X-Tra Seal 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 »

Black Slate Patio Paving Renovation Bedale Yorkshire

Colour Restored to Cement-Stained Black Slate Paving in Bedale

1 Comment / Masham Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning / Chris Allen

A client in Bedale had a Black Slate Patio installed the previous year and was never happy with its appearance. The paving was quite extensive and included the main patio, areas around the property and its perimeter. The client understood the stone was Limestone however it was clear to us it was Slate, either way it had quickly lost its colour and now looked washed out and grey. Although the patio had been laid level it had been left with a thin coated of lime mortar following the installation which had further affected its appearance.

Black Slate Patio Before Renovation Bedale Yorkshire

Black Slate Paving Before Renovation Bedale Yorkshire

I visited the property, surveyed the paving and ran a couple of tests to work out the best way to restore its appearance and demonstrate what we could do. The testing worked well and our customer knew at that moment they could trust us with its restoration.

Having taken measurements, I worked out what products would be needed to do the work and later that day emailed over a quote which they were happy to accept.

Deep Cleaning Black Slate Garden Paving

To remove the lime cement hazing that was covering the Slate and generally clean the stone a medium dilution Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up was applied and left to soak in for ten minutes. This gives the product time to breakdown the lime cement before working it in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary buffer.

Grout Clean-Up is designed to remove light grout smears and mineral deposits and once done the paving was given a low-pressure rinse and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum. The Slate was now clean and clear of cement; it just needed to dry out before it could be sealed.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Patio

We have picked a good weather window for this work and fortunately after leaving it to dry for another day it was ready for sealing. We use a damp meter to test for moisture and this was used on our return to confirm it was dry.

Two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal were applied to seal the Slate and this being an oil-based sealer did a great job of restoring the black colour and deep rich finish to the stone. X-Tra seal is rated for external use and is an impregnator that soaks into the stone, occupying the pores and thereby ensuring that dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily rinsed away.

By the time we had finished the patio looked the best it had ever had and the customer was pleasantly surprised and very pleased with how it now looked, apparently it was just how she wanted it.

Black Slate Patio After Renovation Bedale Yorkshire

Black Slate Paving After Renovation Bedale Yorkshire

To keep the patio looking good it’s important not to clean it with a strong product that can damage the sealer. For this reason, we recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is ph. neutral and sealer friendly.

Professional Restoration of a Black Slate Garden Paving in Yorkshire

Colour Restored to Cement-Stained Black Slate Paving in Bedale Read More »

Flagstone Floor Restoration Kirkstall Leeds

150 Year Old Carpet Covered Flagstone Floor Transformed in Kirkstall Leeds

1 Comment / Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Leeds Tile Cleaning / Chris Allen

The new owners of this property in Kirkstall near Leeds discovered this 150 years old Flagstone floor under carpet shortly after moving in. Keen to have it restored as an original feature I was asked to quote for restoring it back to its original condition, or as close to that as possible given its age.

As you can see from the photos, the stone itself was very dirty and had lost all of its character. Other problems included the removal of the old glues used to secure the carpet, and the latex screed that had been used to level it and even some nails.

Flagstone Floor Before Renovation Kirkstall Leeds

To restore the appearance of the floor I recommended milling the floor with a set of very coarse diamond pads that would remove a thin layer of stone off the top and reveal new stone underneath. I would use water to help lubricate the process and keep the dust down, but it would still be a messy a job, the advantage however would be the stone would be transformed by the process.

Although difficult to comprehend I was able to show them some examples of similar floors that had received this treatment. Happy with the potential outcome the quote was accepted, and a date set for the work to begin.

Cleaning a Flagstone Tiled Living Area

The first job was to remove as much of the adhesives and latex screed as possible from the floor. This was done using Tile Doctor Remove and Go to soften them before being scraped off manually and with the help of a coarse 50-grit diamond pad. The floor was then rinsed to remove the slurry that was generated and then extracted using a wet vacuum.

Flagstone Floor During Renovation Kirkstall Leeds

A set of milling pads were then attached to a weighted floor buffer and run over each slab several times to cut through the stone surface. Water was used to lubricate the process, however as mentioned earlier this process generates a lot of stone dust so a lot of rinsing and extracting needs to happen to remove it.

Flagstone Floor During Renovation Kirkstall Leeds

I used a lot of water during the milling and It’s important that the floor is dry before sealing so I left the floor for a few days before returning to apply the sealer.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Living Area

Old floors like this don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane so it is important to use a fully breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise through the floor so it can evaporate at the surface. Failing to observe this can result in damp building up under the floor where it can reach out to the walls resulting in rising damp.

With this in mind I chose to seal the floor using two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is a fully breathable impregnator. It’s also oil-based so it adds structure and colour to the stone really bringing it to life.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Kirkstall Leeds

The work not only restored the flagstones but completely transformed the floor, the flagstones now have an impressive depth of colour that was simply unimaginable at the start, needless to say my client was extremely happy.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Kirkstall Leeds

For aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective tile cleaner that won’t impact the longevity of the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Floor in North Yorkshire

150 Year Old Carpet Covered Flagstone Floor Transformed in Kirkstall Leeds Read More »

Faded Black Limestone Renovated Horsforth Leeds

Colour Restored to a Newly Installed Black Limestone Patio in Horsforth

1 Comment / Leeds Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing / Chris Allen

I was recently asked to work some Tile Doctor magic on a Black Limestone patio at a property in Horsforth, Leeds. The gentleman had just had the patio and steps paved with Black Limestone in time for the summer, however it had lost its rich dark colour due to the use of the wrong cleaning products and methods. The installer had literally bleached the colour out of the stone as well as etching it. The client had attempted to rectify this himself and made matters worse, so he called us in to see if we could put this right.

Faded Black Limestone Patio Before Renovation Horsforth Leeds

This is in fact a common problem with Black Limestone and Slate patios; builders typically use brick acid after laying a patio to remove excess grout or mortar, but this washes out the oils in the stone which give it that desirable Black colour. Also, many types of stone are sensitive to harsh chemicals such as acids and they can etch the stone.

Faded Black Limestone Patio Before Renovation Horsforth Leeds

I reassured my client that there was no need to worry and that I would be able to renovate the patio and restore the colour. We agreed a price, which he said he would pass onto the builder, and we arranged a time for the work to be carried out. We selected a couple of options, subject to the weather.

Cleaning and Restoring a Faded Black Limestone Tiled Patio Floor

Due to the etching the stone surface had experienced, my first job was to renovate the surface using a series of Tile Doctor Milling pads. These are fitted to a rotary buffer machine that has had extra weights added to increase traction. This was tricky on the steps but with a bit of persistence I endeavoured and successfully completed the first stage. The slurry generated by the pads was then rinsed off with water and this was then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Faded Black Limestone Patio During Renovation Horsforth Leeds

Sealing a Black Limestone Tiled Patio Floor

The patio was then left to dry, luckily, we had picked a good weather window, and the temperature was quite mild for this time of year. Once the moisture readings of the stone had dropped within the correct tolerance, I was able to start the second stage of the restoration which involved applying a sealer.

I chose Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal to seal this stone, applying two coats. This is an oil-based product that restores the beautiful Black colour to the limestone resulting in a nice finish. This product is also rated for external as well as internal use so ideal for this application.

My client was very happy with the result and relieved that we had managed to achieve the finish he had originally hoped for. They were delighted they could now use the new patio to its full potential throughout the summer.

Before leaving I recommended avoiding acidic cleaning products going forward and suggested they make use of our annual maintenance offering, we would then return every spring to get the patio ready for the summer.

Professional Restoration of a Black Limestone Tiled Patio in North Yorkshire

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