Grout Cleaning Archives - Somerset Tile Doctor

Terracotta Kitchen Floor Tile and Grout Revived in Minehead

This client from Minehead got in touch regarding the Terracotta tiles on their kitchen floor. I was told that the floor hadn’t been professionally cleaned and sealed for over ten years and since that time the grout had discoloured and the tiles had become permanently dirty and difficult to clean.

Terracotta Floor Before Cleaning Sealing Minehead

I had a good idea of what the floor would need but to ensure there were no surprises I arranged an appointment to visit the property and survey the floor. This would also enable me to work out a detailed price for deep cleaning the terracotta tiles and grout and then sealing it. It was clear that the previous sealer had worn off some time ago and now dirt was making its way into the pores of the terracotta and grout leaving it looking permanently dirty. This is quite common with terracotta; being made from clay it is very porous and does need a lot of sealer to prevent that from happening.

Happy with my quote I was given the go ahead to renovate the floor and a date was agreed for the work to start which typically takes two days, one to clean and one to seal.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

To clean the floor, I started with an application of neat Tile Doctor Remove & Go. This was left to soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbed into the floor using a coarse Silicone Carbide brush fitted to a rotary machine. These brushes are very effective on tile and stone and do a good job of bringing the ingrained dirt to the surface.

The brush does a good job of cleaning the grout but for the best result I find it necessary to follow up with a stiff grout brush. Once the whole floor had been treated in this manner it was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted using a wet vacuum.

The floor was then treated to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which was then scrubbed into the floor using a black pad. This process further cleans the tiles, dissolves any efflorescent salts and neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline. The floor was then rinsed again with water and dried with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

The next step would be to seal the floor however with Terracotta being so porous I decided to leave the floor for two days to allow it to fully dry out. After checking the floor was dry with a moisture meter work began to seal the floor using Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra.

Terracotta Floor After Cleaning Sealing Minehead

Sealing the floor prevents dirt from becoming ingrained in tiles, keeping it on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away and Seal and Go Extra adds a nice subtle sheen to the tile improving its appearance and enhancing its colour and features. Six coats were needed to ensure it was fully sealed and provide long lasting protection.

You can see from the photographs on this page how well the floor came out. My client was delighted with the results and said we had transformed their kitchen.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a sealer safe tile and grout cleaner that won’t impact the sealer increasing its longevity.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen in Somerset

Old Sandstone Kitchen Floor Rescued in Dunster

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Minehead Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning / Lucas Beavon

A homeowner from Dunster was in touch earlier this year regarding the Sandstone floor in the kitchen of the property they had just purchased. The property used to be a former Magistrates Courthouse and had been converted and having just moved in, they wanted something done to improve the appearance of the stone floor.

Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning Dunster

You can see from the photograph on this page that years of use had drained the colour out of the tiles leaving it looking dirty and featureless. They thought perhaps that the floor was beyond saving and needed to be fully replaced but wanted my advice first.

I attended the property to conduct a survey and performed a test clean on an inconspicuous area of flooring. I wanted to see which products would work best and give the clients and idea of what could be achieved. The test went well, and they were impressed. I took some measurements and provided a detailed breakdown of the costs. This was gladly accepted, and we scheduled the dates.

Cleaning and Restoring a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen

Upon my arrival, all the furniture had been removed so I was able to begin straightaway with the raking out of loose grout and replacing with new to ensure the floor was structurally sound before proceeding with the cleaning.

Once the grout had dried, a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was mopped onto the floor and left to soak in to the stone and grout. This gives the product time to breakdown the dirt in the stone. After about fifteen minutes the floor was scrubbed using a coarse silicon carbide brush fitted to a rotary machine. These pads work nicely on stone and get into the crevices of the stone and grout lines bringing the dirt to the surface and giving the floor a deep clean. The now dirty cleaning solution was then rinsed with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Sandstone Floor During Cleaning Dunster

Next step was to check the floor over and spot clean any stubborn areas that needed further attention.

Next a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up was applied to the floor and scrubbed in using a poly brush. This product is acidic as works to neutralise the floor following the use of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline, it also further cleans the stone to remove any mineral deposits left from grout or alkaline salts which can be a problem with old floors. Once the floor had been scrubbed the solution was then extracted as before using the wet vacuum. The floor was left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen

The next day the floor was checked for moisture with a damp meter to ensure it was dry and ready for sealing. All was well so the first of two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow was applied to the floor. This product was chosen as it contains a colour enhancer that helps to bring out the natural colours in the stone, also it’s fully breathable which is an important consideration when choosing a sealer for an old floor that won’t had a damp proof membrane.

Sandstone Floor After Cleaning Dunster

The floor was transformed by the clean and seal and looked much cleaner and brighter. I’m please to say the client was delighted with the results and said we had transformed their kitchen. That was great to hear as they won’t be looking to replace the floor anytime soon and it felt like we had rescued the floor and given it a new lease of life.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, which is a gentle, yet effective tile cleaning product especially formulated for use on sealed floors.

Professional Restoration of a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen in Somerset

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