Marble Tile Cleaning Archives - East Surrey Tile Doctor

Marble Tiled Floor Before After Polishing Reigate East Surrey

Achieving a Deep Polish on Marble Floor Tiles at a Reigate Cottage

The photographs below are of a Marbled Tiled floor that was installed over much of the ground floor of a cottage that formed part of a large county estate near Reigate.

Marble Tiled Floor Before Polishing Reigate

The Marble floor tiles were lovely however the polish and sealer had worn off some time ago and the were now looking much worse for wear, additionally the once white grout had turned dark with dirt and I`m not sure even the owner realised its full potential. I provided a quote for cleaning and applying a deep polishing to the floor which was agreed and set a date to do the work.

Marble Tile and Grout Cleaning in Reigate

After protecting the wooden skirting with tape, I started the cleaning process by applying a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was scrubbed into the tiles using a stiff brush to remove any loose dirt and debris from the floor but primarily along the grout lines. The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed off with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Next step was to deep clean the tiles and bring back the polish using a set of four Tile Doctor diamond encrusted honing pads which fit a weighted rotary floor buffer and are applied in sequence starting with the 400-grit pad lubricated with water. This is followed with the 800-grit and then the 1500-grit pads rinsing with water after each pad and removing the soil generated by the burnishing process with the wet vacuum as before.

This work took much of the day so after applying the 1500-grit pad and rinsing I left the floor to dry out overnight.

Sealing and Polishing Marble Tiles with Shine Powder

The next day I started by applying the 3000-grit pad which is the final pad in the polishing process and really helps bring up the polished appearance of the Marble. The pad is applied to the floor dry using a little water sprayed onto the floor using a process we call a spray burnish.

The last step was to seal the Marble tiles and build the polish even further by applying Tile Doctor Shine Powder which is diluted with water and buffed into the Marble tiles using a white buffing pad. The shine powder did an excellent job of building the shine on the floor and provides a tough durable finish that should last.

Marble Tiled Floor After Polishing Reigate

After two days work the Marble tiled floor looked transformed and I was especially pleased with the deep level of shine and restored white grout that I had managed to achieve.

Restoring Polish to Marble Floor Tiles in East Surrey

Achieving a Deep Polish on Marble Floor Tiles at a Reigate Cottage Read More »

Marble Bathroom Refreshed in Westminster

1 Comment / Leatherhead Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning / TileProf

You may recall a job I wrote about earlier in the year concerning a Limestone tiled floor in Westminster well I’m please to say the owner of that property was so pleased with my workmanship that I was asked back to maintain the Marble tiled bathroom which included a sink unit.

Maintaining Marble Tiles

Normally with polished stone it’s necessary to burnish the floor however in this case the tiles were in good condition with no scratches in the polish, there were a few spots and marks on the tile that needed to come off and they had lost some shine however a full burnish would not be necessary.

Marble tiled floor Westminster Marks before cleaning

To remove the spots and marks I treated them first with a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted 4:1 with hot water. I then scrubbed them using a red buffing pad on my rotary floor machine, which took the marks away from the stone. Next I used a medium burnishing pad with a little water and followed with the fine pad and finally the ultra-fine burnishing pad to restore the shine and polish. I offered to build-up a durable polish with Tile Doctor Shine Powder however the owner was happy with the finish that had been achieved.

Marble tiled floor Westminster Marks after cleaning

Sealing Marble Tiles

Once the tiles were dry I sealed them using Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer which occupies the pores of the stone and also enhances its natural colours in the process.

Marble tiled floor Westminster after sealing

Once the floor had been done I carried out the same process on the Marble sink unit using small six inch pads with a hand polisher. All went well and as you can see from the water bubble test in the photograph below the floor is now fully sealed however there is more work to be done elsewhere in the house and the owner has now booked me in to clean all of the carpets.

Marble tiled floor Westminster water test

Marble Tile Cleaning and Polishing in Westminster, London

Marble Bathroom Refreshed in Westminster Read More »

Marble Tiled Floor Cleaned and Polished in South Croydon Restaurant

1 Comment / Marble Tile Cleaning, Merstham Tile Cleaning / TileProf

I was asked by my local Indian restaurant in South Croydon if I could improve the look of their marble tiles in the reception area of the restaurant. They had been laid several years ago and now the sealer was failing and dirt was becoming ingrained in the tile and especially the grout which had gone dark.

Marble Tiles Indian Restaurant South Croydon Before

Marble Tile and Grout Cleaning

To get the grout clean and remove the surface dirt we started with the application of a coarse grade diamond encrusted burnishing pad, the pad is used in conjunction with a little water which helps lubricate the process and it effectively cuts back the layer of grime from the surface. Rotary pads do struggle to reach into the grout lines so a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a heavy duty tile and grout cleaner that’s safe to use on natural stone and grout was also scrubbed into the grout by hand using a stiff brush.

Marble Tiles Indian Restaurant South Croydon During Cleaning

The floor was then rinsed to remove the now dirty water and cleaning solution and we moved on to polishing the floor using a medium grade, fine and then super fine pads to build the surface shine backup. The floor was rinsed with water in-between each pad and then dried out as thoroughly as possible using large air movers.

Sealing Marble Floor Tiles

Normally I would have finished off with the application of Tile Doctor Shine Powder to give it a mirror like finish but the owner was happy with the way it looked and so once the floor had dried we moved onto sealing it with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that works from the inside by occupying the pores within the stone, it also enhance the colours within natural stone.

Marble Tiles Indian Restaurant South Croydon After Cleaning

The owner was over the moon with the results and has now engaged us to maintain the floor on a regular basis.

Cleaning and Polishing a Marble Tiled floor in a Surrey Restaurant

Marble Tiled Floor Cleaned and Polished in South Croydon Restaurant Read More »

Limescale on Marble Shower Tiles Addlestone

Removing Limescale from Marble Shower Tiles in Addlestone

1 Comment / Leatherhead Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning / TileProf

I recently went the assistance of a home owner in Addlestone, Surrey who had damaged the surface of the Marble tiles in her shower by attempting to remove Limescale using a well-known household cleaning product, which unfortunately due to its acidic formula actually made the problem worse and etched the tiles.

Burnishing Marble Shower Cubicle Tiles

To remove the etching and Limescale from the Marble tiles the surface would need to be cut back and re-polished using diamond encrusted burnishing pads. For this job we used a set of six inch pads which are similar to the floor pads but smaller so they can be attached to a hand held machine and used on vertical surfaces.

To burnish the tiles a coarse pad is applied first lubricated with a little water and this removes surface deposits such as Limescale and in this case also the etching. The resultant residue is washed away and then you proceed on with the Medium, Fine and Very Fine polishing pads until the surface has been restored.

Sealing Marble Shower Tiles

Once I had finished applying the Very Fine pad I gave the tiles a thorough rinse and then dried them so they could be sealed for which I used a coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that gets into the pores of the stone enhancing the natural colours in the process.

Limescale removed from Marble Shower Tiles Addlestone

The owner was really grateful because she was thinking that they would need to be replaced which as you can imagine would have been very expensive.

Etched Marble Walls Tiles Burnished and Polished in Addlestone, Surrey

Removing Limescale from Marble Shower Tiles in Addlestone Read More »

300m2 Marble Tiled Floor Cleaned and Polished in Oxshott

1 Comment / Leatherhead Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning / TileProf

Following on from a referral from a Property Management company I paid a visit it to this palatial property in Oxshott which had approximately 300m2 of Marble tiled flooring that they wanted cleaning and re-polishing, my initial quotation to do this mechanically was too high so I offered an alternative using diamond encrusted burnishing pads which reduced the cost significantly. I didn’t receive an answer so I thought that was the end of it however five months later I got an email asking me to carry out the works.

Marble Tiled Floor Polishing

This was a very large area so we had two men working with burnishing pads in 10 metre sections. The pads come in a set of four; you start with the coarse pad together with a little water and this cuts through and removes surface grime and any surface seal. You then progress through the other finer pads one by one until you get to the final polishing pad which provides a high polish.

Fortunately there were not many stains and the ones that were there came out quite easily. When we had completed a room using this system we then applied Tile doctor Shine powder which is a crystallising power worked into the floor using a white buffing pad and a little water; it adds an extra level of deep shine to the marble floor giving it that extra wow factor together with a tough durable finish, we did this working 1 m2 at a time.

This whole process took five days to complete and when we had finished the client came to inspect it with the homeowner. She was delighted with the final finish and has said that she will be recommending us to all her friends and clients. This is also great for the property manager because it has given him a good reputation for providing a trustworthy and highly skilled contractor for the works. Also he has promised us further work from his other clients including a job to carry out the external stone cleaning works for the same client.

Cleaning and Polishing a Large Marble Tiled floor in Oxshott, Surrey

300m2 Marble Tiled Floor Cleaned and Polished in Oxshott Read More »

Marble Wall and Floor Tile Refresh in Woking

1 Comment / Leatherhead Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning / TileProf

This job was to refresh the Marble tile installed in a house in Woking. There were a number of different marble tiles installed on the wall and floor including two shower cubicles, a bathroom floor, a small cloakroom floor and the kitchen floor; the pictures below show before and after photographs for each job.

Cleaning a Marble Tile Shower Cubicle

I started with the shower cubicles using Tile Doctor Oxy-Pro which is a specific product for cleaning showers and comes with a spray attachment that mixes the cleaning agent with air making it lighter and helping it stick to vertical surfaces. This was left to dwell on the surface for a while and then the tiles were scrubbed before being rinsed down. This action not only cleaned the dirt and soap scum off the tile it also got rid of some mould that had started to grow.

In one shower there was a build-up of limescale on the wall so to get rid of this I used a little Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this product is usually for removing grout smears from tile however it’s also good at removing most types of mineral deposits such as Limescale, you do have to be quick though as it’s an Acid based product I had to be quick and to thoroughly rinse because I didn’t want to damage the marble.

Marble Mosaic Bathroom floor tile cleaning

The next job was to tackle the bathroom floor which was tiled with small Marble mosaic tiles. A long time was spent cleaning and scrubbing the grout of this floor using a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50/50 with NanoTech Ultra-Clean to add tiny abrasive particles making a very effective tile cleaner. Again once the cleaning was finished cleaning the floor was rinsed thoroughly with clean water to remove any cleaning product.

Marble Kitchen floor tile cleaning

The next floor on the list was the kitchen floor, again all Marble tile; on this I used a rotary scrubbing machine fitted with a medium brush head and again a mixture of Pro-Clean and NanoTech UltraClean. The reason I used a brush head instead of a scrubbing pad is because it is a textured marble the brushes will get into the nooks and crannies, the grout was especially stained in this area and this is now much improved.

Marble Cloakroom floor cleaning

The last floor on the list to do was the cloakroom WC which was cleaned using the same method as on the bathroom floor described above using the Pro-Clean, NanoTech, and UltraClean mixture worked in with some elbow grease.

Once everything had been cleaned, and rinsed. I left it all to dry out overnight.

Sealing Marble Tiles

The following day before I sealed I checked everything just in case I had missed anything, but it was all okay. I sealed everything twice using Tile Doctor Colour Grow and checked that the tiles were properly sealed by doing a water test. When sealing you have to make sure that you don’t let the seal puddle so I buff the tiles with terry towelling and on the large areas I also buff the floors with a white buffing pad.

As you can imagine this was a very large job and when everything was eventually finished the lady said she was really happy and couldn’t believe how the tiles had come out, she even had her neighbours round to see how it all turned out and they were all suitably impressed.

Multiple Marble Tile Wall and Floor Tiles cleaned in Woking, Surrey

Marble Wall and Floor Tile Refresh in Woking Read More »

Marble Tiled Hallway Cleaned and Polished in Farnborough

Dorking Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning / TileProf

It’s not our local area but following a recommendation to this client by another customer we were asked to have clean and seal these Marble tiles in the hallway of a house in Farnborough.

Marble Tile Cleaning and Polishing

There was no sealer present on the Marble tiled floor so gave the floor a clean with a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is safe to use on stone floors, Pro-Clean is also very effective on grout so we took the opportunity to get into the grout lines as well. Once we were happy with the tile and grout we removed the soiled cleaning solution using a wet vacuum and washed the floor down with clean water.

The next step was to use a set of diamond encrusted burnishing Pads fitted to a rotary buffing machine to polish the floor. The pads come in a set and are very effective at restoring the shine back on Marble, Limestone and Travertine etc.

Sealing Marble Tiles

Once the floor was polished we applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which provides a high level of surface protection whilst maintaining the natural look of the Marble tiles. Once the sealer had dried we buffed the floor again using a white polishing pad.

I’m, afraid I forgot to take any photographs before we started cleaning so you can see the difference we made to the floor, needless to say however the customer was very happy with the results

Marble Floor Tiles and Grout Refreshed in Farnborough

Marble Tiled Hallway Cleaned and Polished in Farnborough Read More »

Marble Tiled Floor Polish and Grout Refresh near Croydon

Grout Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Merstham Tile Cleaning / TileProf

These photographs were taken at a house in Forestdale near Croydon in Surrey where we were engaged to clean and buff a dull Marble tiled floor; we were also asked to re-colour the grout which had become stained.

Marble Tiled Floor Polishing

We used a set of diamond encrusted Twister Burnishing Pads fitted to a rotary buffing machine to polish the floor. The pads come in a set of four; you start with the Red pad together with plain water and this cuts through and removes surface grime and any surface seal. You then progress through one by one until you get to the final Green polishing pad which provides a high polish.

After this I mixed some Tile Doctor Shine crystallising powder with water, the Shine product provides a very high shine and tough durable finish. I used a White |Buffing pad to work the Shine powder into the tiles. After five minutes the residue was removed using a wet vacuum and I used the opposite side of the white pad and some plain water and carried on for another five minutes. Once complete I vacuumed the remaining water off and then with a clean dry white pad buffed up the floor to leave a deep lasting shine.

Recolouring the Grout

The last step was to refresh the grout using a tube of White Grout Colour applied with a toothbrush and then left for a couple of hours before using a white scrubbing pad and a little water spray to remove excess colourant. When I had finished the owner of the house said the floor looked better than it did when it was first laid.

Marble Floor After Polishing and Grout Refresh

Marble Tile Floor Polish and Grout Refresh in Forestdale, Surrey

Marble Tiled Floor Polish and Grout Refresh near Croydon Read More »

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East Surrey Tile Doctor

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