Kitchen Floor Cleaning

Ceramic Kitchen Floor Before After Renovation in Sandhurst

Removing Grout Haze from Ceramic Tile and Grout in a Sandhurst Kitchen

I received an enquiry from a customer in Sandhurst regarding their Ceramic tiled kitchen floor that they were struggling to get “looking clean”. Ceramic tiles are glazed and usually very easy to keep clean so intrigued I arranged a time for me to pop over and assess the problem.

Upon arrival the customer explained to me they had recently moved from Lancaster to be closer to their family and had inherited the ceramic tiled floor with the property. They had tried various solutions, but nothing seemed to get them clean. The Ceramic tiles had a slight texture to them which improves grip and makes them a popular choice in kitchens where the floor can get wet. The trouble with rougher surfaces though is they can trap dirt and as it turns out the previous homeowner had three dogs which no doubt had been kept in the kitchen.

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor Stained With Grout Haze Before Cleaning Sandhurst

After measuring and surveying the floor I ran some cleaning tests on the tiles to see which combination of product and cleaning method would have the most impact. During this I discovered the tiles had a thin layer of grout haze imbedded within the textured surface that had becoming imbedded with dirt, this would explain why they had struggled to get them clean. This must of happened when the floor was originally installed, the tiler didn’t polish off the grout thoroughly enough thereby leaving a thin layer of grout over the surface ruining their appearance. Happy with the demo a price was agreed, and the work was booked in.

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor Stained With Grout Haze Before Cleaning Sandhurst

Removing Grout Haze from a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before starting I removed the kick boards from underneath the kitchen units and protected any exposed wooden areas with thin tape. Due to the previous cleaning tests, I knew exactly how to approach the floor and tackle the grout haze (aka grout smears).

Basically, to remove the thin layer of grout I applied a strong dilution of the aptly named Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. It’s a mild acidic cleaner that breaks down the grout and allows it to be removed. The solution is applied to the floor and allowed five to ten minutes to dwell before being agitated using a black pad fitted to a buffing machine. The slurry was then rinsed off with water and vacuumed away using a wet vacuum. Some areas were worse than others so for heavy grout haze build up I used Tile Doctor Acid Gel which is a more powerful acidic cleaner that comes in gel form.

Applying a Light Grey Grout Colourant

Though everything cleaned up well the grout was still looking a little tired, the years of dirt had resulted in some deep staining which could not be removed and was letting down the overall appearance of the floor. To achieve a uniform finish throughout a light grey Tile Doctor Grout Colourant was carefully applied to each individual grout line, wiping away any excess that got onto the tiles. The colourant was left to dry for an hour before buffing the floor with a white pad. The colourant forms a permanent barrier over the grout sealing it in and making it much easier to clean.

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor Stained With Grout Haze After Cleaning Sandhurst

One done the Ceramic tiles had never looked so good and the grout looked ever so fresh. As you can imagine my customer was very happy with the transformation achieved and left the following feedback:

“Dennis did an excellent job of cleaning our kitchen floor and restoring the grout to it its original colour. This really lifted the room. Dennis was courteous and professional and would use him again.”

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor Stained With Grout Haze After Cleaning Sandhurst

Ceramic tiles are fairly robust and with the grout colourant providing a barrier over the grout the floor is set to stay looking good for some time to come. However, there are a lot of cleaners out there on the market, some of which are very strong and concerned they could have a negative impact on the grout colourant. As a result, I recommended they clean the floor with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner going forward, it’s sold as a concentrate, so a small amount goes a long way.

 

Professional Renovation of Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Berkshire

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Terracotta Tiled Floor Before After Renovation Crowthorne

Twenty Year Old Terracotta Floor Renovated in Crowthorne

I was asked to visit a property in Crowthorne near Sandhurst to take a look at a Terracotta tiled floor that was installed twenty years prior and had now become dull and dirty. The client had recently had the house redecorated and attempted to clean the terracotta tiles themselves, however they quickly discover the process was difficult and rather time consuming and thus got in touch with Tile Doctor.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Crowthorne
As part of my visit I carried out a cleaning test on a small patch of Terracotta flooring which they could clearly see made a huge improvement. It was also an opportunity for me to see which products would work best on the tiles which is useful as it means I can create a more accurate quote for renovating the floor. This is specially useful when quoting for Terracotta floors as many are protected with wax coatings which can be a struggle to remove.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Crowthorne
They were more than happy to go ahead with my quote, and a date was arranged to carry out the work. This was just before the COVID-19 epidemic broke out and I manged to get the work done before the lockdown started. Its worth knowing that we have now changed our working practices since then including risk assessments, new PPE and social distancing measures.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

To clean the floor and remove old coatings such as sealers etc a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was sprayed onto the tiles and allowed to dwell for ten minutes. The grout lines were then given a good manual scrub with a stiff grout brush before turning my attention to the Terracotta tiles which were scrubbed mechanically. For this we use a black pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine adding more water as needed to help lubricate the process.

Terracotta Tiled Floor During Cleaning Crowthorne
The scrubbing released the dirt from the tiles and the soil was extracted with a low-pressure extraction machine. The client was amazed how much dirt was coming out of the floor. Some of the grout lines and textured inserts needed double treatment due to heavy build-up of sealer. I continued this process until the floor was completely stripped back and clean.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

Stripped back terracotta is very porous so I allowed the floor to dry out over the weekend to make sure it would be bone dry before sealing. Returning on the Monday I conducted a moisture test with a damp meter to check the floor was dry before starting to apply the sealer. Tile Doctor Seal and Go was used to seal the terracotta, a total of eight coats was applied leaving roughly twenty minutes between coats. Having air movers placed around the room helped with the drying time. Seal and Go is a water-based sealer so it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries, it works very well on Terracotta leaving a subtle sheen to the tile which puts new life in the floor.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Cleaning Crowthorne
The client was delighted with their new floor and left a lovely testimonial which I have copied below:

“Dennis was punctual, professional and proficient. He was a pleasure to have around. We are delighted with the result of his work and we would have no hesitation in recommending him to friends and family “
Before leaving we discussed recommendations to keep the floor clean and what products to use. To this end a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Floor Cleaner was left for their use. This as its name implies is pH neutral so will ensure the newly applied seals stay in place unlike many acidic household cleaners that can strip the sealer from the floor. It is mild enough to use daily and has a nice fresh smell, so should ensure the integrity of the newly restored floor for some time to come.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Cleaning Crowthorne
 

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen in Berkshire

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Indian Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Before and After Renovation Bradfield Reading

Stunning Indian Slate Floor Renovated in Bradfield Kitchen

Details below of a very heavily soiled Indian Slate floor at a property in the small village of Bradfield near Reading. The floor had been cleaned a couple of years before, but the client said they were never completely satisfied with the result and suspected the old seal hadn’t been removed completely before the new one was applied.

Multi Coloured Indian Slate Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Bradfield Multi Coloured Indian Slate Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Bradfield

I was quite sure I could improve the appearance significantly, so I arranged to call in and survey the floor. Whilst there I carried out a test clean on a small part of the floor which came up well. I provided a quote to complete the work, and they were happy with the price, so the work was booked in.

Multi Coloured Indian Slate Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Bradfield

Cleaning an Indian Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left on the Slate for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. I used a strong dilution in order to strip the old sealer off the stone and during this part of the renovation I was able to confirm that the recent seal had been placed on top of the old discoloured seal. Tile Doctor Pro-Clean did a fantastic job on the first layer but I needed to use something stronger to remove the thicker layers of seal underneath.

I applied Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU Remover on a small area before covering with plastic sheeting, this allowed the product to slowly break away at the old seal. Some areas had to be treated twice. It was difficult work so I can see why the other company had given up, but I was determined to achieve a uniform look throughout the floor.

Once the old sealer was broken down, I added water and turned my attention to scrubbing the tiles and grout with a rotary machine this time fitted with a nylon brush. I then extracted the wet slurry with a truck mounted extraction system.

I slowly worked my way through the kitchen/diner and utility room until the whole area was stripped back and looked uniform. The floor looked completely different. The floor was left overnight to dry out before we could tackle the sealing process.

Sealing an Indian Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

After reviewing pictures of previous slate renovations, I had completed my client selected Tile Doctor Seal and Go as the product to seal their floor. They were keen to use something that would allow the natural colours of the stone to shine through. Seal and Go works really well on Slate floors leaving the stone with a subtle satin finish as well as proving durable protection from staining.

I applied six coats of sealer using a combination of small rollers and an applicator pad allowing 30 minutes to dry between each coat. The roller was to ensure I got the seal within all the groves that semi riven slate has and smoothing it out with a paint application pad.

Multi Coloured Indian Slate Kitchen Floor after Renovation Bradfield Multi Coloured Indian Slate Kitchen Floor after Renovation Bradfield

Once completed the floor looked stunning and my customer was very pleased to say the least. They couldn’t believe how bright and colourful the slate had become so much so he left the following feedback

“Dennis did a wonderful job with our kitchen & utility room which is Indian Slate I might add it hadn’t been attended to for a number of years, so it was very challenging for Dennis and the result was outstanding we now have a new floor. What a great guy Dennis his client care was second to none and the dog liked him”

Multi Coloured Indian Slate Kitchen Floor after Renovation Bradfield

 

Professional Renovation of an Indian Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in Berkshire

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Grout Colouring Porcelain Tiles in Binfield

Renovating Porcelain Tile and Grout in a Binfield Kitchen

A customer of mine was so impressed the transformation I had made to her marble shower tiles that she asked me to come back and work some magic on the Porcelain tiled floor in her Kitchen. The property was in Binfield which is situated close to Reading, between Bracknell and Wokingham. I had other jobs booked in at the time, so after working out a quote which included lightening the colour of the grout, I scheduled a date for a return visit.

Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Binfield

The Porcelain tile itself wasn’t too old, roughly 5 years but had been sealed with a product that had failed to bond with the tile leaving it stained and dark. There are three types of Porcelain tile commonly available and only Micro-Porous Porcelain will take a sealer. So, suspect either these tiles were of the non-porous type or that the previous sealer wasn’t an impregnator which is typically thinner so it can soak into the pores.

Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Binfield

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before starting I removed the kick boards from underneath the kitchen units. Then to strip off the old sealer and deep clean the tile and grout I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This was allowed this to soak into the floor for approximately ten minutes before scrubbing the tile and grout lines with a stiff grout brush and a black abrasive scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. The resulting slurry was rinsed off the floor using more water and a wet extraction machine. Once the whole area was cleaned, I left the floor to dry off.

Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor During Renovation Binfield

Although the grout was now clean it was still dark in appearance which made the room look smaller. I was ready for this however as part of the quote I had included colouring the grout with a white colourant which would dramatically affect the appearance of the floor and seal the grout to protecting it from future staining.

Applying White Grout Colourant

Returning from lunch the grout had dried and I was able to start the grout colouring process. I did this using a tube of White Tile Doctor Grout Colourant applied using a small brush, carefully wiping away any excess that had smeared onto the tile using a damp shammy. Once the product had dried, I gave the floor a buff with a white pad to remove any remaining residue.

The customer was delighted with the results and left positive feedback
“Yet again Dennis has made my tiles look new. In fact, they look even better than when they were first laid in the kitchen. Very impressed with the work and professionalism and would highly recommend his services.”

Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Binfield

Porcelain tiles are fairly robust and with the grout colourant providing a barrier over the grout the floor is set to stay looking good for some time to come. However there are a lot of cleaners out there on the market, some of which are very strong so for aftercare I recommended they use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. It a concentrated product so a small amount goes a long way.

Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Binfield

 

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