Colour Grow Archives - North Cumbria Tile Doctor

Multi-Coloured Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor Renovation Dalston Cumbria

Multi-Coloured Slate Kitchen Floor Cleaning Dalston Cumbria

A homeowner from Dalston near Carlisle got in touch earlier this year for help with a Chinese Multi-Coloured Slate tiled floor in their kitchen/diner. The sealer had long since worn down and now dirt was getting into the pores of the stone leaving it dull and difficult to clean.

Slate is naturally porous and uneven due to its riven surface leaving it vulnerable when unsealed. Additionally, sealers wear down on the busiest parts of the floor first resulting in an uneven and unattractive appearance over time.

Multi-Coloured Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Dalston Cumbria

I conducted an initial inspection to survey the floor, discuss its renovation and work out an outline plan for its renovation. Basically, the floor needed a deep clean to strip off what remained of the old sealer, flush out the ingrained dirt from the tile and grout and then apply a fresh sealer to protect it going forward.

Later that day I emailed over a detailed quote that included all the products needed to do the work. This was accepted and a date agreed for the work to start which would take two days.

Deep Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

To get the floor clean and free of any remaining sealer a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was spread onto the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes. This gives the product time to work its way into the pores of the stone to digest the soiling and breakdown old sealers. The floor was then scrubbed using a rotary machine fitted with a coarse 200-grit pad that opens the pores in the stone allowing for dirt and embedded grime to be flushed out.

The soiling was rinsed away and extracted with a wet vacuum before moving on to the next step which was to scrub the grout using a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. As before this was left to soak in first before being scrubbed in with a stiff brush.

Multi-Coloured Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Dalston Cumbria

Before finishing for day one the floor was then given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Acid Gel which further cleans the stone and neutralises the ph level of the floor after the use of the other products where are alkaline. Being acidic this product will also remove any old grout smears and other mineral deposits such as salts leaving the slate in a completely uncontaminated state. Once done the floor was given a thorough rinse and wet extraction to remove all cleaning residues.

Sealing a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

After leaving the floors to dry out fully overnight I returned the next day to apply a sealer which would add colour and an appealing finish to the slate. We had discussed the desired finish when I popped over to survey the floor and from this, I recommend using Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a hard-wearing impregnating sealer that is rated for external use so ideal for kitchen floors. Being oil based it’s quite thick so to make it more workable and to enhance the colours further I mix it 50:50 with Colour Grow which is another impregnating sealer in the Tile Doctor range.

The first coat was worked into the Slate to enhance the natural tones and then additional coats were applied as required for full coverage. The excess sealer was then buffed off with a white pad to avoid surface residue.

Multi-Coloured Chinese Slate Kitchen Floor During Sealing Dalston Cumbria

Once done the colours in the stone really popped making the floor came alive again and the customer very happy. The new sealer will keep dirt on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away for which I recommended using a sealer safe cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner applied with a two-chamber mop.

Professional Renovation of a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen in North Cumbria

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Victorian Tiled Hallway Renovation Carlisle Cumbria

Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation in Carlisle

1 Comment / Carlisle Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning / Chris Jones / Acid Gel, Black Pad, Carlisle, Colour Grow, Hallway Tile Cleaning, Lake District, Neutral Tile Cleaner, North Cumbria, Oxy-Gel, Tile Repair, tile restoration, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Sealing

The client from Carlisle had been putting off cleaning and sealing their Victorian tiled hallway floor for some time. Having finally decided it was overdue a clean and seal I was asked to pop round and provide a quote for its renovation.

Happy to oblige I popped over at an agreed time to inspect the floor and work out a detailed quote. I could see there were a few minor repairs to the tiling that would be needed so I included those in the work and worked out a detailed quote to bring the floor back to its original condition.

The quote was accepted and date agreed for the work to start which typically takes two days for a floor like this.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first job was to add protection to the stair carpet, new oak doors, skirtings, and surrounding surfaces. The rotary machine I used for scrubbing the floor can cause a little mess, so I like to ensure all the adjacent areas were sealed and safeguarded from moisture and chemical exposure.

Once done I set about completing a few minor repairs which are quite common with a floor of this age where a couple of tiles had come loose and needed refixing with rapid set adhesive.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Carlisle During Cleaning

With that complete I set about on the initial deep clean which started with the application of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel across the entire floor. This was chosen for its thicker consistency and reduced use of water due to the cellar immediately below the hallway. The product was allowed to dwell on the tiles for a good ten minutes before being agitated using a deck brush and rotary scrubber fitted with a black pad.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Carlisle During Cleaning

The machine was run over each tile five or six times to lift deep-set grime and reveal the original colours of the tiles. Once done, the soiling was extracted with a wet vacuum, and the floor was neutralised with clean water which was also removed with the wet vacuum.

Next step was to treat the tiles to an acid rinse using diluted Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This is applied to the tiles as before and is used to remove cement-based residues, mineral deposits, and remaining contaminants. The gel was allowed to dwell briefly and then removed using a wet vacuum.

Multiple floor fans were deployed after the cleaning process to accelerate drying and ensure the tiles would be dry enough to seal the following day.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The next day moisture readings were taken in several spots to confirm the floor was dry and that the fans had done their job. Using Gel cleaners reduces the amount of water needed in the cleaning process which also helps reduce drying times.

To seal the tiles multiple coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow impregnating sealer were applied to enhance the natural colour, improve depth, and protect the surface. Overall, this achieved a clean, uniform, revitalised finish while maintaining the floor’s original Victorian character.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Carlisle After Cleaning Sealing

The transformation was clear and the client was extremely pleased with the result and left great feedback. For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is an effective product that won’t impact the sealer.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Carlisle After Cleaning Sealing

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in North Cumbria

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Semi Riven Green Slate Renovation Keswick

Semi Riven Green Slate Floor in Keswick

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Keswick Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work History / Chris Jones / Cleaning Slate, Colour Grow, Floor Tile Cleaning, Green Slate, Grout Clean-up, grout cleaning, Keswick, Kitchen Floor Renovation, Matt Sealer, Neutral Tile Cleaner, North Cumbria, quarry tile, Remove and Go, Sealer Removal, Sealing Slate, Semi-Riven Slate, Slate Tile, Stone Floor

The owner of this property in Keswick requested a visit to take a look at their Green Slate kitchen floor. The Slate tile was the Semi Riven variety which works well in a Kitchen due to the rough surface being anti-slip however that rough surface can also trap dirt.

Some areas needed a deep clean and other areas were still in good order but because the client was not sure of which sealer, they had used in the past it would be necessary to treat all three floors with the same process and strip off the original sealer first. All were interconnected and if we only covered one room and not the next there would be a difference in the finish between the floor areas.

Semi Riven Green Slate Before Cleaning Keswick

Although the Green Slate floor was the main issue, I noticed that they had a small Quarry tiled hallway at the front of the property which looked tired, so I offered to renovate that as well. The process for cleaning and sealing Quarry tiles is virtually the same as Slate so it made sense.

Quarry Tiled Hall Floor Before Cleaning Keswick

Cleaning a Semi Riven Green Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor

Before we do any work at all you will notice on one of the pictures that we apply a thin coat of clear silicone to the bottom of the units where it meets the slate, this stops water getting underneath and causing a capillary action forming and blowing the wood, or in this case MDF which is very absorbent more so than standard wood and will blow within 10 to 15 minutes of water being left to stand underneath it. Using the silicone stops this problem completely (assuming no gaps have been left for water to seep into).

Working in three separate zones I started by removing the original sealer with the application of a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This product is a sealer and coatings remover. My method was to let the solution soak into the tiles for about ten minutes and then work it in using a coarse 200-grit milling pad fitted to a rotary buffer. These pads really get into the rough surface of the slate stripping off the old sealer and getting the tile clean at the same time. The slurry generated was rinsed away with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Next the Slate was treated to an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. This process removes mineral deposits including old grout smears and really shows the tile at its best. The acidic nature of the product will also serve to neutralise the alkalinity in the tile caused by the application of Remove and Go earlier. Additionally Remove and Go is designed to strip off sealers, so I didn’t want any trace of it hanging around in the pores of the stone.

After a thorough rinse and extraction, the floor was left to dry off overnight.

Sealing a Semi Riven Green Slate Tiled Kitchen Diner Floor

I came back the next day to apply a fresh sealer to the floor checking first it was dry by taking a few moisture readings with a damp meter. Slate and Quarry tiles are porous, as it’s the top layer of Grout and without a sealer in place dirt can become lodged in the pores making it very difficult to lean.

The moisture readings confirmed the floor was dry enough to be sealed however my client was still unsure of the finish they wanted so before starting different sealers were applied on different parts of the floor so they could get an idea of how it would look.

Semi Riven Green Slate After Cleaning Keswick

After reviewing the results Tile Doctor Colour Grow was chosen, it’s a matt effect sealer which lifts the overall finish of the stone by enhancing its natural colours, it also worked well on the Quarry tiles and will provide many years of protection.

Quarry Tiled Hall Floor After Cleaning Keswick

The client was very happy with the finished floor and especially how improved the grout looked which was an additional bonus. Before leaving I took time to explain how to maintain the floors going forward for which I always recommend a mild tile cleaner such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Many of the products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong for cleaning a sealed floor and will strip the sealer off prematurely.

Professional Restoration of a Semi Riven Green Slate Tiled Kitchen diner in North Cumbria

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