Yorkshire Expert Explains how to Renovate Chinese Slate Kitchen Tiles

The pictures above are of a 12 metre squared Chinese slate floor in the kitchen of a property in Harrogate which had been laid ten years prior. You can see from the photographs that the grout had darkened and the slate itself had lost a lot of its character and colour.

 

Sealers typically last between three to five years so by now there was little protection left and so dirt had become trapped in the pores of the stone and grout making it difficult to keep clean. It was now overdue a deep clean and the application of a fresh seal.

I went over to survey the floor and provide a quote for stripping off what was left of the original sealer, cleaning the floor, and then resealing. I had been recommended by a previous customer so happy with my track record and the price I quoted, they asked me to do the work. They had received a quote from another firm which as it turned out was a lot more expensive than mine.

 

Cleaning a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

Given there was little sealer left to remove I decided to start by scrubbing the floor with a strong concentration of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak into the slate for ten minutes. Then I worked the solution in with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Pro-Clean is a very versatile product that will strip the sealer off a floor when used in a strong dilution with water, it will also remove deep seated dirt too.

 

Due to the riven nature of the tiles however I found the black pad was struggling to reach into the crevices of the tile so to achieve the desired result I resorted to scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush. Its important that the floor is as clean as it possibly can be before sealing otherwise you simply lock the dirt in and it will never look clean.

Sealing a Chinese Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the next day to apply the new sealer. First, I checked to ensure that the floor was fully dry using a damp meter. The sealer would not cure properly if the floor damp and this can detract from the finished appearance.

I was happy with the readings, so I started to apply the first coat of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which I felt was the best product sealing Slate. The stone needed four coats; each one being left to dry before applying the next. Seal and Go is a stain resistant sealer which results in a low sheen silky appearance, it is good on surfaces such as the Chinese Slate which tend to be more porous and being water based it does not leave a smell as it dries.

 

The client was very happy with the result and mentioned to me that it had never looked that good even when new.

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which will keep the floor in the best condition. This is a pH neutral cleaner which can be used daily and won’t compromise the newly laid sealer like many of the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Source: Chinese Slate Floor Cleaning and Renovation Service in Yorkshire

How to Renovate Old Flagstone Flooring

I was contacted by the owner of this property in Leeds about renovating their old Flagstone floor. The couple who owned the house both worked long hours so after discussing the floor at length over the phone and after reviewing several photographs they emailed me to ask me to go ahead and start work. I normally prefer to do a site visit beforehand so I can provide an accurate quote, clearly however this wasn’t going to possible in this case.

The owner had arranged for his father in law to let me into the property so I could start work. I was aware from the phone calls we had that there was an issue with the pointing, and I was prepared for this, but it was worse than I had anticipated with most of the grout missing or loose. Interestingly the stone was quite yellow and so probably came from the Salts Mill area near Leeds. Sir Titus Salt was a 19th century industrialist and philanthropist built a large textile mill out of the stone. The mill is now a centre for art, dining and shopping and well worth a visit if your passing.

Cleaning and restoring a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

I decided to deal with the floor cleaning first and began by scrubbing the flagstones with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean using a rotary floor machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The soil was then extracted using a wet vacuum and flagstones re-inspected. The remaining stubborn stains were spot treated using a repeat of the previous process until I was happy they were as clean as they could be. As the floor dried I took out all the loose pointing and re grouted the whole floor with a mid grey grout which matched the old flagstones quite well. The floor was now looking vastly improved. The floor was then left to dry fully overnight to ensure the seal could be applied.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the following morning and tested the floor with the moisture meter, I was satisfied the floor was within the accepted parameters and we could now apply the sealant. I selected to use a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next one. This product enhances the colour but leaves a matt finish. It will form a durable protective seal to the floor which will ensure the floor is easier to maintain.

I heard from the later that they were over the moon with the result and as part of the conversation we discussed the best way to maintain the floor going forward. Basically, this involves being careful with what you use to clean it as strong products can weaker the sealer. I recommend they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is pH neural and designed for the regular cleaning of sealed tiles.


Source: Flagstone Floor Cleaning, Sealing and Renovation Service in North Yorkshire

Cleaning and Polishing Classic Limestone Flagstones

These rather dirty but beautiful classic Minster Limestone flagstones had been installed in the Kitchen of a house in the village of Austwick. They were now overdue for a deep clean and polish and so we were asked to do to the work. Stripping and Polishing Limestone Floor Tiles To restore the Read more...

Old Yorkstone Tiled Floor Transformed at the Salts Mill

For this job, I had the pleasure of visiting the historic Salts Mill, a former textile mill turned art gallery, shopping centre, and restaurant complex near Bingley, West Yorkshire. It was built in 1853 by the famous manufacturer and philanthropist, Sir Titus Salt, and was at one point the largest industrial building in the world by total floor area. As you can imagine, a lot of the rooms at Salts Mill are over a century and a half old. Most of them also contained stone flooring made from Read more...

Restoring the Colour and Appearance of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Hebden

The colourful and diverse geometric patterns of a Victorian tiled floor can give a property a regal, elegant and timeless feel, making it a popular choice even in the 21st century. However, as time passes without regular care and maintenance, Victorian tiles can quickly lose their colour and appear deadened by the buildup of dirt and dust over several months (and sometimes years). This property owner in Hebden a very small village in North Yorkshire of less than 300 people, had this common Read more...

Resolving Limestone Installation Problems

Details below of a recently laid Ca Pietra Hazlebury Tumbled Limestone tiled floor that retails at 180m2 and should have been stunning however the fitter had ruined it and left it covered in grout haze. The owner of the house in Shipley was unable to get the problem resolved and asked us to take Read more...

Maintaing Yorkshire Stone Kitchen Flagstones

The photographs below are of an 18m2 Yorkshire Stone floor in the kitchen of a barn conversion in the village of Hebden Bridge. The flagstones which appeared to be various shades of dark grey had lost any colour and vitality they once had, in fact they only seemed to come alive when wet and once dry the natural features and colours of the Yorkshire stone faded away. This was caused by the sealer being worn away allowing dirt to become ingrained in the stone making it difficult to properly Read more...

Repairing Victorian Hallway Tiles in North Yorkshire

The colourful and diverse geometric patterns of a Victorian tiled floor can give a property a regal, elegant and timeless feel, making it a popular choice even in the 21st century. However, as time passes without regular care and maintenance, Victorian tiles can quickly lose their colour and Read more...

Maintaining White Limestone Floor Tiles

Knaresborough is a historic town in North Yorkshire, popular amongst holiday goers for its numerous attractions. I travelled to the area not to visit the attractions, however, but to visit a customer, whose fantastic white Limestone tiled floor was in need of a deep clean. Limestone is a porous Read more...

Shine Restored on Dull Limestone Floor Tiles in Harrogate

I was recently at a property in the North Yorkshire town of Harrogate, undertaking what I initially thought would be the cleaning and polishing of a Cream Limestone tiled kitchen. However, as I began the cleaning process I quickly discovered that under the dirty grout lines someone had taken a Read more...

Restoring the Appearance of Old Yorkshire Flagstones

This Yorkshire flagstone floor was about 20m2 in size and was well overdue a deep clean, additionally a lot of the pointing was loose or missing which would need to be resolved. The location of this job was at a house in Haworth village which is situated at the edge of the Pennine moors in West Yorkshire, the area is known as Bronte country after the famous Bronte sisters who lived here in the local parsonage in the 19th century. Cleaning Yorkshire Stone To deep clean the floor the sandstone Read more...

Restoring Yorkstone Flagstones From the Industrial Age

For this job, I had the pleasure of visiting the historic Salts Mill, a former textile mill turned art gallery, shopping centre, and restaurant complex near Bingley, West Yorkshire. It was built in 1853 by the famous manufacturer and philanthropist, Sir Titus Salt, and was at one point the largest industrial building in the world by total floor area. As you can imagine, a lot of the rooms at Salts Mill are over a century and a half old. Most of them also contained stone flooring made from Read more...

Maintaining Spanish Terracotta Tiles in Yorkshire

Terracotta is an interesting type of stone manufactured using a variety of techniques dependant on the country of origin which leads to a number of differences such as Spanish Terracotta being less porous than its Mexican counterpart: the former is semi-hand made and finished in a factory kiln, Read more...

Burnishing and Sealing Works Wonders for Limestone Tiles in Harrogate

I was recently at a property in the North Yorkshire town of Harrogate, undertaking what I initially thought would be the cleaning and polishing of a Cream Limestone tiled kitchen. However, as I began the cleaning process I quickly discovered that under the dirty grout lines someone had taken a lot of effort to paint with a small brush directly onto the grout using varnish! Removing Varnish from Grout In a normal situation, I would have covered the whole floor with Tile Doctor Remove & Go to Read more...

Putting New Life Into Industrial Yorkstone Flagstones

For this job, I had the pleasure of visiting the historic Salts Mill, a former textile mill turned art gallery, shopping centre, and restaurant complex near Bingley, West Yorkshire. It was built in 1853 by the famous manufacturer and philanthropist, Sir Titus Salt, and was at one point the largest industrial building in the world by total floor area.

As you can imagine, a lot of the rooms at Salts Mill are over a century and a half old. Most of them also contained stone flooring made from Yorkstone - a type of Sandstone unique to Yorkshire, and easily distinguishable due to its rich, natural yellow colouring. Unfortunately, one such floor in the Salts Mill was in quite a bad state. It has completely lost its vibrance - appearing more grey than yellow - and was evidentially in need of a very deep clean and fresh seal.

Cleaning an Old Yorkstone Floor

I started the Yorkstone tile restoration by soaking the floor in a strong dilution of our reliable alkaline-based tile cleaner, Tile Doctor Pro Clean, and scrubbing it in using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. This quickly removed the initial layers of muck and, in the process, revealed oil-based paint and glue stains all over the floor.


To break down the oil and paint I applied Tile Doctor Remove & Go, which is our heavy duty stripper, remover and degreaser. This quickly ate through the paint and glue, and I followed by giving the floor another thorough clean with Pro Clean. Finally, I rinsed the floor with clean water before leaving it to dry for a full two days due to the amount of chemical cleaning product and water applied.

Sealing an Old Yorkstone Floor

Upon my return to the Salts Mill two days later, I ran some quick damp tests to check for any excess moisture which could've prevented me from sealing the floor. Thankfully, the floor was dry and ready to be sealed, but it is always recommended, especially with older floors, to be aware of damp issues as these can be very troublesome.


My choice of sealer was Tile Doctor Seal and Go, a topical sealer which provides a robust, stain resistant seal and a durable low sheen finish all in one product. Multiple coats of Seal and Go were applied, bringing the life and character back to these classic tiles.




Source: Cleaning and Restoring Yorkstone Flagstone Service in North West Yorkshire

Maintaining Spanish Terracotta Tiles in Yorkshire

Terracotta is an interesting type of stone manufactured using a variety of techniques dependant on the country of origin which leads to a number of differences such as Spanish Terracotta being less porous than its Mexican counterpart: the former is semi-hand made and finished in a factory kiln, Read more...

Spanish Terracotta Tiles Refreshed in Halifax

Terracotta is an interesting type of stone manufactured using a variety of techniques dependant on the country of origin which leads to a number of differences such as Spanish Terracotta being less porous than its Mexican counterpart: the former is semi-hand made and finished in a factory kiln, while the latter is completely handmade. Spanish Terracotta is therefore a lot less than porous and ultimately, of a higher quality. But despite the Spanish Terracotta being less porous, and Read more...

Restoring the Appearance of Old Yorkshire Flagstones

This Yorkshire flagstone floor was about 20m2 in size and was well overdue a deep clean, additionally a lot of the pointing was loose or missing which would need to be resolved. The location of this job was at a house in Haworth village which is situated at the edge of the Pennine moors in West Yorkshire, the area is known as Bronte country after the famous Bronte sisters who lived here in the local parsonage in the 19th century. Cleaning Yorkshire Stone To deep clean the floor the sandstone Read more...

Old Yorkshire Flagstones Revitalised in Haworth Village

This Yorkshire flagstone floor was about 20m2 in size and was well overdue a deep clean, additionally a lot of the pointing was loose or missing which would need to be resolved. The location of this job was at a house in Haworth village which is situated at the edge of the Pennine moors in West Yorkshire, the area is known as Bronte country after the famous Bronte sisters who lived here in the local parsonage in the 19th century. Cleaning Yorkshire Stone To deep clean the floor the sandstone Read more...

Dirty White Limestone Tiles Restored Through Burnishing in Knaresborough

Knaresborough is a historic town in North Yorkshire, popular amongst holiday goers for its numerous attractions. I travelled to the area not to visit the attractions, however, but to visit a customer, whose fantastic white Limestone tiled floor was in need of a deep clean. Limestone is a porous material, meaning that without a sealer dirt can become easily trapped in the pores of the stone, as well as the grout. With this Limestone being naturally white, the dirt was particularly visible, Read more...