Perivale Tile Cleaning Archives - North West London Tile Doctor

Weathered Limestone Patio and Steps Restored in Wembley

Here we have a Limestone garden patio and set of steps at a property in Wembley which had become heavily affected by lichen, mould and general outdoor soiling. The stone was in good physical condition but had spent the winter in a shaded position where it slowly turned green. The patio had lost its original appearance and the owner was keen to make use of it again and so I was asked to make it presentable again.

External Limestone Patio and Steps Before Cleaning Wembley

It was clear that the Limestone needed a thorough deep clean and then sealing to protect it going forward so I worked out a detailed quote for its renovation which would take two of our technicians two days to compete. Fortunately, we were in the middle of a heat wave at the time so I wasn’t worried about rain interrupting the work.

Cleaning Limestone Patio and Steps

The first stage was to treat the Limestone with Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU remover which would tackle the mould and lichen. HBU stands for Heavy Build-Up and left to dwell on the surface for approximately 15 minutes to break down the organic growth before being scrubbed in. This was mostly done by hand due to the location of the capping stone and steps. The area was then rinsed with fresh water and the resulting slurry and soiling removed using a wet vacuum.

Next, a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied and worked into the Limestone using a slow-speed orbital machine fitted with fine burnishing pads. This provided a deeper clean, removing the ingrained dirt and organic staining without being overly aggressive on the limestone.

After cleaning, the stone was thoroughly wet vacuumed and rinsed with fresh water before being left to dry in preparation for sealing.

Sealing Garden Limestone

Once the Limestone had been allowed to dry overnight, it was sealed with two applications of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This helped protect the porous stone from future staining and makes the patio and steps easier to maintain. This product is an invisible impregnator that soaks into the stone, occupying the pores and ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

External Limestone Patio and Steps After Renovation Wembley

Apologies for the photographs only some of these had to be taken from within the property itself to get the best angle.

Limestone Patio Aftercare

To help maintain the appearance of the restored limestone, the customer was left with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, together with cleaning and maintenance guidelines.

The combination of the correct cleaning method, tried and tested Tile Doctor products and professional equipment has restored the appearance of this shaded limestone patio and its steps, giving the customer a much cleaner and better-protected outdoor space.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Terraced Patio and Steps in Northwest London

Weathered Limestone Patio and Steps Restored in Wembley Read More »

Edwardian Hallway Floor Restoration Perivale

Carpet Covered Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway Floor Rescued in Perivale

Detailed below is the major restoration of an Encaustic Cement tiled floor at an Edwardian property in the West London suburb of Perivale. At some point in its history this beautiful and practical floor was covered up with cement screen and then carpeted. The current owner who was aware of the tiled floor underneath contacted us to see if that could be removed and the floor restored to its original condition.

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and get a better idea of the work involved. Naturally with the floor covered in carpet it’s impossible to know what condition the floor was in however having done this work before we had a good idea of what would be needed.

Edwardian Hallway Floor Before Restoration Perivale

During our visit a section of the carpet was peeled back and we ran a small cleaning test to understand how difficult it would be to remove the cement leveller. The floor responded well to this and we were able to reveal a small section of intact tiled floor in reasonable condition.

Naturally without the whole floor exposed it would be difficult to provide a quote for its restoration however we were able to give the owner an estimate which was accepted.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The first step was to carefully remove the carpet and gripper rods which had been fixed in place with adhesive. Free of its covering work then moved onto the chipping away of the self-levelling cement which was done carefully by hand. Our fingers were crossed that we wouldn’t reveal or cause for that matter any major damage.

Edwardian Hallway Floor During Cement Removal Perivale

Thankfully the floor was intact and with no repairs required work progressed onto cleaning. To do this the floor was first scrubbed using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which is an acidic product that we normally use for removing excess grout however in this case it proved useful in removing the excess cement. A strong dilution was brushed onto the tiles and then left for ten minutes before scrubbing in with a coarse 100-grit diamond pad. More water was used to rinse the soiled solution off the floor before extracting with a wet vacuum.

< Edwardian Hallway Floor During Machine Cleaning Perivale.JPG>
This process was then repeated using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline Tile and Grout Cleaner. As before it was brushed onto the floor, left to soak in and then scrubbed in with a diamond pad, this time using a finer 200-grit.

Edwardian Hallway Floor After Cleaning Perivale

During the cleaning, we had noticed a few cracked tiles that needed replacing. Replacements were sourced and with the cleaning complete and the damaged tiles were carefully removed and replaced. Once grouted in and set the floor was given a final rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

To seal the floor, we first used a consolidator primer seal, Tile Doctor Colour Grow, followed by five applications of a protective acrylic seal Tile Doctor Seal and Go, which gave the floor a durable rich satin finish. Both these products are breathable which is an important consideration when dealing with and old floor that won’t have the benefit of a damp-proof-membrane.

Edwardian Hallway Floor After Sealing Perivale

Edwardian Hallway Floor After Restoration Perivale

The restoration involved three experienced Tile Doctor technicians working over a period of three consecutive days. Once complete the floor was completely transformed and really lifted the hallway. Period features like this are very sought after and add a lot of value to old properties.

Following the completion of the floor we have advised the customer to maintain the tiles using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which has a neutral pH and so will not impact the sealer.

Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Hertfordshire

Carpet Covered Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway Floor Rescued in Perivale Read More »

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Acton Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Chiswick Tile Cleaning, Ealing Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Greenford Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Hayes Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Northolt Tile Cleaning, Perivale Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Southall Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Uxbridge Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, West Drayton Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Matthew Voyce

North West London Tile Doctor

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