Colour Grow Archives - Berkshire Tile Doctor

Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Cleaning Sealing Spencers Wood Reading

Dirty Silver Travertine Kitchen floor in Spencer’s Wood, Reading

This client in Spencer’s Wood, a small civil parish village located south of Reading within Berkshire, had a spectacular Silver Travertine tiled floor that had become grimy, stained and generally dull from use. Unhappy with how it now looked I was asked to quote for renovating it.

I called in to survey the floor and I could see how the grout had become badly stained and the natural pits in the travertine had trapped a lot of dirt which had accumulated over time. Kitchen floors are generally the busiest in any house and with a build-up of dirt, grease and other soils ingrained into the pores of the travertine.

Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Spencers Wood Reading

It was clear any sealer that had once protected the stone was no longer effective. Though the kitchen was the worse effected area the client wanted the whole tiled area cleaned which included the hallway and cloakroom. I worked out a quote for doing the work, which was accepted and a date was booked in.

Cleaning a Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

On arrival I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell for ten minutes so it could soak into the pores and break down the dirt, grease, and any remaining sealer. For best results I then went over the floor with a rotary buffing machine fitted with a nylon scrubbing brush. Personally, I find nylon brushing perfect for cleaning grout and pitted travertine as the brush gets into the depressions releasing the contaminations. The resulting slurry was then vacuumed off the floor using a wet vacuum, the floor was then rinsed with water and vacuumed again.

To improve the appearance of the Travertine and remove any potential imperfections caused by wear and tear, it was given a light burnish using a 400-grit then 800-grit burnishing pads this left the floor with a gentle satin sheen. We could then improve the shine further by adding a 1500-grit followed by 3000-grit however, it was the client’s request that they didn’t want the floor to look “too shiny”.

The burnishing pads are attached to the rotary machine and then run over each tile several times using only water for lubrication. After another rinse and extraction to remove the slurry, the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

Returning the next day, the floor had dried out and looked stunning. I damp meter was used to test the floor for moisture and after confirming it was dry, I proceeded to seal the Travertine using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow.

Tile Doctor Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that enhances and improves the colour and texture of natural travertine whilst providing durable protection.

Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Spencers Wood Reading

The client was thrilled with the outcome of the floor and was glad to have it back to how they remembered it. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and recommended the client to use Tile Doctor Stone Soap as a maintenance cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Silver Travertine Tiled Kitchen in Berkshire

Dirty Silver Travertine Kitchen floor in Spencer’s Wood, Reading Read More »

Jerusalem limestone Floor Polishing Mortimer Common Reading

Pitted Jerusalem Limestone Floor Renovated in Mortimer Common

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Reading Tile Cleaning / Dennis Buckland

I was called out to a property in Mortimer Common, which is a few miles West of Reading to survey a Jerusalem Limestone floor that had been installed quite some time ago when an extension was added to the property.

Jerusalem Limestone Before Cleaning Polishing Mortimer Common Reading

Over time their once beautiful Jerusalem limestone floor had become dirty, dull and in areas chemically damaged. In an attempt to freshen up the stone floor the customer brought some sealer from a local trade store and applied it to the floor, however the product she purchased was actually a topical sealer (Polish) which left the floor looking worse, in her words made the natural stone looking “artificial”. On very rare occasions topical sealers can be used on honed/polished floors but can easily go wrong that’s why we recommended using impregnated sealers when working on this type of material.

Limestone is also acid sensitive so best to avoid the use of strong acidic cleaning products such as bleach which will etch into the stone with use and in some cases open naturally forming cavities in the stone itself, a problem we often refer to as pitting.

Cleaning a Jerusalem Limestone Tiled Floor

My first task was to remove the topical seal that was recently applied and deep clean the dirt filled pits and grout. To do this I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go left it to soak in for ten minutes and then agitating using a combination of a stiff nylon brush and a Black stripping pad fitted to a rotary machine. I made sure to go over any pits in the stone multiple times to release the trapped dirt. The resultant slurry was vacuumed up as I went along and the floor given a rinse with water afterwards.

Once clean I addresses the small pits in some of the tiles by backfilling them with a rapid setting filling compound that I colour matched with various shades of brown and cream.

Jerusalem limestone Before Filling Mortimer Common Reading

Jerusalem limestone After Filling Polishing Mortimer Common Reading

With the old sealer removed and the holes/pits taken care of I continued with the restoration of the floor by moving onto the burnishing process which cleans and polishes the stone. This involves honing the Limestone with a set of burnishing pads starting with a course 400-grit and finishing with a fine 3000-grit. The pads are applied to the floor with a heavy floor buffing machine using water to lubricate the process. The pad is run over each tile around five times and the chalky slurry this process generates is rinsed off afterwards with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum. You then move onto the 800-grit and then 1500-grit slowly building back the appearance of the stone.

Once each of the three pads had been run over the floor it was given a final rinse and then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum before leaving it to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Jerusalem Limestone Tiled Floor

We returned to the property the following day, by which time the floor had dried completely. I finished the burnishing process with the fine 3000-grit burnishing pad which is brings up the polish even further and is only applied using a little water sprayed onto the tiles.

Jerusalem Limestone After Cleaning Polishing Mortimer Common Reading

Once done I moved onto applying the sealer which for this floor, I chose Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone to provide durable protection whilst enhancing the natural colours in the stone. The customer was over the moon with the results and was stated the floor looked better than when it was installed all those years ago.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is designed for maintaining the patina on polished stone floors.

Professional Restoration of a Jerusalem Limestone Tiled Floor in Berkshire

Pitted Jerusalem Limestone Floor Renovated in Mortimer Common Read More »

Limestone Kitchen Worktop Polishing Aldermaston

Removing a Large Scratch from Limestone Worktop in Aldermaston

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Reading Tile Cleaning / Dennis Buckland

Earlier this year I received a rather panicky call from a previous customer from Aldermaston for who I completed a floor tile refurbishment back in 2021. It seems that after hosting a New Year’s party with her family and friends she discovered a large scratch on her beautiful Limestone kitchen island worktop.

Limestone Worktop Before Scratch Removal Aldermaston

It was clear something heavy had been dragged across the worktop, and to make matters worse the unknown renegade had covered the affected area with a chopping board and tea towels. Fortunately, the methods and products we use to renovate stone floors can be used to restore stone worktops as well.

After surveying the damage, I could see other stains and marks from general use and so I recommend polishing the whole island worktop to ensure a uniform finish throughout. She was quite relieved to hear that it could be restored as the scratch was very noticeable. Happy with my suggestion and quote we agreed a date for my return.

Repairing a Limestone Scratched Worktop

I decided the best way to tackle the refurbishment would be to use a combination of hand resin blocks and diamond burnishing pads. The soft burnishing pads are particularly messy when working on islands, so my first task was to ensure the surrounding kitchen units and walls were protected with plastic sheeting.

Limestone Worktop During Renovation Aldermaston

To remove the large scratch, I opted to use a set of hand burnishing blocks starting with 60 grit and working up to 400 grit. The challenge was to be careful not to work too hard to avoid any dipping within the island. I could have used a set of 3-inch milling pads fitted to a hand machine but I find the hand block a lot more controlled even if it is a slower process.

Then the limestone was burnished with a set of six-inch burnishing pads fitted to a hand buffer. The pads come in different grades and are applied in sequence to the surface starting with coarse 400 grit and finishing with 1500 grit to leave a honed but not too shiny finish. Water is applied to help lubricate the burnishing process and I rinsed off residues with towels after each sequence. This was a slow process, but the end results were just what the customer was looking for.

Sealing a Limestone Island Worktop

I returned the next day to apply a sealer and although we were happy with the results, we noticed the island was slightly lighter shade than the surrounding kitchens worktops. So, after a brief discussion with the customer, we decided a colour enhancing impregnating sealer would be the best option when sealing.

Tile Doctor has a range of sealers including an impregnating Colour Enhancer called Colour Grow so that was chosen to seal the Limestone. Three coats of colour grow later and the island was finally restored back to what the client remembered.

Limestone Worktop After Renovation Aldermaston

For the aftercare of stone worktops, we recommend the use of Stone Patina Spray which is a spray-and-buff cleaner that is designed to enhance the natural beauty and lustre of polished stone as it cleans.

Professional Restoration of a Scratched Limestone Kitchen Worktop in Berkshire

Removing a Large Scratch from Limestone Worktop in Aldermaston Read More »

Limestone Bathroom Tiles Deep Cleaned Sealed Windsor Berkshire

Mouldy Antalya Limestone Wall Tiles in Windsor Bathroom

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Slough Tile Cleaning / Dennis Buckland

I recently had a call out to an apartment in the town of Windsor on the river Thames, just west of London. The enquiry was to see if I could do anything with Antalya Limestone bathroom tiles that were ingrained with mould.

Mouldy Stained Antalya Limestone Bathroom Wall Tiles Before Cleaning Windsor

Antalya Limestone is a Beige/Cream stone that is quarried in Turkey, its notorious for being a soft stone that is hard to maintain and probably not the best choice for a bathroom. Reluctant to replace the bathroom tiling the landlord was looking for another option as he knew something had to be done before putting it back on the market to find a new tenant.

The homeowner had rented the property out for several years and unfortunately the most recent tenant hadn’t looked after the property particularly well. One of the problems was that the tenant had forgotten to inform the landlord that both bathroom extraction fans hadn’t been working for some time.

The apartment was located in the basement of the apartment complex, the bathrooms had no windows so without an extraction fan to remove moisture bacterial growth thrived. Having surveyed the bathroom tile I provide a quote to completely refresh the bathroom tiling which included deep cleaning and the removal of the ingrained mould.

Cleaning Antalya Limestone Bathroom Tiles

Tile Doctor has a range of products that can be used to clean and remove ingrained soils, old sealers, grout haze and other unwanted contaminations. For bathroom tiles I use Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is designed to remove mould from tile and grout. Before starting work though I carefully removed the glass shower screens and other fittings.

To ensure the product could penetrate deep into the tiles I first had to open the pores of the stone, I did this using a soft 200 grit milling pad fitted to a handheld buffing machine. After saturating the affected areas in Tile Doctor Duo Clean and allowing it to dwell for well over an hour, we could see it starting to work. Though effective it was clear this was going to take some time to completely remove the mould, so I saturated the stone again with Tile Doctor Duo Clean and left it to work overnight. Thankfully the property was empty.

Returning the next morning the results were incredible, about 80% of the mould had been removed but I knew if we repeated the process, we could achieve an even better result. I continued with the same method as before and left it to work overnight again. Happy with results I could continue with the next stage which was closing the pours of the stone by using a set of finer burnishing pads.

The pads I use have a 6-inch diameter and fit a handheld buffer machine, they are applied to the Limestone tiles in sequence and applied with water for lubrication. The sequence runs from coarse 400 to very fine 3000 and you rinse with water to remove the soiling in between each pad.

Sealing an Antalya Limestone Tiled Bathroom Wall

The stone was then left to dry out before returning to seal. The sealant chosen was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which as its name suggests enhances the natural colours in the stone allowing its beauty to stand out. Two generous coats of sealer were applied allowing an hour between coats.

Mouldy Stained Antalya Limestone Bathroom Wall Tiles After Cleaning Windsor

With the tile and grout renovated all that was left to do was to re-fit the shower controls and shower glass after giving both a clean. The client was over the moon with the result, and his concerns over having to invest in a new shower room before letting the property out were gone.

Professional Refresh of a Limestone Tiled Shower in Berkshire

Mouldy Antalya Limestone Wall Tiles in Windsor Bathroom Read More »

Limestone Shower Tiles Etched by Vikal Before After Renovation Farley Hill

Viakal Etched Limestone Shower Tiles Restored in Farley Hill

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Reading Tile Cleaning / Dennis Buckland

This enquiry about a Limestone tiled shower came from a customer in Farley Hill which is a village near Reading. Unfortunately, in an attempt to freshen up their Limestone shower tiles ready for family visit they ended up etching them with a Limescale remover called “Viakal” leaving it in quite a sorry state.

Limestone Shower Tiles Etched by Viakal Before Renovation Farley Hill

Limestone being calcium based reacted with the acid in the product resulting in the surface becoming etched and ruining its appearance. Viakal can be brought from just about every household cleaning aisle however it is acidic and should never be used on natural stone; in fact, if you read the label, you will find they do mention this.

Naturally the owner was horrified but fortunately this problem happens a lot and lot and Tile Doctor have worked out a solution, so after finding us on the Internet we were asked to pop round and work our magic.

Acid Etched Limestone Renovation

To remove acid etching the solution is to burnish the stone and repolish using a set of six-inch diamond pads of different grits from coarse to smooth. However, given the extent of the damage was quite small I decided to start using a set of smaller abrasive diamond hand blocks instead.

The process started by applying a 50-grit hand block to cut back the stone and remove the etching, water is used along the way to help lubricate and remove the soiling. This was then followed by applying a 100, 200 and finally 400-grit block.

Once the etching was removed, I moved onto the application of a set of burnishing pads to re close the pores in the stone and restore its final appearance and colour. The pads are applied to the Limestone tiles in sequence using a handheld buffer with water for lubrication. As with the blocks the sequence runs from a coarse 400-grit to very fine 3000-grit rinsing off the watery slurry with more water as I went.

Sealing Limestone Tiles in a Wet Room

The limestone tiles were then left to dry out and then after an early lunch l returned to apply a protective sealer. The sealer opted for in this case was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which as its name suggests restores colour and beauty to stone. Two generous coats were applied allowing an hour between coats.

Limestone Shower Tiles Etched by Viakal After Renovation Farley Hill

Once done my customer was so relieved the etching and limescale had been removed and ecstatic with the transformation. It’s a beautiful shower that has had its beauty restored. My customer has vowed never uses Viakal anywhere near her shower again and instead would use a natural cleaner like Tile Doctor stone soap.

Professional Limestone Tiled Shower Tile Renovation in Berkshire

Viakal Etched Limestone Shower Tiles Restored in Farley Hill Read More »

Hotel Tesserae Stone Mosaic Tiled Floor Renovated in Taplow Maidenhead

Tesserae Stone Mosaic Floor Restored at Refurbished Hotel in Taplow

1 Comment / Maidenhead Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning / Dennis Buckland

I was recently contracted to renovate a Tesserae Stone Mosaic floor as part of a hotel refurbishment project in Taplow near Maidenhead. Taplow house hotel has been undergoing a large refurbishment project and originally, they planned on laying new Marble floor throughout the entrance/reception area however when they lifted the carpet the discovered the original floor and they were keen to see if the old floor could be restored to some former glory.

Hotel Tesserae Stone Mosaic Tiled Floor Before Renovation Taplow

Taplow house was originally built in 1568, however the Manor House was involved in a devastating fire in 1660, destroying almost all the original building. The Georgian building that stands today was erected in 1751. Home to aristocracy, Taplow house was a private residence before turning into a hotel in 1958 and this is when we believe the floor was covered up with carpet.

Removing Carpet Adhesive from a Tesserae Stone Mosaic Tiles in Taplow

The main issue raised was the floor was covered in old carpet glue and this would need to be removed before it could be deep cleaned and then protected with a sealer.

After reviewing the range of Tile Doctor cleaning products and problem solvers to determine which product would be the most effective at breaking down the residue. My first thought was to use Remove and Go which was developed as a coating’s remover and my go to product to remove old sealers, paint as well as adhesive contamination.

Hotel Tesserae Stone Mosaic Tiled Floor During Renovation Taplow

For maximum impact on the glue the Remove and Go was applied neat to the mosaic floor and then covered with plastic sheeting so it could sweat the tile and not dry prematurely. The floor was left to dwell for about 15 – 30 minutes, so it could get to work breaking down the old carpet glue and adhesive. After this the plastic sheet was removed and the floor then scrubbed with a rotary floor buffer fitted with a black stripping pad using plenty of water. This quickly broke up the adhesive from the tile allowing it to be removed from the tiles with a wet vacuum. It was a large area so as I was cleaning one section there was another section sweating under a plastic sheet.

Once the glue had been removed, I then treated the section to an acid rinse by cleaning the floor with a mild dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which removes old grout smears and will neutralise any salts in the old floor that could result in efflorescence later. Being an acid, this product also neutralises the ph levels in the floor after the cleaning with Remove and Go which is an Alkaline product.

Once the floor was clean it needed time to dry out thoroughly before sealing, however being a busy construction site and the floor being the main walkway between rooms I agreed to do a quick ‘builders clean’ when I returned later.

Sealing Tesserae Stone Mosaic Tiles in Taplow

After my return I gave the floor a quick clean using a mild solution of Grout Clean-up scrubbed with a Nilon brush fitted to the rotary machine. Most of the contamination was plaster residues from ongoing work. After a light rinse and extraction with a wet vacuum the floor was left to dry off overnight ready for sealing the next day.

To seal the tiles, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which as its name suggests is a colour enhancing sealer that works by impregnating the pores of the tile protecting it from within and enriching the colours in the process. This gave a lovely contrast in colour whilst providing a matt finish; another advantage of Colour Grow is it’s a fully breathable sealer which won’t trap moisture under the tile which is an important for these old floors which don’t have a damp membrane.

Hotel Tesserae Stone Mosaic Tiled Floor After Renovation Taplow

Professional Renovation of a Tesserae Stone Mosaic Tiled Floor in Berkshire

Tesserae Stone Mosaic Floor Restored at Refurbished Hotel in Taplow Read More »