Work by Category Archives - Cornwall Tile Doctor

Marble Tiled Ensuite Floor Polishing Penzance

Marble Tiled Bathroom Floor Renovated in Penzance Holiday Rental

This client has a high turnover holiday let in Penzance and wanted the Marble tiled en-suite floor cleaned mid-season. The tiles were laid in a classic Black & White checkerboard pattern and as you can see from the photograph below were looking dull and lacklustre.

Marble Tiled Ensuite Floor Before Cleaning Penzance

We try and accommodate a customer’s needs where possible and, in this case, we had to fit around the property bookings which was a challenge as it was a popular rental. Working from a photo we were able to work out a price and a date was found in the schedule.

Cleaning a Marble Tiled Bathroom Floor

Hard stone surfaces like Marble need to be honed with a set of burnishing pads to get the best from them so I started the cleaning with the application of a 400-grit diamond pad lubricated with water. These pads fit a floor buffer machine and will remove any surface damage such as etching caused by acidic substances around the toilet and wash basin. The soiling generated by the pad was then rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Once this was complete attention turned to cleaning the grout which was done by scrubbing in Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This is a strong alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on stone and once done the floor was rinsed and extracted as before.

Burnishing then continued with the finer 800 and 1500-grit pads again applied with water rinsing and extracting afterwards. These finer pads bring up the polish on the stone and is completed with an extra fine 3500-git pad which is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tile.

Sealing a Marble Tiled Bathroom Floor

Once dry, the Marble was looking good but not quite as polished as one wanted, also with the floor getting a lot of use it needed a very durable polish. To achieve this Tile Doctor Shine Powder was worked into the stone using a little water and a white buffing pad. The result was a very durable and deep mirror finish.

When fully dry and buffed clean, the floor was sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow with is an impregnating sealer that works by soaking into the pores of the stone ensuring dirt remains on the surface. This product has a colour intensifying formula which worked perfectly to darken the black stones and make the floor pop.

Marble Tiled Ensuite Floor After Renovation Penzance

The result was a happy client who could reopen for bookings the following day.

For the aftercare of Marble tiles, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a mild yet effective cleaner that helps maintain polish. Its also pH neutral so won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Renovation of a Marble Tiled Bathroom Floor in Cornwall Holiday Let

Marble Tiled Bathroom Floor Renovated in Penzance Holiday Rental Read More »

Black and White Victorian Hallway Deep Cleaned in Newquay

1 Comment / Newquay Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Mac Sanford

This Victorian tiled hallway at a house in the coastal town of Newquay actually dates back to the 1920 as opposed to the Victorian era, however the method of making them didn’t really change until after the 2nd World War, as such Victorian and Edwardian tiles can all be cleaned using the same methods. The tiles had actually been hidden under carpet and you can still see the carpet gripper and adhesive along the perimeter of the floor in the photographs below:

Old victorian tiled floor before cleaning in Newquay

Cleaning Victorian Floor Tiles

Before starting the clean I took several readings with a damp meter to understand if there were any underlying damp issues that may have been exacerbated, most of these old floors have no damp proof course so it’s always good to understand the inherent level of dampness in the floor before starting.

Fortunately there was no evidence of major dampness so I proceeded with the cleaning by applying a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an effective alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on these tiles and left it to dwell on the floor for ten minutes before working it in with a Rotary Machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. It was then time to break out a stiff brush to get into the grout lines where the pads can struggle to reach. The last step was to remove the soiled cleaning solution with a wet vacuum and give the floor a rinse with Acid Gel which keeps the Alkaline salts in the floor at bay and avoids any efflorescence issues that are quite common with these old floors.

Sealing the Victorian Tiled Floor

I came back the following day and damp tested several areas again to make sure the floor was dry; the results confirmed the floor had dried and ready for sealing. I sealed the floor using five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which provides the satin finish the customer wanted whilst offering excellent stain protection. You have to leave each coat to dry before applying the next so this process can take some time.

Old victorian tiled floor after cleaning in Newquay

Deep Cleaning Victorian Tiles in Cornwall

Black and White Victorian Hallway Deep Cleaned in Newquay Read More »

=================================

Bodmin Tile Cleaning, Bude Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Falmouth Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Launceston Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Newquay Tile Cleaning, Padstow Tile Cleaning, Penzance Tile Cleaning, Plymouth Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Port Isaac Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, St. Austell Tile Cleaning, St. Ives Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Tintagel Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Truro Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Abigail

Cornwall Tile Doctor

================================= Read More »