Wollaston Archives - Northamptonshire Tile Doctor

Large Brick Paved Driveway Deep Cleaned in Wollaston

This client from the village of Wollaston called us out to renovate their block paved driveway and adjacent courtyard. The drive had weathered since installation and had the usual problem of weeds, lichen and algae growing in the sand between bricks.

Brick Paved Farm Driveway Wollaston Before Cleaning

If the root of a weed is allowed to grow it will reach down under the brick making it difficult to remove later. I therefore recommend maintaining a driveway at least annually to ensure these problems can be kept under control. For most brick paved driveways this can be done yourself but if you have a large installation such as the entrance to this Farm do give me a call as I have special equipment that makes the work easier.

Cleaning a Brick Paved Driveway

I arrived at the farm at 8am and set up our professional petrol driven jet washer and to prepare the site for work. Working in sections I first applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Brick Driveway Cleaner to area and left it to soften the moss and assist with the removal of lichen staining and blackspot. This was followed by pressure washing using a rotary surface cleaner to minimise splashing, this process removes top soiling from the blocks and any weeds, moss etc from in between the blocks, this really helps get a more even result than just using a lance attachment.

Once the section had been scrubbed a lance attachment was used to jet wash and clean all the edging stones and hard to access areas before rinsing down walls, shrubs etc. Luckily weather was on our side so we were able to return the following day to apply a weed treatment and brush in kiln dried sand which we supplied to inhibit the growth of weeds and keep the courtyard weed free for longer. This transformation took just under 3 days in total.

Brick Paved Farm Driveway Wollaston After Cleaning

The customer was extremely happy with the results we managed to achieve and the customer has had us back to carry out further work to restore their patio area.

Professional Clean of a Brick Paved Driveway in Northamptonshire

Newly Laid Riven Slate Patio Wollaston Completed

Restoring a Riven Slate Patio Suffering from Grout Haze in Wollaston

1 Comment / Driveway and Patio Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Rushden Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / TileProf / Builder, grout haze, northamptonshire, Northants, patio, Riven, Slate, tiled, Wollaston

This customer, who lives in Wollaston, a small village in Northamptonshire, called me to look at the unfortunate condition of her Riven Slate tiled patio. She had hired a builder to install it, but he had neglected to remove the grout haze which had occurred quickly enough, allowing it to set. He was subsequently unable to remove the haze because he had already sealed over it. This had left it looking very unsightly, as you can see in the photo below.

Newly Laid Riven Slate Patio Wollaston Before Cleaning

The customer initially contacted me back in December 2016. At that time, I did explain to the customer that the Winter wouldn’t be an ideal time to restore the patio, and that it would be best to carry out the work in the Spring. However, she was so unhappy with the appearance of the patio and – knowing she had guests coming over for Christmas – wanted something to be done to improve the condition of the tiles as soon as possible.

It was agreed that I would immediately carry out the removal of the old sealer and the grout haze beneath, but leave the re-sealing until the Spring of the following year when the weather was dry. The customer understood that when I returned in the Spring, the patio would require another light clean and brush to prepare it for sealing.

To put the customer’s mind at rest somewhat, I carried out a test clean on one slab of the patio using Tile Doctor impregnating, colour intensifying sealer, known as Colour Grow. This darkened the tile and provided a natural look finish, which was preferred by the customer. I also returned to the property several days later to carry out a water repellency test, but as you can see from the photo below, the rain beat me to it. Thankfully, the repellency test had positive results.

Newly Laid Riven Slate Patio Wollaston Testi Cleaning

I was then able to begin the cleaning process.

Cleaning and Sealing a Riven Slate Tiled Patio

To begin, I removed the old sealer using a strong mix of Tile Doctor Remove & Go, which is a stripper and cleaner. This product was scrubbed into the tiles with a rotary brush machine. Net, I rinsed away the resulting slurry and soaked up the water with a wet vax machine.

This initial clean exposed the true extent of the grout haze – it was over all every tile! My next course of action was therefore to remove this using Tile Doctor Acid Gel, which is a gel cleaner specially formulated to neutralise grout haze. This was allowed to dwell for a short period before I brushed it in.

Newly Laid Riven Slate Patio Wollaston During Cleaning

Following this, I gave the whole area a second brush with a small amount of water, before using a wet vax machine once again to make sure all cleaning chemicals were removed. I used the customer’s hosepipe to rinse down the entire patio as there was good drainage.

Newly Laid Riven Slate Patio Wollaston After 2nd Cleaning

I allowed the tiles to dry out naturally, before waited for a dry day in April this year to return to the property. During this day, I sealed the entire area with Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer to really deepen the colour in the stone and provide the whole patio long-lasting protection against the elements.

Newly Laid Riven Slate Patio Wollaston After 1st Coat

The customer was exceptionally happy to have the patio restored to perfect condition. I’m sure she’ll make great use of it over the Summer!

Professional Riven Slate Tiled Patio Restoration in Northants

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