leaving the now clean floor to dry off fully overnight ready to accept a fresh coat of sealer the next day.

Sealing Tumbled Marble Tiles

I returned to the property the following day and took a few moisture readings to ensure the Marble had dried off completely overnight. This is critical because even a small amount of excess moisture can damage the performance of the sealer.

Once I was satisfied that the tiles were dry I proceeded to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, a sealer which impregnates the pores of the stone, therefore protecting it from within. It also enhances the natural colours in the stone at the same time, hence the name ‘Colour Grow’!

Tumbled Marble floor after cleaning in Hampton Middlesex

The new sealer will now make it easy for the customer to maintain the floor and avoid the build up of dirt over time in the same way that it had before. It will also protect the stone against spillages.

Overall I think it’s fair to describe the result as a complete transformation. The tiles are bright and clean – and now they will stay that way! Certainly, the customer was pleased with her newly restored White Tumbled Marble tiled floor.

Source: Marble Tile Cleaning and Restoration Service in Middlesex

Marble Tiled Shower Cubicle Refresh

Posted on October 1, 2014 by AbzDominise

This Marble mosaic tiled shower cubicle in Richmond, Surrey was in need of a good clean, re-seal and re-silicone. Moisture had penetrated the old sealer and left mould and mildew in the pores of the tiles. This is quite a common problem in the modern insulated homes we live in today which invariably have in-sufficient ventilation. The silicone sealant around the base of the shower had also perished allowing water in behind the tiles around the base.

Marble Mosaic Shower Tile Refresh Richmond Before

Cleaning Marble Mosaic Tiles and Grout

We first stripped away all of the old silicone and proceeded to clean the tile and grout by scrubbing in a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which is a strong coatings remover that shifts just about anything but is also safe to use on tile, stone and grout. This did the trick and resulted in what was left of the old sealer being removed and had the added bonus of cleaning the grime away from the Marble tiles.

Sealing Marble Mosaic Tiles

The bathroom was allowed to dry out for a period of 2 days so as not to trap any moisture behind the new sealer. Then once dry we applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a solvent based sealer that reaches deep into the pores of the stone preventing other contaminates from becoming ingrained in the tile.

The final step was to applying a new silicone sealant to the joints and as you can see from the pictures the Marble tiles responded very well to the process and the shower now looks much fresher if not a new installation.