Colour Grow Archives - Northamptonshire Tile Doctor

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Stanwick

Tumbled Travertine Kitchen Floor Filled and Polished in Stanwick Near Wellingborough

A homeowner from the village of Stanwick near Wellingborough contacted me about their Tumbled Travertine Kitchen floor which was proving very hard to maintain. Having worked on similar floors before I was confident of helping and so arranged a date to pop round and come up with a plan for its renovation.

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Stanwick

Surveying the floor, I could see the main problem was the pitting in the tiles which are basically small holes and is quite common with Travertine. Dirt was becoming ingrained in the holes which were proving very difficult to remove with regular cleaning and this left it looking dull and permanently dirty. I recommended deep cleaning the floor to remove all the dirt, filling the holes, polishing the stone to bring back its appearance and then sealing to protect it going forward.

Happy with the plan I created a quote for the work which was agreed and a date set for our return.

Cleaning and Polishing a Travertine Tiled Floor

I gave the floor a sweep to remove any loose dirt and grit and started with the application of the first pad which is a coarse 400-grit and designed to remove minor scratches, old sealers and ingrained dirt. The pads fit a 17” buffer machine and is applied with water to lubricate the process, then once the pad has been applied to each tile the floor is rinsed with water and the resultant slurry is extracted using a wet vacuum.

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Stanwick

Before moving onto the second pad in the set I gave the grout lines a clean with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was scrubbed into the grout using a stiff narrow brush. The pads can struggle to reach into the recessed grout lines, so I usually find this is the best way to get the grout clean.

The floor was given another rinse with water and then I continued to work through the medium 800-grit and then fine 1500-grit pads rinsing with water and then extracting the slurry with a wet vacuum after each pad.

The Travertine was now clean and after drying with fans I commenced the task of filling the larger holes with a resin filler that matched the natural colour of the stone as close as possible. The filler takes an hour to set and then the patches are rubbed down with handheld burnishing blocks.

Sealing a Tumbled Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the following day and started by completing the polishing process by applying the last 3000-grit very fine burnishing pad with the 17” rotary machine, the pad is applied dry with a small amount of water sprayed on the floor as you go along. With the floor now fully dry and the filled holes polished flat the last step was to apply the sealer which will protect the floor going forwards.

Last step was to seal the Travertine to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the stone going forward. To do this I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer which works by soaking into the pores occupying the space and thereby preventing dirt from residing there. This ensures that dirt remains on the surface where it is easily cleaned away.

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Stanwick

Once done the floor looked so much healthier and the new sealer will ensure that the Travertine keeps its appearance and is much easier to clean in future. Regarding cleaning, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for the regular cleaning of this floor. This product is formulated for use on sealed stone and it help maintain the patina.

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Stanwick

Professional Travertine Tiled Floor Restoration in Northamptonshire

Tumbled Travertine Kitchen Floor Filled and Polished in Stanwick Near Wellingborough Read More »

Indian Sandstone Patio Renovation Rushden

Renovating an Indian Sandstone Patio in Rushden

1 Comment / Driveway and Patio Cleaning, Rushden Tile Cleaning / Philip Vissian / Colour Grow, Indian Sandstone Patio, northamptonshire, Patio and Driveway Cleaner, patio cleaning, Patio Renovation, Patio Sealing, Rushden, Stone Cleaning

The following photos show an Indian Sandstone patio of about 100 m2 in size at a property in Rushden. It had been some years since it had been cleaned and as you might expect the patio was now covered in green algae and staining. Also, much of the grout had become cracked or loose from the effects of frost and had broken down and needed replacing.

Indian Sandstone Patio Rushden Before Cleaning

The beginning of the year is a perfect time to get a patio ready, the autumn leaves have fallen so there’s less debris causing stains, and of course you will be ready for the spring sunshine.

Indian Sandstone Patio Rushden Before Cleaning

Cleaning an Indian Sandstone Patio

I started the renovation by digging out all the loose grout between the pavers. There isn’t really a quick way of doing this, so it’s just a question of getting down on my hands and knees and scraping it out.

I cleared up the debris and decanted a few litres of Tile Doctor Patio and Brick Driveway cleaner into a pump-up sprayer. This product is a powerful outdoor cleaning solution formulated to power through blackspots, lichen, moss, and stains. It’s a very strong product, so if you’re doing this yourself do wear protection. It was then sprayed onto all areas of the patio and left to soak in.

This is used as a pre-treatment to pressure washing and is best left to dwell on the surface for fifteen to thirty minutes depending on the severity of the soiling. The longer you leave it the more time it has to work on breaking down embedded soiling, green algae and lichen etc. A five-litre bottle can cover up to 25m2 so for a patio of this size you need around four bottles.

My next course of action was to set up the pressure washer so I could clean and rinse down the patio. I use a van mounted Briggs & Stratton petrol pressure washer for this which can generate pressures of up to 300 bar. This is much more powerful than general domestic electric machines and the high pressure of the machine also removes any loose grout I missed earlier.

The client had asked me to replace the missing grout, which was approximately half of the area. I was prepared for this and had sourced a wet mix grout of a similar colour to the original. This was mixed with water and brushed into the grout lines, then re brushed to leave a level finish.

Sealing a Sandstone Patio Tiled Floor

Allowing for the patio and grout to dry overnight, I returned the following day to brush over excess grout that had dried on the tiles before applying Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer to help protect the patio from further staining and make it easier to clean going forward.

This product works by soaking into the stone, occupying the pores, and thereby preventing dirt from residing there, this keeps it on the surface where it can easily be rinsed away. Colour Grow also contains a colour enhancer that brings out the colour in the stone, something it does rather well on Sandstone which has a lot of natural character.

Indian Sandstone Patio Rushden After Cleaning

My client was very pleased with the transformation and left the following comment on our website:

“Very professional our patio was awful now it looks the same as when installed 10 years ago.”

Before leaving, I discussed our Tile Doctor Maintenance Plan which would mean we would return every year to maintain the patio. This would be a good investment each spring to keep the area looking good and ensure they could enjoy the outdoor entertainment area for longer.

Indian Sandstone Patio Rushden After Cleaning

Professional Restoration of an Indian Sandstone Patio in Northamptonshire

Renovating an Indian Sandstone Patio in Rushden Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration Irthlingborough

Victorian Tiled Hallway Repaired and Restored in Irthlingborough

1 Comment / Rushden Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Wellingborough Tile Cleaning / Philip Vissian / Black Scrubbing Pad, Colour Grow, Floor Tile Renovation, Grout Clean-up, Hallway Floor Restoration, Irthlingborough, northamptonshire, Period Building, Remove and Go, Rushden, Victorian House, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Repair, Wellingborough

The following photos show a period Victorian floor in Irthlingborough which is close to Rushden and Wellingborough. Our client had discovered the floor after lifting a carpet that had been down for over a decade, the tiles had been stained with bitumen, which I assume was used as an adhesive, and she was keen to find out if it could be restored to its original condition.

Victorian Tiled Floor Before Restoration Irthlingborough

I attended the property to survey the floor and could see as well as the bitumen there were loose tiles in a couple of areas by the doorway that would also need looking at. Fortunately, I was able to reassure her that I could remove the bitumen residue and resolve the loose tiles and provided a quotation via e mail a few days later. Pleased the issues could be resolved the quote was accepted and we agreed a date for the work to be carried out.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

After unloading my equipment, I taped up the skirting boards and doors to protect them. Next, I began by applying a coatings remover called Tile Doctor Remove and Go along the edges of the floor and allowed it to dwell for five to ten minutes to break down the bitumen, this was then agitated by using brushes, before rinsing with a wet vacuum pick up machine.

Once all the edges were cleaned, I started scrubbing the floor working in sections of two to three square meters using a 17” black scrubbing pad attached to a rotary floor machine. I worked back towards the front door working the Remove & Go into the tiles. This system released most of the dirt, staining and bitumen out of the Victorian tiles to the surface where it could be removed with a wet vacuum.

I then attached a coarse 200-grit burnishing pad to the rotary scrubbing machine and began working over the entire area adding a little water at each stage. This process removed the remaining bitumen and staining and gave the tiles a new lease of life. Again, the soiling was removed with the wet vacuum.

Repairing Victorian Hallway Tiles

Once the area was clean, I was able to commence work on the repairs. As you can see from the photos there were 2 areas of approximately 18″ x 10″ where the subfloor had moved, and all of the tiles needed to be lifted so it could be repaired.

Victorian Tiled Floor During Restoration Irthlingborough

The sub floor was then broken up, removed, and replaced with a new cement screed level with the original base.

Once the screed had set, I was then able to relay the original tiles with the original pattern and regrout these sections to secure them in position.

Once the grout had gone off, I was able to finally give these areas a clean using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to remove any residue and grout smears before the area was sealed.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The hallway was then left to dry out for a couple of days, old floors like this one don’t have the benefit of a plastic membrane to protect them damp so it can take a while. Tiles need to be dry before sealing, otherwise the results can be inconsistent so it’s worth the wait.

Victorian Tiled Floor After Restoration Irthlingborough

When I returned the first task was to take a few moisture readings with a damp meter and check the repaired sections had set solidly. All was well so I started with the first coat of sealer which for this floor was Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealant which leaves a natural finish. This is a breathable sealant which is an important consideration for a floor without a damp proof membrane, being breathable it will allow moisture to pass from the sub floor and evaporate at the surface. A non-breathable sealer would effectively seal in the moisture which over time will build under the floor until it eventually reaches the walls causing rising damp.

The client was happy with the results and left the following positive feedback which is always appreciated.

“Philip did a very good job on our Victorian tiled hallway.”

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Northamptonshire

Victorian Tiled Hallway Repaired and Restored in Irthlingborough Read More »