Chepstow Tile Cleaning

Chepstow Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find examples of the cleaning and renovation of tiles carried out in Chepstow.

Green Riven Slate Floor Cleaning and Sealing Chepstow

Green Riven Slate Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Chepstow

This client in Chepstow had a beautiful Green Riven Slate Tiled floor installed in their living room some year prior but were now unhappy with its appearance. What was once a real feature of the property had lost its deep shine and now looked flat and unappealing.

The client called us in to see what could be done to put the life back in the stone and so I went over to survey the floor and come up with a renovation plan. The owner explained that the floor was sealed with a satin finish sealer and although they liked the way that looked it had deteriorated over time and now the floor looked patchy.

Green Riven Slate Floor Before Cleaning Chepstow

This is a common problem with sealed stone floors, sealers do wear off in the busiest parts of the floor and once this happens, they will lose their appearance as dirt gets trapped in the pores of the stone where its difficult to flush out with regular cleaning. The other problem we see is the use of harsh unsuitable cleaning products which can reduce the life of the sealer.

To resolve I recommended stripping off all the old sealer back to the natural stone, deep cleaning the pores and then re-sealing with a product that would give them the satin finish they had before. Happy with my proposal and quote a date was agreed for the work to start which would take two days, one to strip and clean and the other to seal.

Cleaning a Green Riven Slate Tiled Floor

Work started by stripping off the old sealer with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was brushed over the tile and grout, and then left to soak in for ten minutes. This dwell time gives the product time to start breaking down the old sealer and dirt. The solution was then agitated with a poly brush fitted to a large buffer machine which was run over each tile several times. This process released the remaining sealer and dirt from the stone resulting in lots of soiling which was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The tile and grout were then inspected and spot treated with a hand scrubbing brush where needed. This is especially useful to get right into the grout and tight corners where a machine will struggle. This was then followed by more rinsing and extracting to remove the resultant soiling and neutralising the entire floor to remove all trace of cleaning products prior to sealing.

The floor was then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Green Riven Slate Tiled Floor

The next day I returned to the property and checked several sections of the floor with a damp meter to ensure the Slate had dried off and was ready to be sealed. Sealing a damp floor is never a good idea as it can affect the sealer curing and result in a patchy appearance.

Green Riven Slate Floor During Sealing Chepstow

To seal the floor four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were applied which is a water-based sealer that has the advantage of not leaving a smell as it dries. This produced the appealing satin finish they were after and brought out the best in the stone as you will see in the photos. The sealer will protect the stone from everyday use and can last up to five years if maintained correctly.

Green Riven Slate Floor After Cleaning Sealing Chepstow

After the job was completed, the Green Slate looked fantastic and my customer was beyond happy. I took time to explain how to clean the floor and recommended they use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is pH neutral product that is effective yet won’t impact the newly applied sealer.

Green Riven Slate Floor After Cleaning Sealing Chepstow

 

Professional Cleaning of a Green Black Slate Tiled in South Cumbria

Green Riven Slate Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Chepstow Read More »

Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Cleaning Chepstow

Nine Year Old Chinese Slate Floor Renovated in Chepstow

The tiles pictured are Chinese Slate which were laid in the Kitchen of a house in Chepstow around nine years ago. The town of Chepstow is located on the Welsh side of the River Seven and has the River Wye running through it.

Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Chepstow

The floor had not been professionally cleaned and sealed since installation. During this time the old sealer had mostly worn off allowing dirt to get into the pores of the stone leaving it looking dull, uninviting and dirty. The grout lines had also collected dirt and many of the lines had darkened.

Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Chepstow

I discussed with the client the process to get the floor cleaned and restored and demonstrated the effectiveness of the process on a small test area. They were impressed and were happy to go ahead with my quote, so we scheduled in the work which would take two days.

Cleaning a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

To get the floor clean and remove what was left of the old sealer I first made the floor wet and then added a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Tile Doctor Remove and Go to give it extra power. This cleaning cocktail was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine and by hand where necessary. This combination works well on really dirty floors such as this.

The scrubbing action released the years of dirt from the pores of the Slate and it wasn’t long before the cleaning solution turned black. This was then extracted off the floor using a wet vacuum. We then gave the floor a thorough inspection. There were one or two areas that were particularly stubborn, so these areas were retreated using the same process and the grout scrubbed by hand using more Tile Doctor Pro Clean.

The floor was then given another rinse with water and then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum. This got the floor dry, but it would need to be completely dry before sealing so it was then left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I came back the next day to seal the floor first checking the moisture level of the stone by taking readings with a damp meter to ensure it was dry. I chose to use Tile Doctor Colour Grow for the sealer as the colour enhancing formula would be the best product to bring out the natural colours in the Chinese slate. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer which will provides durable protection as well as allowing the surface to breath. Three coats were applied, allowing each to dry before applying the next one.

Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Chepstow

The client was so happy, so much that she said it looked better than when first laid!

I discussed aftercare with her and recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s pH balanced so it won’t prematurely erode the sealer which can be the problem with stronger products you find in supermarkets. It comes in concentrated form so one bottle lasts a long time.

Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Chepstow

 

Professional Restoration of a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Monmouthshire

Nine Year Old Chinese Slate Floor Renovated in Chepstow Read More »

=================================

Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

================================= Read More »

Scroll to Top