Birmingham Tile Doctor

White Limestone Floor Installation Clean and Polish in Solihull

Kieron Norton — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 01:37:30 +0000

A homeowner from Solihull contacted Tile Doctor concerning their White Limestone tiled floor, which was being marked from foot traffic and a dog with a weak bladder. Measuring approximately 150m2 the stone floor had been installed throughout the ground floor of what was a stunning award winning multi-million-pound property.

Expensive stone floors like this one do need maintenance to keep them in top condition so I reasoned that if the sealer was still doing its job, it may just need a quick polish. To be certain I went over to survey the tiles and take a closer look. Whilst there I did a sample test clean which showed the improvement the client was looking for but also revealed the stone needed to be re-sealed.

The floor would need a deep clean, polish and seal which given its size I calculated would take six days. Later that day I sat down and worked out a detailed quote that included all the labour and products needed to complete the project and emailed it across. The quote was agreed and a date scheduled for the work to start.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

They say the best way to eat an elephant is in small pieces so I divided the floor into six sections, this would help with doing the work and being able to move furniture around.

Repeating the process in each section work started with a light sweep of the floor to remove grit etc. The natural stone section was then burnished starting off with a coarse 400-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary floor machine and lubricated with water. The machine had extra weights fitted to improve traction with the floor. This process grinds the dirt off the floor opening the pores in the stone so the dirt can be flushed out, the water turns into a fine slurry which is then rinsed off the floor and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The 400-grit pad was then switched to a finer 800-grit burnishing pad and the process repeated followed by the 1500 grit, again rinsing and extracting between pads. These finer pads are polishing pads that start to close the pores in the stone and bring up the shine.

The next step was to scrub the grout lines using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in with a stiff brush. This was followed by burnishing the edges and corners with a handheld polisher so no area was missed. The staircase was also done this way with a set of 6″ pads.

After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the polishing was finished with a very fine 3500 grit diamond pad, this pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tile and tightens the pores to leaves the Limestone dry and gives it a natural sheen. The work took two complete sets of pads to complete.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

To seal the stone a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal were applied, before buffing off the excess with a white pad. This sealer is almost invisible leaving the floor with a natural look. It’s also a hard-wearing impregnator that works by soaking into the stone, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained and keeping it on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

The customer was very happy with the results and commented that the floor looked better than when it was laid seven years before. I left them a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap to maintain the floor going forward, it’s a sealer safe cleaning product that helps maintain the patina on the stone.

Before leaving I recommended our maintenance program to the owner, this is service we provide where we come over one a year to top up the sealer and further polish the floor with the very fine burnishing pad.

Professional Renovation of a Limestone Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Renovating an Uneven Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Cotteridge

Kieron Norton — Mon, 18 May 2026 07:15:12 +0000

A client from Cotteridge, near Bournville asked me to pop round for advice on their Victorian hallway that they kept tripping up over and had loose tiles. I went to quote and straight away I could see where there had been movement in the house which had caused the inner doorway to be on almost two levels causing the tiles to jut out.

I explained that without removing the whole floor it would be impossible to level it. It’s important to manage customer expectations at the quote stage. Instead I explained that I would be able to sympathetically slope the tiles so there were no jagged edges. I also recommended giving the floor a deep clean and seal afterwards to give it a consistent appearance and help protect the tiles from ingrained dirt. They were happy with the quote, and the work was booked in.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first two days were spent repairing the floor and the sub-floor to even the tiling and remove the trip hazard. The plan involved carefully removing a long section of tiles and then resetting them at a slight angle. This went well and once complete I moved onto another doorway which had tiles missing. Fortunately, we had managed to source matching replica tiles, there were also a few more cracked ones which were also replaced and any loose tiles reset.

On day three work moved onto the cleaning the floor using a low moisture method. Old floors like this don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane and can suffer from damp coming up through the floor, as a result it’s best to keep fluids to a minimum.

Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel was applied and left to soak in for 10 minutes so it could get to work breaking down the soils. The gel was then worked in using a 200-grit milling pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine to loosen the dirt. This pulls the dirt out of the tiles into the solution it was extracted using a wet vacuum.

Another low moisture Tile Doctor product called Acid Gel was then applied and worked in with a rotary machine and a black pad. This was rinsed off with minimal water and again extracted with the wet vacuum. Small sections were completed at a time to keep the floor as dry as possible.

Air movers were left on overnight to help ensure the floor would be dry for sealing the next day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

Moisture testing the next morning confirmed the floor was dry and ready for sealing. Two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal combined 50/50 with Colour Grow were used to seal the tiles wiping off the excess and allowing for drying time between coats. Both these sealers are impregnators that work by soaking into the tiles, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from residing there. I find these sealers complement each other well giving a rich appearance. Additionally, the Colour Grow makes the X-Tra Seal which is externally rated easier to apply.

When the last coat was dry, the floor was buffed with a white pad to remove any excess sealer and complete the floors appearance.

I was pleased with how the repairs turned out and the clients were very happy with the result. The new sealer will ensure that dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away and for aftercare, I left a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner to help maintain the floor going forward.

Neutral cleaners are highly recommended for sealed floors like this as many supermarket cleaners are simply too strong and will erode the sealer prematurely. We also recommend cleaning with a two-chamber mop and bucket which keep the cleaning fluid separate from the soiled water.

Professional Restoration of an Uneven Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Damaged Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor Restored in Aldridge near Walsall

Kieron Norton — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:02:14 +0000

A homeowner near Aldridge contacted Tile Doctor regarding their Quarry tiled hallway and Minton tiled vestibule. On inspection it became clear that the Quarry tiles had many imperfections and grout in dirt due to being covered in carpet for many years. This had also let to the appearance of white efflorescence salts on the surface on many tiles due to trapped moisture.

I have a lot of experience working on old Quarry and Victorian tiles so I knew the could be restored to a good standard however floors like this have a lot of unknown history so you can never be overconfident. I worked out a detailed quote for the restoration and explained the limitations, undeterred they were keen to go ahead and so a date was set for the work to start.

Repairing Period Tiled Flooring

On the first day I repaired some areas in the hallway floor where screed had been used to fill in missing yellow tiles at the back of the hallway. These must have become damaged at some point and never replaced. This isn’t surprising as yellow tiles are extremely hard to get hold of, luckily however I had a few left over from previous restoration work.

When this was done attention turned to the Victorian tiles in the Vestibule area. Here a row of loose Minton tiles needed to be removed and then reset in place with fresh adhesive and grout.

Deep Cleaning Quarry and Victorian Floor Tiles

The repairs were left to set overnight and the following day I started on the cleaning. To remove the deep-seated dirt the floor was cleaned with a combination of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. The solution was applied and left to soak in for ten minutes before being worked into both the Quarry and Victorian tiles using a 120-grit carbide brush fitted to a rotary floor machine. This loosened the dirt bringing it to the surface where it could be rinsed away and removed with a wet vacuum.

Next, attention turned to the efflorescence by treating it with Tile Doctor Acid Gel. Being acidic this product dissolves the efflorescent salts and further clean the tiles. The solution was worked into the tiles as before but this time using a finer 240-grit carbide brush and the wet vacuum deployed again to remove the resultant soiling.

A heater and air movers were deployed to quickly dry out the floor before sealing. Once dry the tiles were sealed with a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil, I find that this adds a subtle sheen to quarry tiles and provides a base layer of protection.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Hallway

The floor was then left to dry overnight with the air movers running and then next day the tiles were checked for moisture. The tests confirmed the tiles were dry and the application of the sealer could start. For this, two coats of a 50/50 combination of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal & Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied. The Colour Grow makes the X-Tra Seal more workable and improves colour in the tile.

Both sealers are impregnators that work by soaking into the tile, occupying the pores and in doing so prevent dirt from becoming ingrained there. To finish the excess sealer was buffed off with a white pad.

Overall, the floor came our rather well and the client was very pleased with the result. For aftercare I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild but effective ph neutral cleaner that won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Renovating a Recently Laid White Limestone Floor in Darlaston

Kieron Norton — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:41:51 +0000

A homeowner in Darlaston near Walsall got in touch regarding their White Limestone floor, which was being easily marked from foot traffic. Dark marks were being left on the floor which they couldn’t remove.

This was concerning as the floor had only been laid a few months earlier and it had been cleaned and sealed by another firm. When I asked about that it turns out the cleaning firm had cleaned, burnished and sealed the whole floor in one day, which was incredibly quick when you consider the floor measured 120m2! This was a red flag for me as I would have expected a floor of this size to take four days when done correctly.

The only solution would be to do the floor properly so I popped over to survey the tiles and conduct a few tests. Whilst there I demonstrated the finish that we could achieve which they were happy with and I worked out a quote. They were happy with that and relieved the problem wasn’t more serious accepted my quote and the job was booked in.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Ground Floor

I returned a few weeks later and started by dividing the floor into four zones, which would make the job more manageable and have the advantage of being able to move furniture around.

Each section was cleaned with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell and soak in for ten minutes before being worked in. I use a rotary machine to scrub the floor fitted with a 240-grit silicone carbide brush which combined with the Pro-Clean loosens trapped dirt and sealers from the floor. I then went over the grout with a grout brush by hand to get that clean. Next the soiling was rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

I then started the process of burnishing the natural stone floor, starting off with a coarse 400-grit and working through 800 and 1500 grit diamond pads fitted to the rotary machine which had extra weights added to increase traction. The pads are run over the floor with water for lubrication and after each pad the floor is rinsed and the soiling extracted with the wet vacuum. The pads struggle in the corners and edges so these are doing with a handheld polisher fitted with 6-inch burnishing pads to ensure no areas were missed.

The section was then allowed to dry with the aid of a floor fan whilst I finished off the process in a previous section by polishing the Limestone with the last pad which is very fine 3500-grit. This last pad tightens the pores and gives the stone a natural sheen, it is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tile.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Ground Floor

The last step was to seal the limestone tiles and grout using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is a natural look sealer that doesn’t alter the look of the stone. This product is also an impregnator which works by soaking into the stone occupying the pores and ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. Afterwards the floor was buffed with a white pad to remove any excess sealer and further bring up the appearance of the Limestone.

The client was very happy with the results, and I left them a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap to maintain the floor going forward. This will ensure the floor is easy to maintain and being a ph neutral product won’t impact the new sealer.

Professional Restoration of White Limestone Tiled Flooring in Birmingham

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Victorian Minton Tiled Vestibule Floor Repaired and Restored in Bearwood

Kieron Norton — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 12:34:09 +0000

Having decided to remove the vestibule carpet at this property at this Victorian property in Bearwood the owner was pleased to discover an original Victorian tiled floor. Unfortunately, the floor was not whole and approximately 25% of the tiles were missing and replaced with cement leveller. I have seen this sort of thing before, and I suspect they had been removed due to damage and of course it’s much cheaper to backfill with cement than carry out a considerate repair.

The current owner however was keen to have the floor re-instated as a period feature and requested a quote for the work. Happy to oblige I popped over to survey the vestibule floor which was quite small and work out a quote for the restoration including sourcing replacements for the missing tiles which we identified as being Minton, a factory famous for Victorian tiling.

I worked out a detailed quote which was accepted and I set about tracking down replacement tiles before setting a date for the work to start.

Repairing a Victorian Minton Tiled Vestibule

Once I had sourced the original Minton tiles that would be used to rebuild the missing floor, I was able to make a start re-creating the floor on a board so the customer could see how it would look. A lot of accurate cuts were needed to create the shapes of the puzzle that would be needed to match the original pattern which was tricky work but quite rewarding.

Happy with the pattern I made a start breaking out the screed that had been used as backfill and had also been smeared over some of the tiles. I had to work carefully to avoid upsetting the remaining tiles but managed to take out several large chunks of screed. A lot of cement sub floor came out too which would need to be re-laid before tiling could start. The rubble was removed and then a new concrete leveller was poured in allowing room for the tiling that would sit on top. Once done the cement was left to set overnight.

The next day the pattern was carefully re-laid from the board onto the vestibule floor using fresh adhesive. I did a dry run first to be ensure the pattern would be an exact match. Once complete the floor was left to set overnight.

Repairing a Victorian Minton Tiled Vestibule

With the floor now fully intact it was cleaned using Tile Doctor Remove & Go which is a strong alkaline coatings remover and tile cleaner. After leaving the product to soak for around ten minutes it was worked into the tiles using a small black scrubbing pad fitted to a hand polisher. Normally I use a large 17” floor buffer on floor tiles but on this occasion, there wasn’t enough space to make that an effective solution. This process loosened the remaining screed covering the tiles and brought out a lot of the staining. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

My next step was to give the floor an acid wash to remove any old grout smears and neutralise other mineral contaminates such as salts that can get deposited on the surface of the tiles as moisture evaporates as the floor dries. This is always a risk with old floors where no damp proof membrane exists. To do this I applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is scrubbed into the tiles with a deck brush and then rinsed off the floor with water and a wet vacuum. The floor was then dried using the wet vacuum and a heat gun.

Last step in the cleaning process was to give polish the tiles with a 1500-grit burnishing pad and then a 3500-grit burnishing pads. Again, these had to be the smaller 6-inch versions and were effective at removing remaining staining and brings a consistent appearance to the tiling.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Vestibule Floor

To seal the floor, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which was combined 50:50 with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. The addition of Colour Grow makes the X-Tra Seal which is oil-based sealer more workable and improves the colour in the tiles. Both sealers are impregnators that soak into the pores of the tile to provide maximum protection and X-Tra Seal is rated for external use making it ideal for a vestibule.

The last step was to buff the tiles with the hand buffer fitted with a small White pad to remove any excess sealer and further bring up the appearance of the floor. For aftercare I left the customer a bottle of pH neutral cleaner and explained the need to avoid stronger cleaning products which can erode the sealer prematurely.

You can see how well the floor responded to the treatment and my customer was delighted with the transformation.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Vestibule in Birmingham

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Repair and Restoration of Victorian Tiled Hallway in Walsall

Kieron Norton — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:50:32 +0000

This customer from Walsall contacted Tile Doctor regarding their Victorian tiled hallway which was in a very poor state. I was sent some photographs which made it clear the floor was seriously neglected with loose tiles and all sorts of contaminates. To understand all the issues before quoting I made an appointment to pop over and survey the floor in detail.

Whilst at the property I took measurements and made notes of the tiling work that would be needed which centred around the door threshold. I’ve worked on floors as bad as this before so wasn’t overly concerned and worked out a detailed plan for the restoration which was explained to the customer. Later that day I priced up the work and products needed and emailed a quote for job across to the customer who gave the go ahead.

Repairing and Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting the cleaning work, it made sense to address the tiling issues first so work started by removing the loose tiles along the doorway threshold. The exposed foundations were cleaned up along with the original tiles and then re-laid together with matching replacements where needed that had to be cut to size. Fortunately, the repairs were limited to this one area so I was able to move onto cleaning the rest of the floor.

I decided to start with an initial clean using Silicon Carbide pads applied to the tiles with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a coatings remover designed for use on tile and stone. There was a lot of stubborn staining to deal including what I suspect was carpet adhesive, screed, bitumen and paint.

I used the pads then rinsed the floor with water and extracted the soiling with a wet vacuum. The initial clean had made a difference but it was clear I would need to get a steamer on staining to soften it and scrape it away. Fortunately, it wasn’t a massive area but it still took a couple of hours to do. On completion of this I went over the floor again with a carbide pad and more Remove and Go.

Last step in the cleaning process was to treat the floor to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel worked in with a 400-grit diamond pad. This treatment removes old cement residues, counters efflorescent salts which are a common issue with these old floors and neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of alkaline cleaning products. The floor was given another rinse with water and then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum.

After rinsing I used air movers and a heater to help dry the floor off and before leaving for the night a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil was applied to boost the colours of the tiles.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning the next day work started by inspecting the floor and checking it had dried sufficiently. Then I went over the floor with a floor buffer fitted with a 1500 and then 3500-grit diamond pad. I did this to help tighten the pores in the tiles after the aggressive cleaning it had experienced the day before. This also adds a slight sheen polish to the clay tiles.

To seal the floor an initial coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal was applied followed by a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. These sealers offer different advantages and being impregnators, they are very hard wearing, they also allow for vapour transmission so ideal for an old floor like this one that doesn’t have a damp proof membrane. After drying I buffed off with a White pad to remove an excess sealer and bring up the finish on the tiles.

The old Victorian floor tiles were unrecognisable after the work and completely transformed the hallway into an appealing and welcoming space. Needless to say, my customer was delighted with the result.

Before leaving I left the customer with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the floor going forward. Its important to use a pH neutral tile cleaner on a sealed floor as many of the product you find in supermarkets are simply too strong and will erode the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Multiple Neglected Quarry Tiled Floors Restored in Bournville

Kieron Norton — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:06:10 +0000

A customer had recently moved into a property in Bournville and discovered an original Quarry tiled floor in the living room, hallway and a couple of quirky tiled areas upstairs. After searching on the internet for some inspiration, they came across my previous work and got in touch. Period floors like these are very popular and so they were keen to have the Quarry tiles restored.

I went over the property to survey the floor and made notes of all the floors and problems including the removal of self-levelling screed in the living room. This is often used to level tiled floors prior to the installation of another covering such as Vinyl or Carpet. It can be difficult to remove but it can be done. Another issue that would need to be dealt with was carpet glue and paint stains which I found in the hallway.

I worked out a detailed plan for the restoration work and was able to use this to create a quote for the work. Keen to have the floors restored my quote was accepted and a date set for the work to start.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor

The first day was spent removing an area of levelling screed from the living room along with a couple of repairs to the tiles. This literally has to be scrapped off the tiles by hand to remove the bulk of the screed. The whole floor was then cleaned with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go scrubbed in with a 120-grit carbide pad fitted to a weighted buffer machine. The resultant slurry was then extracted with a wet and dry vacuum.

The next step was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is ideal for breaking down cement residues. It was let to soak into the floor for ten minutes before being scrubbed. For this the coarse 120-grit pad was switched for a finer 240-grit carbide pad. The floor was rinsed with water and extracted again to remove the slurry.

After inspecting the floor, I was pleased to see that marks imprinted onto the tiles by the previous floor covering had been removed and the tiles were looking so much cleaner. Happy with my work the tiles were left to dry off overnight with the aid of a couple of air movers.

The next day I tackled the Quarry tiled hallway which was stained with carpet glue. The started with a steamer to loosen up year’s old adhesive and bitumen along with a scraper to remove dried paint. The hallway tiles along with a couple of tiled hearths upstairs were then cleaned using the same process as the living room.

After an hour or so of drying the tiles, I applied a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil to all the floors and left them to dry for twenty minutes before towelling off the excess. The tiles were then left to dry off completely overnight. Stone oil is the first step in the sealing process and adds colour, texture, and generally improves the condition of the Quarry tiles after years of neglect.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor

On the last day I applied a coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal to all the tiles to seal them. This sealer is an impregnator that soaks into the Quarry tile, occupying its pores and thereby preventing dirt from residing there. The tiles were then buffed with a White pad fitted to the rotary machine to remove excess sealer and bring up their appearance.

This sealer will ensure that dirt remains on the surface where is can be easily cleaned away. Another benefit of the sealer is it further improves the colour of the tiles and being fully breathable it will allow moisture still in the floor to rise through and evaporate at the surface.

Once complete all the tiled floors looked so much cleaner and colourful, additionally the new sealer gave all the Quarry tiles a consistent appearance throughout the property.

My customer was very happy with the results and before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and left them with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor pH neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a mild but effective tile cleaning product that won’t impact the sealer which can be the issue with the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of Quarry Tiled Floors in Birmingham

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Renovation of Victorian Hallway Floor Tiles in Wolverhampton

Kieron Norton — Wed, 29 May 2024 12:20:03 +0000

This large area of Victorian floor lay hidden away for several years under carpet on a former care home in Wolverhampton. The building was being renovated, and the client wanted to bring the floor back to life as it was in a poor state.

I went along to survey the floor and conduct a test clean, which worked out very well and impressed the client. Happy with the potential result I was asked to do the work and the job was booked in.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the first day I repaired the threshold tiles under four doorways, which had either been replaced with concrete or had tiles missing. I had to clean them up first to see exactly what was missing. After completing those I regrouted the areas that needed to be.

The next two days were spent deep cleaning the tiles which was covered in a very thick carpet adhesive, which was difficult to remove, especially in the hallway area. I gave the floor a coat of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and let that soak in to soften the glue so it could be removed more easily. The glue was then scraped off the affected areas with the help of a steamer.

Once the majority of adhesive had been removed, I applied more Tile Doctor Remove & Go combined with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel and let it dwell on the floor for ten more minutes. Then a 120-grit carbide silicone brush pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine was run over the tiles to remove the grime and dirt. The resultant slurry was then rinsed off with an Airflex machine which applies and removes hot water under pressure to give the floor a thorough rinse.

Next, the floor was treated to an acid rinse using with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, this counters the formation of efflorescence which is a common problem with old floors that don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane. This product also removes old grout haze and other mineral contaminates which detract from the overall appearance of the tiles. This process was applied in a few sections at a time due to its size.

I set up a couple of air movers to help get the floor dry and to further improve the appearance of the tiles I went over the floor with a very fine 3000-grit pad. This pad is fitted to the rotary floor machine and applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tiles.

Before finishing for the day, I gave the floor a single coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil and clothed off any excess. The floor was then left to dry off overnight with the help of the air movers.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next day I returned to seal the Victorian tiling with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal buffing off the excess with a white pad. This product is fully breathable so will allow for moisture to rise through the tile from the foundation and not become trapped which could lead to damp problems later. Two coats were applied to add long lasting protection and a beautiful finish.

I think you will agree the pictures really show off the improvement to the floor. Certainly, my client was very happy with the work we carried out. For aftercare I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the floor going forward.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Stained Limestone Fireplace Renovated in Great Barr

Kieron Norton — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:47:55 +0000

I recently cleaned and sealed a stone floor for a customer in Great Barr who called me a couple of weeks later and asked if I could restore his Limestone fireplace. The hearth was heavily stained and that along with the usual soot markings made him decide it was overdue a clean.

Having been to the house before I was able to quote for the work quite easily. It was just a matter of explaining the process and agreeing a date for the work which should only take a day.

Deep Cleaning a Limestone Fireplace

After protecting the surrounding woodwork, I set about cleaning the fireplace first using hand-held 60 grit diamond blocks with only water for lubrication. The water is sprayed onto the stone and the block is worked in using a circular action to get deep into the pores.

The whole fireplace was cleaned using this method before turning my attention to the hearth. The staining on the hearth was worse so for this I first applied a coating of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel to help breakdown the stains. Being in a gel form makes this cleaning product much easier to handle in a tight space. The gel was left to soak in for fifteen minutes before being scrubbed with a black pad. The hearth was then carefully rinsed and the released soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

I followed up with further cleaning using the 60-grit diamond block to get the stone hearth as clean as possible. I then rinsed the fireplace, and went through the process again with 120, 200 and finally a 400-grit block to bring up the appearance of the stone. Only was I was satisfied did I give the Fireplace a final rinse and then dried it off with towels, air movers and a heat gun until the stone was fully dry.

Sealing a Limestone Fireplace

To seal the Limestone and make it easier to clean going forward I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. This product is almost invisible and leaves a natural finish, it works by soaking into the stone, occupying the pores, and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there.

For aftercare cleaning I left the customer with a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner which will help maintain the appearance of the fireplace. The customer was delighted with the results and said that it even looked better than when it was installed over 15 years ago!”

Professional Clean of a Limestone Fireplace in Birmingham

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Efflorescence Stained Quarry Tiled Floor Renovated in Great Barr

Kieron Norton — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 08:57:32 +0000

A client from Great Barr in North Birmingham discovered a leak in a water pipe, which had been running in to the Quarry tiled living room for some time. The leak was repaired but had resulted in a lot of water soaking into the quarry tiles. This led to a significant amount of efflorescence appearing as the floor dried out leaving them in a poor condition.

I paid a visit to the property to see the condition of the tiles for myself and conducted a few tests to work out the best method to remove the efflorescence and restore the appearance of the quarry tiles. From this I worked out a quote which was submitted to my client’s insurance company.

The job was then put on hold for a couple of months until the client’s insurance company agreed the claim. This as it turns out was not such a bad thing, as the floor needed time to dry out completely (aided with dehumidifiers) before work began.

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor

On the first day I started by taking moisture readings from the floor, which were quite low, and confirmed the floor had indeed dried out. Next, I gave the floor a general clean using Tile Doctor Remove & Go, I used a strong dilution and sprayed it onto the floor allowing it to soak in for ten minutes. Then I went around the edges and corners with a piece of black scrubbing pad to get the awkward areas clean first. I then used a 120-grit carbide silicone pad fitted to a rotary machine to loosen up the dirt.

The floor was then rinsed with an air flex pro machine which applies water at high pressure to the floor and then simultaneously extracts the dislodged dirt with a built-in wet vacuum.

To deal with the efflorescence I applied Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and worked it in with a 240-grit carbide pad as before. This product is acidic and is perfect for dissolving the alkaline salts that form efflorescence. The solution was then rinsed off and extracted as before, and I set up a couple of air movers to aid drying the floor, for a couple of hours.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor

Before leaving for the day I applied a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil and let that soak in for twenty minutes before towelling off the excess, the floor was then let to dry off fully overnight, again I left a couple of air movers in place to assist with the drying.

The next day I applied two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal, leaving an hour between coats to dry. The Stone Oil and X-Tra Seal will give great protection going forward and give the quarry tiles a slight sheen which really lifts the appearance of the tiles. Another benefit of the sealer is it improves the colour of the tiles and being fully breathable it will allow moisture still in the floor to rise through and evaporate at the surface.

Finally, I buffed the Quarry tiles with a white pad to bring up their appearance even further. My client was very happy with what was a complete transformation to the floor and left the following review.

Very helpful insurance repair. Visited whenever necessary to give advice and helped with ongoing maintenance suggestions. Before leaving took time to discuss aftercare cleaning for which I left them with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Living Room in Birmingham

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Limestone Floor Installation Clean and Polish for Codsall Builder

Kieron Norton — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 14:26:08 +0000

A builder got in touch with me about aLimestone tiled floor he had installed for a client in Codsall near Wolverhampton. He was doing some renovation work on the property and clearly stone floors were not his speciality. The tiles had been sealed incorrectly and then covered up which had left marks in the stone. To his credit he did attempt to make good the issues, but ultimately got into a mess with it and decided to call us in to rectify.

I went along to survey the floor and work out a plan to rectify the issues and as part of this conducted a few tests. The testing went well and it confirmed to me which products and methods would work best on the floor, it also demonstrated that the Limestone floor could be renovated to a good standard. Luckily, I had a spare couple of days so I could do the job quickly, so the builder was very relieved, and the client pleased it was going to be resolved.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

The firstly job was to strip the floor of the sealer and give it a deep clean. To do this I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the floor, left it to dwell and then went over the floor with a Black pad fitted to a rotary machine. The soiling generated was then rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

After this I started burnishing the stone tiles with a 400-grit diamond pad covering each tile at least three times; the floor was then rinsed and the soiling extracted with the wet vacuum as before. I purposely worked on the floor in two sections so it didn’t dry out and leave a chalky finish, especially in the grout as this can be difficult to remove when dry. I then moved on to the 800-grit pad and then a 1500-grit pad using the same method. I also used smaller 6-inch pads around the edges and corners where the rotary machine could not reach using a hand polisher.

After rinsing and drying off with three air movers, I asked the client to have a think overnight if they wanted to leave it at the 1500-grit finish or go up to a 3000-grit very fine finish. My concern was that an adjoining room which wasn’t being cleaned wasn’t that high a finish and the two floors would look different.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned the next day and checked the moisture readings of the floor using a damp meter, the readings were good confirming the floor was dry and ready to be sealed. Having thought about it overnight the client agreed with my concern and was happy to leave it at a 1500 grit finish.

To seal the Limestone floor, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a penetrating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone to provide maximum protection and leaves a natural finish. Additionally, this sealer is particularly good in a high traffic area such as the hallway.

My client was delighted with the transformed floor and was now happy which was a relief to the builder who was keen to get the job signed off. For aftercare cleaning I left the client a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which will allow them to keep the tiles clean and help to keep the polished patina finish.

Professional Renovation of a Limestone Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Dirty Porcelain Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in Edgbaston

Abigail — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 14:12:30 +0000

The client from Edgbaston got in touch with me concerned about the state of the grout rather than the polished white porcelain tiles and was considering replacing all of the downstairs area.

I did a test area which really improved the tiles and the dirty grout and convinced them to go ahead with the clean and revamp their floor. I worked out a quotation for cleaning the whole floor, which was agreed, and a date set for my return.

Edgbaston or Edgbaston Village as they would like to be known is an attractive area on the outskirts of Birmingham city centre yet its close enough to take advantage of everything the city has to offer.

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Hallway and Kitchen Floor

On arrival I decided that due to the size of the area it would be best to divide the work in to four sections. This would allow for furniture to be moved around whilst I worked on the floor.

Each section was cleaned with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go which was sprayed onto the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes. I then cleaned the grout by hand with a stiff grout brush, before cleaning the tiles and the grout again with a firm nylon bristle pad fitted to a rotary machine. The bristles were firm enough to clean the tiles, but not harsh enough to scratch them. I then rinsed the area with my Airflex Pro cleaning machine which pressure washes the floor whilst simultaneously extracting the soiling.

Once done the grout was looking so much cleaner and was almost camouflaged against the Porcelain tile. However, I wasn’t finished as I planned to give each of the tiles a polish, but before that could happen they needed to be dry. This was achieved with a combination of towelling off and help form three air movers.

I then polished up the tiles with a very fine 3000-grit diamond pad, which really made a real difference to their appearance. These tiles are sealed at the factory during manufacture so there was no need to apply a sealant.

The client was very happy with the tiles and grout appearance especially as they didn’t think they would see an improvement in the tile appearance, more so the grout. They were delighted that they would not need to replace the tiles, saving both the expense and the upheaval. The same process was carried out for all the areas. On completion I left a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner to help maintain the floors appearance and would make maintenance nice and easy.

Professional Cleaning of Porcelain Tile and Grout in Birmingham

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1950’s Terrazzo Kitchen Floor Tiles Renovated in Pattingham Wolverhampton

Abigail — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 13:40:34 +0000

This Terrazzo tiled floor in the kitchen of a property in Pattingham was laid in the 1950’s and had become dull over time. The otherwise modern looking kitchen was being let down by the dull floor and the client now wanted it cleaned and polished to lift its appearance.

The country village of Pattingham is directly West of Wolverhampton and a thirty-minute drive from my base in Bilston. Happy to help I spoke to the owners over the phone and arranged a time to pop over and survey the floor.

After visiting the property, I could see that the Terrazzo tile and grout needed a thorough deep clean and then sealed to bring back the natural colour of the tiles and ensure they were protected in the future. I gave them a price for the work which they were happy to accept, and we arranged a suitable time to start the work.

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor

To start the cleaning, I sprayed a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go onto the floor and left it to soak for ten minutes and start breaking down the contaminants. The floor was then scrubbed using a Black pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine which loosens the dirt and brings it to the surface.

The floor was then rinsed with an Airflex Pro machine which applies water to the floor at high pressure and then extracts the waste using a powerful vacuum. This helps dislodge the soiling and ensures mess is kept to a minimum. Once this was done, I checked the floor for any stubborn areas that needed further work and repeated the process as required until I was satisfied the floor was as clean as possible.

I then moved on to burnishing the floor which is the best way to bring up the polish on stone-based flooring. This is done using a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads fitted to the rotary machine with added weights to increase the traction. 400, 800 and 1500 grit burnishing pads were applied in sequence rinsing and extracting after every pad. These pads further clean the Terrazzo and buildup a natural sheen.

The corners and edges were done by hand with a handheld polisher fitted with smaller 6-inch version of the pads. After giving the floor a final rinse and extraction, it was left to dry with the aid of several air movers.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the next and went over the floor with a very fine 3000-grit burnishing pad, this tightened the pores in the stone and deepens the natural sheen appearance. This final pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the floor and once done it leaves the floor ready to be sealed.

The sealer chosen was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which works by occupying the pores in the floor thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. It’s also fully breathable which is an important consideration when sealing old floors like this and it contains a colour enhancer that improves the look if the tile. Three coats of sealer were applied and then when dry it was buffed to a shine with a White pad.

For aftercare I left the client with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner to help maintain the floors appearance. It’s a mild but effective tile cleaner for use on sealed floors, many products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor and will reduce the life of the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Kitchen Floor in Birmingham

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Repair and Restoration of Victorian Tiled Hallway in Walsall

Kieron Norton — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 16:24:07 +0000

The client had lived at this property in Walsall for a few years and decided that they wanted to finally sort out their Victorian hallway which needed restoration. I went over to the property to survey the floor and advised that with repairs, cleaning and sealing the process would take three days. Having worked on numerous floors like these before I was very confident that we could repair the floor where needed and restore its appearance. I provided them with a quote which was accepted and the job was booked in.

During the survey I noticed that at some point in the floors long history someone had made repairs to a couple of doorway borders with random tiles so the pattern was incorrect. I agreed to rectify this as part of the restoration.

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting the cleaning work, it made sense to address the tiling issues so my first course of action was to prise up the tiles along the doorway borders. The tiles in these sections had to be completely removed and then the base cleaned up so they could be re-laid along with matching replacements to correct the pattern. The replica tiles I had sourced needed to be carefully cut to size to ensure a good fit with the original. After resetting the tiles and re-grouting I left them to dry overnight.

The next day I was able to move onto deep cleaning the floor using a mixture of Tile Doctor Remove & Go and Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel. This was allowed to dwell for 15 minutes before it was scrubbed into using a weighted rotary machine with a 120-grit carbon silicone pad. This pad is very effective and gets right into the pores of the tiles, the edges were done by hand using a 200-grit diamond block.

I then rinsed the floor with an Airflex Pro machine which applies water under high pressure to the floor and then removes it with a powerful vacuum leaving the floor clean of all soils and almost dry. Its an expensive machine but a real time saver.

I then gave the floor and acid wash to further clean up the tiles and neutralise any potential efflorescent salt issues that can be a problem with old floors like this. To do this I applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up and this time worked it in with a 400-grit burnishing pad. The floor was then rinsed as before with the Airflex Pro and I used a couple of air movers to help speed dry the floor.

Before finishing for the day I used the buffer machine one last time to burnish the floor with a 3000-grit burnishing pad to add some natural sheen. I then followed this up with the application of a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil, this helps bring back the colour of the tiles and I find it reduces efflorescence which can appear overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To assist with drying I asked the client to leave the air movers running during the evening and to put them back on in the morning. This worked well and by the next day I was able to seal the floor.

To seal I applied a coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an oil-based sealer that is fully breathable which is an important consideration when choosing a sealer for a floor that doesn’t have a damp-proof membrane. The sealer really enhanced the colour in the Victorian tiles and will give strong protection against future staining.

The tiles were then buffed with a White pad to remove excess sealer and further bring up its appearance. For aftercare I left the client a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the appearance of the floor.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Dull and Lifeless Multi-Coloured Slate Floor Renovated in Wolverhampton

Kieron Norton — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 05:20:03 +0000

A client in Wolverhampton contacted me about the Multi-Coloured Slate floor in their Kitchen. They had a lot of building work done recently and so dirt had built up on the tiles making them appear dull and lifeless.

Happy to help I paid a visit to the property to survey the Slate floor and carry out some cleaning tests to work out which method and products would yield the best approach. The results from the testing came up well and they were happy with the quote I worked out, so we booked the work in.

Deep Cleaning a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

This was a straightforward job, the type of job Tile Doctors tackles every week, i.e., cleaning the floor tile and grout followed by sealing. Due to the big size of the kitchen and the utility area I decided to break the work in four sections rather than tackling the whole area in one go.

To start I sprayed a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor and allowed it to soak in for ten to fifteen minutes making sure that it didn’t dry out. I then cleaned the area with a 120-grit silicon carbide brush attached to a weighted rotary machine which loosened up the dirt and followed with a stiff brush along the grout lines to give them a good scrub. Remove and Go was chosen for this floor as the testing I did earlier revealed traces of an old sealer and this product is ideal for removing old coatings whilst cleaning.

I then rinsed the floor using my Airflex Pro machine which deploys water at high pressure washes and then vacuums the soiling away. These machines are quite expensive but are a good investment as they make light work of cleaning floors and are very popular with carpet cleaners. This was repeated for all areas and once I was satisfied that we had achieved a good clean throughout the kitchen and utility it was left to dry off fully overnight. Before leaving for the day, I set up four air movers to assist with drying out the floor.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

On returning the following day, the tiles were already looking so much cleaner that the day before. Before applying the sealer though the Slate needed to by dry so I tested the floor using the damp meter. If you try to apply the sealant before the floor is dry, it will not cure properly leading to a patchy appearance.

The readings were acceptable so I was able to move on to the final part of the renovation and apply a fresh sealer to the tiles. For this I selected Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal, this is a strong oil-based sealer, it does take a while for it to be absorbed especially on Slate as it’s not as porous as other types of tile. The new sealer will give the Slate a great durable stain resistant finish which should last for many years to come. It’s ideal for a kitchen which can experience lots of foot traffic and spillages. Only one coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal was applied and after a couple of hours it had dried out and could be walked on.

To finish off I buffed the floor with the rotary machine fitted with a White pad which removed any excess sealed and gave the floor a very subtle sheen finish. My client was very happy with the results and for aftercare cleaning I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is pH neutral and is mild enough to use daily without impacting the newly applied sealer which is the problem with the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen in Birmingham

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Travertine Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Polished in Wolverhampton

Kieron Norton — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:49:01 +0000

My client from Wolverhampton got in touch with me about their large Travertine tiled floor, which was installed throughout the kitchen and dining room and needed renovation. The floor also a included a couple of patterned feature areas laid with Limestone also needed attention. Interestingly a friend of mine had sold the house to the client so I knew the house quite well.

I went over to the property to conduct a survey of the tiles to see what needed to be done. During that visit I conducted a cleaning test to understand which treatment would be the most effective solution and this allowed me to create an accurate quote. The work would be carried out over two days. The client was happy with the quote and a date was scheduled for the work to begin.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

The get the Travertine clean a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto the floor and allowed to dwell and soak in for ten minutes, then with a rotary machine fitted with a 240-grit silicon carbide pad I cleaned the floor. This helped get into the pitted areas and release the dirt. I also went over the grout lines with a stiff grout brush and more Pro-Clean to ensure the grout was as clean as it could be. To remove the slurry generated during the cleaning I used an air flex pro machine which is a powerful industrial pressure cleaner and vacuum.

Next, I started the burnishing process, which meant applying diamond encrusted pads with grits ranging from 400, 800 and 1500 to the travertine, rinsing the floor between pads to remove the slurry. This process renovates the stone and brings up its polished appearance. Before leaving for the day, I did some repairs to some deep pitting and some cracks with appropriate flexible grout and allowed this along with the floor to dry overnight. To aid this I left two air movers with the client.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Dining Room Floor

The next day I returned and went over the floor with a 3000-grit very fine burnishing pad, this added a natural sheen to the stone and removed any excess grout from the repairs I had made. To finish off the floor I sealed it with three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which as well as adding protection to the floor also enhances the natural colours in the Travertine. Finally, I buffed the floor with a white pad to give it the best finish.

I advised the client on how to maintain the appearance and left a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner with them to clean the floor going forward, this is a mild cleaner and will keep the floor in great condition and ensure that the newly applied seal stays intact. My client was very happy with the work we had carried out and the overall finish.

Professional Restoration of Travertine Tiled Floors in Birmingham

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Textured Porcelain Floor Tile and Grout Deep Cleaned in Edgbaston

Kieron Norton — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 09:18:05 +0000

This Porcelain tiled floor was laid in the kitchen of a property in Edgbaston around eight years ago. The customer contacted me regarding how dirty the tile and grout had become since being installed despite them being regularly cleaned. Happy to help I agreed to call in, survey the floor and give them a quote for deep cleaning and returning it to its original condition.

Whilst at the property I could see the Porcelain tiles had a coarse textured surface which has the advantage of being less slippery than a smooth tile however over the years it had been trapping dirt and making them difficult to clean.

I ran a cleaning test on an inconspicuous area to understand the most effective way of cleaning the tile and grout. The test went well, and it quickly showed the difference between a clean and dirty tile, it also gave me a good idea of what it would cost to renovate the floor and provide an accurate quote. The customer who had been cleaning the floor for the last eight years was impressed with the difference and happily accepted my quote.

Cleaning Textured Porcelain Hallway and Kitchen Floor Tiles

The cleaning process began by spraying a combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined with Remove & Go onto the floor, these are both alkaline cleaners although Remove and Go is designed to remove sealers and other coatings. I left it to soak in for ten minutes before starting to work it in with a rotary buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

As I progressed, I noticed there were some stubborn marks on the tiles which were being left behind so I switched the Black pad out for a 240-grit silicon carbide brush. This may sound harsh for use on Porcelain, but I have used it many times before on textured porcelain with no problems only good results.

After cleaning the main area of the kitchen and utility I turned my attention to the floor edges and corners which I did by hand. I then spent time cleaning the grout with more Pro-Clean scrubbed in with a stiff brush.

Once finished the floor was rinsed the floor with an Airflex Pro machine which applies hot water under pressure whilst simultaneously extracting it to a tank on the machine. This is an expensive piece of kit very popular with carpet cleaners but equally as useful on hard floors, it leaves the floor looking very clean and saves a lot of time compared to rinsing and vacuuming.

The last step was to set up some air movers to help dry the tiles and grout. The floor was looking much improved already and I hadn’t finished.

Sealing a Porcelain Tiled Floor

Most Porcelain tiles won’t take a sealer however these were the micro porous variety and I was confident they would take a seal. So once the floor was dry I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which will help to make it easier to clean and protect the grout.

On completion the Porcelain tile and Grout looked so much cleaner and my client was relieved that I had managed to get all the ingrained dirt out of the floor. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and left the customer with a bottle of pH Neutral Tile Cleaner that will help maintain the appearance of the floor in the future.

Professional Renovation of a Porcelain Tiled Hallway and Kitchen Floor in Devon

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Quarry Tiled Floor Fully Rebuilt and Restored in Stourbridge

Kieron Norton — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 08:55:14 +0000

This customer from the historic West Midland’s town of Stourbridge contacted me about their living room floor which was laid with Quarry tiles; however, one area which I suspect may have originally been a fireplace had been tiled with pale ceramic Pink tiles. These would need to be removed and replaced with matching quarry tiles if the floor was to have a consistent appearance.

Whilst surveying the floor I conducted a test clean on a section of Quarry tiles which came up well and I discussed sourcing matching replacements with the owner. I knew of a reclamation yard local close to the customer that I’ve previously used, he suggested getting his own replacements from there which I was happy with and the work was booked in.

Repairing and Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Floor

On arrival I looked at the reclaimed tiles the owner had sourced and noticed they were all approx. 5mm larger than the original tiles. So, before doing anything else I had to cut them all to size with my wet tile cutter. This is messy work with quarry tiles as they create an orange slurry when cut, if you’re not careful you’ll end up looking like an Oompa Loompa after cutting them!

Next I had to remove the Pink Ceramic tiles and dig into the area underneath to ensure the thicker Quarry tiles would be level with the surface of the existing floor. Once the debris had been cleared, I was then able to apply a self-levelling compound to bring the sub-floor up to the required level. The levelling compound was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to fit the cut tiles and grout them in after the adhesive had dried.

The next day with the replacement tiles set I was able to clean the whole floor with Tile Doctor Remove & Go which was allowed to soak in for a while and then topped up so not to dry out. I then used a silicon carbide brush fitted to a weighted rotary machine to scrub the floor and loosen all the dirt. Next job was to run a stiff brush along the grout lines to get them clean as well, before rinsing and extracting the dirt with a portable Airflex Pro wet vacuum. I use a low psi so as not to apply too much water.

The floor was then towelled off before starting the last part of the cleaning process which involves treating the tiles with an acid-rinse using a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This is an acidic product that can remove mineral staining and will also counter any alkaline salt deposits in the pores of the tile that could surface as the floor dries.

The floor was then rinsed and towel dried as before but this time I left a couple of floor fans in place to assist with the drying whilst I packed away the machinery.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Floor

After an hour I applied a single coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil, I find that this helps bring the colour of the Quary tile, aids drying and minimises any efflorescence salts coming through overnight.

I returned next day to fully seal the floor. The floor was old with no damp proof membrane installed and had shown signs of dampness In the past. Because of this I recommended using Tile Doctor X-Tra seal to seal the floor which is fully breathable sealer and will cope well with any damp issues. Additionally, this applied with the stone oil adds a nice slight sheen to the floor which really lifts its appearance.

The deep clean and new sealer really helped blend in the replacement tiles with the original and once complete my customer was very happy with the transformation. Before leaving we discussed aftercare and I left them a complimentary bottle of Neutral Tile Cleaner to maintain the tiles going forward. This is a pH neutral product that is safe to use on sealed surfaces and won’t prematurely erode the sealer like many stronger tile cleaners you will find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Floor in Birmingham

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Laminate Covered Edwardian Hallway Floor Restoration in Bearwood

Kieron Norton — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 01:33:19 +0000

The customer from Bearwood, near Smethwick had recently moved in and during renovations discovered an original 100-year-old Edwardian tiled floor in the hallway which had covered under laminate. They were planning some structural changes to the hallway involving a new stud wall but decided to investigate having the tiled floor restored first and were keen to know if anything could be done to improve its condition.

I visited the property to Survey the floor and could see given its age the floor was in good physical condition although there was a small amount of cracked tiles. Fortunately, laminate flooring is laid as a floating floor so there were no glue or screw holes to deal with. The Vestibule area however was in a worse state and had been covered in all sorts of cement screed, adhesive, grout, and God knows what.

Confident I could resolve the problems I worked out a quote which was accepted and a date was set for the work to begin.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first day was used to make repairs to the floor, in one of the corners the floor was sloping away and had some sort of silicon filler installed where tiles had once been. After resolving the sub floor problems, I managed to level it out and used matching replacement tiles to complete this and a couple of other repairs.

This left the vestibule part of the floor which as mentioned earlier was in a quite a state. To remove the mess, it took a day of scraping using several Tile Doctor products including Grout Clean-up, Acid Gel, a steamer and a lot of effort.

Once complete I moved onto the cleaning by spraying Tile Doctor Remove and Go onto the tiles and then scrubbing it in with a Silicon Carbide pad fitted to a weighted rotary floor machine. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted using a wet vacuum.

Old floors like this example were laid before the invention of damp proof membranes and so you can get a lot of moisture rising through the tiles. This can lead to efflorescence as the moisture evaporates at the surface. To counter this problem the whole floor was treated to an acid rinse using more Acid Gel scrubbed in with a 400-grit burnishing pad.

The floor was then rinsed, towel dried off and air movers put in place for an hour to help dry it out. Then before finishing for the day, I applied a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil to help bring the colour through in the tiles. I also left the air movers to run for a few hours to help dry the floor out.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned the next day to seal the floor however when I tested to moisture reading beforehand, I found the reading to be higher than expected and after cleaning and drying the floor there were still traces of moisture. Because of this I recommended that we seal the floor using a fully breathable sealer that could cope with any excess moisture.

Happy to go with my advice the floor was sealed using two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal allowing each coat to dry for thirty minutes before applying the next. X-Tra can be used internally and externally and provides excellent protection so was well suited. After drying I polished the floor with a very fine 3000-grit burnishing pad to add a natural sheen to the tiles.

I think you will agree the pictures show the transformation the floor and as you can imagine my client was very happy with the result. Before leaving I left the customer with a bottle of pH neutral cleaner to maintain the floor, we recommend using a mild cleaning product for after cleaning as it helps preserve the life of the sealer. You need to be very careful with supermarket floor cleaning products, most are bleached based and simply too strong for use on a sealed floor.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Full Victorian Hallway Floor Restoration for Property Developer in Smethwick

Kieron Norton — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 14:13:51 +0000

A property developer contacted me earlier this year regarding a Victorian tiled hallway they had discovered at a property in Smethwick in the West Birmingham district of Sandwell. The property was being renovated into apartments and a fully restored tiled hallway would give the property the wow factor when entering the property.

I went over to the site to take a look and could immediately see the floor really was in a real mess. The tiles were covered in old flooring, adhesive, paint, screed, and plaster etc, I could see it was going to take some work to shift that lot. There was also an interior doorway that needed retiling. None the less these old Victorian floors are durable so none of that phased me and I was confident of a good result.

Restoring a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I got the go-head from the developer and started work by tacking the loose tiles around one of the inner doorways. I seem to see a lot of this around door thresholds I can only assume its due some movement in the subfloor that can happen between different sections on a building.

With that section out of the way I started removing the screen from some of the more stubborn areas. For this I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and after letting it soak in for fifteen minutes to soften the compound, I was able to scrape it away with some assistance from a steamer.

When this was completed, I covered the floor with a strong combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Remove & Go and left to dwell a good 20 minutes this time, topping it up every so often so it didn’t dry out. These products combine to make a powerful tile cleaner/coatings remover that would make quick work of cleaning up the floor. The cleaning cocktail was then scrubbed into the tile with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to rotary machine. The slurry was then then removed using a wet extraction vacuum.

After reviewing the whole floor, I picked out those areas that needed more attention which were a few stubborn areas and the edges of the floor where the rotary machine can struggle to impact. I resolved those problems by hand with small diamond blocks which come in several coarse grits. Once I was finished tackling those, I took a step back to look at the floor and was really pleased with how the restoration was going, it was unrecognisable from when I had first come to view it.

Original Victorian floor were laid well before the invention of plastics and the damp proof membrane and in many cases are laid on top of compressed rubble. As a result, it’s important to allow moisture from the subfloor to be able to rise through the tile so it can evaporate at the surface. The previous coverings will have restricted this from happening and so I was concerned about the possibility of moisture and salts being trapped in the floor. Salts especially can be an issue as when they do make it to the surface, they can leave unsightly white deposits of the surface of the tile a process known as Efflorescence.

To counter this, I gave the whole floor an acid rinse with more Grout Clean-up worked in with a 400-grit diamond pad, this would neutralise the salts and give the tiles a further clean. It will also help neutralise the pH levels in the tiles after the use of the alkaline cleaning products earlier. To do this I applied and scrubbed it in with a 400-grit diamond pad to help with any issues. The floor was then rinsed with water and extracted as before to remove any trace of product.

Sealing a Victorian Hallway Tiles

The floor was left to dry for two days and on my return, I checked the floor for moisture with a damp meter to satisfy myself it was fully dry and ready to accept a sealer which was the last step in the restoration.

For this floor I chose to go with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a hard-wearing impregnating sealer that will cope with the foot traffic you would expect in a busy hallway. Colour Grow is also fully breathable so will cope well with any potential moisture rising through the tile and being a colour enhancer, it would help to make the beautiful colours in the Victorian tiles stand out.

My customer was very happy with the result which was a total transformation and should do well to attract new tenants to the property when its finished. For aftercare I left the customer with a bottle of neutral tile cleaner to maintain the floor, its important to use a neutral pH product on sealed tiles as stronger products will reduce the life of the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Sandwell

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Full Restoration of a Minton Tiled Victorian Hallway Floor in Kings Heath

Kieron Norton — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 12:52:22 +0000

Details below of the full restoration of a Victorian Minton tiled hallway floor that I restored earlier this year in the South Birmingham suburb of Kings Heath. The owner had recently purchased the property and discovered a Victorian tiled floor underneath an old carpet in the hallway.

The floor was in a very poor state with areas where tiles were missing and had been backfilled with a cement levelling compound. The adjacent vestibule also had a large area of tiling missing. My client was delighted when they had found some of the missing original tiles and now wanted to investigate having the floor returned to its former glory.

I went along to quote and give a demonstration of the restoration process and provide an indication of the expected results. The test area responded well to the treatment and they were happy with my quote to repair and renovate the floor, so were booked in to restore the whole floor and I set about sourcing matching replacement tiles.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first two days were spent carefully removing the leveller, cleaning up the exposed subfloor then cutting and fitting replacement tiles. One of the areas that needed extra work was a doorway which required a sub-floor installing before being able to tile with a matching pattern.

With the main hallway tiling completed I started on the tiling in the adjacent vestibule. I had been given a couple of bags of original tiles to sort out by the owner and fortunately most of them were in good condition, so I was able to repair the vestibule with approximately 90% original tiles. The rest were made up of reproduction tiles that I had managed to source. Additionally, the floor had numerous loose tiles which needed resetting and finishing with replacements. Due to so many of the tiles being original the appearance between the newly replaced area did not look too much different however I was confident the following deep clean and seal would blend them in well.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

With the tiling now repaired my next focus was the cleaning which I started on day three with an application of neat Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to help loosen the carpet adhesive and paint splashes that were staining the floor.

The Pro-Clean was mopped onto the floor and then worked in with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a weighted rotary buffing machine. The extra weight, cleaning agent and coarse pad gets into the pores of the tile releasing years of ingrained dirt and removing old sealers and coatings. The floor was then rinsed with water and the waste extracted with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to give the floor an acid rinse using another Tile Doctor product called Grout Clean-up which is designed to remove grout smears and mineral salts that will have been trapped into the pores of the tile after years of being covered in carpet. The grout clean-up was worked into the tiles using a 400-grit burnishing pad to refine the tile surface and close up the pores. The floor was rinsed and extracted again and left to dry out for two nights.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned a few days later and after testing the floor was dry set about applying a sealer. For this floor I chose to apply six coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which gives a lovely sheen finish and really brought out the character in the beautiful tiles. It’s also water based so it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries.

By the time I had finished the floor was looking transformed and the client was delighted, so much so they left this fantastic review:

Kieron was fantastic. He brought our Minton flooring back to life and kept us informed every step of the way. He really knew what he was talking about and has done a fantastic job. Not to mention he was a really really lovely guy and great value for the incredible workmanship he offers.”

I left the customer with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance. It is important to use a neutral pH cleaner when maintaining sealed floors as stronger tile cleaning products that you find in supermarkets are too strong and will prematurely strip the protective sealer off a floor.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in West Midlands

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Working Through COVID-19

Kieron Norton — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:08:11 +0000

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 Coronavirus it’s become necessary to change our working practices in-line with government guidelines and to take action to minimise health risks to you and our team. At present, none of our team are showing any symptoms of the virus so we are continuing home visits for quotes and to complete scheduled works should it be safe to do so.

All Tile Doctors are aware to look out for the known symptoms of High Temperature and New Continuous Cough. We are aware of the need to self-isolate should it be necessary and should this be the case we will contact you to postpone. We also ask you monitor your own health and contact us should it be necessary for you to postpone for the same reason. Should you be in a high-risk group we recommend contacting us to re-arrange a visit to later in the year.

Naturally the situation could change very quickly and therefore we will no longer ask for any official notice should you wish to postpone or cancel a booking, however we would appreciate a phone call.

Our Tile Doctors are aware of the guidelines and will carry out a risk assessment at every premises they visit. They also understand the importance of observing the following whilst on site:

Avoiding Physical Contact
The importance of Social Distancing
Wearing single use Gloves and Overshoes
Regular hand washing and use of liquid sanitiser
Cleaning Equipment with Detergent after use

We are monitoring Government guidance and will ensure we continually adjust our working practices as required and endeavour to keep you informed. These are challenging times that are impossible to predict, the key is to stay safe and accepting of late changes should they occur.

Regards

Kieron Norton
Birmingham Tile Doctor
#TileDoctorUK #weareinthistogether #pulltogether #staystrong

For more information about Covid-19 virus we recommend the following sources:
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Victorian Period Hallway Floor Restored in Bourneville

Kieron Norton — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 11:38:13 +0000

This client had recently discovered a Victorian tiled floor hidden underneath hallway carpet at their property in the Birmingham suburb of Bournville. It didn’t look in great condition as some areas were missing and staining from carpet adhesive, but it was a beautiful patterned floor tiled potentially with Minton tiles and they were really keen to find out if it could be restored to its’ former glory.

The rest of the property in Bourneville had retained its’ original features so the floor would be the icing on the cake.

I went along to survey the floor, provide a quote and perform a small cleaning demonstration so I they could get an idea of the results they could expect. The damaged areas were repairable and once I had completed the test clean, we were confident the floor could be restored. They were happy to proceed with my quote and the job was booked in.

Bourneville is the home of the chocolate makers Cadbury, so many people will have visited and been aware of the area. Many of the houses were built for the workers at the Cadbury factory.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the first day I started on relaying the three internal door thresholds with some existing tiles and matching replacements that I had managed to source online. We are usually able to source reclaimed tiles and reproduction ones, so repairs are not usually a problem. It took some time to clean out the old adhesive, cut the replacement tiles to size where required and then then fix in place with fresh adhesive.

The next job was to replace some broken ones along the edges and some in the main part of the floor which had been drilled in to. These can be tricky to do as they can easily break adjoining tiles. When this was done the tiles were grouted and the other loose ones reset. It’s meticulous work and the tile adhesive needs time to set before the next stage which would be giving the entire floor a deep clean.

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The following day I focused on deep cleaning the tiles starting with the removal of the strong adhesive that had secured the carpet gripper. This had to be removed by applying a neat Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and leaving it to dwell for ten minutes. The Pro-Clean helped loosen the glue which was then carefully scraped off.

The floor was then mopped with a strong dilution of Pro-Clean before running over the tiles with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary machine. This combination gets into the pores of the tile, releasing the dirt and renovating the surface. The resultant slurry was then rinsed off with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

Next, the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up worked in with a 400-grit burnishing pad to further clean up the tiles and close-up the pores. The floor was rinsed and extracted again and allowed to dry for two nights.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On my return I tested the floor was dry with the damp meter and satisfied myself that the floor was dry and ready to accept a sealer which would enhance its appearance and protect it going forward.

My sealer of choice was Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which adds a nice subtle sheen to the floor and being breathable will cope with any potential moisture rising through the tiles. This is an important consideration on old floors like this where no damp proof membrane will have been fitted.

By the time I had finished the floor was transformed and had become the main focal point of the house. My clients were very pleased with the new entrance to their home and before leaving we discussed after care for which I left them with a complementary bottle of Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Restoring Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Harborne Part 2

Kieron Norton — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 13:25:45 +0000

Here’s the 2nd part of the floor restoration work I did for a property developer last year in Harborne, this time detailing the renovation of the Victorian tiled hallway floor. I must credit the builder for engaging me on this project as many builders would attempt this work themselves, rather call in a professional, which often leads to a less than desirable result.

The house dated from the 1800’s and contained two old floors that needed restoration. I didn’t want to trample over a recently renovated hallway floor whilst rebuilding the old Quarry tiled floor in the front room so naturally I addressed that first. If you missed the first post detailing its restoration you can find it here: Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration in Harborne

Once the front room restoration was complete, I moved onto the original Victorian Hallway which was dull, dirty and needed some tiling work around one of the door thresholds.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The Victorian Hallway needed to have a threshold restoring, luckily the builders had kept the original tiles. Firstly, the space below the tiles needed to be filled with quick drying cement. The tiles were then re set and grouted.

Next issue was to tackle the paint spots and carpet adhesive. I did this by spraying the surface of the tile with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and after leaving to for ten minutes to soak in and soften the glue and paint. I was then able to carefully scrape of the glue and paint with hand scrapers.

The floor was then deep cleaned with a 200-grit diamond pad on a weighted rotary machine. The edges and corners were done by hand with diamond blocks. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum.

Last stage of the cleaning process was to give the floor an Acid Wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to further clean up the floor and neutralise any efflorescent salts that may have been present in the tiles. Efflorescence can be a big problem for old floors like these which don’t have a damp-proof membrane. I gave the floor another rinse and extraction before leaving for the day and left the floor to dry out overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

On return both the floors were checked for moisture with a damp meter to ensure they were dry. The readings were good, so I proceeded to start the long process of applying the sealer. On this occasion I chose Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer, main reasons being its fully breathable so will cope well with any moisture evaporation due to there being no damp-proof membrane also its really good at bringing out the colours in the tiles. Three coats were applied, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. I then buffed off any excess with a white pad.

The new sealer really brought the Victorian tiles to life and allowed the colour and geometric patterns in the Victorian hallway floor to shine through.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Birmingham

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Renovating a Damaged Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor in Stourbridge

Kieron Norton — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 02:42:48 +0000

This client in the old industrial market town of Stourbridge contacted me about a Victorian tiled floor they had recently discovered under their hall carpet. They wanted to have it restored to its former glory but were concerned about the small holes all along the border. These holes were for the nails that secured the carpet grip rod and the best course of action would be to remove and replace the tiles. We are usually able to source replacement tiles, either replica or reclaimed so I was reasonably confident we could manage it, however in order to be certain I needed to survey the floor and do some research.

Once I was able to take a detailed look at the tiles it was clear that the floor would also need a deep clean due to being covered up by the carpet for so long, there was also some glue and residue from the floor covering which we agreed to remove. I prepared a quote for the work which the client was happy to accept, and the job was booked in.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first day was spent removing the border tiles and replacing them, these are tricky to do as the skirting can be a hinderance. The tiles needed to be carefully removed so we didn’t damage the skirting. Thankfully they were all coloured black which was a bonus as replacement black tiles match very well. After cutting to size and replacing all the border, a doorway threshold was rebuilt with a mixture of original and replacement tiles.

To finish off the first day loose tiles were reset, and the replacement tiles grouted in along with the other repaired areas. The floor was already started to look good and the colours in the Victorian tiles which were particularly vivid were really starting to come alive as the work progressed.

The next day the floor was cleaned with a 200-grit diamond pad attached to a rotary floor machine. We use water to lubricate the cleaning process and this turns to a grey slurry as the dirt is released from the tiles. The slurry is then rinsed off and then removed using a wet vacuum.

Next the floor was given an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to remove any grout haze and treat any salty deposits (efflorescence) which are often present in floors of this age due to the lack of a damp-proof membrane. It also helps make a stronger bond with the sealer which would be applied later.

The floor was rinsed with water, then dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum and allowed to dry for a couple of days.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Returning a few days later, we checked with the moisture readings of the floor in several places using a damp meter. It confirmed that the floor had dried out fully and was ready to be sealed. Applying a sealer to a damp floor is never recommended.

To seal the Victorian tiles, I used multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra which is a low sheen breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the tiles, it also added a lovely subtle sheen to the tiles making the colours stand out. Using a breathable sealer is important on old floors with no damp proof membrane as to use a non-breathable sealer can lead to moisture being trapped under the floor where it could build-up and spread to the walls leading to rising damp.

The floor was now complete and looked great. The client was over the moon and especially pleased that we had managed to replace the border tiles with the nail holes in.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Restoring a Victorian Quarry Tiled Floor in Harborne

Kieron Norton — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 00:16:32 +0000

A property developer contacted me about an old Victorian Quarry tiled floor that they needed to make good at their customers house in Harborne following renovations. The work needed to be done professionally and more work was anticipated restoring the original Victorian tiled floor in the adjacent hallway which I’ll detail in a separate article.

I went over to survey the floors and provide a quote for completing the work. The house dated from the 1800’s and the Quarry tiles in the front room were black and buff coloured. In fact, after I did a test clean the buff coloured tiles turned out to be deep red in colour, but the floor was that dirty you would never know it. There were also areas of missing tiles where replacements would be needed to match the rest of the floor. We discussed a price for the work, which was readily agreed, and the work booked in.

Cleaning and Repairing a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor

Before starting work, I managed to source approximately 90 replacement tiles from a reclamation yard which were delivered to site. Once they had arrived, I began the tiling work by building up the sub floor with some levelling cement. When this had hardened, I started laying the tiles with a quick setting adhesive. Some needed cutting to size which was carefully completed. Once the tiles had been positioned, I grouted the area and the floor was then allowed to dry.

The floor was then cleaned using a combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Remove and Go, scrubbed in with a black scrubbing pad. The floor needed a couple of goes to get it completely clean, and there were also some screed areas which were treated with Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up. The floor was then rinsed, next we applied more of the Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up this time to the whole floor to give it an acid rinse. The floor was then rinsed again and then allowed to dry for a couple of days.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor

On return the was sealed with three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which was left to soak in and then buffed off. This product impregnates the pores if the Quarry tiles enhancing the red and black colours whilst proving protection from staining going forward.

You can see from the photographs the transformation that was achieved. If you look closely you can notice a difference between the original and reclaimed tiles but this will be less noticeable over time.

Before leaving I left the client with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance and protect the seal. He was over the moon with the job.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Living Room Floor in Birmingham

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Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Edgbaston, Birmingham

Kieron Norton — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 01:59:26 +0000

This homeowner in Edgbaston contacted me about a Victorian tiled floor they had found under the hallway carpet since moving into the property a couple of months ago. The floor was stained with paint splatters, adhesive and had loose and missing tiles. Original features such as Victorian floors can add a lot of value to a property so they wondered if it could look a lot better than its present state.

I visited the property in Edgbaston which is a suburb of south Birmingham and best known for its Cricket ground which is home to the Warwickshire Cricket Club. I surveyed the floor and run a test clean on part of the floor to work out how best to clean it. The old Victorian tiles responded well to the treatment which impressed the homeowner and so the job was booked in.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

On the first day I cut and laid replacement tiles around the door threshold that I had sourced before starting the job. Then I reset some loose tiles and added some replacements on another threshold.

The front door had been replaced in the last couple of years, but it had been moved outwards which exposed part of the inner doorstep at the end of the hallway. I suggested that it would look better with tiles running right up to the door, so I removed part of the concrete with an SDS drill and cold chisel to allow space for new tiles to be laid level with the existing floor. The tiles were set in place using a quick setting adhesive which allows for grouting after only a few hours.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The next day I returned to deep clean the floor first checking the repairs I had made the day before were now secure and had dried nicely. My next job was to remove the paint splashes which I did by carefully scraping the paint off the tiles along with any old adhesive.

Next, I covered the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and allowed it to dwell on the floor for ten minutes. Then ran a 200-grit diamond pad over it which gets into the tiles pores and cleans them. The floor was then rinsed the floor with water and extracted the dirty slurry with a wet vacuum.

Final stage of the cleaning process was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which helps neutralise the floor after using Pro-Clean which is alkaline. It also dissolves any unwanted salts trapped in the tile that might rise to the surface later, a process commonly known as efflorescence. I then rinsed and extracted the floor again before leaving for the day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The cleaning process had been quite intensive so I left the floor for a couple of days before returning so it could dry out completely. The floor had dried well so I set about applying a sealer to the floor.

I sealed the floor with six coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go extra which is a low sheen sealer which will protect the floor going forward. Seal and Go Extra also enhances the appearance of the tile adding colour and is also breathable so moisture can rise through the tile and not become trapped under the floor where it could cause problems. Using a breathable sealer is important for these old floors where no damp proof membrane exists under the floor.

The floor now looked fantastic and the customer had said originally that she wasn’t keen on the floor, but by the end she said she loved it. Before leaving I left the customer a bottle of Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance without affecting the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Dull Slate Tiled Floor Stripped and Re-Sealed in Moseley

Kieron Norton — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 12:25:26 +0000

A client contacted me regarding their slate tiled floor which had only been down a few years and was now looking dull and uninviting. The slate tiles were laid in a herringbone pattern and Interestingly they had only been cleaned and sealed about a year ago by another company, but it has soon started to look dull again. Naturally my client was disappointed with the result, especially considering how new the floor was.

The property was in the Birmingham suburb of Moseley and as per usual I paid them a visit to survey the floor and conduct a test clean. From what I could see the sealer the previous company had used was already failing and wearing off, this left the stone vulnerable allowing dirt to become ingrained in the stone. We discussed the overall procedure and I completed a test clean on part of the floor which went well so the customer was happy to proceed. Whilst I was there, we also discussed the effects of different sealers I would recommend for the tiles so they could select one that would give them the look they wanted.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

On the first day I applied a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined with Tile Doctor Remove and Go, this was left to dwell on the slate while I cleaned up the grout with a stiff grout brush. I used this combination of products to ensure I stripped any coatings that may have been applied to the floor by the previous company and the original installer. With the grout scrubbed I turned my attention to the Slate tiles by scrubbing them with a black pad fitted to a weighted rotary buffer machine. The floor was then rinsed thoroughly, and the now soiled cleaning solution extracted with a wet vacuum.

The kitchen area was quite large, so I did the clearing in three section inspecting each section afterwards before moving onto the next. There were some areas where the existing sealer was proving stubborn to remove which were re-treated until clean. I discussed this with the customer who explained that the previous company had left a tin of sealer and advised them that they should clean the floor and then apply more sealer. This meant every time they did, they were adding another coat of seal and if the cleaning was not effective it would result in trapping dirt under the sealer! After spending most of the day cleaning, it was agreed to let the floor dry out and see how it looked next day.

When I returned on the second day, I could see there were still traces of sealer on some areas of stone and grout, so I decided to clean the floor again with more Pro-Clean but this time working in in with an abrasive 400-grit burnishing pad. This did the trick on the slate, but the grout needed a handheld diamond block to remove the seal. The whole floor was then rinsed and allowed to dry.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Although previously we had discussed the different options for sealing the client wasn’t sure which one to choose. To help them decide I dried some of the tiles with a heat gun and applied different sealers to they could see the different between the matt and sheen finishes. The client decided on Tile Doctor Seal & Go Extra which helps bring the colour out in the tiles, it’s also breathable and has a nice sheen to it but slightly less so than Tile Doctor Seal & Go. I applied four coats as soon as the floor had dried.

I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance. The client was very happy with the results, thanked me for my hard work and commented that the floor looked better than the day it went down.

Professional Restoration of a Slate Tiled Floor in Birmingham

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Floor Damaged Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration Bearwood

Kieron Norton — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 02:59:36 +0000

My client contacted me regarding their quarry tiled floor which hadn’t been in a good condition for some time. A recent flood in the house, caused by a ruptured pipe in an upstairs boiler had only added to the problem. As you can see from the before pictures, the floor was in a sorry state. On the plus side the flood had led to an insurance claim which would cover the cost of the restoration.

I visited the property and did a test clean on a section of Quarry tiles which came up well. The client was happy the result and agreed to go ahead, my quote was agreed, and the job booked in. The property was in Bearwood which is in the southern part of the Birmingham suburb of Smethwick.

Cleaning and Repairing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

The client also needed some Quarry tiles replacing due to them being broken and damaged. So before returning my first task was to source some replacement quarry tiles that would be a good match for the existing. Fortunately Quarry tiles are still popular and I was able to find a set of reclaimed tiles that would make good replacements.

I was able to get the replacements delivered in time for the job starting which was just as well as my first task would be to repair the floor. Fitting the replacements was tricky work as some of the tiles were up to two inches thick and came in various sizes and so had to be cut to size with a wet tile cutter. The tiles were a good match though and they were set in place. Later that day I was able to grout them in using a matching grout along with some other areas that needed re-grouting. By the end of the first day the floor was already looking much improved.

The next day the floor was cleaned with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The solution is left on the tiles to dwell for about ten minutes so it can start to soak into the deep-seated dirt and break it down. The tiles were then scrubbed with a black pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine. The grout was also cleaned at this point using more Pro-Clean and a hand-help scrubbing brush.

There was also a fireplace hearth that needed cleaned, this also had to be cleaned by hand as the machine was too large. The floor was then rinsed with water and the resultant slurry extracted with a wet vacuum.

The last part of the cleaning process was to give the tiles and acid-wash using a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This is an acidic product that can remove mineral staining and will also counter any alkaline salt deposits in the pores of the tile that could surface as the floor dries later. The floor was rinsed again and allowed to dry out for two days before I returned.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Hallway Floor

On the final day I first confirmed the Quarry tiles had dried out were ready for sealing. I then sealed the tiles using Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a fully breathable sealer that would protect whilst allowing moisture in the floor to rise through the tile. This sealer will also enhance the strong natural colour of the quarry tiles. The tiles were quite porous so four coats of sealer were needed, then after drying the floor was buffed with a white pad.

The work transformed the floor and my customer was over the moon with the end result.

For after-care I left the customer with a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a pH neutral product that is safe to use on sealed surfaces and won’t prematurely erode the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Floor in Birmingham

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Old Tiled Hallway Resored in a Victorian House Erdington

Kieron Norton — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 10:26:55 +0000

This customer from the Birmingham suburb of Erdington contacted me about an old tiled floor they had discovered in the hallway of their Victorian house whilst doing some renovation work. The tiles were in quite a state with ingrained dirt, adhesive, paint and some tiles were loose and cracked. The floor was so bad they were considering scrapping it and contacted Tile Doctor as a last resort just in case we could do something with it.

I went over to take a look and could see that as well as the problems reported to me over the phone that the tiles were also imprinted with what appeared to be the pattern of the underlay that must have covered the floor previously. Curiously there were some tiles by the front door which had what appeared to be holes drilled into them. There was also a porch area in front of the main entrance that needed renovating.

However, I have in fact seen floors in worse state that this one and was confident I could restore it. I worked out a quote for doing the work which was accepted, and the job was booked in for a future date.

Cleaning Original Victorian Tiles

My first task was to carefully scrape off as much of the paint and adhesive as possible using a sharp knife. Then it was cleaned with a 200-grit diamond pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine, this gets into the pores of the tiles which hang on to the dirt and loosens the grime and dirt, it also helps to grind off the pattern left by the rubber underlay. The pads struggle to get into the edges of the floor so that was cleaned by hand with diamond blocks. Once I was happy the floor the soil was rinsed off with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Next, I gave the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up scrubbed in with a 200-grit diamond pad again. This helped remove more dirt as well as helping to neutralize salt and mineral issues that may be present in the floor. This can be a big problem with old floors due to the lack of a damp proof membrane.

After rinsing and extracting again, I dried the floor off and went about resetting loose tiles and replacing some with replica tiles. These were grouted in along with other areas where the grout was loose and need of re-grouting.

Sealing Original Victorian Tiles

I left the floor to dry out thorough for a couple of day and then returned to seal the tiles first checking with a moisture meter that the floor was dry. We always ensure that floors are completely dry before sealing them as excess moisture can damage the performance of the sealer.

I found no evidence of dampness in the floor, so it was sealed with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which will add protection and works really well on old Victorian tiles where it adds a nice subtle sheen appearance. Also, being water based it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries. For the porch area which was partly open to the elements I used Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a fully breathable sealer that will cope well with the damp conditions.

The floor was unrecognisable from before and the customer was very happy with the transformation. Before leaving I left the customer with a bottle of Neutral pH tile cleaner that they can use going forward to help maintain the tiles appearance.

Full Restoration of a Period Victorian Hallway Floor in the West Midlands

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Victorian Tiled Office Hallway Floor Restoration in Tipton

Kieron Norton — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 02:31:22 +0000

A property company contacted me regarding a large Victorian tiled hallway at their head office which dated from the late 1800’s. The floor had been neglected for some years and recent restoration to the building had taken its toll making the once glorious floor look very tired.

I visited the property in Tipton located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. I surveyed the floor and could see that the intricate patterns although dull and uninspiring at present would be truly stunning once restored and would create a real focal point for the building. I discussed with them what could be done to renovate the floor and the process needed.

We agreed a price and a timescale, and the job was booked in. The only complication being the employees who I would need to work around so they were not unduly inconvenienced.

Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

When I returned I started by focusing on deep cleaning the tiles. To do this the floor was given a coating of a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell for ten minutes. To work the solution into the tiles I used a 200-grit diamond pad which was attached to a weighted rotary machine, this really got into the ingrained dirt in the pores of the tiles.

The floor was then thoroughly rinsed off with water and the soil extracted with a powerful Airflex wet vacuum. After this I inspected the floor and could see the tiles still needed more work, so the whole process was repeated the process until I was satisfied.

Given the age of the floor I highly doubted it was unlikely to be protected by a damp proof membrane, so I was concerned about efflorescence salts appearing as the floor dried. To counter this and to further clean the tiles I then applied Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up and again went over with the diamond pad. Being an acid-based product, it will neutralize any alkaline salts present in the floor and in the alkaline cleaning solution used earlier. The floor was rinsed off thoroughly afterwards and died as much as possible with the Airflex.

I then reset some loose tiles, one in particular was right by the front door and had been irritating the staff for years catching the door! They would definitely be pleased to see that problem resolved. Luckily there were no damaged tiles that needed replacing so it was just a repair needed. Some areas were also re-grouted with a matching grout. This immediately improved the look of the floor.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was left to dry for a day, then I returned to apply a sealer which would protect it from dirt becoming ingrained. After checking the moisture levels were acceptable with a moisture meter, I sealed the floor firstly with a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that enhances the natural colour in the tile. Once this was dry it was followed with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, this works really well on Victorian tiles and gives the floor a lovely low sheen finish. Once finished the floor was restored back to its former and has given the building back is wow factor.

I left my client some Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to maintain the floor with going forward. This is especially formulated for the regular cleaning of sealed tile and stone and will help maintain its’ delightful finish. The customer was very happy with the results and even called me next day to say that their customers were already making impressive comments about it when entering the building.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Office Hallway in Birmingham

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Grubby Sandstone Tiled Floor Transformed in Wolverhampton

Kieron Norton — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 13:07:34 +0000

This client had recently moved into a house in Wolverhampton and was hoping to improve the appearance of their Sandstone flagged kitchen/Diner floor which looked very unappealing. The client got in touch with us at Tile Doctor and asked us to take a look to see what could be done.

I’m based very close by in Bliston, so I know Wolverhampton quite well; in-fact Wolverhampton was historically a part of Staffordshire but is best known as a city in the new very metropolitan West Midlands and did you know the ‘native’ people of Wolverhampton are actually known as ‘Wulfrunian’.

Being so close it wasn’t long before I was able to survey the floor which was looking quite grubby, there were paint stains and overall it was in need of a good deep clean and reseal. The floor was a large kitchen diner and in constant use, so it needed to be easier for them to look after and maintain. A test clean was done for them which came out well and showed what could be achieved. We agreed the price and organised a suitable date with the client to return and renovate the floor.

Cleaning and Restoring a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was covered in a thick dirty grime and had paint splashes in areas, so the floor was deep cleaned with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, this is a heavy-duty alkaline cleaner that also works as a stripper and degreaser when applied in concentrated form.

The solution was left to dwell for 15 minutes then scrubbed in using a weighted rotary machine with a black stripping pad. The floor was then rinsed with water and the resultant slurry rinsed off and extracted using a wet vacuum. The Sandstone floor was then inspected and the areas that needed more work were such as the corners and edges were completed with hand using hand burnishing pads. The cleaning solution had softened the paint splashes and were now able to carefully scrape them off.

Once we were satisfied that the floor was as clean as possible, the floor was given another rinse and then allowed to dry off fully over the weekend.

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

On my return I first checked that the Sandstone floor was dry; all was well so I was able to move onto sealing with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour intensifying breathable sealer which provides a durable surface as well as enhancing the appearance of the stone. It worked really well on the Sandstone and brought out the natural colours of the stone which can be seen in the pictures.

The client was amazed with the transformation as they hadn’t realised what colour the tiles actually were; impressed with the results they left a great testimonial on the Tile Doctor feedback system for me. The floor looked great and it is always lovely to receive good feedback as our business is built on our reputation.

“Kieron was fantastic, very knowledgeable and friendly. I’m over the moon with the work he did on the stone floor in our new house. I had no idea that it was a light coloured sandstone floor, I’d thought it was dark brown slate before he came over and gave it a proper clean! We would definitely recommend to anyone considering having a professional floor clean. It’s made a huge difference to our home and will last for years.”

Before leaving I gave the customer a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance. This product is especially formulated for the regular cleaning of stone tiles and has a pleasant smell. Most household cleaners are made for ceramic tiles and will prematurely erode the sealer, so it is important to use the correct product for the job.

Professional Restoration of a Sandstone Tiled Floor in Birmingham

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Restoration in Bearwood, Smethwick

Kieron Norton — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 13:54:07 +0000

This customer got in touch with me to see if there was anything I could do to restore a Victorian tiled floor they had discovered under carpet in their hallway. Interestingly they had been told previously that the floor was beyond repair and had been quoted thousands of pounds to have it completely ripped up and replaced.

I visited the property in Bearwood near Smethwick, to take a look and could see that there was a section under a cement screed. The floor was in a truly sorry state, so I could see why the other company were not keen on restoring it. Undeterred I did a test clean to see if I could remove the screed which was encouraging however without removing all the screed it would not be possible to see what condition the tiles underneath were in. I agreed with the customer to order some replacement tiles which were needed along with extra ones just in case. The job would take a few days to allow for cleaning, repairing, drying out and sealing. The client wasn’t too optimistic, but I reassured them we could definitely get a good result.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first day was spent removing the cement screed which was quite thick in parts, so I went down the route of steaming it first to help soften the covering and then carefully scraping it off. This was quite labour intensive, but it did the job. Once the cement was removed I was left with some tiles that were ok but quite a few needed to be replaced.

There were also two doorways, one that needed completely relaying and one needed part relaying. Some of the tiles needed to be cut to size, there were many tiles that needed resetting and re-grouting along with grout being applied to the new tiles.

The next day the tiles were deep cleaned with a 50:50 combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Nanotech HBU which stands for Heavy Build-Up Remover, which was quite appropriate in this case. This cocktail of tile cleaning products was left to dwell on the tiles for a while then worked in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine. The floor was then rinsed off with water and then the soil extracted with a wet vacuum.

My next step was to give the floor and acid wash to remove any old grout smears and neutralise other mineral contaminates such as salts that can get deposited on the surface of the tiles as moisture evaporates as the floor dries. This is always a risk with old floors where no damp proof membrane exists. To do this I applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is scrubbed into the tiles with a deck brush and then rinsed off the floor with water and a wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry out for a couple of days.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned to seal the floor and after check it had dried sufficiently applied three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This sealer seeps into the pores of the tile enhancing the colours and leaves a matt finish which the customer had previously specified. The floor was then buffed with a white pad and the customer left with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to clean the floor with moving forward.

The customer was delighted with the results and left the following feedback on the Tile Doctor feedback system.

“Kieron has done a fantastic job of our Victorian hallway tiles. We had been quoted several really high prices by other companies, but Kieron’s quote was a fraction of these. I initially wondered whether this meant the job wouldn’t be as good but after 3 days of solid work the results are fantastic! He managed to transform it to its former glory, a hallway that was partly cemented over, had missing and loose tiles all over the place and was filthy. He definitely does a lot more than just cleaning! We couldn’t be happier with the results!”

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Birmingham

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Polishing Marble Bathroom Floor Tiles in Brownhills Near Walsall

Kieron Norton — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 08:43:04 +0000

Our customer had a polished Marble tiled bathroom floor which had been installed some years ago. Over the years the tiles had become water stained and marked and although the customer had tried various household products to remove them they had not had much success. The floor was now really annoying them and so they decided to contact Tile Doctor to see if the problem could be resolved.

Marble is often the preferred choice for bathrooms giving them what can only be described and an opulent feel. It is highly durable, tough and usually of premium quality. However, like any natural stone it is in fact porous and needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming trapped in its pores as once that happens it can be very difficult to keep clean.

I visited the property in Brownhills, a historic mining town to the north east of Walsall to see if I could help, I surveyed the bathroom and could see the staining that they had mentioned was quite pronounced. I advised the customer of the options that Tile Doctor could offer, and we agreed a price for the work.

Cleaning and Polishing Marble Bathroom Floor

To clean and polish stone tiles such as Marble we use a process we call burnishing. This involves the application of different grits of Diamond encrusted pads in sequence from coarse to very fine. No chemicals are used in this process, just water and in this case a setup of small six-inch burnishing pads which fit to a hand buffer. I started with the application of a coarse 400-grit pad lubricated with water which successfully removed the marks from the Marble. This pad does dull the appearance of the stone so that has to be gradually restored by working up through the finer set of pads rinsing the floor in between each pad with water. The last pad to be applied is a very fine 3000-grit pad which is applied with a little water sprayed onto the tile and results in a lovely polished finish.

High Shine Sealing Marble Bathroom Floor

The customer was happy with the results, however they had previously mentioned that they liked a very deep shine, so I recommended we build the polish further with the application of Tile Doctor High Shine Powder.

Tile Doctor High Shine is a crystallising powder that provides a very high shine and tough durable finish. It can be used for all-natural stone, such as marble, limestone and granite so was an ideal choice in the instance. The customer agreed so the crystals were buffed into the Marble to give an even deeper shine finish that not only looks great but adds a durable barrier to the floor that will protect it from staining in the future.

The floor was restored in the same day to its’ original look and the customer was over the moon with the finish
Our very happy customer left the following feedback;

“Kieron arrived at our pre arranged time and inspected the condition of my bathroom tiles he was very professional and suggested he would carry out some small tests to determine the best solution for my tile problem. The test results he achieved were excellent so we agreed on an option and price for the work. Kieron worked very hard all morning to finish the work and the end result was outstanding”

Professional Restoration of Marble Bathroom Floor in Birmingham

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100+ Year Old Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Darlaston

Kieron Norton — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 05:53:56 +0000

The photographs below are from a house in Darlaston near Walsall which had recently changed hands. The new owner was quite taken by the existing Victorian tiled hallway floor which unfortunately had not been maintained very well by the previous owner, undeterred by its appearance he contacted Tile Doctor to see if it could be restored.

Darlaston grew rapidly in the 19th century around the nut, bolt and gun lock manufacturing and coal mining industries with many houses being built so it’s very possible that this floor was laid when the house was built over a hundred years ago

When I visited to quote for the work it was apparent that the floor which was suffering from many broken tiles and a high percentage of loose tiles. With the customer happy for me to do the work I set about sourcing replacement tiles that were a good match for the broken ones which would need replacing.

Victorian tiles are still popular, so I was confident I could find new replacements or originals from one of the many salvage companies.

Repairing an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Replacement tiles were sourced, and I went about removing the broken tiles and setting the replacements. Whilst working on these I also inspected the floor thoroughly for loose tiles and re-laid them.

There was also a doorway which had cement laid down where tiles may once have been, and the customer requested that tiles were laid to match the other existing doorways. To break up the concrete I used an SDS drill with chisel attachment and then rebuilt the base with cement to bring it level with the rest of the floor.

The tiles were cut to match the pattern in the other doorways and set in place.

After the tiles had set I grouted them in along with other areas that needed re-grouting. Repairs took two days in total.

Deep Cleaning an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The next step was to give the whole tiled floor a deep clean; normally I would opt for a chemical cleaning process at this stage however with the floor being so old it was unlikely to have a damp proof membrane and I was concerned about using too much water which would take a long time to dry out. I therefore opted for scrubbing the floor with a 200-grit diamond burnishing pad fitted to a weighted rotary buffing machine and lubricated with a little water.

The water soon turned to a slurry as the ingrained dirt and old sealers were removed from the tiles. It’s tricky to get into the edges and corners with circular pads so once that was done the edges were finished with handheld diamond blocks. The floor was then rinsed off and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum before being covered over and allowed to dry for a couple of days.

Sealing Original Victorian Tiles

When I returned to the property the dust sheets were removed and the floor vacuumed to remove surface dust and dirt. Once that was done I started the process of sealing the tiles with Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a subtle sheen to the Victorian tiles that really brings the floor alive. Six coats were required to fully seal and protect the floor.

The customer was delighted with the results and I left them with a bottle of Neutral Tile Cleaner for use in cleaning the floor going forward. They also booked me in for 12 months’ time for a maintenance visit, so I can reapply a couple of coats of seal to keep the floor topped up and looking it’s best.

Full Restoration of a Period Victorian Hallway Floor in the West Midlands

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Acid damaged black limestone patio tiles in Bromsgrove

Kieron Norton — Thu, 17 May 2018 10:10:29 +0000

A local company in Bromsgrove were commissioned to lay a stunning and expensive Black Limestone patio for a customer who was renovating their property. Unfortunately, the company tried to clean the finished patio with brick acid, and because limestone is generally very porous and acid sensitive this discoloured the tiles to a rather unsightly, dull grey – a far cry from what their customer was expecting!

The company facing a large bill contacted Tile Doctor for expert advice to see if the beautiful tiles could be restored. If Tile Doctor couldn’t come to the rescue, then the company would have no choice other than to replace them at their own expense.

Black limestone paving has become incredibly popular over the last few years as its dark tones suit the current trend for a monochrome palette. It is also hard wearing and readily available.

Tile Doctor specialise in the restoration of all types of tile and stone and as their local agent, I was asked to go over and see what could be done. I realised that the brick acid will have damaged the surface of the stone so to restore it I first tried applying a coarse 200 grit diamond burnishing pad. The pad successfully demonstrated that the appearance could be restored and impressed with the difference the site foreman booked me in to complete the whole patio. Luckily the weather forecast was set fair for a few days, which would be needed to clean and seal the patio.

Restoring an Acid Damaged Limestone Patio

Made with industrial diamonds and available in different sizes and grits, burnishing pads are ideal for restoring the appearance of polished stone floors. The first step was to work on the tiles with a course 200 grit diamond pad fitted to a weighted rotary machine and lubricated with water. This took off a layer of the limestone, bringing back the original black appearance of the tiles.

Next the patio was worked on with 400 grit diamond pads followed by 800 grit pads – the first stage of polishing – and each application was cleaned off with water. Because the property was being renovated there was a lot of dirt on the tiles and grout from construction, so I scrubbed in medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean using a CRB (counter rotating brush) machine. Once done I rinsed down the area with more water and left it to dry. As you can see from the pictures it was a large area, so this work took two days to complete.

Sealing Limestone Patio Tiles to Restore Colour

I returned the next day to start the sealing process beginning with the application of Tile Doctor Stone-Oil which restores the deep black colour and texture to the limestone, it’s also an impregnating sealer that adds protection and improves mechanical strength once cured.

I allowed this to dry for 24 hours and then applied a coat of Ultra-Seal, a no-sheen natural-looking sealer formulated to provide maximum stain protection.

The customer was very happy with the results. The patio tiles were fully restored to their original glory and their customer was delighted. More importantly, the company had been saved from making an insurance claim. They left the following feedback on completion:

“Great job by Kieron after the wrong cleaning solution was used on a patio we installed. Came up better than new!”

Professional Restoration of a Black Limestone patio Near Birmingham

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Mexican Terracotta Kitchen Rejuvenated in Redditch

Kieron Norton — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 08:27:55 +0000

A customer in Redditch had recently had a new kitchen fitted and prior to that had tried to seal the Mexican Terracotta tiled floor themselves, however they were not happy with the results, so they contacted Tile Doctor to see if an improvement could be achieved. The sealer they used was matt which didn’t show off the Terracotta at its best and the tile and especially the grout were not as clean as they could have been. Getting the tile and grout clean before sealing is essential otherwise you end up sealing in the dirt.

To get the best from the floor I recommended stripping off the sealer, giving the tile and grout a deep clean and then resealing with a satin sealer. The customer agreed and keen to get his new kitchen looking its best booked me in to do the work.

Cleaning Original Victorian and Mexican Terracotta Tiles

My first tasks was to protect the new kitchen units from splashing with plastic sheeting and by removing the kick boards. Once done I began the process of removing the existing sealer by applying Tile Doctor Remove and Go which as the name implies is a strong coatings remover that safe to use on Tile and Stone. The product was dilated with water, applied to the tile and grout and left to soak in for about ten minutes. The floor area between the kitchen units was quite tight so on this occasion I decided to scrub the tiles with a deck brush and hand brush as opposed to using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The Remove and Go did the job and the sealer was removed and the floor rinsed off with water to reveal the original tiles.

The next step was to give the Terracotta tile and grout a deep clean by scrubbing in a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. Mexican Terracotta can be difficult to clean due to the makeup of the tile, but the Pro-Clean scrubbed in with the brushes I used earlier worked well. The now soiled cleaning solution was rinsed off with water and then extracted using a wet vacuum.

The customer had laid some new tiles to fit in with the new units but asked me to grout them so with time to spare before leaving for the day I grouted them in with a flexible grout and polished off any grout smears. It’s important that tiles are dry before sealing so the floor was then left for two days so it could dry out.

Sealing a Mexican Terracotta Floor

Upon my returned to seal the tiles I first checked with a damp meter that they had indeed dried. All was well, so I began the process of applying Seal and Go which is a water-based sealer from the Tile Doctor range that leaves the satin finish the customer wanted, also being water based it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries. Mexican Terracotta is notoriously very porous, so numerous coats of seal are required and in fact this floor needed eleven coats. I applied a few more coats to the new tiles so they would blend in better with the existing tiles.

The customer was very pleased with the results and I left them with a bottle of Neutral Tile Cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance going forward.

Stripping, Cleaning and Sealing Mexican Terracotta Floor in Redditch

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Terrazzo Reception Room Restoration for Business in Oldbury

Kieron Norton — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 13:22:52 +0000

We recently took a call from a company based in Oldbury asking if we could restore a natural stone floor that had been covered for over many years. The company were unsure exactly what type of stone the floor was made of, so I agreed to visit the site to survey the situation and quote a price for restoring the floor.

Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands, not far outside of West Bromwich, which has a history dating back over 1,000 years. It has historically been home to several notable businesses include Lloyds Bank who opened their first branch here back in 1864.

Upon visiting the company, I quickly identified the floor as Terrazzo, which is made from a process that was originally invented in Italy and popularly used in the UK during the 1920s. One of the most famous examples of Terrazzo stone in use is the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California. The floor was stained around the edges with what appeared to be paint smears from decorating and judging on its current appearance I could see it had been some time since it had been professionally cleaned. The floor was structurally sound however and I was confident however that a good finish could be achieved.

The floor was in a big open reception area of the building with a couple of hallways leading off it. We decided to clean the floor on a Friday afternoon when the workforce was not in the building to minimise the disruption.

Cleaning a Dirty Terrazzo Reception Room Floor

To begin the restoration, we covered the floor in Tile Doctor’s alkaline-based cleaner, known as Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, mixed in medium strength solution as the floor was quite dirty in places. The solution was left to dwell on the floor for about twenty minutes and we then processed to carefully scrape off the paint a process made easier by the Pro-Clean.

The cleaning solution was then scrubbed thoroughly into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a large black scrubbing pad. The resultant slurry was then rinsed with water and extracted using a wet vacuum.

With the floor clear of surface dirt, the next step was to burnish and re-polish the floor using a set of Tile Doctor burnishing pads. The system consists of four diamond encrusted burnishing pads of varying levels of grit, which are fitted to a rotary floor machine. The pads are used sequentially, starting with the coarsest 400 grit pad and ending with the finest. A small amount of water is used for lubrication with each pad and the floor is rinsed in-between each pad.

After the 1500 grit pad had been applied the floor was given a final rinse with water which was then extracted using the wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Terrazzo Reception Room

We returned to the building the next day (Saturday) and immediately ran a damp test on the floor to check if it was dry enough to be sealed. The floor proved to have dried completely, but before sealing the last very fine 3000 grit burnishing pad was applied with a little water spayed onto the floor to really bring out the shine in the Terrazzo.

Once this had been done, we applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to seal the tiles and then allowed them to dry off. Colour Grow is an impregnating, colour intensifying sealer that helps to compliment the polished finish. Once the floor was dry, we buffed up the floor with a soft white pad.

Before leaving, we gave the customer a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner, a product which is ideal for routine cleaning of sealed floor to help keep the floor looking great. The customer was very happy with the results! You can judge them yourself by comparing the photos above with the ones below.

Professional Renovation of a Terrazzo Reception Floor in Oldbury

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Original Quarry Tiled Hallway Restored in Rednal

Kieron Norton — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 23:28:42 +0000

I was recently contacted by a home owner who had recently bought a property in Rednal which is a residential suburb on the south western edge of Birmingham near Bromsgrove. They were updating the flooring and discovered a quarry tiled floor under their living room carpet. The Quarry tiles were most likely original dating back 113 years and the owner was keen to have such an original feature restored.

The Quarry tiles were well worn in areas and it looked as though a previous owner had levelled the floor using a cement screed to try and fill in any worn areas. Unfortunately, this had left the tiles with a rough surface and were very dirty as the photos show.

Cleaning Original Quarry Tiles

My first task was to remove any loose dirt and debris with a wet dry vacuum. Once done I then applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to give the tiles an initial clean to remove dirt from the tiles. The solution was left to soak into the tile for around ten minutes and then worked into the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

This process highlighted the roughness of the tiles from the cement as the pad was being torn by it. I decided that the best way to remove the cement was to scrape it away aided with a steamer. This meant a few hours on my hands and knees scraping away which was hard work but needs must!

When this was completed I used hand held diamond blocks to remove paint marks and adhesive from where the skirting board had been. I then cleaned the floor again with more Pro-Clean and a new black pad, I also cleaned the grout lines with a stiff grout brush. The floor was then thoroughly rinsed off with water to remove any dirt and solutions and this was then extracted using a wet vacuum.

With the floor now clean I could see there were signs of efflorescence markings on the floor which is where salts are carried up through the floor through evaporation. These old floors don’t have a damp proof membrane in place to prevent damp issues so to neutralise the salts I applied Tile Doctor Acid Gel to the floor. This was left in place for a short time before rinsing the floor again. The floor was then allowed to dry out for a couple of days.

Sealing Original Quarry Tiles

Upon my return I checked the floor for damp with a meter which gave satisfactory readings. The floor was then sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating colour enhancing sealer that really brought out the red colour of the quarry tiles.

One the sealer had dried the floor was then buffed off with a white pad to remove any excess. As you can see the floor was transformed. I left the customer with a bottle of neutral tile cleaner to help maintain the floor.”

Restoration of an Original Quarry Tiled Floor in the West Midlands

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100+ Year Old Terrazzo Hallway Rejuvenated in Dudley

Kieron Norton — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 02:01:54 +0000

This post follows on from the Victorian Tiled floor article I published earlier, if you recall I was asked to restore a Victorian Tiled Hallway at a house in Dudley and there was a section that was Terrazzo, so I thought it would make sense to write about this separately as the cleaning method is different.

Both period floors were original, having been installed when the house was built over 100 years prior and whilst Victorian tiles are quite the norm in these properties it’s quite unusual to find Terrazzo as this was mostly used in large public buildings.

There was a crack running across the floor which is quite a common problem with Terrazzo as it’s laid in one piece like concrete and any movement in the ground will cause stress leading to a crack. Unfortunately, the only way to resolve this properly is to have a Terrazzo expert relay that section of the floor which would prove expensive.

Terrazzo is the by-product of broken pieces of stone, often Marble, Limestone and Granite, which rather than being wasted are set into to a cement screed and poured onto the floor, then once the screed is set it is grinded to a polish.

Cleaning Original Victorian and Terrazzo Tiles

The polish on Terrazzo will eventually wear down with use and to restore the appearance it needs to be burnished with a series of pads with different grits from coarse to fine.

So, to start the renovation I gave it a general clean with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mainly to remove any grit before burnishing. Next, the Terrazzo tiles were cleaned using a coarse 400 grit pad fitted to a rotary machine and lubricated with water. This process removes dirt and any coatings such as sealers and the floor needs to be rinsed afterwards to remove the slurry that is generated.

Then to build back the polished appearance, the floor is burnished with an 800 grit medium pad followed by a 1500 grit fine pad. Less water is used this time, but you do need to rinse the floor again after each pad to remove any slurry gets generated during the process. Once this was done the floor was dried with a wet vacuum and left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Terrazzo Floor

The next day, I returned to the property and started with a damp test to make sure the floor was dry and ready for sealing. The floor was dry so I finished the Burnishing process by applying the last pad in the set which is a 3,000 grit (very fine) pad that adds the final polish to the Terrazzo.
To protect the floor from staining and dirt becoming ingrained in the pores of Terrazzo it was then sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that protects from within. Once the sealer had dried the floor was buffed with a white pad.

The floor looked a lot cleaner and shiner at the end and the customer was very happy with the transformation.

Deep Cleaning and Polishing an Old Terrazzo Floor in Dudley

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100+ Year Old Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Dudley

Kieron Norton — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 10:46:58 +0000

It may sound impossible to restore tiles that are over a century old back to something resembling their original condition but in fact it’s something we do all the time. With the right cleaning products and techniques, fantastic results can be achieved.

An example being this work I did for a customer in Dudley. They had seen previous examples of Tile Doctor’s work and wanted to have their 128-year old Victorian tiled hallway which had been covered in carpet previous restored to its best possible condition. Dudley is a town in the West Midlands that is often touted as one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution so there are lot of period houses.

When I first went over to survey the floor I could see that restoring these Victorian tiles would be a significant job involving deep cleaning, tile repair and sealing. Upon closer inspection of the tiles, I realised that there was also a small area that met the hallway which was actually Terrazzo. This was to be cleaned and sealed too however I’ll deal with that in a separate post as the process was different.

Cleaning Original Victorian Tiles

To start the restoration, I treated the floor with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline tile and grout cleaner, leaving it to dwell for a short period to start breaking down the heavy soil build-up.

While the Pro-Clean was soaking into the tile, I carefully scraped off the paint that had been dropped on the tiles during decorating at some point in the past. Next, I fitted a rotary machine with a 200-grit diamond encrusted burnishing pad – which is very coarse – and put it into action to remove deeply ingrained dirt from the tiles.

When this process was complete, the floor was thoroughly rinsed with water and the resulting slurry was soaked up with the aid of a wet vacuum. I repeated this process around the edges of the hallway, where the tiles were particularly badly ingrained with dirt and marked with carpet glue deposits. The floor was given a final rinse with water and the wet vacuum used again to remove as much moisture from the floor as possible before leaving it to dry off overnight.

Before leaving however I had to complete the tiler repairs which involved removing the loose tile and mortar and then setting them back into place. There was also quite a lot of re-grouting that needed to be done on various areas of the floor.

Sealing Original Victorian Tiles

The next day, I returned to the property and ran damp tests in various places to ensure the tiles had dried. Given that these tiles are particularly old, I was conscious that that the floor very likely lacked a damp proof membrane and so damp issues could be a real possibility. We always ensure that floors are completely dry before sealing them as excess moisture can damage the performance of the sealer.

Thankfully, the tiles had dried out and, so I was able to start sealing them with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which added a nice sheen finish and will protect the floor going forward.

Before leaving I left the customer with a bottle of Neutral pH tile cleaner to help maintain the tiles appearance. The customer was very happy with the results and commented that all the hard work had paid off to leave the floors looking great!

Full Restoration of a Period Victorian Hallway Floor in the West Midlands

The post 100+ Year Old Victorian Tiled Hallway Restored in Dudley appeared first on Birmingham Tile Doctor.

120 Year Old Victorian Hallway Tiles Refreshed in Sandwell

Kieron Norton — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 06:42:36 +0000

Sandwell forms part of an area in the West Midlands which is popularly referred to as the ‘Black Country’. This area industrialised rapidly during the Victorian period and, with the building of many new factories came the building of many new houses for workers.

A good number of these Victorian properties survive, complete with original Victorian tiled floors. However, homeowners aren’t always aware that these tiled floors exist, since they have often been covered up by carpet or linoleum. We find that when new homeowners discover these original tiles, they are usually keen to restore them to their best possible appearance. This requires professional assistance.

A customer who lives in the Warley district of Sandwell recently contacted me about the restoration of a 120-year old Victorian tiled hallway that they had discovered underneath an existing carpet. As expected, the tiles were caked in deposits of adhesive, cement and paint which had accumulated over several years. Making matters worse, the customer had also spilt more paint on the tiles during decoration work.

Cleaning an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway

I began the restoration by cleaning the tiles with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, a strong alkaline cleaner which is perfect for removing grime from heavily soiled and neglected natural stone. The product was applied liberally across the area and left to dwell for a short period. It was then worked into the tiles using a specialised rotary cleaning machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

The now soiled cleaning solution was subsequently rinsed away and the floor then rinsed with clean water. Stubborn paint marks and cement were carefully scraped off the tiles by hand. A solution which combined more Pro-Clean and Tile Doctor Remove and Go (a stripping agent) was applied to the tiles to help remove any old and now ineffectual sealer, as well to fully remove any of the particularly stubborn marks.

After being worked in again with a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine, the excess cleaning product was rinsed away using water and the floor was dried off with a wet vacuum.

As tiles of this age were usually laid without a damp membrane in place underneath them, they can be especially prone to efflorescence (salt) deposits. To help prevent this, Tile Doctor Acid Gel, which is a combination of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids, was applied. This will help to neutralise any alkaline salts that might threaten to penetrate up through the tiles to leave unsightly white marks.

After the floor was rinsed once again, I proceeded to re-grout a few areas of the floor where the grout had worn away over the years. Once I was happy with the clean tiles and fresh grout, I left the floor to dry off overnight.

Sealing an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway

The next day the tiles had thankfully dried completely and were ready to be sealed. Since the customer had requested a sheen finish, as opposed to be a natural matte finish, I opted to use a combination of two different sealants.

The first to be applied – to bring out the colour in the tiles – was Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This product impregnates the tiles to protect them against ingrained dirt, but it leaves a matte finish. Therefore, I added five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to provide not only extra protection, but also a high-quality sheen finish.

I left the customer, who was delighted with the results, with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product will serve as a reliable cleaning product for the routine maintenance of the tiles, ensuring they continue to look fantastic.

Professional Restoration of an Original Victorian Tiled Hallway in the West Midlands

The post 120 Year Old Victorian Hallway Tiles Refreshed in Sandwell appeared first on Birmingham Tile Doctor.

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Kieron Norton — Sat, 01 Jan 2000 16:43:23 +0000

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