Slate Tile Cleaning Archives - South London Tile Doctor

Black Slate Kitchen Floor Renovation Tooting

Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Tooting

The photos below are of a Black Slate Kitchen floor at a property in Tooting SW17, which as you can see had lost all its colour and character. I went over to survey the floor and discussed a renovation plan with the owner.

One of the problems was the grout which like the tile hadn’t faired very well over the years and being in the Kitchen was subject to staining. I explained that like all stone floors the Slate needed to be sealed in order to keep the dirt out of its pores and keep it looking its best. Sealers however wear down with use and in this case the floor hadn’t been deep cleaned and sealed for some time.

I costed out a renovation plan which included deep cleaning the Slate tile removing any remaining sealer in the process, renovating the grout, and then re-sealing the whole floor to bring back the appearance of the stone and protect it going forward. Happy with the quote we agreed a date to start the work.

Deep Cleaning a Natural Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Normally I would use a Tile Doctor product called Remove and Go to remove the sealer, however in this case testing had shown that what was left of the sealer could be removed with Pro-Clean which is also our go to Tile and Grout Cleaner.

I used a strong dilution of Pro-Clean to do this, spraying it onto the floor and leaving it to soak in for ten minutes and break down the dirt etc. Then using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a heavy rotary buffer machine it was worked into the Slate to release the dirt and old sealer. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

The pads can struggle to get into the corners and edges of the floor and the recesses of the grout line. So, to complete the cleaning a handheld scrubbing brush was used and a wire brush run along the grout lines, again with more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry aided with a couple of floor blowers.

Grout Colouring and Sealing Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Once dry the grout was coloured with a Black Tile Doctor grout colourant which is basically painted onto the grout with a small brush and any excess wiped off the tile. This grout colourant gives the grout a uniform appearance and adds an impenetrable barrier over the grout sealing it in and keeping it safe from further staining. Keeping grout clean in a kitchen is always a problem so the colourant will protect it and make it very easy to clean.

Black Slate During Cleaning Grout Colouring Tooting

The last step was to seal the Slate for which I used Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This was chosen because it’s an impregnating oil-based sealer that will restore the beautiful dark colour in the stone. Impregnators work by occupying the tiny pores in the stone thereby forcing dirt to remain on the surface where they can easily be cleaned away.

Black Slate During Sealing Tooting

In the subject of maintenance cleaning, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective cleaner that won’t harm the sealer. Many of the floor cleaning products you find in supermarkets etc are not for use on sealed stone, they contain strong chemicals such as bleach etc which will strip off the sealer prematurely so best avoided.

Black Slate After Renovation Tooting

Professional Renovation of Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor in South London

Black Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Tooting Read More »

Natural Black Slate Bathroom Floor Tile Renovation Brixton

Black Slate Tiled Bathroom Floor Transformed in Brixton

1 Comment / Brixton Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning / Daniel

This bathroom floor at a property in Brixton was laid with natural Black Slate tiles around five years ago and then badly restored/cleaned three years ago. Some of the more noticeable problems included a build-up of limescale on top of old patchy grout paint and the sealant on the slate was failing allowing the tiles to absorb dirt. The result was a a very unappealing and grubby looking floor.

Natural Black Slate Bathroom Floor Tiles Before Cleaning Brixton

Unhappy with what could be a stunning Black Slate floor the owner contacted Tile Doctor and I was asked to visit the property, survey the tiles, and provide a quote for its renovation.

Cleaning a Natural Black Slate Tiled Bathroom Floor

To get the grout clean of dirt it was scrubbed with a stiff brush and a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The grout was then spot treated with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to help remove the old grout paint and a ready mixed grout used to fill gaps where the grout had become dislodged.

Next, I addressed the slate tiles and applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go to remove what was left of the old sealer, the solution was left on the tiles for ten minutes and then agitated with a brush to dislodge the old sealer and dirt. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum.

Once done I could see more work was needed so a 200 grit 6-inch pad was fitted to a hand-held buffer and run over the tiles to further clean up the tiles along with a carbide brush to help reduce the lippage between the tiles. Once done the floor was rinsed and extracted again with water multiple times to ensure no trace of products was left on the Slate.

Sealing a Natural Black Slate Tiled Bathroom Floor

The floor was left for a few hours so it could dry and when dry sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow applied with a paint pad and cloth to add protection and to make the dark shades in the stone stand out.

To complete the look a Tile Doctor Black Grout Colourant was then applied to the grout lines so it would match the dark Slate better. The colourant has the added advantage of sealing in the grout and making it much easier to keep clean.

Natural Black Slate Bathroom Floor Tiles After Renovation Brixton

My client was very pleased with the transformation and left the following feedback for me which is always appreciated:

“Really excellent job from Daniel & team. My natural slate bathroom floor looks better than when it was first laid. Superb communication and finished job. I can’t recommend them enough. 5*”

The client has since asked us to come back to complete more works on the Limestone bathroom walls which of course we are happy to oblige!

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for the regular cleaning of tiles. This pH neutral product will keep the limescale at bay and eliminates the build-up of soap, it is mild enough to use every day and has a nice fresh smell.

Professional Renovation of Black Slate Tiled Bathroom Floor in South London

Black Slate Tiled Bathroom Floor Transformed in Brixton Read More »

Balham Slate Floor Before After Cleaning

Slate Tiled Floor restored to a natural finish in Balham, South London

1 Comment / Battersea Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Daniel

This beautiful slate tiled floor installed in the kitchen and hallway of a house in Balham London; I was asked by the owner if we could restore the floor following some work that had been carried out by a builder who had failed in his attempts to remove the old seal. To instill confidence that we could complete the work we carried out a demonstration on a small test area which was enough to prove that money would not be wasted and we were booked for the job, we even agreed to clean the floor on Sunday and seal it on the Monday so it would be ready in time for visitors who were due on the Wednesday.

Cleaning slate Floor Tiles

We cleaned the floor using Tile Doctor Pro-clean which is an alkaline cleaner safe to use on natural stone such as Slate; it’s very good at removing general dirt, grime and even grease. Next step was to remove the remaining sealer using Tile doctor Remove & Go which was applied to a small area at a time. I scrubbed the product into the slate and left it on the surface for a further hour making sure not to let the area dry out which temporarily made it look really dark (see photo below). Finally I gave the floor a through rinse to make sure that no chemical remained on the stone before sealing and then left for the evening.

Sealing Slate Floor Tiles

The next day I checked the floor was dry using a moister meter which thankfully it was and then started to seal using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer design to provide maximum stain protection on natural stone floors whilst bringing out the deep colour in the stone and providing a natural matt finish.

My customer was really happy with the results and left a nice testimonial on the Tile Doctor website, she has also booked me in to clean her driveway next month.

Slate Floor Cleaned, Stripped and Re-Sealed in Balham, South London

Slate Tiled Floor restored to a natural finish in Balham, South London Read More »

Slate Floor Cleaning at a Central London Office

Battersea Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Daniel

I was asked by a building company to look at some slate flooring that was laid during a refurbishment to the offices of a German television station based in central London.
The architect was not happy because there appeared to be some grout haze and some grout along the ridges that you get in slate. I carried out a demonstration to the building manager and she was pleased with the result and we were awarded the job.

Because of the nature of the business I had to do the job out of hours, which suited me because there were 4 toilet areas to do over 6 floors and I was able to get on with the job without any interruption.

Slate Tile Cleaning

On my arrival I laid a coating of Tile Doctor Remove and Go mixed 50/50 with NanoTech Ultra-Clean to 2 toilets and left it to dwell while I brought all my equipment in and set up. These two products together create a very powerful stripper cleaning solution ideal for the job in hand. I left the products to soak into the tiled slate floor of the first toilet for an hour before scrubbing it in using water and a hand scrubbing brush. The soiled solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and then rinsed and sprayed with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to remove any remaining grout haze off the surface of the tile. The slate was the given two mores rinses with clean water before being left to dry.

Before starting on the next floor I left a mixture of Remove and Go and NanoTech Ultra-Clean to dwell on the next floor. I then carried on with this process described above until all the floors were cleaned.

Slate Tile Sealing

Once the floors were dry I put a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer down on each floor which is a sealer which really brings out the natural colour of the stone.
The client had requested a shiny final finish so the sealing was completed using two coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go on each floor.

When I had finished the site manager said that he couldn’t believe how nice they had come out and was looking forward to the reaction of the clients.

Cleaning and Sealing Slate in Central London Office

Slate Floor Cleaning at a Central London Office Read More »

Removing Limescale from a Slate Tiled Floor in Kensington

Battersea Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Daniel

We were asked to look a bathroom at a flat in Kensington by a property management company; the slate tiled floor was textured with lines and the stone was affected by a number of problems including limescale and grout haze which had been partly sealed in. The owner was at the property when I arrived and I was able to demonstrate how it was possible to remove the limescale and grout haze using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is an acid based product and so was given instructions to complete the job.

Removing Limescale from Textured Slate

Armed with more quantities of Grout Clean-Up we were able to remove the limescale from the surface of the slate tile. The floor was then rinsed and then covered with Tile Doctor Remove and Go in order to remove the remaining sealer. We had to repeat this process twice in order to remove the grout haze that had been locked in under the sealer.

Sealing Textured Slate

After a thorough rinsing down to ensure no products remained on the floor we left it to dry and returned later to apply three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which will provide future protection and as you can see from the photographs really helped to give the floors appearance..

Line Textured Slate Kensington Partly Sealed

I then explained how to clean the tiles going forward. She was extremely happy with the work carried out and also pleased with the management company for contacting us in the first place.

Removing Limescale from a Slate Tiled Floor

Removing Limescale from a Slate Tiled Floor in Kensington Read More »

Slate Tiled Floor in Marylebone, London

Battersea Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History / Daniel

The customer was an American lady who lived in a flat in Marylebone right in the centre of London; she worked in the City and had the slate tiles in her kitchen cleaned and sealed by another company the year before and she had not been impressed with the results.

I had provided a quote and did a small demonstration on the floor to give her an idea of how the finished result would look; having been unhappy with the previous company we had to work hard to win her confidence but the demo combined with photographs and testimonials from previous work that we had done managed to assure her we could complete the job to the right standard.

Cleaning the Slate Tiled Floor

Having turned up at 7am so that she could get to work we set about scrubbing the slate tiled floor with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a rotary machine fitted with a black pad, we used a grout brush to clean out the grout lines and then rinsed the floor thoroughly with clean water before switching on a air blower to help the floor to dry.

Sealing the Slate Tiled Floor

Once the floor was dry we proceeded to seal it with Tile Doctor Seal and Go which provides good stain protection with a low sheen finish, slate is quite porous and it took five coats before it was fully sealed.

That night I received a call from the lady thanking me for such a good job and not only was she pleased with the work but we were half the price of the original company.

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate Tiled Floor in Marylebone, London

Slate Tiled Floor in Marylebone, London Read More »

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

Battersea Tile Cleaning, Brixton Tile Cleaning, Caterham Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Cheam Tile Cleaning, Clapham Tile Cleaning, Croydon Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Epsom Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Peckham Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Purley Tile Cleaning, Putney Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Wandsworth Tile Cleaning, Wimbledon Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Daniel

South London Tile Doctor

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