Restoring Polished Marble Bathroom Tiles Blighted by Limescale

This customer in Baldock, North Hertfordshire has a beautiful Black Marble bathroom floor which unfortunately was far from looking its best due to a build-up Limescale. Normally this can be removed with an acidic cleaning product however Marble like all natural stones is acid sensitive would be damaged in the process.


The only way to remove the Limescale would be to polish it off using a set of diamond pads which would also restore a high shine finish to the Marble floor tiles.

Removing Limescale from Polished Black Marble

The first step before starting the process was to cover the threshold edges, skirting’s and doors with tape to protect it from splashing etc. Next we used a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean which is an alkaline tile and grout cleaner with hand brushes to clean-up the thin gout lines and remove any grit from the floor.

The floor was then rinsed with fresh water to remove the now soiled cleaning product and also steam cleaned to neutralise floor. The water was extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum.

Honing Black Marble to Restore Polish

To bring back the natural shine we honed the floor using a series of diamond-encrusted burnishing pads. Firstly, I applied a Coarse 400 grit pad to strip away what remained of the old sealer and Limescale, rinsing the floor afterwards. I then applied the Medium 800 grit and Fine 1500 grit pad to gradually close the pores of the stone which, in turn, restores the polished effect. Again each pad is used in combination with a small amount of water and any excess moisture is removed with a wet vacuum. The final 3,000 grit pad brings up a really deep shine and is applied with small amounts of water sprayed onto the tile.

Sealing Polished Black Marble Tiles

After drying the floor the Marble tiles were sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is a natural look sealer that doesn’t alter the appearance of the stone and protects it from staining by occupying the pores in the stone.

The last step was to buff the Marble tiles with a white buffing pad.


The floor now looks fantastic and you can really see your reflection in the shine of the black Marble tiles.


Source: Marble Tile Cleaning and Restoration Service in Hertfordshire

Marble Tiled Wet Room in Great Bricett, Suffolk

Details below of a wet room lined with 10m2 of Marble in old cottage on the outskirts of the medieval village of Great Bricett in the heart of Suffolk. You can see from the photographs staining of the Marble Tiled wall and floor which was left in a mess after a friend of the family had tried to remove the limescale during a visit. Cleaning and Sealing Marble Tile The Marble tiles were cleaned and polished using a set of mini Twister burnishing pads. The pads are encrusted in diamonds are Read more...

Polishing Limestone Shower Tiles

This was an unusual problem; a customer contacted us regarding their Marble shower room at a house in Marlborough where the customer had sprayed Viakal Limescale remover onto the Marble tiles to clean them which unfortunately etched the surface. I've downloaded the MSDS sheet from the Inernet for this product and can verify it contains a combination of Etidronic, Formic and Phosphoric acids so not a very safe product to use on Marble or any sealed stone surface. Cleaning Marble Wall Tiles To Read more...

Dealing with Limescale on Slate

Recently we were asked to resolve an unusual problem with Limescale deposits on Black Slate floor tiles installed in a WC at a house in Hove on the East Sussex coast. You can see from the photograph below how Limescale has left an unsightly white haze and water marks on the surface of the slate Read more...

Resolving limescale problems on black slate tiles in Hove

Recently we were asked to resolve an unusual problem with Limescale deposits on Black Slate floor tiles installed in a WC at a house in Hove on the East Sussex coast. You can see from the photograph below how Limescale has left an unsightly white haze and water marks on the surface of the slate tile. Cleaning Limescale from a Slate Tiled Floor The first step was to remove the Limescale and any other sealer products from the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbed Read more...

Repolishing Marble tiles in a Hallway in Marlborough

This was an unusual problem; a customer contacted us regarding their Marble shower room at a house in Marlborough where the customer had sprayed Viakal Limescale remover onto the Marble tiles to clean them which unfortunately etched the surface. I've downloaded the MSDS sheet from the Inernet for this product and can verify it contains a combination of Etidronic, Formic and Phosphoric acids so not a very safe product to use on Marble or any sealed stone surface. Cleaning Marble Wall Tiles To remove the etching the Marble tiles were burnished using a 6inch coarse diamond encrusted burnishing pad fixed to a hand held rotary machine and lubricated with a spray bottle of water to help keep tiles wet. Burnishing pads come in a set of four from Coarse, Medium, Fine and Super Fine so once we had removed the etching using the coarse pad we then applied the next pads in turn which re-polish the area back to its original shine. Between pads we rinsed the tiles down to remove any soiled water away; after the final super fine pad was applied the shower tiles were given a thorough rinse down ready for sealing. Sealing the Marble Wall Tiles The wall was wiped down and left to dry overnight and we returned the next day to seal the Marble tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow Read more...

Removing Limescale From Limestone Tiles

Limescale deposits are a big problem in many parts of the UK where hard water is common. To remove it you need to use a strong acidic cleaner however what to do if you have limescale deposits on Limestone? As many may already know, Limestone is an expensive, high-quality stone that like a lot of Read more...

Removing Limescale staining from a Black Limestone Shower Cubicle in Everdon

Limescale deposits are a big problem in many parts of the UK where hard water is common. To remove it you need to use a strong acidic cleaner however what to do if you have limescale deposits on Limestone? As many may already know, Limestone is an expensive, high-quality stone that like a lot of natural stone is acid sensitive and can be damaged with the application of acid-based products. You can use acids on Limestone however if your careful and I demonstrated this recently at a property Read more...

Restoring Limestone Shower Tiles Stained with Limescale

Limescale deposits are a big problem in many parts of the UK where hard water is common. To remove it you need to use a strong acidic cleaner however what to do if you have limescale deposits on Limestone? As many may already know, Limestone is an expensive, high-quality stone that like a lot of natural stone is acid sensitive and can be damaged with the application of acid-based products. You can use acids on Limestone however if your careful and I demonstrated this recently at a property in this village of Everdon near Daventry in Northamptonshire. My customer had a fantastic black Limestone tiled shower cubicle that had been absolutely ruined by white limescale staining and it had reached the point where the situation simply couldn't be resolved with standard cleaning products.

Cleaning and Burnishing a Stained Black Limestone Shower Cubicle

As the staining was so severe, I opted to use Tile Doctor Acid Gel to clean the tiles. This is a blend of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids in gel form and is the best product for cleaning vertical services, since water based products just run off and don’t have time to work on the staining. Working in small areas, I carefully scrubbed the product into the stone and then rinsed it off with plain water. This process was repeated across the whole cubicle, reducing the stains significantly in the process. Next, I used a handheld polishing machine fitted with 6” diamond encrusted burnishing pads, along with some water for lubrication, to polish and deep clean the stone, removing any stubborn stains remaining on the tiles.

Sealing a Black Limestone Shower Cubicle

I left the cubicle to dry completely overnight. Upon my return the next day, I proceeded to seal the tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This sealer is impregnating, meaning it fils the pores of stone to protect against ingrained dirt and staining. As well as providing stone protection, Colour Grow also enhances the natural colour in the stone - in this case, the deep black shades in the Limestone. Having finished the job, I gave the very happy customer some advice on keeping limescale and other staining at bay in future. I explained that proper maintenance can be conducted by simply rinsing the tiles with clean water after each use of the shower, and by using Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro tile aftercare cleaner at least once a week.


Source: Limestone Cleaning and Maintenance Service in Northamptonshire

Removing Limescale From Ceramic Tiles

The photographs below are taken from a house in the old market town of Basingstoke which is now the largest town in Hampshire. I was asked to address a very severe case of Limescale build-up in a shower cubicle. The wall tiles were Ceramic and a shocking amount of Limescale had deposited itself Read more...

Dealing With Limescale On Marble Bathroom Worktops

This job required the cleaning of Marble Worktops in twelve toilets at a very nice office in the Abingdon Science Park. The building was occupied by a company called Sophos who you may have heard of and over a period of time the Marble had become stained through the build-up of Limescale from the water supply and the cleaning company servicing the office could not clean it off. I've seen a few horror stories of stone surfaces being damaged through the use of acidic Limescale removers so the cleaning company was quite right not to touch it. Polishing Marble Worktops To remove the Limescale it would be necessary to hone the Marble using a set of small six inch burnishing pads fitted to a handheld buffing machine. The process involves starting with the coarse 400grit pad with a little water which cuts through the Limescale and then moving on to the 800, 1500 and finishing with 3000 grit to hone the surface and build the polish backup. The water helps lubricate the activity and the surface needs to be rinsed down between each pad. Sealing Marble Worktops When the surface was dry I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer which impregnates the pores of the stone to protect it, it also enhances the natural colours in the stone. There Read more...

Refurbishing 12 Marble Bathroom Worktops at Abingdon Science Park

This job required the cleaning of Marble Worktops in twelve toilets at a very nice office in the Abingdon Science Park. The building was occupied by a company called Sophos who you may have heard of and over a period of time the Marble had become stained through the build-up of Limescale from the water supply and the cleaning company servicing the office could not clean it off. I've seen a few horror stories of stone surfaces being damaged through the use of acidic Limescale removers so the Read more...

Removing Limescale From Ceramic Tiles

The photographs below are taken from a house in the old market town of Basingstoke which is now the largest town in Hampshire. I was asked to address a very severe case of Limescale build-up in a shower cubicle. The wall tiles were Ceramic and a shocking amount of Limescale had deposited itself Read more...

Limescale Removed From Ceramic Tiles in Basingstoke Shower Cubicle

The photographs below are taken from a house in the old market town of Basingstoke which is now the largest town in Hampshire. I was asked to address a very severe case of Limescale build-up in a shower cubicle. The wall tiles were Ceramic and a shocking amount of Limescale had deposited itself on them and the shower tray over the years; the owners were going to have to replace everything if Tile Doctor could not come to the rescue! The photos below really demonstrate the extent of the Read more...

Restoring Travertine Hallway Tiles

The photographs below are taken from a house in the old market town of Basingstoke which is now the largest town in Hampshire. I was asked to address a very severe case of Limescale build-up in a shower cubicle. The wall tiles were Ceramic and a shocking amount of Limescale had deposited itself on them and the shower tray over the years; the owners were going to have to replace everything if Tile Doctor could not come to the rescue! The photos below really demonstrate the extent of the problem and needless to say the Gauntlet had been laid down and I was ready for a challenge!

Cleaning a Ceramic tiled shower cubicle

My first task was to provide the Ceramic tiled walls with an initial clean. I did this by firstly mixing a diluted solution of the high alkaline cleaner known as Tile Doctor Pro Clean and then applying this on the tiles and leaving it to dwell for a while before scrubbing it in by hand in order to remove any surface dirt and scum. This was then washed off and I set my mind to the main task at hand: the Limescale removal.

Removing Limescale from a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

To remove the Limescale it is necessary to apply an acidic product. However, there is an issue for homeowners that most products readily available on the market come in a liquid form, which of course simply drips down the tile, and therefore does not work to the best of its abilities. Fortunately, Tile Doctor recently launched a new product by the name of Acid Gel. Since it's in a gel form it stays put on the surface and does not evaporate or dry out too quickly. This allows it time to break down the Limescale and other difficult stains. Acid Gel was thus applied to the affected areas and left to dwell for a short while. I then scrubbed it deeply into the tile and grout lines, and follow up with an application of steam to tackle the stubborn areas and help the Acid Gel to tackle the Limescale.


The results were absolutely fantastic, and even the shower tray - which was in a very poor state indeed - came up very clean. Needless to say, my client was very pleased that they now do not have to replace the shower!


Source: Tile, Stone and Grout Cleaning Service in Hampshire

Removing Limescale from a Slate Tiled Floor in Kensington

We were asked to look a bathroom at a flat in Kensington by a property management company; the slate tiled floor was textured with lines and the stone was affected by a number of problems including limescale and grout haze which had been partly sealed in. The owner was at the property when I arrived and I was able to demonstrate how it was possible to remove the limescale and grout haze using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which is an acid based product and so was given instructions to complete Read more...

Dealing with Limescale on Slate

Recently we were asked to resolve an unusual problem with Limescale deposits on Black Slate floor tiles installed in a WC at a house in Hove on the East Sussex coast. You can see from the photograph below how Limescale has left an unsightly white haze and water marks on the surface of the slate Read more...

Resolving limescale problems on black slate tiles in Hove

Recently we were asked to resolve an unusual problem with Limescale deposits on Black Slate floor tiles installed in a WC at a house in Hove on the East Sussex coast. You can see from the photograph below how Limescale has left an unsightly white haze and water marks on the surface of the slate tile. Cleaning Limescale from a Slate Tiled Floor The first step was to remove the Limescale and any other sealer products from the floor using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbed Read more...

Marble Shower Tiles Damaged by Viakal Limescale remover

This was an unusual problem; a customer contacted us regarding their Marble shower room at a house in Marlborough where the customer had sprayed Viakal Limescale remover onto the Marble tiles to clean them which unfortunately etched the surface. I've downloaded the MSDS sheet from the Inernet for this product and can verify it contains a combination of Etidronic, Formic and Phosphoric acids so not a very safe product to use on Marble or any sealed stone surface. Cleaning Marble Wall Tiles To Read more...

Removing Limescale from Porcelain Swimming Pool tiles in Oxshott

The owner of this swimming pool at a large residence in the suburban village of Oxshott had put the property on the market and naturally wanted the pool area to look its best. The pool was surrounded by Porcelain tiles which are very resilient and generally a good choice for a swimming pool surround, additionally the slate effect tiles in this post had a riven surface which would make them less slippery than the highly polished variety. The chemicals used in swimming pools however are quite Read more...