limescale removal

Bathroom Floor Grout Cleaning Colouring Gipsy Hill

Bathroom Floor Tile Grout Renovated in Gipsy Hill SE19

The Grout on this tiled floor in the bathroom of a property near Gipsy Hill SE19 was as you can see from the photo below in a bit of state. Originally White the colour of the grout had darkened to black in numerous areas and was bringing down the appearance of what was a lovely bathroom.

The floor tiles were Travertine effect Ceramic or Porcelain and as you would expect with tiles of this nature in very good condition. Ceramic and Porcelain tiles are not porous and so very easy to maintain, however what tends to happen is the dirt is washed off the tiles straight into the adjacent grout line where due to the rough nature of the grout it gets stuck.

Bathroom Floor Grout Before Cleaning Gipsy Hill

My renovation plan for tackling dirty grout is to start with a strong grout cleaner like Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and if the staining is still evident apply a Grout Colourant. I discussed this plan with owner of the property who were happy that one way or another the problem was about to be resolved.

Cleaning a Natural Black Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Floor

The first step in renovating this floor was to tackle the grout which was clearly the biggest issue with this floor. This work started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean along the grout lines and then waiting for about ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a wire brush. I also used a 6-inch Black scrubbing pad fitted to a hand-held polisher to clean the tiles which as mentioned earlier only needed a light clean. The floor was then rinsed with water and then dried with a wet vacuum to remove the excess water and slurry from the cleaning.

The grout responded well to the treatment but unfortunately the staining was simply too deeply seated to make it look new again so I decided to adopt plan B and apply a White Grout Colourant. These colourants have the added advantage of sealing in the grout and are very easy to clean.

The grout was force dried and then once I was happy it was dry enough, I started the process of applying the grout colourant to the grout lines. Grout Colouring is a straightforward and involves using a small brush to paint the colourant onto the grout and then wiping the excess off the tile as you go. We find a wet wipe works well for this. Two coats of Grout Colourant were applied.

Bathroom Floor Grout After Cleaning Colouring Gipsy Hill

Whilst that was drying, I stripped out the silicone sealant around the edges of the bathroom and replaced with new. This last step really finished off the transformation and it would have been obvious if I had missed it.

Once finished the floor looked like a new installation and the Grout Colourant should keep it looking that way for many years to come.

 

Professional Bathroom Floor Grout Cleaning and Colouring in South London

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Natural Black Slate Bathroom Floor Tile Renovation Brixton

Black Slate Tiled Bathroom Floor Transformed in Brixton

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

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Porcelain Pool Surround Oxshott Before and After

Removing Limescale from Porcelain Swimming Pool tiles in Oxshott

The owner of this swimming pool at a large residence in the suburban village of Oxshott had put the property on the market and naturally wanted the pool area to look its best. The pool was surrounded by Porcelain tiles which are very resilient and generally a good choice for a swimming pool surround, additionally the slate effect tiles in this post had a riven surface which would make them less slippery than the highly polished variety. The chemicals used in swimming pools however are quite strong and I suspect this has contributed to the build-up of Limescale on the surface of the tiles.

Cleaning Porcelain Tiles

The first job was to give the tiles a deep clean and this was done by scrubbing in Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted 1 part cleaner to four parts hot water using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. Once scrubbed the soiled cleaning solution was removed using a wet vacuum and the tiles given a thorough rinse. There were a lot of tiles to clean and naturally care has to be taken to avoid getting any cleaning solution in the pool.

Porcelain Pool Surround Oxshott Before Cleaning Porcelain Pool Surround Oxshott Before Cleaning

After rinsing the tiles were dried with the assistance of an air mover so we could get an idea of what other remedial work would be required and in this case it became clear where the areas with Limescale staining were.

Porcelain Pool Surround Oxshott During Cleaning

Removing Limescale from Porcelain Tiles

To remove the Limescale each stain was spot treated using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is a strong acid based cleaning product normally used to remove grout smears from tiles but also equally useful at dealing with mineral deposits such as Limescale. You have to be very careful with acids on tiles, especially natural stone so once it had done its job the tiles were thoroughly rinsed and the whole floor rinsed again once we have completed everything.

Porcelain Pool Surround Oxshott After Cleaning Porcelain Pool Surround Oxshott After Cleaning

When we had finished the client couldn’t believe the transformation we have managed to achieve.

Porcelain Pool Surround Oxshott Before And After
 

Deep cleaning Porcelain pool surround tiles in OxShott, Surrey

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line Textured slate kensington sealed

Removing Limescale from a Slate Tiled Floor in Kensington

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.

Line Textured Slate Kensington Before

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 Line Textured Slate Kensington 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

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