After surveying the 130m2 of Marble tiles, I could see the best way forward would be to remove the wax, clean the floor and then use a ‘Burnishing’ process to bring up the deep natural shine in the stone and then seal to protect. I explained the process in full and a date was agreed for my return to do the renovation. The first job was to scrub a concentrated solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean in to the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad; unlike some acidic cleaners Pro-Clean is a powerful alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on tile and stone. This broke down the soil and released it along with the remaining old sealer which was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores. Following the cleaning, I then filled the holes that were visible with flexible filler. Sealing Tumbled Travertine Tiles After the initial free home survey, I issued them with a quote which they were happy with and they booked me straight in to complete the renovation. If your having work done to your property, I would agree it makes sense to renovate the flooring last but it will help if you protect the flooring as well. Cleaning/Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor Once we were happy that the soil and sealer had been dislodged, we then removed all of the chemical and soil via our extraction machine. This applies pressured water onto the stone whilst vacuuming all of the waste away, leaving the floor as clean and fresh as it could possibly be. Sealing Limestone Tiles

The stone and grout had darkened with the dirt it now carried so I carried out a small cleaning test to confirm my suspicions. The test went well and gave the stone and grout a much lighter and cleaner appearance and contrasted well against its neighbour. A non-flammable, multi-purpose stripper formulated with a long dwell-time to remove most coatings and sealers, epoxy grout haze, urethane coatings, synthetic finishes, adhesives and paints. This product also draws out ingrained stains and removes heavy grease build-up. Uses: After scrubbing the floor was rinsed with a little water and the soil removed with a wet vacuum. Afterwards the floor was inspected, and any stubborn areas retreated with repeat of the process. After a final rinse, the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum. Sealing Encaustic Cement Tiles After all the tiles had been cut, fitted, grouted, and set it was time to move on to cleaning with the aim of restoring the appearance of the whole floor to its original state. I did this by using Tile Doctor’s soft milling pads 100-grit through to 800-grit lubricated with Tile Doctor Remove & Go to help clean and remove any remaining sealer from the floor. The floor is rinsed after each pad and the resultant slurry extracted with a wet vacuum.Once the floor has been cleaned and dried apply Tile Doctor Seal & Go sealer with a paint-pad applicator and tray. Spanish or Mexican terracotta tiles are very porous and may require up to 8 or 9 coats of sealant, always allow to dry before applying the next coat. FRENCH, ITALIANOR SPANISH (semi hand-made)

Once the floor was dry my next step normally would be to seal the tiles but most Porcelain tiles (including this variety) are not porous and therefore won’t accept a sealer As you can see from the pictures, the difference made it well worth doing. After a final rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was then left overnight to dry out. Extract the soiled cleaning solution using a wetvacuum and then neutralisethefloor by rinsing with water again using a wet vacuum to remove as much water was possible after. (Any cleaning productsleft on the surface may impact the performance of the sealer). Allow the tilestodry out for at least 12 hours or more. Wipe up residue with a clean, absorbent white cotton towel or sponge. A wet-dry vacuum can be used. Travertine tile is a natural stone material that has unique features and colouring that no other stone can offer. The distinctive design and natural patterns found within Travertine make it very popular as a flooring material and is often used as bathroom wall tiles and table tops. Travertine's durability makes it ideal for commercial and residential installations and it is often used externally. Floor Tile CleaningThis customer in Crediton originally enquired about grout cleaning for their Kitchen floor, however after speaking to them on the phone I discovered their tiles where Marble and so I suggested they may be interested in our stone polishing service as well. Apologies again for not taking a before photo so you can compare the difference however hopefully you can see how health the floor looks following the deep cleaning and application of a fresh sealer which will ensure future maintenance is a lot easier for the customer. I returned to the property the following day after allowing the Marble tiles to dry fully. Drying the tiles is a crucial part of the restoration process, since even a small quantity of excess moisture can cloud the sealer and prevent it from working to its fullest capabilities.

For regular cleaning use a sealer friendly cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Stone Soap which has been especially formulated for the regular cleaning of Sealed Stone and Tile surfaces keeping them fresh. It neutralises any alkaline salts inherent in the floor thus preventing the build-up of Efflorescence which can be a problem with older floors. After allowing the floor dry out overnight, I returned to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, which is a solvent-based, impregnating sealer designed to enhance the variety of natural colours and shades in the stone. It also protects the stone against daily exposure to chemical-based shampoo and soaps.

The tile had been laid through out the Kitchen and adjacent dinning area and the solution was quite straight forward and simply required and a good clean and re-seal as detailed below. Cleaning Limestone Tiles The homeowner could clearly see just how dirty the floor had become and satisfied that I would be able to do a good job on the floor give me the go ahead to clean the whole floor and then seal it afterwards. Cleaning and Restoring a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

After cleaning the pH level of the floor will be alkaline so its best to neutralise this by giving the floor an acid rinse using Grout Cleanup. Using this product has other benefits to, ie.: The best sealant we find for Terracotta is a topical sealer called Seal and Go that generally leaves a satin finish that coats the tiles to stop dirt and grime penetrating into the clay. An impregnating sealer (that generally leaves a matt finish) does not work particularly well with a soft clay such as Mexican Terracotta due to the high porosity of the clay. Tile Doctor recommends that Terracotta in particular requires a regular top up of sealer in high traffic areas once or twice a year. MEXICAN (hand-made) The chemical solvents in the Remove and Go helped to break down any old sealer that remained inside the stone, allowing the Pro Clean to then work its magic on the stubborn ingrained dirt the customer had struggled to remove previously. Some of the deeper veins and grout lines I chose to scrub by hand to ensure the fullest and most meticulous clean possible.To begin the restoration, I applied both Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a high alkaline cleaner, and Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which a heavy-duty stripper and remover, to the floor and scrubbed the products in using a scrubbing pad fitted to a professional rotary machine. Next I started the burnishing process with the application of a coarse 400-grit diamond pad fitted to the rotary machine. Using only water for lubrication the pad was worked into each tile until I had covered the whole area. I then repeated this process through 800 and 1500-grit pads extracting the slurry between each pad with the wet vacuum. The pads deep clean the Marble and slowly refine the surface to build up the polished appearance. As you can see from the pictures, the restoration has restored the lustre and colour of the Terracotta and the grout looks much cleaner; the very happy customer can be assured that maintaining the condition of the Terracotta will be much easier in the future.