Tile Doctor Pro-Clean - Professional Tile and Grout Cleaner - 1 litre

Product Information

Once I was satisfied it was dry eight coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go sheen finish sealer were applied. This takes a while to do as each coat needs to dry before applying the next. The sealer will protect the Victorian tiles for dirt and stains, it also enhanced the colours in the tile and will make it easier to keep the floor clean going forward. Clean the floor using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner which ishighly effective against Wax Sealers, Grease, Grime and general dirt build up.

With the floor dry my work was done and you could see it looked so much lighter and cleaner and will now be a simple case of mopping. My client was incredibly happy with the result and relieved the floor looked clean as it should have been following installation and happy that the there would be no need to scrub it vigorously going forward to keep it clean.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. For a low sheen finish on internal floors apply Tile Doctor Seal & Go sealer using a paintpad applicator and tray. 4 to 5 coats of sealant may be required, always allow to dry before applying further coats. If you have applied a burnishing pad system it makes it much easier to keep these tiles clean by using a No. 4 Green burnishing pad on the stone every two to three months depending on wear. This process will improve surface tension (which is not to be confused with the amount of sealer residing in the stone), thereby tightening the pores in the stone to improve the overall appearance and finish of the 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.: On the customers return home they were thrilled to see the new finish was exactly what they wanted and have now set up an annual maintenance plan with me to keep the sealer topped up and floor looking the way they like it.

Tile Doctor Remove and Go is very effective at removing impregnating sealers and can be applied undiluted and used in the same way as Pro-Clean. It's worth noting that Pro-Clean is better with the removal of topical sealers however if you are unable to determine which sealer has been used previously then you may need to utilise both products. Now normally I would clean Encaustic Cement tiles with a set of burnishing pads and then seal with an impregnator like Tile Doctor Colour Grow. However, due to the damage caused by the DIY restoration I didn’t want to risk an abrasive cleaning process such as Burnishing on the tiles. After discussing the options, I recommend the best approach would be to deep clean the tiles with Tile Doctor Pro Clean which I was confident would improve their appearance. I would then seal the tiles to protect them from future damage whilst making the patterns much brighter and defined. We agreed a price and scheduled a date to start the work. Deep Cleaning Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiles I began the restoration by cutting out all the damaged and broken tiles which would need to be replaced, there were approximately 75 tiles that needed removing. After this I hand cut each coloured shaped tile by templating the originals and dry fitted before installing with adhesive. The customer was thrilled with the much-improved appearance of the Marble tiles and is very reassured that they will now stay in great condition for a long time. Another satisfied client! If you have the use of a 150 RPM (or slightly higher) buffing machine restore the honed finish by burnishing the floor using a No.1 Red burishing pad to take off the old sealer and ground in dirt, add water to the area and then go over each tile with the pad 3 or 4 times, then remove the dirty water using a wet vaxand rinse the floor. Next take off the coarse pad and apply a No2 Blue burnishing pad andrepeat the process followed by the No.3 Yellow burnishing pad. Againremove the water with a wet Vax machine and then scrub the grout joints with Pro-Clean diluted 1:5 parts water. Leave to fully dry and then complete by applying a No. 4 Green burnishing pad and polish with a squirt of water. When fully polished protect the floor by applying a sealer as per instructions below.Wipe up residue with a clean, absorbent white cotton towel or sponge. A wet-dry vacuum can be used. I then worked the floor with 200-grit carbide brush fitted to a rotary machine to remove the dirt ingrained in the clay pores of the tile. Some of the grout was loose and dislodged in the process, however my client was expecting this and had already arranged for his tiler to complete a full re-grout once we had finished cleaning. The soiling released by the cleaning process was rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. Sealing a Quarry Tiled Lobby Floor Having discussed choice of sealers with the customer previous we had agreed to seal the floor with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is a great choice for Marble as it contains a colour enhancer that intensifies the lovely natural mineral colours in the stone which otherwise are lost when dry. Two coats were needed, allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second.

To begin the restoration, I mixed a 50:50 solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Tile Doctor Pro Clean. This was applied to the floor and allowed to dwell. Remove and Go functions as a stripper that breaks down the old sealer, while Pro Clean is a versatile, high alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on all types of natural stone flooring. Once the whole floor had been treated, I repeated the process for a second time to ensure all the dirt had been removed. After the second rinse the floor looked much better and was left overnight to dry off. Sealing a Victorian Encaustic Cement Tiled Hallway Floor

Sealing Tumbled Travertine Tiles

Further Reading: For many more examples and photographs of of Travertine cleaning and sealing activities carried out by UK Tile Doctors please visit http://Travertine.tilecleaning.co.uk Recommend Travertine Cleaning Products With the area cleaned up, it was simply a case of applying fresh rapid setting adhesive and fitting the new tile in place. Once the adhesive had set, I grouted using a lime colour Mapei Grout and the job was complete. Most Porcelain tiles are sealed in the factory so it was not necessary to apply one. 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 PLEASE NOTE: Sealers break down after 2-3 years (depending on usage) and will need to be re-applied.

For aftercare cleaning of sealed Victorian tiles, I recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. It’s a mild tile and grout cleaning product that won’t prematurely erode the lift of the sealer, many supermarket brands are simply too strong for use on sealed tiles.

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Lobby Floor

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 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 Once the floor has been cleaned and dried apply Tile Doctor Seal & Go sealer with a paint-pad applicator and tray. terracotta tiles typically require between 6 and 8 coats of sealant, always allow to dry before applying the next coat. Maintenance Cleaning Leave to dry overnight and then finish with a No. 4 Green Burnishing pad until a nice light sheen has been achieved, this will tighten up the pores of the Travertine thus making it easier to seal and maintain. See below for sealing instructions. Sealing Travertine Tiles