Tiles Archives - West Cheshire Tile Doctor

Rejuvenating a Mouldy Ceramic Shower Cubicle Tiles in Mere

Mere is an affluent part of Cheshire adjacent to the historic Tatton Park estate and famous for the luxury Mere Resort and Spa. Many of the houses in the area have ample gardens that lead down to a lake, after which the village is named (‘Mere’ meaning a lake that is broad in relation to its depth).

I was fortunate to visit this lovely area of Cheshire recently after receiving an enquiry from a home owner who was keen to have own of his bathrooms refurbished. Unfortunately, the ceramic tiles surrounding the bathtub with shower over had gone mouldy over the years, with the grout lines particularly blackened and dirty.

The root cause of mould build-up is generally due to a lack of ventilation and the simple action of leaving a window and door ajar after having a shower helps to cross ventilate and can reduce the problem, of course this is not always desirable during cold weather so improved mechanical extraction is always better.

Bathroom Before Refurbishment Mere Cheshire

Cleaning and Recolouring a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom

Upon my arrival, I soon got to work, starting by giving the cubicle wall a clean with Tile Doctor Duo Clean. This is a new Tile Doctor product which has a fast and effective double-action formula that cleans grout and removes mould. I left the product to dwell for five to ten minutes, before vigorously scrubbing the grout lines to remove the copious amount of mould and black spots.

Following this, I rinsed the entire area down with clean water and left it to dry, before removing all the old silicone, as this was to be replaced. The next step involved drying down the clean grout lines quickly by using my heat gun.

Recolouring Bathroom Grout

Cleaning the tile and grout with Duo Clean prepared the grout lines for recolouring using a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant which is available in a wide range of colours. The product is made from an epoxy resin and is formulated to recolour and rejuvenate existing grout joints, it also has the added benefit of forming a barrier over the grout sealing it and therefore protecting it further.

In this case a White colourant was selected to match in nicely with the rest of the bathroom and it was painted on over the grout using a small brush, any excess is wiped off the tile before it gets chance to dry.

To complete the restoration, I buffed the tiles and installed a fresh silicone sealant around the base.

Bathroom After Refurbishment Mere Cheshire

I’m pleased to say my customer was so happy with the outcome that he asked me to do the other two bathrooms, you can’t get a better testimonial than that.

Professional Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Restoration in Cheshire

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Grout Haze Removed from Wood Effect Porcelain floor tiles in Appleton

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.

Grout haze removed from Wood Effect Porcelain floor tiles in Appleton

I have the floor a thorough wash to remove any trace of product and the results were quite a transformation.

Tiled FloorING Problems Professionally Resolved in Cheshire

Testimonials

We were really pleased with the brilliant job that Alastair and his son did for us in restoring our kitchen floor. Thank you very much!!
Julie K, Chester

It was harder than usual setting up for the job to be done because of delays because of Covid. However, Alastair always replied to my emails and came when he said he would and on time. he and his son did a brilliant job on our shabby porch tiles and left them pristine. We may need renovation of inside tiles and would certainly like them to do the job.
Judith B, Chester

Alistair and his son Andrew were very professional and carried out the required work, taking longer than expected, to a very high standard and we are very grateful to them! Our hallway floor looks lovely
Sarah W, Christleton

My quarry tiles had been ruined by a thoughtless plasterer who hadn’t covered them up. I’d spent many hours fruitlessly trying to clean them in three rooms. Alastair and his son did a fantastic job of restoring them to their former glory in just a couple of days. Highly recommended.
Teresa F, Northwich

I am delighted with the cleaning and with the finish of the hallway. It looks like new and no sign of any damage that was previously there. It really sets off the hallway and is now back ‘in keeping’ with the age of the house. A wonderful feature to have restored back to its former glory! I can’t wait to have the front path sealed when the dryer weather returns as this too looks great. Thanks for your expertise and hard work Alistair and team.
Elizabeth A, Wirral

Latest Review Latest Rating 1 2 3 4 5 Thorough, excellent result carried out in a clean and professional manner. Highly recommended.
Wilby , Parkgate Neston

Professional, friendly and efficient service provided by Alistar and his son. Communicated really well and the new bathroom I’ve had gutted finally looks clean and no longer has water marks or grout haze. Highly recommend
Samantha F, Prescot

From the get go dealing with Alistair has been very professional and he was even patient in waiting for some other works to be completed before he came to carry out his works. The quoting stage was great, the comms to arrange the works was spot on and the work itself was great my wife was so happy with the end result. I have a minor fix for you for future projects…. i arrived home to see a dust and debris on my pathway and front step with the old stone and rubbish to the side of the step. For me first impressions count for a lot so another ten minutes tidying would make for a more positive first impression. Thank you for a top job.
Mathrew S, Wallasey