Ceramic Tile Cleaning Archives - Derbyshire Tile Doctor

Bathroom Grout Recolour, Repair and Silicone in Matlock Bath

I arranged to visit a property in the Derbyshire Dales village of Matlock Bath, to renovate the Ceramic bathroom tiles and grout. This is a beautiful area in the Peak District and consequently very popular with tourists.

I could see there was damage and missing grout to some areas of wall tiling, and this was resulting in damp staining to the hall ceiling below. The grout that was there was heavily stained even though it was only 2 years old. The client couldn’t understand why it had gotten so bad. I reassured him I could resolve the issue and get it looking like new again.

Bathroom Tile Grout Before Renovation Matlock Bath

I cleaned down a small area of grout and applied a small amount of Tile Doctor Grout recolour in White. Instantly the client could see how good the finish would be. He agreed my quotation and booked me in the following week to do the work.

Cleaning and Repairing the Grout in a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom

I started by raking out any areas of loose or cracked grout and cleaning up the resultant debris. I then replaced all the missing grout with Mapei’s fast setting waterproof grout in White and left to dry.

Once dry I turned my attention to the rest of the grout which had discoloured from the use of soaps etc. To tackle this, I sprayed on a 3:1 dilution of Tile Doctor Duo Clean and left it to work its magic for approximately ten to fifteen minutes. This was followed by scrubbing the stained grout lines with a stiff grout brush and also wiping over the Ceramic tiles to ensure they were equally clean. The whole area was then rinsed down with water and dried with a cotton cloth.

Next was to spray the same areas with Tile Doctor Grout Colourant Pre-Treater and re-scrub the grout joints again. This prepares the grout for the colouring fluid to achieve a superior bond. I rinsed again with clean water to remove all traces and after another wipe down with a dry cloth I left the area to dry and went for a cup of tea.

After my cuppa I began to strip the stained silicone around the bath ensuring all traces of mould or grime build up was wiped away using Tile Doctor Duo Clean sprayed onto a cloth.

Sealing the Grout in a Tiled Bathroom

Once this was complete the grout areas were dry, so I started the application of a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in White. This is done using a small brush and literally painted on to all the joints including the newly grouted areas to ensure a consistent finish. The excess is wiped off the tile as you go along and after two coats of colourant the grout was looking bright and sparkling clean again.

I finished the job by reapplying new sealant between the tiles and the bath using a mould resistant sanitary silicone in White.

Bathroom Tile Grout After Renovation Matlock Bath

As you can see, the bathroom was transformed by the work, in fact it looked like a new installation. Needless to say my client was delighted. Another benefit of the rough grout Colourant is it adds a smooth barrier over the grout making it very easy to clean.

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1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Ripley Tile Cleaning / Phillipa Colins

A private landlord got in touch recently to ask if there was anything that could be done to improve the tiles around the bath and shower in one of his rental properties in Swanwick just North of Ripley. There had been a long-term tenant living in the house who hadn’t maintained the area and as you can see from the photographs below the tiles were looking drab and the grout lines were heavily stained with grime, shampoo, and soap.

Ceramic Bathroom Wall Tiles Before Cleaning Swanwick Rental Property Derbyshire

When renting property out a property it makes a lot of sense to give a bathroom a facelift to ensure it’s more attractive to future tenants, not only will it rent faster but it should also command a better price, after all no-one wants to rent a place with grotty tiles!

I arranged to visit to they property to determine a plan of action and provide a quote for the work. Whilst there I carried out a test clean and was able to reassure the landlord that it wouldn’t be a problem and I was confident that the tile and grout could be renovated to a very high standard.

Ceramic Bathroom Wall Tiles Before Cleaning Swanwick Rental Property Derbyshire

Happy with the test clean and my quote my client gave the go ahead and asked for the work to be scheduled in ASAP so the search for a new tenant could begin.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

I began by cleaning the grout lines with a generous application of Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is a fast and effective double action grout cleaner and mould remover. This product is designed for this purpose and comes with a trigger attachment so it can easily be sprayed onto the wall. The solution was then left for five minutes before being scrubbed into the wall tiles and grout with a scrubbing brush. This action brought out a lot of dirt and staining from the grout which was then rinsed off.

I then reviewed the wall tiles and concluded that even though they did look a lot cleaner there was some deep-seated staining in the grout that could not be shifted. I had planned for this though possibility though, given the original state of the grout it was clear to me from the start that the best solution would be to colour the grout with a White grout colourant and this had been factored into the quote.

For best results the grout needs to be further cleaned with a Pre-Treater which is a slightly acidic cleaner that prepares the grout and ensures a better bond with the colourant. This is applied to the grout and left for 5 minutes before being scrubbed in with the grout brush. It is then rinsed away with water and left to dry.

Before applying the grout colourant, I set about stripping out the silicone mastic sealant between the bathtub and wall tiles with a sharp knife; the sealant was heavily stained and damaged in places so very much in need of replacement. Once all the rubbish was swept out, I dried any remaining dampness from the grout and tiles.

Grout Colouring a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

This left the grout ready to be recoloured. I did this over the course of a few hours, using a White colourant from the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant range. White is just one of eleven colours available in the range and was chosen in this case to give the grout a really fresh look and to blend in with the White Ceramic tiles.

The application of Grout Colourant not only colours the grout joints – it also seals and rejuvenates them. It also dries quickly, so I could apply a second coat quite soon after the first, removing any excess as I went.

Once the restoration was finished, I resealed the shower base with fresh silicone mastic again in White to match the tile and grout. This last step finished the renovation and the result was quite a transformation.

Ceramic Bathroom Wall Tiles After Cleaning Swanwick Rental Property Derbyshire

The Landlord was delighted and so was the Letting Agent.

Ceramic Bathroom Wall Tiles After Cleaning Swanwick Rental Property Derbyshire

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