Shower Grout Mildew Removal

The toughest household duty is shower grout mildew removal. The black mildew is difficult to prevent and even more difficult to clean. With the right cleansers and some elbow grease, the mildew can be removed. 

Different ways to remove mildew from shower grout use the same basic process; apply the cleansing agent, scrub and rinse.  Some methods use natural household products and others use commercial products. Whichever method is used, a nylon tile and grout brush or similar tool is necessary for scrubbing the grout.

Natural Cleaning Method

To clean tile mildew using natural ingredients baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar can be used. Sprinkle baking soda onto the grout. Pour white vinegar on the baking soda. Let set for 5 minutes. The combination will produce a bubbling and fizzing reaction that will loosen mildew and dirt for easier removal. Scrub the grout with a tile brush to remove the mildew. Note that vinegar should never be used on marble tiles because it will cause damage to the surface. After scrubbing, rinse the area with clean warm water and repeat until the mildew is gone.

Another effective natural cleaning method is to mix baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar together to make a paste. Mix equal parts vinegar and lemon juice then add a little baking soda at a time while stirring until a paste consistency is formed. Using a brush or gloved hand, rub the paste on the tile grout.  et set for 5 minutes, then scrub with the tile brush. The benefit to using paste is it will stay on the grout without dripping. After scrubbing the grout thoroughly rinse with warm water and repeat.

Between heavy cleanings the same natural ingredients can be used in other ways. Half a lemon can be dipped in vinegar, then scrubbed over the tile grout. Vinegar and water can be combined in a spray bottle and applied to the tile grout. For either method apply the cleanser, wipe vigorously with a large damp sponge then rinse.

Commercial Cleaning Products

Commercially available mildew removers are plentiful at grocery, department and hardware stores. Most are antibacterial and require room ventilation during use because of the strong chemical smell. Chemicals often used as ingredients include ammonia, bleach or alcohol.

Commercial cleaning products require the same scrubbing technique as other methods. Generally, the directions on these products advise the user to spray the product on the tile and grout, let set for a specified period of time then scrub and rinse.

Commercial cleaning products that do not have harsh chemicals included are powdered mild detergents. The powdered detergents are labeled for multiple uses including use as a laundry additive, counter top cleaner and general hard surface cleaner. These detergents can be as effective as other methods, but also require a great deal of scrubbing.

Remember mildew stains took months or years to develop and it may take a few hours or days to completely remove. Removing mildew from tile grout can be exhausting, but once removed, regular cleaning every few weeks can prevent the mildew from returning.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Filling holes in Victorian Tile

The pictures below were taken in the entrance hall of a residence in the market town of Thame in Oxfordshire where the Victorian Floor Tiles although in good condition had become dull, you will see there is also a photograph of part of the tiles where holes had been drilled in the floor (don’t ask). Naturally the owner wanted both problems resolving and so called in their local Tile Doctor.

Restoring Victorian Quarry Tiles

The first task was to clean the floor which I used a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell on the tile for around thirty minutes before being scrubbed in. This was a small area so I used a small black scrubbing pad attached to a cordless drill to do this; a stiff scrubbing brush was also run along the grout lines to make sure any staining to the grout was also dealt with. The resulting soiled solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and the tiles rinsed with water. The next step was to remove some stubborn paint marks for which Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up was applied and scrubbed in with a stiff scrubbing brush, you have to be very careful with this product as it is an acid so you can’t leave it on the tile for too long however it does resolve all sorts of tile staining problems. Again this was removed with a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed thoroughly with fresh water to remove any trace of the product.

Sealing Victorian Quarry Tiles

When the floor dried I filled the holes in the Victorian Tile with a quick drying flexible grout which was left to dry and then painted using an acrylic paint to colour the grout the same as the different colours in the tile. On close inspection the hole damage is still visible however they are now a lot less obvious. The next step was to seal the floor using five thin coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go which adds a nice sheen to the floor as we as providing protection and making it easier to clean going forward.





Source: Victorian Tile Problems Resolved in Oxfordshire

How to Do Tile Glazing for the Bathroom

If you are a homeowner who wants to refresh the look of your bathroom, tile glazing may be the answer you are looking for. If you as the homeowner are looking for new and cheerier tones or simply a new tile color, and if mere cleaning fails to brighten things for you, give tile glazing a try. By following the steps below, you may find it to be more do-able that you had thought.


What you'll need
Tile cleaner
Greaser solvent
Silicone digester
Epoxy primer
Acid paste
Masking tape
Urethane-acrylic resin
Urethane coating
Silicone caulk and caulk gun
Gloves
Paintbrushes
Dry, absorbent drying cloth or towel

Step 1 – Pre-Application Cleaning

Use tile cleaner and grease solvent to clean from your tile surfaces any dirt, grime, grease, or other residue that may have collected on your tile. First apply tile cleaner. When finished, wipe the surface dry, then apply the degreaser. Finally, allow the floor to dry again.

Step 2 – Silicone Removal

To remove silicone caulking between tiles and other surfaces such as the bathtub, cabinets, walls, showers, etc., use a silicone digester. You can tell if the caulking is silicone if it feels pliable and rubbery when you press into it with your fingernail. Apply the digester to the silicone. When the silicone has softened and dissolved, remove it with a putty knife or stiff brush. Remove the loosened silicone from the tile with a brush or broom.

Step 3 - Tile Etching

For porcelain tile, etch all surfaces with acid paste. Avoid getting the paste on your hands by wearing gloves. Be sure to carefully cover the entire tile surface with the acid.

Step 4 – Masking

If you plan to use a paint brush to apply primer and glaze, use masking tape to mask all edges such as walls, plumbing, etc., where primer and glaze may inadvertently overlap and color areas you don't want painted. If you plan to use spray primer or spray glaze, use newspapers to increase the area that will be masked.

Step 5 – Applying Epoxy Primer

When your tile surfaces are clean and dry, begin applying epoxy primer. Use either spray primer or a paintbrush. If applying with a sprayer, hold the nozzle 20" to 24" back from the surface you're spraying. Be sure to cover the surface evenly, including hard-to-reach corners. When finished applying check the surface to be sure you have not missed any spots.

Step 6 – Applying Color

After checking your primer and finding that it's dry, you can begin applying resin that adds color. Again, apply with care, so that you get an even distribution of color, including corners. Be careful to avoid spraying the resin on surfaces that aren't masked. Follow manufactures directions for drying time.

Step 7 – Applying the Sealer

Once your resin is completely dry, apply the polyurethane coating (sealer). This will give a shiny, glazed appearance. To avoid spots that might not have this glazed appearance, check all surfaces to be sure they have been covered with the sealer. Allow the sealer to dry, according to product directions.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Deep Cleaning Travertine

I do like a beautiful Travertine Tiled floor however they do need regular maintenance to keep them looking good. This travertine floor installed in the kitchen of a house in Fareham was no different as the tiles were looking dull and the grout was tarnishing.

Cleaning Travertine Kitchen Tiles

To protect the kitchen units from water a protective tape was applied around the base and once done we gave the tiles a quick clean using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean working it in with a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine and then into the grout lines with a stiff hand brush. The dirty solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and we moved onto burnishing the whole tiled floor.


We stated the burnishing process with a red fitted to a rotary machine with a little water. The burnishing pads are encrusted with diamonds and are very good at removing dirt and sealers from hard stone including Travertine and Marble; the surface water and loose dirt was removed used a wet Vacuum. There are four pads in the burnishing system and they are applied to the stone floor in sequence starting with a course pad with a little water and then moving onto the finer polishing pads one after the other until we were left with a high shine finish.

Sealing Travertine Tiled Floor

We left the floor to dry overnight and came back the next day to seal the floor. The floor must be dry before sealing otherwise the results can be unpredictable. Once we were happy the floor was dry we proceeded to seal the Travertine tile using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Ultra-Seal which provides a natural look to the stone as well providing excellent stain protection. Two coats of sealer were sufficient to seal the floor.

 




Source: Expert Travertine floor tile maintenance site

Deep Cleaning Marble

Photographs below of a classic black and white Marble floor tile installation at premises in the city of Winchester. As you can see these Marble tiles had seen some traffic and were not in the best of condition following on from some building work that had been going on; fortunately we are quite used to dealing with these problem and have just the right products and equipment to restore them.

Marble Tile Cleaning and Polishing

For best results on hard stone surfaces such as Marble we burnish the floor using a set of diamond encrusted polishing pads. You start with a coarse pad which applied with a little water to remove surface dirt and sealers etc. before moving through a set of finer polishing pads until you reach a high shine glossy finish. Half way through the burnishing process we stopped to apply a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean along the grout lines and give them a scrub with stiff hand brushes repeating the process in stubborn areas.


After the treatment the floor was washed do to remove any soiled solution before being buffed with a white buffing pad. Any trace of its previous condition was now gone and the floor was uniform in appearance, it took much of the day to do the polishing and a set of four burnishing pads to acquire the right lustre.    






Source: Expert Marble floor tile maintenance site