Camberley Tile Cleaning Archives - West Surrey Tile Doctor

Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration Camberley Surrey

Express Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway floor in Camberley

A lady from Camberley had been asking me to restore her Victorian tiled hallway for over a year. This was not due to me I should mention, she’s a shift worker so it had been difficult to schedule a time to visit the property and survey the floor, also she didn’t want her husband to be there as the restoration of the floor was to be a surprise.

We did however mange to get that organised and I was able to inspect the floor. It was very dirty and well overdue a deep clean and seal, however, before that could happen it would be necessary to replace several broken tiles. Fortunately, she had a stash in her garden shed that were in reasonable condition which would do the job very nicely.

Happy with my quote the next hurdle was to agree a date for the work, so we had to delay until such time when the husband would be away.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Camberley

When I finally came to do the work, I started by removing all the broken tiles. I used a serrated edge power chisel for this work taking care not to disturb the adjacent tiles. The holes that are left have to be totally cleared out so the new tiles can slot straight in. Annoyingly the replacement tiles were slightly thicker than the existing ones, so I had to dig down a couple of millimetres to ensure a level floor.

Victorian Tiled Hallway During Restoration Camberley Surrey

The next step was to clean the floor using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This is an excellent product that removes ingrained dirt. I brushed it over the floor with a soft brush and left for twenty minutes while I had my lunch in the van. Being a gel it is very easy to control and more importantly you don’t use much water during the process, this means the floor dries quicker and it won’t exacerbate any potential damp issues. This is always a consideration with old Victorian tiled floors as they don’t have a damp proof membrane underneath.

I then sprinkled a covering of water to keep it damp while I introduced a weighted buffer machine to scrub the floor. Attached to the machine was a 100-grit diamond pad. This removes surface dirt leaving a very clean tile. A small amount of water is used to help lubricate the process and all waste was removed with a wet vacuum cleaner.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The work needed to be done in a day, so I used floor fans and a heater to get the floor dry and ready for sealing.

During this time the replacement tiles were slotted into place sticking them down with rapid set adhesive. Another little job that needed doing was to address a gap between the skirting board and the tiles which the client asked my advice over. Always happy to help, I agreed to fill it with transparent mastic.

Once the tiles were dry, I sealed them with Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra. This gives a sheen finish that enhances colour and last years.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Restoration Camberley Surrey

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it is a gentle but effective product that won’t harm the sealer.

I never got to find out what her husband thought of the the floor, but my client was certainly happy with the transformation once I had finished.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Surrey

Express Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway floor in Camberley Read More »

Multi Coloured Slate Floor Before After Renovation Camberley

Reviving a Multi-Coloured Slate Floor in Camberley

1 Comment / Camberley Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Rupert Mcloud

This was a relatively straightforward job renovating a multi-coloured Slate floor in the kitchen and adjacent dining area of a house in Camberley. I can quote from a photograph, but I prefer to visit the property, survey the floor and carry out a test clean so I can be 100% confident in my quote. I cover all the towns and villages in West Surrey so it usually isn’t long before I’m passing in the direction of a client and can usually call in on the way to or from a nearby job.

The client had recently had a new kitchen fitted where a lot of plastering had been taking place. It seems very little dust sheeting was used, and the result was the stone absorbed a lot of plaster dust which completely flattened its appearance. The Slate floor now looked very uninviting and it was really bringing down the appearance of the new kitchen.

I discussed with the client the process we would follow to get the flooring back in shape. We agreed a cost for the work and booked in a suitable date to carry out the work, it would take a day to renovate the stone floor.

Deep Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

I first sprayed the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean. The product was left on the surface to dwell then after around ten minutes I scrubbed the product into the floor using a black pad attached to a rotary floor buffer. The Slate tiles were slightly riven so overtime as the machine passed over the ridges the pad became torn, so I went through a few pads cleaning this floor.

The abrasive action of the pads combined with the Pro-Clean proved to be very effective causing the cleaning solution to turn black as the dirt was lifted out of the stone. The now soiled cleaning solution was extracted using a wet vacuum and the floor inspected to make sure it was clean.

Sealing a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Now I don’t usually recommend sealing a floor on the same day as cleaning, however it was a warm day and only a small floor so after a couple of hours of encouraged drying the floor was ready for sealing.

I suggested three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra for this floor. It’s a super tough sealer, perfect for a kitchen with lots of through traffic and an owner with a large dog. The formula improves the look adding a subtle sheen that transforms their appearance and brings out the variety of natural colours in the stone.

The client was very happy with the result, the floor was looking so much more inviting and in keeping with the new kitchen. Before leaving I discussed with them the best way to keep the floor looking in great condition. In this case I recommended a Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a pH balanced cleaner. It’s perfect for the regular cleaning of sealed stone as it won’t compromise the sealer like many household products, it leaves a fresh and minty smell and being concentrated a small amount goes a long way.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in West Surrey

Reviving a Multi-Coloured Slate Floor in Camberley Read More »

White Porcelain Tiled Floor Before and After Cleaning in Windlesham

Cleaning Dirty White Porcelain Floor Tiles in Windlesham

1 Comment / Camberley Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Work History / Rupert Mcloud

Photographs below from a lovely house in Windlesham where I was asked to do something about the Porcelain floor tiles which had become extremely dirty and were proving impossible to clean. Infact my customer was pulling her hair out about how to fix this issue of deeply ingrained muck and was on the verge of pulling the whole lot up.

Porcelain Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Windlesham

Porcelain Tile Cleaning

Normally Porcelain tiles are fairly easy to maintain and it’s just a question of keeping the grout clean however I have to confess these tiles were perplexing indeed. In fact to be honest…I tried every product in my van to get them clean, finally settling on Oxy Gel. I left it to soak on the floor for 30 minutes and then worked it in with an aggressive 200 grit pad.

I’m happy to report the transformation was amazing, all the muck was released from the tile and I was able to extract it from the floor using a wet vacuum. My last step was to give the grout a good scrub using more Oxy Gel, rinse off with water and extract as much moisture as possible with the wet vacuum.

Porcelain Tile Sealing

I speed dried the floor with an air mover and once the floor was dry I applied a coating of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. Now Porcelain tiles don’t usually take a sealer however these tiles were unusual in that they were trapping dirt and it’s possible they were in fact micro-porcelain so a coat of sealer was added for good measure.

Porcelain Tiled Floor After Cleaning Windlesham

My customer was really pleased with the difference and left the following comment on the Tile Doctor feedback system:

“Here’s what she said-

“Rupert was a total professional from start to finish. I was worried as to how good he would be able to make the floor – the floor consists of almost white porcelain tiles, that my tiler had failed to seal. This meant they had absorbed dirt over the last two years – even after me scrubbing the floor, they always looked dirty. The room was big – a 24 feet long kitchen/dining room. But Rupert assured me he could get it clean again – and he was as good as his word. When I saw the room for the first time, I said “I have my new kitchen back – the floor looks as good as it did the day the tiler had put the tiles down”. He left everything clean and tidy after the job – I wish I had discovered your website 18 months ago ! Thank you, Rupert, brilliant work.””

Cleaning a tiled supermarket floor in East Sussex

Cleaning Dirty White Porcelain Floor Tiles in Windlesham Read More »

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

Camberley Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Cobham Tile Cleaning, Egham Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Epsom Tile Cleaning, Esher Tile Cleaning, Ewell Tile Cleaning, Farnham Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Guildford Tile Cleaning, Leatherhead Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Staines Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Weybridge Tile Cleaning, Woking Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Rupert Mcloud

West Surrey Tile Doctor

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