Work by Category Archives - North Wales Tile Doctor

Welsh Slate Floor Before and After Renovation Holywell

Renovating a Large Welsh Slate Floors in Holywell

Rhyl Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / abzdominise

We were contacted by a client from the Welsh market town of Holywell asking for assistance with the renovation of a Welsh Slate floor. The stone floor was in their Kitchen and adjacent dining area and had not been professionally cleaned and resealed for several years. To prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores of natural stone its important to maintain the sealer which does wear off with use.

I visited the property to survey the floor and identify any potential issues and could instantly see that the Slate tiles in the large kitchen and dining area had lost their appearance and were now looking very dull indeed. It was clear the sealer had worn away and the stone now needed some love and care to get it looking as it should. To prove to the point, I ran a small cleaning demonstration on part of the floor and straight away they could see an improvement. Happy with my quote to deep clean the Slate and Grout and then reseal the job was booked in.

Deep Cleaning Welsh Slate Tile Floor Tiles

The first job was to mop the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean which is a strong cleaner, stripper, and degreaser. A strong dilution is best for treating heavy soiled areas and after application it was left to dwell for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine and water. This combination released the dirt and old sealer from the pores of the Slate. It normally works on grout lines too but in this case the grout was so dirty I had to use a wire brush to get it clean.

The manual scrubbing is of course a slower process than using a machine but was the only way to get the grout clean. The dirty residue was removed with a wet vacuum and the process was repeated until we were satisfied the Slate and grout was as clean as it could be. After a final extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was then left to dry out naturally overnight.

Sealing a Welsh Slate Kitchen Floor

Returning the next morning the floor was tested with a damp meter to make sure it was ready to seal. The readings were good, so a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow was applied which is an impregnating and colour intensifying sealer. This was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before rubbing the excess off with a microfibre cloth. This brought out the different natural colours out in the slate and being an impregnator offers a great defence against ingrained dirt.

Once the sealer was dry it was followed by the application of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to give the floor a nice gloss finish which the client had requested. I found it took five coats of Seal and Go to fully seal the floor but as you can see from the final photographs on this page it made an incredible difference.

Slate Floor After Renovation in Holywell

On their return from work, they were over the moon with the finished result, the floor really had been transformed and fully revived. For aftercare cleaning I recommended they use Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which will keep the floor clean without damaging the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Welsh Slate Tiled Floor in Flintshire

Renovating a Large Welsh Slate Floors in Holywell Read More »

Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor Tiles Before After Renovation Caernarfon

Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration at Caernarfon Holiday Cottage

1 Comment / Caernarfon Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Andrew Robb

Details below of a Quarry tiled floor renovation in the kitchen of a holiday cottage in Caeathro which is a small village close to Caernarfon. This work was before the whole of Wales was put on lockdown due to the Coronavirus and my client had bookings for the upcoming holiday season so the wanted the floor renovating in time for their next guests.

Wax Covered Quarry Tiled Floor Before Renovation Caeathro Caernarfon

Having discussed the floor over the phone I went over to the property to carry out a survey of the floor so I could fully understand the issues and provide a quote for the work. I’m glad I went over, as during the test clean, I discovered the quarry tiles appeared to have been covered previously by a few layers of wax polish which can be tricky to remove. Additionally, there were quite a few tiles that were broken and would need replacing.

I managed to work out the best way of removing the wax and cleaning up the floor and provided a quote for stripping, repairing and then resealing. My client was happy to go ahead with my quote and we booked the work in for the next available date, being a holiday cottage, the property was empty so all we needed was the key.

Cleaning/Repairing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first job was to repair the floor which was in quite a state. We removed the broken tiles and replaced with matching tiles that fortunately I already had available. Being a Tile Doctor, you tend to end up with a collection of tiles which you know will come in handy at some point. A fast setting flexible tile adhesive was used to set the new tiles in place which allowed us to quickly move onto cleaning the floor shortly after lunch.

Wax Covered Quarry Tiled Floor During Renovation Caeathro Caernarfon

Tile Doctor have a solution for every tile problem and in this case, we applied a strong solution of Tile Doctor Wax Away which as its name suggests was made for the job and ideal for this situation. It was left to soak for fifteen minutes to break down the wax before being scrubbed into the tiles with a buffing machine fitted with a black stripping pad.

The floor was rinsed, and the slurry extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected, and I could see another treatment would be required to ensure all the wax had been removed. When renovating a tiled floor, it is important to remove any old coatings and strip the surface back to the tile, if this is not done properly it will result in a patchy appearance later.

Once the remains of the wax had been removed from the floor, the floor was washed with a mild dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak into the tiles and then scrubbed in as before. The soil was then rinsed off with water and removed by wet vacuum.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was left to dry overnight, and I returned the next morning to seal the quarry tiles. As usual I tested the floor first with a damp meter to make sure it was dry and ready for sealing. I was happy that the moisture readings were within range so we could go ahead.

The floor was sealed with five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. This sealer is recommended for quarry tiles and adds a nice low sheen to the floor, without making it too shiny. Seal and Go is also water based so its doesn’t leave a smell as it dries making it much nicer to work with.

Wax Covered Quarry Tiled Floor After Renovation Caeathro Caernarfon

The client called in to the property later in the day, after we had left and called to confirm they were very happy with the end result. Hopefully, they will be able to result lettings soon and get some return on their investment.

Professional Restoration of a Quarry Tiled Kitchen Floor in North Wales

Quarry Tiled Floor Restoration at Caernarfon Holiday Cottage Read More »

Victorian Hallway Floor Before and After Cleaning Repair Sealing Rhos-on-Sea

Renovating a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Rhos-on-Sea

1 Comment / Colwyn Bay Tile Cleaning, Llandudno Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Andrew Robb

Recently we were asked to quote on restoring a Victorian tiled hallway floor in one of the large houses in the North Wales seaside resort of Rhos-on-Sea. It was a lovely period property that overlooked the sea and the floor a fine example of Victorian tiling and a real asset to the property.

Naturally, we have to take precautions when visiting properties these days, especially when surveying floors inside properties however we have amended our working practices to include more PPE and social distancing and so its not a problem.

On first impressions the floor looked to be in good order however it had some broken and loose tiles that needed replacing and then the floor given a good clean and seal. Fortunately, Victorian tiles are still popular, and you can find replacements, I also know that difficult to source tiles can often be found by asking other Tile Doctors many of whom have quite a collection. A quote was given for the work, which was accepted, and a date set to commence the work which would take three days.

Victorian Tiled Hallway Before Renovation Rhos-on-Sea

Rhos-on-Sea is a very picturesque town situated between Llandudno and Colwyn Bay by passed by north wales main trunk road A55 leading to the main ferry port of Holyhead to Ireland. When you turn off the A55 into Rhos-on-Sea your transferred to a large seaside promenade with a wide walkway which is used by the towns many retired residents who appreciate the splendid coastal views.

Repairing and Cleaning Victorian Hallway Tiles

The first job was to cut out and remove the damaged tiles then prepare the subbase with rapid set self-levelling compound to take the new tiles. Once this had set, I was able to cut and fit the replacements. There were a few areas that needed attention and so this work took up by most of the first day.

Victorian Tiled Hallway During Repair Rhos-on-Sea

The next day was cleaning day, first we checked the repairs where fixed and dry. To clean the floor, we use a slow speed buffing machine with extra weights which can be removed to suit the pressure required. The pad we use with the machine is a 200-grit milling pad lubricated with water, this cleans the tiles as it moves along, and the waste is removed by wet vacuum.

Pads struggle to reach into the corners and along the edges so to ensure all the old sealer is removed the floor is cleaned with a treatment of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong coatings remover that is safe to use on tile and stone. Its left to dwell on the tiles for ten minutes and then scrubbed in, the waste is then removed as before using the wet vacuum.

Tile tiles were then treated to a process we call and Acid Wash which we highly recommend for old Victorian floors which do not have a damp proof membrane installed. As a result, moisture can rise through the tiles leaving white salt deposits on the floor which is known as Efflorescence. To prevent this we try not to use much water when cleaning Victorian floors however we find if you apply a coat of Tile Doctor Acid Gel it counters the salts in the floor and eliminates the problem, the gel will also remove old grout hazing and helps bring out the beauty of the floor. The gel is washed off and removed with the trusty wet vacuum which is an essential tool for any Tile Doctor. The floor was then left to dry out for two days to ensure it would be completely dry on our return and ready for sealing.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Its important the floor is dry before sealing so on our return the first task was to take moisture readings with a damp meter in different parts of the floor. The readings were fine, so an initial coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow was applied to the floor. This is an impregnating colour enhancing sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from within. Once this was dry its was followed to with three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which leaves a subtle semi sheen when dry. Both these sealers are breathable and so won’t trap any moisture below the tiles, this is an important feature as trapped moisture can find its way to the walls resulting in rising damp.

Victorian Tiled Hallway After Renovation Rhos-on-Sea

Once the sealer was dry, we were able to let the owner see the result who was really pleased and apparently has since received many compliments. For aftercare we recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which has a effective neutral pH formula that won’t prematurely erode the sealer with use like stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in North Wales

Renovating a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Rhos-on-Sea Read More »

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North Wales Tile Doctor

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