Sealing Sandstone Archives - North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Sandstone Floor Renovation Rylstone Skipton

Gruby Sandstone and Black Limestone Floor Restored in Rylstone Skipton

Pictured is a 100-year-old stone floor laid with a mix of sandstone with black limestone edging and inserts in the hallway of a property in the village of Rylstone near Skipton. It was very grubby and any sealer that may have been present was gone leaving it vulnerable to ingrained dirt. I understood the floor had never been cleaned using neutral cleaners and this is most likely the cause of the sealer deteriorating.

Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning Rylstone Skipton

The stone floor was heavily ingrained with dirt and looking very unappealing which was a shame as it was quite an unusual design. I paid a visit to the property the next time I was in the area and after surveying the floor and running a few tests, I discussed what needed to be done to restore the appearance of the stone. Although the floor was intact there were a few areas where the sandstone had delaminated, and the grout needed replacing.

Keen to have the floor looking its best I worked out a quote for the renovation which was accepted and a date set to restore the floor.

Cleaning a Sandstone Tiled Hallway

To restore the appearance of the stone where it had delaminated, I had to apply some very aggressive diamond milling pads. The strongest was a 50-grit flexi pad which really cuts into the surface of the stone removing a thin layer of the stone in the process. Water is used to lubricate the process, and this also helps to capture the dust that is generated. Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was also applied to help clean any staining. A heavy rotary machine fitted with 17″ pads is used for most of the work and where needed small 4-inch pads fitted to a 110v water fed hand polisher is used for the edges and awkward places.

After the 50-grit pad the floor is rinsed with more water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum. The process is then repeated using finer 100-grit flexi pad and then the finer 200-grit flexi pad to refine the stone’s appearance, again rinsing and extracting after each pad. More Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was then scrubbed over the grout lines by hand to get them as clean as possible.

Sandstone Floor During Cleaning Rylstone Skipton

At this point attention turned to resolving some of the other issues such as the re-grouting with black grout near the doorways which were edged with black limestone. The thresholds around doorways always seem to experience damage in older properties, I suspect its due to the extra stresses surrounding the door frames.

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Hallway

The floor was left to dry out and I returned later to seal the floor using three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which we felt would help bring out the blackness of the limestone. This product also allows for vapour transmission which is essential in older properties without a damp proof membrane, it’s also an impregnator that soaks into the stone protecting it from within.

Sandstone Floor After Renovation Rylstone Skipton

Once done I was very pleased with the work and the floor looked so much fresher and the contrast between the sandstone and black limestone was much improved. My client was also pleased and took the time to leave me the following on-line feedback:

“Chris restored our 100-year stone hallway. He did an absolutely wonderful job. A really nice chap who likes his Yorkshire tea. Would recommend to anyone “

For aftercare I recommended they use Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle yet effective neutral tile cleaner that’s ideal for sealed floors as it won’t harm the sealer.

Sandstone Floor After Renovation Rylstone Skipton

Professional Stone Floor Restoration in North Yorkshire

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Renovating a Lapicida White Sandstone Kitchen Floor in Ilkley

These pictures are of a beautiful Sandstone floor in Ilkley, the tiles were sourced from Lapicida of Harrogate and installed around twelve years prior. If you take a look at their website now you will see they are selling a similar London White Sandstone for nearly £100 per m2. This floor was 35 square metres so clearly this was a significant investment for the owner at the time.

Lapicida Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning Ilkley

After twelve years of use however the sealer had worn off the floor and dirt had become ingrained in the pores of the stone making it very difficult to keep clean. A good sealer takes a long time to wear off so the change to the appearance of the stone happens so slowly you don’t notice it. The floor was now looking permanently dirty, and the owner of the property had decided it was time to get it renovated.

Before quoting I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and conduct an initial test clean which came out well. The test cleaning did not go as quickly as I had hoped it might however, due to traces of old satin sealer on some of the stone. It’s important to remove all the old sealer before applying new or you can end up with a patchy appearance. The remnants of old sealer proved challenging to remove as a result I had to try several products and methods before working out the right approach. In the end I resulted to using a product called Tile Doctor Wax Away. I had considered applying diamond burnishing pads which would have been a quicker option, but the flagstones had a riven finish, and the dirt was deeply pitted.

Lapicida Sandstone Floor During Test Clean Ilkley

With a successful cleaning plan worked out I provided the client with a which was accepted, and a date agreed for my return.

Cleaning a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The cleaning plan I had worked out was to apply a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Wax Away, leave it to soak into the stone for thirty minutes and then scrub it in with a rotary buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The old sealer proved to be tough to remove and in total I used five litres of Tile Doctor Wax Away in the process, as I said it was a big floor!

Lapicida Sandstone Floor After Cleaning Ilkley

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

On day three, I sealed the floor using three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which gave the Sandstone a lovely satin finish that the client liked. This product is also water based so it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries.

Lapicida Sandstone Floor After Sealing Ilkley

Once done the floor was completely transformed, and my client very pleased with the floor which looked so much lighter and cleaner. For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for maintenance, it is pH neutral so will ensure the newly applied seal is protected. It has a nice fresh smell and is gentle enough to use frequently keeping the newly renovated floor looking lovely.

Sealing Sandstone