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Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Balham

Dirty Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Balham SW12

The photographs below show the condition of a heavily soiled Terracotta tiled kitchen floor at a residential property in Balham, SW12, which I was recently commissioned to renovate. The client had several outstanding tasks related to the renovation of the property, but the kitchen floor was the most urgent due to its significant level of soiling. The client described the condition of the floor as “VERY dirty” and in immediate need of professional attention.

During an initial site visit, I conducted a thorough inspection of the floor. It became clear that the contamination was largely the result of recent renovation work carried out by other tradespeople. A cleaning test confirmed that the floor would respond positively to deep cleaning. I also identified that a sealer had previously been applied, but to restore the floor to a satisfactory standard, a deep and intensive cleaning process would be necessary, followed by resealing.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Balham

Following this assessment, I prepared a detailed quotation for the renovation work, which was approved by the client. A suitable date was then agreed for the commencement of the job.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

Upon returning to the property, I began the renovation by carrying out a deep cleaning of the Terracotta tiles and grout lines. For this, I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, combined with Nanotech HBU to maximise effectiveness. The solution was agitated into the surface using a rotary floor machine fitted with a coarse carbide brush.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor During Renovation Balham

The floor was then rinsed thoroughly, and the resulting slurry extracted using a wet vacuum. I carefully inspected the tiles and grout after the first pass, and any areas with persistent staining were retreated using the same method. To ensure a thorough clean of the grout lines, I applied a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which I worked in manually using a hand-held scrubbing brush until the grout reached an acceptable standard.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor During Renovation Balham

The floor was rinsed multiple times throughout the cleaning process, with each rinse followed by slurry extraction using the wet vacuum. After the final rinse, I used the vacuum once more to remove as much residual moisture as possible.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen

Before sealing, I tested the floor with a damp meter to ensure it was completely dry. Once confirmed, I applied several coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This sealer contains a colour-enhancing formula that accentuates the natural orange and red tones typical of Terracotta.

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor During Sealing Balham

Tile Doctor Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that penetrates the surface of the tile, filling the pores to prevent the ingress of dirt and moisture. This ensures easier maintenance and provides long-term protection, while preserving the natural matte appearance of the tiles — an important requirement expressed by the client.

The transformation was remarkable. The client was extremely satisfied with the result, stating that the floor now “looks like new.”

Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Balham

For ongoing maintenance, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This pH-neutral product is specially formulated to clean sealed tiles without degrading the protective sealer. I advised against using standard household cleaning agents, as many are too aggressive and can compromise the integrity of the sealer over time.

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor in South London

Dirty Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Balham SW12 Read More »

Small Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Purley

30-Year-Old Laminate Floor Removed to Reveal Heavily Stained Quarry Tiles

1 Comment / Purley Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning / Daniel

The photos below are of a Quarry tiled floor situated in a small kitchen at a house in Purley. The quarry tiles were previously covered in laminate for about 30 years which had recently been removed. This left the floor in quite a state as you can see from the photograph below. The floor was stained with numerous deposits including paint and adhesive and some sort of wax covering which was all over the surface.

Small Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Purley

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before cleaning I covered the entire kitchen in a drop cloth to protect the units from splashing, I normally remove the kick boards as part of this process however, in this case the bottom of the units were already siliconed to the tiles. This is good practice as otherwise the boards which are usually made of MDF can soak up the water used during cleaning and warp the boards.

Next, I tackled the staining, surface paint, adhesive and wax using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go combined with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to make a double strength stripper and cleaner. This was applied to the tiles and grout, and then left to soak in for ten minutes. I used a floor scraper to dislodge the glue which had been softened by the solution and then removed using a wet vacuum. The next step was to scrub the floor with a carbide brush and a coarse 200-grit diamond pad using only water to lubricate the process.

Once this was done, I rinsed the floor with water and extracted the slurry with the wet vacuum and allowed it to dry.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

Once the floor was dry, I returned to protect the tiles by applying Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This is an impregnating sealer that works by soaking into the pores of the quarry tiles occupying the spaces within and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained and making it much easier to clean. Tile Doctor Colour Grow also contains a colour enhancer that works well on Quarry tiles as it brings out the red colours in the tiles. Two coats of the sealer were applied allowing thirty minutes between coats.

I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for ongoing maintenance. This is a pH neutral product which is mild enough to use every day, gentle on the floor and will ensure the newly applied sealer will stay in place and the floor will continue to look great.

Small Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor After Renovation Purley

The result was transformational, and it certainly impressed my customer who left the following 5 star feedback.

“Daniel and his team were amazing! Extremely professional, thorough, and undeniably delivered an excellent end result for my old and tired tiles. So impressed! I would most certainly use this service again. By Sarah, Purley, 12 June 2023”

Professional Renovation of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen in South London

30-Year-Old Laminate Floor Removed to Reveal Heavily Stained Quarry Tiles 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 »

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path Restoration Battersea

Restoring a Neglected Victorian Tiled Path in Battersea

1 Comment / Battersea Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Daniel

Here we have an old Victorian tiled path in front of a property in Battersea which was very much worse for wear. Tiled in a red and black diamond pattern it had seen a lot of use and weathering and the owner now wanted it renovating or improving at the very least.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path Before Restoration Battersea

I was asked to pop over to the property, survey the path and provide a quote for its restoration. Hopefully you can appreciate from the photographs the numerous cracks and missing tiles. It was certainly going to need a lot of work to improve its appearance, which I was happy to do but I had to lower the expectations of the owner as it would never be perfect. We agreed a price for the work and booked the job in.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

Before starting work we tried to source salvaged tiles that would blend in with the originals, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find any that were a close enough match, so had to make do with modern tiles. These are still suitable but the metric sizing makes it a little tricker.

Work started by digging out the broken and loose tiles and then cleaning what could be salvaged. Once removed the base was then cleared of debris and where required rebuilt with cement. There were numerous affected areas, so it took quite some time to complete. Finally with the preparation done the tiles were re-laid using a mixture of original and new. The new tiles being metric had to be cut to shape as needed. The repair work was extensive and took two days to complete.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path During Repair Battersea

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Pathway

On day three the replaced tiles had set, and I was able to clean up the whole path by scrubbing in Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which being a gel cleaner doesn’t require a lot of water. This was then followed by giving the path an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which further cleans the tiles and again being in gel format doesn’t require a lot of water and is much easier to control. After each stage in the cleaning process the soils were extracted with a wet vacuum.

I recommend the use of gel cleaners on old tiles like this example as they were laid before the invention of the damp proof membrane and less water means it dries quicker. This was important as it was planning to apply a sealer the next day and the tiles must be dry to achieve the best result.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Pathway

The weather held out and after leaving the path to dry overnight I confirmed they were dry the next morning with a damp meter. Two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer were applied to the tiles which is a fully breathable sealer that works by soaking into the tile, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. With the dirt forced to remain on the surface they are much easier to clean. This product also contains a colour enhancing formula which helps improve the deep Red and Black colours in the tile.

Neglected Victorian Tiled Path After Restoration Battersea

The tiles responded very well to the treatment and transformed the appearance of the path. Expecting only a small improvement my client was over them moon with the difference.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Path in South London

Restoring a Neglected Victorian Tiled Path in Battersea Read More »

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovated Fulham

Restoration of an Unloved Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Fulham

1 Comment / Putney Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Daniel

I received a request to quote for the restoration of this Victorian tiled floor in the hallway of a property in Fulham which as you can see from the photographs was in a very poor condition.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Cleaning Fulham

I visited the property to survey the floor and could see that except for a few loose tiles it was in good physical condition. From experience I knew it would respond well to a deep clean and seal so I carried out a test clean on a small area to demonstrate its potential. The tiles came up well and my client was satisfied it would be worthwhile to have it restored.

When you have period features such as this floor in a property it is a shame not to make the most of them, they are sought after and will increase its value. Having agreed my quote, we arranged to carry out the work the following week.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To get all the dirt out of the pores of the tiles I first applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and after leaving it to soak in for ten minutes was scrubbed in with a black pad. I also used a steam cleaner during this process to help lift the dirt out of the pores. From what I could tell the tiles had a variety of contaminants including paint, plaster, cement, and dirt. Luckily Tile Doctor Remove and Go can handle all of these. I had to repeat the process on the stubborn stains and then removed all the slurry and dirt using a wet vacuum.

I then moved onto the loose tiles which needed to have the old adhesive removed from the tile and the base. The original tiles were then cleaned up by hand before new rapid setting adhesive was applied to secure them back into the floor.

Once the loose tiles had set, I moved onto the next step of giving the floor an Acid Rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This cleans up the tiles further by removing old grout smears and dissolving efflorescent salts in the floor. This is a common in properties of this age which don’t have a damp proof membrane to stop moisture rising through the tile. This process also neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of strong alkaline cleaning products like Tile Doctor Remove and Go. The floor was rinsed again afterwards, and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum before leaving it to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day the moisture levels of the tiles were checked with a damp meter to ensure they were dry enough to be sealed. The readings were fine, so I was able to apply a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a breathable colour enhancing sealer. This is a super durable product which will give great protection to the floor, especially when it is in a high traffic area such as a hallway.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Renovation Fulham

My client was amazed with the transformation and said he never expected it to come out as good as it did. I must admit considering the state it was into to start with I can understand his expectations mustn’t have been that high.

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to maintain the floor, this is a pH neutral product which will ensure the longevity of the newly applied sealer and is mild enough to use every day. Its supplied as a concentrate so you only need a small amount of cleaning fluid to clean the floor and so a one litre bottle will last a while.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in South London

Restoration of an Unloved Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Fulham Read More »

Acid Damaged Black Granite Sink Countertop Renovation Clapham

Renovating an Acid Damaged Black Granite Countertop in Clapham

1 Comment / Clapham Tile Cleaning, Granite Tile Cleaning / Daniel

This Black Granite sink countertop was damaged by a cleaning company during an end of tenancy clean at a rental property in Clapham South London. Granite is a very robust stone, but acidic cleaning products will etch it and damage the factory polish thereby ruining its appearance.

Acid Damaged Black Granite Sink Countertop Clapham Before Renovation

Naturally the landlord was not very happy and was considering having it replaced at the cost of the cleaning company who really should have known better. This however would have taken time to source and replace so after searching for a solution on-line I was asked to pop round and see if I could resolve the problem. We don’t just help resolve problems with tiles, jobs like this add a little variety to our day.

The landlord was relieved to hear that the problem could be fixed when I visited site. My solution was to re-polish the granite using a combination of hand-held burnishing blocks and six-inch burnishing pads fitted to a flex machine. He agreed my quote which he passed on to the cleaning company and we arranged a time to get the work done ahead of his new tenant moving in.

Restoring the Appearance of a Granite Countertop

To bring back the appearance of etched Granite we have found its necessary to use various grits of polishing pads and handheld blocks which are made from industrial diamonds. The larger 6-inch pads fit into a handheld buffer which helps to make the process easier.

I started though with the application of a coarse 200-grit hand block to remove the deeper etching from the damaged areas and then moved on to refinishing the surface with the diamond burnishing pads of increasing grits. Water is used to lubricate the process and remove the fine slurry that is generated. I finished on a 3000-grit pad which is applied dry with only a small amount of water to really bring up the polish and ready for sealing.

Sealing a Granite Countertop

To protect the Granite a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer was applied. This sealer is an impregnator which soaks into the pores of the stone giving long lasting protection, it’s formula also contains a colour enhancer which brought out the dark Black colours in the Granite.

Acid Damaged Black Granite Sink Countertop Clapham After Renovation

Once done the countertop looked new again and my the landlord was so happy the problem had been resolved, I’m sure the cleaning company were pleased as well as it saved them lot of hassle and money to replace the countertop. The cleaning company took our details for any future mishaps, hopefully they had learned a lesson though!

The property was now ready for the new tenant.

Professional Renovation of a Granite Countertop in a South London Bathroom

Renovating an Acid Damaged Black Granite Countertop in Clapham Read More »

Victorian Hallway Renovation Brixton Hotel

Restoring a Victorian Hallway Floor in a Brixton Hotel

1 Comment / Brixton Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Daniel

This Victorian floor was found during the refurbishment of a hotel in Brixton, South London. The manager wanted a practical surface that could cope with day-to-day traffic and given this was a period feature of the property why not bring it back into use. Working in a narrow corridor in a busy hotel would normally be very difficult but as the property was being renovated there were only a few people around so it wouldn’t be an issue.

Victorian Hallway Renovation Brixton Hotel Before Restoration

The tiles were stained black with dirt and grease and badly damaged around the perimeter which was probably the reason it was covered up in the first place. Not a problem though, in fact these old Victorian tiled floors are very resilient and I have renovated floors in worse condition than this.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To tackle the dirt and grease the floor was sprayed with a combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Tile Doctor Remove and Go which was left to soak in for ten minutes and then scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. This process was repeated several times rinsing off the soiling with water and extracting with a wet vacuum after each clean.

Once most of the dirt and grease had been removed repairs were carried out starting with the removal of the broken tiles and rubble. The subfloor was then built up with a self-levelling compound and then once set re-tiled with matching replacements. Luckily, there are a few places that we can source either original reclamation Victorian tiles or reproduction tiles that are usually a very good match.

Victorian Hallway Renovation Brixton Hotel During Restoration

The next stage was to further clean up the tiles by giving the whole floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which has several benefits which include the removal of mineral deposits such as grout smears and alkaline salts. Salts in particular can be a problem with old floors like this as they were laid before the invention of damp proof membranes. Additionally using an acidic product at this stage neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of strong alkaline cleaners earlier in the restoration. The floor was then left to dry out overnight.

Victorian Hallway Renovation Brixton Hotel After Restoration

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

We returned the following day to seal the tiles. First checking the moisture level of the tiles with a damp meter to confirm the floor was dry, which it was. Tile Doctor Colour Grow was chosen as the sealer, it’s an impregnator that soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from within. It is also a breathable sealer so will cope with any moisture rising through the floor

As you can see from the pictures the hallway was transformed, the previously dark dingy space was now bright and clean, and the tiles looked stunning. Our client was very happy with the result and once all the renovations are completed, he will be ready to re-open the hotel.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in a South London Hotel

Restoring a Victorian Hallway Floor in a Brixton Hotel Read More »