Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Limestone tiles carried out in North West London

Cleaning and Renovating Limestone tiles

Limestone is a sedimentary stone, as such it’s generally very porous and acid sensitive and can be damaged through the use of even mildly acidic soaps, shampoos and body washes. Because of this we do not recommend it for use in wet rooms, shower cubicles or near swimming pools.

Like any stone Limestone needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming ingrained in its pores and many varieties including Blue Lias, Blue Moleanos, Jerusalem and White Moleanos to name a few can be polished to a high shine using a series of burnishing pads.

We have found that Black Limestone has become very popular in gardens where it contrasts well against green planting and looks fantastic when wet. One issue we find however is it easily upset by the use of acidic patio cleaners that leave the stone looking dull and lifeless. If this has affected you then not to worry we do have a way of restoring the beauty of the stone back to its original condition.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Weathered Limestone Patio and steps Restored in Wembley

Weathered Limestone Patio and Steps Restored in Wembley

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Perivale Tile Cleaning /

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 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 »

Limestone Tiled Floor Repair and Restoration Southall

Cracked Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Fully Restored in Southall

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Southall Tile Cleaning /

Details below of the restoration of a Limestone floor at a beautiful 1930’s property in Southall. The limestone looked like it had suffered from movement in the foundations as there were many cracks in the tiles throughout the kitchen. Additionally, the grout lines had become darkened with dirt over time and the pitting in the tiles had also attracted dirt, darkening the appearance of the floor.

Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning in Southall Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning in Southall

The client enquired about cleaning the floor, repairing the cracks and sealing the tiles so I arranged to visit the property to survey the floor and work out a quote. Once I had made a note of all the issues, I worked out a restoration plan which I used to work out a detailed quote for the work which was accepted.

Cleaning and Repairing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen

The first job was to cover the kitchen unites with plastic wrap and protect any vulnerable areas. Then a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes. The solution was then scrubbed into the tile and grout with a rotary machine fitted with a black pad and by hand using a stiff brush where needed.

A steamer was used to deep clean the pits in the Limestone and lighten the look of them. Next, the cracks were filled using a polyresin filler which was mixed to get the best colour match. there were about 10-15 cracks to fill in total.

Cracked Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Repair Cleaning and Polishing Southall

Once the filler had dried the filler was sanded using a set of handheld diamond hand burnishing blocks of increasingly finer grits. This was done to remove the excess resin leaving a smooth finish and ensure the was no shadowing along the crack.

With the filling complete the next step was to hone the Limestone floor using a couple of diamond encrusted burnishing pads which further clean the stone and bring up its appearance. The process starts with a coarse 400-grit pad which is fitted to the rotary buffer and run over the floor with water which lubricates the process. Once each tile has been burnished three of four times the soiling generated is rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Limestone Kitchen Tiles During Honing in Southall Limestone Kitchen Floor During Honing in Southall

The pad is then changed for a finer 800-grit pad and the process repeated to leave a natural, matt finish as per the client’s request. Again, water was used to lubricate the process and then a wet vacuum used to remove all the soiling and excess water. Once done the tiles were wiped to remove any residue and then left to dry.

Sealing a Limestone Kitchen Tiles

To seal the tiles Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal was applied with a dry microfibre cloth and then left to absorb into the stone. This is an impregnating seal that does not sit on top of the tile, it soaks into the pores to prevent dirt from residing there. Once the seal had impregnated into the tile the floor was buffed using a white pad fitted to the rotary machine to remove excess sealer and give a consistent and uniform finish.

Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Sealed with Ultra-Seal in Southall Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning and Honing Southall

The client was really pleased with the results, and the filled cracks blended well into the floor making them unnoticeable. The process also made the kitchen feel a lot brighter and resulted in the following customer feedback:

“Communication was speedy and my tricky tile problems were resolved better than I thought by Tile Doctor. Visitors have been commenting how much brighter and more detailed my stone floor is now, and the cracks have been stabilised so well. Very happy.”

For aftercare cleaning I recommended Tile Doctor Stone Soap as this contains a patina enhancer that will help maintain the appearance of the tiles.

 

Professional Restoration of a Cracked Limestone Tiled Kitchen in Northwest London

Cracked Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Fully Restored in Southall Read More »

Marble Tiled Hallway Floor Renovation Uxbridge

Classic Black and White Tiled Chequered Floor Renovated in Uxbridge

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Uxbridge Tile Cleaning /

We received an enquiry regarding a classic chequered Marble tiled entrance hall at a lovely county residence near Uxbridge. The property had been undergoing significant refurbishment and the company doing the work had covered the floor with protective sheeting for a year. With the majority of the work out of the way we were asked to come over and quote for renovating the tiles. This was to include removing any staining, honing the stone to bring back its polished appearance and then sealing to protect it.

Marble Tiled Hallway Floor Before Cleaning Uxbridge

I paid a visit to the property to survey the floor and realised that the White tiles were Marble and the Black tiles Limestone. Not that this would make a difference as the work required would be the same. After measuring up and working out a renovation plan, a quote was provided to the renovation company who were happy for us to proceed.

Cleaning a Marble and Black Limestone Tiled Entrance Hall

Work started with the removal of the protective sheeting and then cleaning with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This was left to soak in for ten minutes before being slowly worked into each tile with a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine.

Tile Doctor Pro-Clean is a versatile tile cleaning product that when applied in a strong dilution can remove oil, grease stains and old protecting coatings including waxes. Once the whole floor had been cleaned in this manner the solution was rinsed off with water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to hone the stone floor using a series of Tile Doctor Burnishing pads starting with a coarse 400-grit to open up the pores and flush out the dirt. The pads are applied with water for lubrication and the soiling generated is extracted with a wet vacuum afterwards. The process was then repeated using the 800 and then 1500-grit burnishing pads rinsing and extracting after each pad. These finer pads close the pores and add a polished honed finish to the stone. This left the floor with a silky-smooth finish with a reflective light sheen.

Marble Tiled Hallway Floor During Cleaning Uxbridge

Sealing a Classic Chequered Marble and Limestone Tiled Entrance Hall Floor

Once dry, the tiles were treated with two applications of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that enriches the colours and provides durable stain protection. Once the whole floor had been sealed it was buffed with a White pad to remove any excess sealer and further bring up the polished appearance of the stone.

Marble Tiled Hallway Floor During Sealing Uxbridge

With two Tile Doctor technicians working together we were able to complete the whole floor in one day, much to the delight of the client who was keen to get the renovation finished.

Marble Tiled Hallway Floor After Renovation Uxbridge

For aftercare of a polished stone floor, I recommended Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is sealer safe and helps maintain the patina on the stone.

Marble Tiled Hallway Floor After Sealing Uxbridge

 

Professional Restoration of a Marble and Limestone Floor in North West London

Classic Black and White Tiled Chequered Floor Renovated in Uxbridge Read More »

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor Renovation Northolt

Altering and Renovating a Black Limestone Kitchen Floor in Northolt

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Northolt Tile Cleaning /

The photographs below are from a 1900’s cottage in Northolt which had a black limestone floor installed in the kitchen. The owners had recently had a new kitchen installed which had a slightly different layout to the original thereby leaving previously covered areas exposed. The client wanted the tiles to be cleaned, and re-sealed and two new tiles installed to cover the newly exposed floor.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Northolt

As usual I went over to the property to survey the existing floor and understand the scope of the work required. From this I was able to work out a quote which was accepted and a date agreed for our return.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Northolt Black Limestone Kitchen Floor Before Renovation Northolt

Cleaning a Black Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

Before starting work all the new kitchen fronts were wrapped in a plastic sheet to protect them from splashing and the plinths (kickboards) under the kitchen removed.

Work then started by addressing the tiling changes which basically involved laying two new pieces of matching black Limestone tile we had procured earlier. The Limestone was then cut to shape and fitted into the newly exposed area of floor with a rapid set adhesive. The floor was then left to set before being grouted in using a matching grout.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor During Repair Northolt Black Limestone Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Northolt

Once the grout had set, focus moved onto cleaning the tiles and stripping off any old sealer that was present using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The kitchen floor was too small to introduce a large buffing machine for this work so after leaving the product to soak in for ten minutes the limestone tile and grout were scrubbed by hand.

Once done, the floor was rinsed with water and the dirty cleaning solution extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected and any stubborn areas spot cleaned using the same process. When I was satisfied the floor was as clean as it could be a heat gun was applied to dry the tiles.

Sealing a Black Limestone Tiled Kitchen

Once I was happy the floor was dry it was sealed using a light application of Tile Doctor Stone Oil to enhance the rich dark colour of the limestone. After further drying the floor was sealed with two applications of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to seal in the stone oil and give extra protection and a uniform appearance.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor During Sealing Northolt

The work completely transformed the kitchen much to the delight of the owner who left the following feedback:

“Great, professional, friendly, efficient service. Cleaned and re-sealed our black limestone kitchen floor tiles, plus fitting a spare. Great job. Would definitely recommend.”

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor After Renovation Northolt

Before leaving we discussed aftercare cleaning for which I recommended Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is designed for cleaning sealed surfaces.

Black Limestone Kitchen Floor After Renovation Northolt

 

Professional Restoration of a Black Slate Tiled Kitchen in Northwest London

Altering and Renovating a Black Limestone Kitchen Floor in Northolt Read More »

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