Black Pad Archives - North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Varnish Coated Terracotta Tiled Flooring Renovated in 1780’s Property Ripon

The photographs below are of a tired Terracotta floor in a 1780’s property in the cathedral city of Ripon. The floor ran throughout the living room, into the hallway and by the side entrance was a stone tiled area, both of which needed a deep clean and seal.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Renovation Ripon

I had a good idea of what the floor would need but to clean and seal it but with Terracotta you can never be sure what coatings may have been applied previously, in fact Wax is often used and this can be a struggle to remove. To ensure there were no surprises I arranged an appointment to visit the property and survey the floor. This would also enable me to work out a detailed price for deep cleaning the terracotta tiles and grout and then sealing it.

Terracotta Tiled Floor Before Renovation Ripon

After running some tests, it seemed to be the floor had in face been coated with Varnish and some type of surface sealer. This had since worn down in the most trafficked areas and dirt was not making its way into the pores of the Terracotta leaving it looking dull. This is quite common with terracotta; being made from clay it is very porous and does need a lot of sealer to prevent that from happening.

Happy with my quote I was given the go ahead to renovate the floor but with the stipulation that the work had to be completed in two days due to the owners’ commitments. It was a reasonably large floor so it would be a push but it could be done so a date was agreed for the work to start.

Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Hallway Floor

To clean the floor and remove what remained of the previous protective coatings the floor was sprayed with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go. This was then left to soak in for ten to fifteen minutes to give it time to break down the coatings and ingrained dirt. The solution was then worked into using a Black Pad fitted to a rotary machine. Once done the floor was rinsed with water and the soils extracted with a wet vacuum.

The floor was inspected, and any problem areas retreated using the same process until I was happy with the floor. Once done the grout lines were scrubbed using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in by hand with a stiff brush.

Once the floor was clean it was rinsed again and the dried thoroughly with the wet vacuum. Two floor dryer fans were then left in place to help the floor to dry out ready for the next day.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Hallway Floor

The next morning moisture reading were taken from the tiles to ensure they had dried off sufficiently overnight and were now ready for sealing. This confirmed the floor fans had done the job and with the results within tolerance we had a green light to apply the sealer.

On this occasion and due to the age of the property Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal was used to seal the Terracotta. With old properties you can’t be certain a damp-proof membrane is present under the floor so it’s best to use a fully breathable product that can cope with potential dampness. X-Tra Seal allows for moisture transmission and is also a hard-wearing impregnator that’s rated for external use so ideal for hallways. Being an impregnator it soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from within and ensuring any dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Renovation Ripon

Once done the floor looked much cleaner and brighter and the new sealer should ensure it remains that way for many years to come. My customer was highly delighted and left the following feedback:

“Great service from Chris over the last 2 days thoroughly cleaning & resealing very old quarry tile floors & a stone porch floor at my house. He worked incredibly hard & the results look fantastic. Really pleased & would certainly recommend. Thanks a lot, Chris!”

For aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective cleaning product that won’t affect the sealer.

Terracotta Tiled Floor After Renovation Ripon

Professional Restoration of a Terracotta Tiled Hallway in Northwest Yorkshire

Varnish Coated Terracotta Tiled Flooring Renovated in 1780’s Property Ripon Read More »

Textured Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Wakefield

I was called out to a home in Wakefield where the owner wasn’t happy with the state of their Porcelain tiled kitchen floor. It had been down about five years, and while porcelain’s a tough, non-slip tile that’s spot on for kitchens, the textured surface had started to trap muck. The grout lines were just the same – once they get dirty, they don’t half take some shifting.

Porcelain Tiled Floor Before Renovation Wakefield

The customer had been grafting away with regular cleaning but couldn’t get rid of the ingrained dirt. Having a couple of dogs running about didn’t help matters either. They were after a proper deep clean and a seal to make life easier.

After conducting a test clean first, it showed the porcelain was of the microporous type which meant that a sealer would definitely help to keep it clean. The customer liked what they saw, so we cracked on and booked in a date to renovate the whole floor.

Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen

First job was to get the muck shifted; to do this the Porcelain tile and grout was covered in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. It was then left it to dwell and soak in for ten minutes so it could get to work on the floor digesting the dirt. Then we got stuck in with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad to work the solution deep into the floor.

Now, machines are grand for open areas, but they don’t half struggle to get into grout lines, so the only thing to do was to get down on my knees and give it a good scrub with stiff brush. You could see the improvement during the scrubbing turning the cleaning solution black as the dirt was lifted out.

After scrubbing the floor was rinsed with clean water and then a wet vacuum used to remove the soiling. Stubborn areas were gone over again by hand until they shifted. After another rinse and a thorough vacuum dry, the floor was ready for sealing.

Sealing a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen

Once dry, the Porcelain tile and grout was sealed using Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This sealer doesn’t contain a colour enhancer so is invisible to the naked eye. Its also an impregnator that soaks into the pores adding protection from within and ensuring dirt remains on the surface making it much easier to clean going forward.

Porcelain Tiled Floor After Renovation Wakefield

After the work was wrapped up, I’m pleased to say the customer was chuffed with the result and left the following feedback on-line:

“Chris and Zak came on time, prepped the area which was a large kitchen and utility with porcelain tiles. They quickly got on with the job in a professional manner. They worked hard to ensure that they could get the floor cleaned and sealed within a day. The results are brilliant. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend “

To keep the floor looking grand, we recommended using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. It’s gentle but does the job, and unlike supermarket cleaners, it won’t erode the sealer or leave a residue behind. Used regularly, it’ll make sure the floor stays clean with no messing.

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