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Tired Limestone Patio Restoration Wargrave Reading

Tired Limestone Patio Renovated in Wargrave in Reading

Earlier this summer I received an enquiry from a homeowner in Wargrave near Twyford regarding their Limestone patio which was “looking tired”. The patio had been laid around five years prior and during that time the UK weather had degraded its appearance significantly resulting in ingrained dirt and algae.

Limestone Patio Before Cleaning Wargrave Reading

The client tried pressure washing themselves over the years however the stone needed more work to return its former glory. The client was on the High Street in Wargrave which is notoriously difficult to park especially if you have a large van like myself.

Limestone Patio Before Cleaning Wargrave Reading

A quote was provided, materials were ordered, and a date was booked in. The client had seen a recent work history of mine where I had restored a marble table, having one herself in similar condition she asked if anything could be done. Confident we could dramatically improve it that was also booked in to be restored on the same day. If you have been though my website you will see I have restored several stone tables in the past and I’ll detail the restoration of this one as well in a future article.

Deep Cleaning a Tired Limestone Patio

Usually, I use a van mounted high pressure cleaning system to help clean exterior stone, however due to the parking issue this wasn’t going to be an option. The alternative was to initially clean the stone using a combination of cleaning products and abrasive burnishing pads, similar to how I would tackle internal Limestone.

The outside elements had certainly taken its toll on this patio, fortunately Tile Doctor have a wide variety of products that help us resolve numerous issues with stone. In this case I decided to start with Tile Doctor Patio and Driveway Cleaner. This is a very strong product that I normally wouldn’t recommend for use on Limestone however its very effective at removing algae, lichens and black spot which was exactly what this patio needed.

I applied the patio cleaner diluted 50/50 with water to a small area, allowing dwell time before scrubbing with a mechanical scrubbing machine. The dirty slurry was rinsed down and vacuumed away. Once I was happy the contamination was eliminated, I ran a series of burnishing pads across the stone, starting with a coarse 400 grit burnishing pad, followed by 800, and finely a fine 1500 grit pad which gradually closed the pores, and restored the appearance of the stone. This is a messy process which generates a lot of slurry which is removed after each pad with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Patio

I offered the option to seal the stone, however on this occasion the client said she would rather me come back every one or two years to repeat the process. The drainage wasn’t particularly good on this patio installation and water tends to pool on the stone for long periods of time, so they were concerned the seal wouldn’t last over the upcoming autumn and winter.

Limestone Patio After Renovation Wargrave Reading

Should they have wished to go ahead and seal the stone I would have used either Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal for a natural look or Tile Doctor Colour Grow to enhance the colours of the stone.

Limestone Patio After Renovation Wargrave Reading

Completed in a day the patio now looks like it was only just installed and the owners are looking forward to showing it off to their guests of the rest of the summer.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Patio in Berkshire

Tired Limestone Patio Renovated in Wargrave in Reading Read More »

Dishevelled Brick steps Deep Cleaned in Ascot

I received an enquiry regarding a set of Brick Steps at a property in Ascot that had fallen victim to the elements and had become ingrained in years of ingrained dirt, algae, and lichen. As the entrance to the property the brick steps were making it look uninviting and dishevelled. My client emailed over a couple of photographs, and I was confident that with our variety of cleaning products we could vastly improve the appearance.

I visited the site in to take a closer look and conducted a test clean to demonstrate what could be achieved. I discussed the process with the client and provided a quote for the work. Happy with the results of the test clean and the quote a date was booked into the diary for my return.

Deep Cleaning a Brick Stepped Entrance in Ascott

To start I removed any moss and loose soil with an industrial scraping tool and a wire brush, this would allow the cleaning product, Tile Doctor Brick and Patio Cleaner to have full contact with the brick and mortar. This product is a very strong fast acting cleaner designed to remove black spot, algae and lichens from external concrete paving and brick driveways.

I applied the product neat using a pump-up sprayer and allowed the product to dwell for thirty minutes, scrubbing every so often and keeping the surface damp to ensure the brick and patio cleaner didn’t dry out. With this product the longer you leave it the better the result. In this case I let the bricks and mortar soak for about an hour before scrubbing it in further and then rinsing off with water. Some areas were more stubborn than others and needed more work by once I was happy with the results, I gave the steps a thorough rinsing with plenty of water.

The results were so noticeable that the client’s friend and neighbour “not wanting to be outdone” also wanted their smaller steps deep cleaned. Thankfully I had the time needed so I was more than happy to oblige.

Sealing a Brick Stepped Entrance

I discussed the benefits of having the steps sealed, however my client was happy with how they looked and opted to have me back each spring to keep on top of things. There are several products we have available for sealing outdoor bricks and patios, Tile Doctor Colour Grow, Ultra Seal and X-Tra Seal, all of these will provide protection to the area by preventing dirt from becoming ingrained into the brick.

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