Appleton Archives - West Cheshire Tile Doctor

Restoring a Carpet Covered Terracotta Tiled Floor in Appleton

I was contacted by a home owner in Appleton near Warrington who had a Terracotta tiled floor in their dining Room. The floor had previously been covered in carpet and they were keen to have the whole floor restored.

To complicate things further the Carpet had been stuck down with a strong adhesive and a local builder had advised them to remove the glue using brick acid. Although this was successful it had the side effect of discolouring the grout lines and no amount of rinsing with the floor with water to dilute and wash off the acid would resolve the problem.

Carpet Covered Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Restortion in Appleton

Happy for me to resolve the problem, my client informed me they were going on holiday and would like me to do the work whilst they were away. This was a great idea as it would guard against unwanted foot traffic during the cleaning and sealing process and it would also mean they would have a nice surprise waiting for them on their return.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

After protecting the Kitchen units and skirting boards with plastic sheeting my first job was to strip any remaining sealer off the Terracotta tiles using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The solution was spread across the floor and then left to dwell for twenty minutes before scrubbing it in with a black scrubbing pad attached to a rotary floor buffer. I then used a wet vacuum to remove the now dirty cleaning solution from the floor.

The grout was also given a good scrub using more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean but this time it was scrubbed in with a narrow stiff brush until I was satisfied it was as clean as it could be. The floor given a good rinse and I then inspected the floor tile and grout to ensure it was clean and free of sealers, any areas that needed ore work were retreated and the floor given a final rinse and dry with the wet vacuum before being left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the next morning and tested the tiles with a damp meter to ensure they were dry before beginning applying the sealer. All was well, so I started by applying a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that seeps into the pores of the tile protecting it from within and enhancing the natural red colour of the Terracotta in the process.

Once the first coat had dried I followed up with two coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a compatible water-based sealer that works really well on clay tiles and adds a lovely sheen finish to the floor.

The last step was to resolve the problem with the discoloured grout lines by applying a white grout colourant to the grout. This gave the grout a fresh and consistent appearance throughout and also has the benefit of sealing the grout which will protect it from staining and also make it much easier to clean.

Last step was to finish the sealing of the floor by topping up the sealer with another three coats of Seal and Go to ensure the floor was fully sealed.

The result was a huge improvement and now looked like a recently installed Terracotta floor. When my customer returned from holiday they were more than happy with the floor and the work I had done.

Restoring a Tired Terracotta Tiled Floor in Cheshire

Restoring a Carpet Covered Terracotta Tiled Floor in Appleton Read More »

Grout Colouring and Cleaning for Quarry Tiles in Appleton

1 Comment / Appleton Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work History / Alastair Robb

It’s always a good idea to double-check any tile cleaning advice you receive with a professional. Sometimes advice can be inaccurate and cause more problems than good. Such was the case with this customer, who lives in the small town of Appleton near Warrington. He had been advised by his builder to use brick acid to remove carpet glue from a newly discovered Quarry tiled floor. Taking the advice, he had washed the floor several times with a solution of brick acid diluted with water. But while this seemed to successfully remove the carpet glue, it also severely discoloured the grout lines, leaving the entire floor looking grubby and unappealing.

The customer was just about to go on holiday, and asked me to see what could be done to restore the floor’s appearance while he was gone. With the house to myself, I got to work.

Quarry Tiles Before Cleaning in Appleton

Cleaning a Stained Quarry Tiled Floor

My first job was to strip the floor property to remove old sealers present on the tile using a strong dilution of our high alkaline cleaner, Tile Doctor Pro Clean. We use this cleaner on all types of tile and natural stone due to its versatility and consistency.

I spread the solution onto the floor and left to dwell for twenty minutes before scrubbing with a black pad fitted to a floor rotary machine. This process also removed the years of dirt and dust that had penetrated through the recently removed carpet. I also paid attention to the grout lines giving them a good scrub with a stiff grout brush, but the acid staining proved to be impossible to remove completely.

While I’m not sure exactly how long the floor had been covered by carpet, it’s safe to say a deep clean had been long, long overdue. Once I had cleaned the floor to a high standard, I used a wet-vac to remove the now dirty cleaning solution from the floor, before leaving it to dry off completely overnight.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

Upon my return to the property the next day, I tested to make sure the floor was dry enough to seal, which is important as excess moisture can cloud the sealer and damage its performance.

Once satisfied, I applied one coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is our impregnating sealer designed to really bring out the natural colours in the tile, followed by two coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to give the tiles a stain resistant, low-sheen finish.

After this was dry I coloured the grout lines with a matching Tile Doctor Grout Colourant to cover and hide the damage the acid had caused to the grout lines. Finally, I gave the floor three more coats of Seal and Go to add the finishing touches.

My customer returned from holiday to find a completely transformed floor. Looking at the before and after photos, it is easy to see why he was more than happy with the result! Another satisfied customer.

Restoration of Quarry Tiles in Appleton

Grout Colouring and Cleaning for Quarry Tiles in Appleton Read More »

Grout Stained Porcelain Floor Tile Renovation Appleton

Grout Haze Removed from Wood Effect Porcelain floor tiles in Appleton

Appleton Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Work History / Alastair Robb

This request actually came from a local tilling company who needed assistance removing grout smears (aka grout haze) from Ceramic tiled floors that they had recently installed at a new housing estate in Appleton, south of Warrington. Busy tiling firms should take note as Tile Doctors are more than happy to add the final finishing touches to a tiled floor whether it’s sealing, polishing or simply removing excess grout as in this case.

Grout haze on Porcelain Wood Effect floor tiles in Appleton

If you take a close look at the above photograph you will see these are actually Wood Effect Porcelain tiles which are a new style of tile that have emerged over the last few years that allow you to have the beauty of a natural wood floor but with the ease of maintenance and durability of Porcelain. You will need to take a close look as unfortunately the grout smears hide a lot of the wood pattern.

Removing Grout Smears from Wood Effect Porcelain Tile

To remove Grout Haze you need to use an acid product and being a Tile Doctor I happened to have a bottle of Tile Doctor Grout Clean–Up in the van which is specially designed for removing excess grout as well as dealing with mineral salt problems. Working in sections I applied the product to the floor and left to soak for five minutes before scrubbing into the tiles and then rinsing it off and removing with a wet vacuum. This activity made a difference but more work was required so I repeated the process once more.

I was still left with some stubborn grout haze but fortunately I also had a bottle of Tile Doctor Acid Gel which is a thick gel for use primarily on wall tiles as being a gel is doesn’t run down the walls as much. It’s also useful on floors so I applied Acid Gel to the stubborn parts with a paint brush and left to soak for five to ten minutes then scrubbed the said areas with a stiff brush. This did the trick and I was able to remove the remainder of the grout haze.