matlock Archives - Derbyshire Tile Doctor

Bathroom Floor Grout Coloured with Ivory Grout Colourant in Matlock

I received a call from a lady who lives in the beautiful spa town of Matlock in Derbyshire Peak District with a Porcelain tiled shower room floor. She had been recommended to myself from a good friend whose kitchen floor grout I had recoloured the week before.

She had a similar problem to her friend whose bathroom floor was being let down by the grout which had completely discoloured and no longer matched the wall tiles. This tends to happen as the dirt from the tile is washed into the grout lines during cleaning with a mop.

Bathroom Floor Before Grout Colouring in Matlock

Having visited the property to survey the floor I advised her that although I could clean the grout it would most likely go dark again and that there may be deep seated stains that I simply can’t remove.

As a result, I recommended renovating the grout using a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant which is available in 11 different colours. I always carry a few colours with me so I applied a couple of different ones to the grout so she could see which one would work best with the tiles. Ivory seemed to work well so I worked out a quote to renovate the grout using an Ivory Grout colourant which she was more than happy with and so I booked her in.

Renovating Discoloured Grout in a Tiled Bathroom Floor

I turned up on the agreed date and I started work by spraying all the grout lines with a Tile Doctor Grout Pre-Treater. This product cleans and etches the surface of the grout to provide a better bond with the grout colourant which comes next.

The Pre-Treater was then scrubbed into the grout lines with a hand brush to agitate the solution and lift the dirt and other contaminants. After five to ten minutes, I wiped the spray away and the now grubby solution and rinsed with water and then wiped again to remove any pre-treater left behind.

Once dry I began to apply the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant to all the joints using a small brush in a painting motion, wiping away any excess left behind on the tiles as I went. The job is quite a slow one due to the small grout lines but quite satisfying as the difference is immediate.

The Grout Colourant not only rejuvenates the grout but also seals it in thereby protecting from future staining and making the grout so much easier to clean. After 2 coats and a final wipe of the tiles the renovation was complete.

Bathroom Floor After Ivory Grout Colouring in Matlock

The client was delighted and the floor looked amazing.

It was not necessary this time to replace the silicone sealant around the shower, but it’s worth knowing this is a service we offer. Often this becomes mouldy over time and brings down the overall look of the bathroom.

Professional Restoration of a Tiled Bathroom Floor in Derbyshire

Restoring the Look of Badly Stained Terracotta Kitchen Tiles in Matlock

1 Comment / Matlock Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work History / Phillipa Colins

Having an effective sealer in place is essential for ensuring the long term condition of tiled floors in fact a lack of sealer can make cleaning the tiles exceptionally difficult as the sealer prevents dirt becoming ingrained in the tile.

Terracotta Floor Before Cleaning and Sealing in Matlock

This property owner, living in the former spa town of Matlock in Derbyshire, was experiencing problems with their Terracotta tiled kitchen floor since they had applied some kind of wax to act as a sealer, and this had worn off within a few weeks. After this happened the tiles were not sealed again, making cleaning a big problem. Terracotta is a highly porous stone and thus easily soaks in spillages and stains, and allows dirt to become very easily trapped.

In this situation, the property owner resolved to contact me about some professional maintenance. I suggested that the tiles would need a deep clean followed by the application of a fresh, high quality sealer. The work was agreed on and I made my way down to the property the following week.

Cleaning a Dirty Terracotta Tiled Floor

When I arrived at the property and saw the tiles first hand it became clear that a professional clean had been in need for a long time: greasy looking stains were particularly prevalent and covered large areas of the kitchen floor.

To remove I mixed a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, which is a multi-purpose, high-alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser, and, working in small areas, applied it to the floor. Working in small sections was important because the stone is very porous and quickly soaked in any product laid down. I scrubbed the cleaner into the stone using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad, with the dirt and stains coming away nicely. Pro Clean is highly versatile and can be used for similar cleaning purposes on most types of natural stone floor.

After cleaning each section, I quickly removed the excess dirty water and chemicals with my wet vax machine. Once the whole floor had been cleaned I rinsed it several times with fresh water just to make sure all cleaning chemicals were gone. I then left the floor to dry completely for 36 hours.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Floor

When I returned to the property, I conducted several damp tests to check for any areas of the floor that needed further drying. As is almost always the case, there were a few areas that remained slightly damp, and I set about speeding the drying process along using my heat gun. In fact, it actually took me more than three hours to get the floor completely dry, but this was worth the effort as even the slightest excess moisture can damage the performance of the sealer.

Once the floor was finally dried I began sealing the floor with one coat of Tile a Doctor Colour Grow sealer. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that penetrates deep into the pores of the stone, thus acting as a shield against ingrained dirt, and also raises the colour of the tiles to provide an aesthetically appealing appearance. sealer. After sealing with Colour Grow, I left the floor to dry for couple of hours and then applied six coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which is a topical sealer that builds up durable protection on the surface of the tiles.

Terracotta Floor After Cleaning and Sealing in Matlock

The combination of through cleaning and the application of not one, but two high quality sealers really did wonders for the appearance of these Terracotta tiles. Looking at the final results you wouldn’t have believed they had been without a proper clean and seal for so long! Needless to say the customer was exceptionally pleased and will surely be able to keep her floor looking great for a long time to come.

Professional Deep Cleaning of Stained Terracotta Kitchen Floor in Derbyshire

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