Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing

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

Cleaning and Renovating Limestone tiles

Limestone is a sedimentary stone, as such it’s generally very porous and acid sensitive and can be damaged through the use of even mildly acidic soaps, shampoos and body washes. Because of this we do not recommend it for use in wet rooms, shower cubicles or near swimming pools.

Like any stone Limestone needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming ingrained in its pores and many varieties including Blue Lias, Blue Moleanos, Jerusalem and White Moleanos to name a few can be polished to a high shine using a series of burnishing pads.

We have found that Black Limestone has become very popular in gardens where it contrasts well against green planting and looks fantastic when wet. One issue we find however is it easily upset by the use of acidic patio cleaners that leave the stone looking dull and lifeless. If this has affected you then not to worry we do have a way of restoring the beauty of the stone back to its original condition.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.


Unfilled Limestone Tiled Floor Cleaning Sealing Newport

Unfilled Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Cleaning and Sealing in Newport

This impressive kitchen floor at a property in Newport comprised on unfilled Limestone tiles and hadn’t been professionally cleaned for twenty years. Having decided it was high time to do something about it I was asked to quote for giving the floor a deep clean and then reseal to bring the Limestone back to its former glory.

Unfilled Limestone Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Newport

It’s important to maintain the sealer on limestone flooring, otherwise it wears off and dirt becomes ingrained in the pores of the stone where it becomes very difficult to remove. The sealer had not been maintained on this floor and as a result it becomes impossible to keep clean.

After paying a visit to the property to survey the floor I recommended deep cleaning the limestone tile and grout and then sealing with an impregnating sealer. Impregnators work by soaking into the pores of the stone, occupying the pores and thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed with regular cleaning. I worked out a detailed quote for doing the work which was accepted and a date set.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen

The first step was to scrub the limestone tiles with a rotary machine fitted with a 240-grit carbide brush to work in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This is a strong multi-purpose alkaline cleaning product designed for cleaning stone and grout. The carbide brush is good at getting into the recesses of the grout line however to ensure it was thoroughly cleaned the grout was also scrubbed manually with a grout brush.

After cleaning it was clear the floor had been treated to several coatings over the years and some of it was still present around the less used parts of the floor. To ensure all the sealer was removed a stronger product called Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied. This is a dedicated coatings remover and is scrubbed into the floor using the carbide brush as before. The floor was then rinsed thoroughly with clean water to remove any cleaning products left over and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen

Once the floor was dry, I set about sealing it using two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is a no-sheen natural look impregnating sealer designed to provide maximum stain protection on natural stone floors including limestone, granite and marble.

Unfilled Limestone Tiled Floor After Cleaning Sealing Newport

The lighting wasn’t brilliant but hopefully you can see from the after photo how much lighter and cleaner the Limestone and Grout look following the work. Certainly, my client was extremely happy with the result and has since recommended me to others.

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is ideal for maintaining sealed stone floors. It’s a good choice for sealed floors like this; many supermarket products are simply too strong and will strip the sealer off a floor prematurely.

 

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Kitchen in Monmouthshire

Unfilled Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Cleaning and Sealing in Newport Read More »

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Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

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