Achieving a High Shine on a Travertine Tiled Floor

This customer from Swansea was unhappy with the look of her Travertine floor tiles and so decided to call in tile doctor after she had seen pictures of other travertine floor tiles on one of our websites and wanted hers to look the same. The natural brown shades of her own Travertine tiles had become very dark and were looking dull and lifeless in comparison. It was clear to me that the Sealer was wearing thin with use and dirt had now penetrated the pores of the stone making it difficult to clean effectively. This is a common problem with stone floors and this is why Tile Doctor offer a maintenance service where we pop round once a year to top-up the sealer on your floor.

Stripping and Re-Polishing Travertine

To restore the polished appearance of the floor the stone would need to be stripped of any remaining sealer and dirt, re-polished and then sealed; we find the best way to achieve that is through the application of a set of Diamond encrusted burnishing pads. I started the burnishing process by fitting a coarse 400 grit no.1 burnishing pad to a floor buffer and running at a slow speed ran the pad across the whole floor. This coarse pad is designed to strip off old sealers and dirt from the tile. You use a little water to help lubricate and once complete it’s necessary to rinse the area with water to remove the soil that is generated. The next step is to start building back the polish with the 800 and then 1500 grit pads which are applied in the same manner. The floor was then rinsed again with water and I turned my attention to the grout which was scrubbed by hand using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a stiff brush. The floor was given another rinse and then inspected to ensure I hadn’t missed anything. Before leaving for the day I used the wet vacuum to extract as much moisture from the floor as possible.

Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles

On the second day I finished the banishing process with the application of the final of the four pads which is a very fine 3000 grit pad which adds a final polish to the surface leaving it looking shiny. This last pad is applied with a small amount of water spayed onto the tile in a process we call a spray burnish. The use of water is so small the floor remains dry enabling us to apply a sealer shortly afterwards. There are some beautiful brown shades in Travertine and so to really make them standout I sealed the floor using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within. The sealer will also make ongoing cleaning and maintenance easier for the customer.


The customer was very pleased with the result and commented on how clean and deep the shine had come out using the Diamond pad system.


Before leaving I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap as an aftercare cleaner, this produce is specially designed for cleaning polished stone, not only does it helps build patina, but it won’t prematurely erode the sealer like many acidic cleaners you find in the supermarket which should really only be used on ceramics and Vinyl tiles.


Source: Travertine Cleaning and Polishing Service in Swansea

How to Connect Wood Floor Joists to Cinder Block Walls

Wood floor joists can be connected to cinder block walls. You will find that you will simply need to know the tricks and the hints that will help get the job done. This may be something that you need to do because you are finishing your basement or redoing an addition that has cinder block walls. Whatever the case may be, this is not a task that is impossible, but it will need the right tools.

What You'll Need:

Masonry Nails
Masonry Screws (Tapcon or Blue Screw)
Hammer Drill
Safety Glasses

Step 1 – Options

There are a few different options that you will have when it comes to connecting wood floor joists to concrete walls. You will find that usually the least expensive way to do it is by purchasing masonry nails. They work great with connecting the concrete and the wood together. You may also want to try masonry screws. Usually, masonry screws are called blue screws or tapcons at hardware stores. When you choose a masonry screw, you will simply need to make sure that you have a screw that will have the ability to go all the way through a concrete wall. Usually, screws that are 1 3/4 inch or 1 inch will suffice.

Step 2 – Masonry Nail

If you have taken the masonry nail route you will need to make sure that you have the nail driven in between the blocks of the mortar. The most common mistake people will make is screwing the masonry nails into the actual blocks themselves. When you drive the nail into the concrete block you can expect the nails to hold a lot better and the blocks will not be running the risk of breaking.

Step 3 – Masonry Screws

Whenever you are using masonry screws, you will need to begin by pre-drilling the holes that the screws will go in. The diameter of the holes should be anywhere from 1/16 inch to 1/32 inch. When you are pre-drilling the holes, you will need to do it into the concrete block wall that the wood will be attached to. Whenever you are using the hammer drill you should go slowly and have patience. You will need to apply pressure since you are drilling a concrete block, but make sure that you are not doing all of the work. Simply apply enough pressure so that you are backing up the drill as it does its job.

Step 4 – Safety

It is always important to remember safety whenever you are working on this type of project. Safety glasses are a necessity. You will especially want to use safety glasses whenever you are pre drilling the holes for the masonry screws. Failure to take the necessary safety precautions could result in serious injury. You should also keep in mind that masonry screws and nails should be the only thing that you attempt to use for this task.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Getting the Best From Multi-Coloured Slate in Yorkshire

The owner of this house in Silkstone, which is a village situated in the foothills of the Pennines a few miles West of Barnsley, had inherited this Kitchen Slate floor from the previous owner of the house and in the years, they'd lived at the house they hadn't done anything with the floor. Slate tiles are beautiful but like any natural stone you really need to maintain the sealer if you want them to stay that way, once the sealer wears off dirt can penetrate the pores of the stone resulting in a floor that always looks dull and dirty.


In this case of this Slate floor the sealer had worn off many years prior and a thick layer of grime had built up on top of what was once an amazing looking floor. Stone floors never come with a care guide and the process of degradation happens so slowly, so you can understand how this could happen over time.

Cleaning Dirty Slate Kitchen Tiles

Before starting I protected the wooden kitchen units from splashing using plastic sheeting. Next step was to soak the tiles in a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Pro-Clean combined into a strong cleaning and stripping cocktail. The solution was left to dwell for ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine running at slow speed to break through the grime and the sealers and oils that the previous owner had used on the slate. The pad is good at scrubbing the tiles but struggles to get into the grout so after the tiles were scrubbed I followed by running a stiff brush along the grout lines to give them a thorough clean. The soiled cleaning solution was rinsed off the tiles with water and then extracted off the floor using a wet vacuum. With the floor clear it was inspected, and problem areas re-treated using the same process. Once I was satisfied that the Slate and the Grout was clean and clear of old sealers I gave the whole floor a final rinse to remove any trace of cleaning products and then dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum. The floor was then left to dry out fully overnight.

Sealing Kitchen Slate Tiles

Returning to the property the next day, I ran some quick damp tests to check for any excess moisture that might have prevented me from sealing the floor. We will always do this as excess moisture can affect the sealer curing. Our client had previously decided that they liked the look of our High Shine Sealer due to how it brings the stunning colours of the Slate out. High Shine Sealer is a specially formulated water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable high-sheen finish. Four coats of sealer were applied and when the customer arrived home later that day they were totally blown away by the floor and how amazing it looked.




Source: Slate Tile Cleaning and Restoration Service in Yorkshire

What Causes Uneven Floors?

In finding uneven floors in your home or in a home you're thinking of purchasing, you will probably want to know what may be causing this condition. With this information you can better determine whether to expect more sagging and whether it might be possible to prevent it from worsening. Review the information below to help you determine what might be causing your uneven floors.

Foundation

Check the degree of sagging by examining your floor. A floor that slopes from one side all the way to the other side indicates that a sagging foundation may have caused the sagging. To level your floor, in this case, you will need the help of a contractor.

Sub-Flooring

A floor that is uneven in spots but does not have an even slope across the entire floor, is likely to be caused by bulging or loose plywood that has been used for your sub-flooring. You may need to rip up and replace existing plywood, or simply tack the existing plywood down more securely.

Joists

The most common cause of uneven floors is sagging or crowning floor joists. To remedy this problems you can either use a self-leveling product, or use shims between the joists and your plywood sub-flooring.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Renovating Dull Encaustic Hallway Tiles in Hertfordshire

I had an enquiry from a client in the London commuter town of Berkhamsted who had a beautiful Encaustic tiled floor in their hallway which was in need of cleaning. Encaustic tiles are made from layers of cement that are hydraulically compressed to make a very hardwearing surface that can then be decorated. The result is an easy to clean hardwearing surface that is ideal for high traffic areas such as hallways.


Encaustic tiles however are micro-porous so do need to be sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the tiny holes. The tiles at this property in Berkhamsted had been sealed at some point in the past but over the years the sealer had worn down lettering dirt enter the pores making it difficult to clean effectively. The floor now required a deep clean and seal to bring back the life into this artistic floor pattern.

Encaustic Tiled Floor Cleaning

We first removed what was left of the old sealer and ground in dirt using a coarse 400 grit Red burnishing pad attached to a rotary floor buffer. The burnishing pads we use are encrusted with industrial diamond and are applied using water for lubrication, once the pad has been run over all the tiles the floor is rinsed with more water which is then extracted with a wet vacuum to remove the slurry that is generated. The coarse pad was the followed by a medium 800 grit burnishing pad which is the first step in restoring the appearance of the tiles and is applied and rinsed off using the same process as the 400 grit. The 800 grit pads is followed by the 1500 grit pad which is the second step In restoring the appearance of the tile. Again, the pad is applied with water to lubricate and the floor given a good rinse afterwards. The next step was to get the grout clean which was done by applying Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left for ten minutes before being scrubbed in by hand with a narrow stiff brush. The floor was then given yet another rinse and then dried with the wet vacuum to remove the dirt that was generated from the grout. The last step in the cleaning process was to run over the floor with a very fine 3000 grit pad, this last pad is the final step in restoring the appearance of the tile and is applied dry with only a little water that is sprayed on using a technique we like to call spray burnishing.

Encaustic Tiled Floor Sealing

Once the floor was dry it was sealed using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that seeps into the pores of the tile protecting it from within. This sealer has the added advantage of enhancing the existing colours in the tile improving its overall appearance. The overall process worked incredibly well and made a huge difference to the floor as you can see in the final photograph.


To keep Encaustic floor tiles in first class condition I recommend the use of the Tile Doctor Neutral Tile cleaner which being pH neutral does not reduce the life of the sealer and is ideal for the cleaning of all types of sealed floors. The product comes in a concentrated form, so I recommend it’s used in a mild 1-30 dilution spray applied and wiped over with a microfibre flat mop, then buffed dry.


Source: Encaustic Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in Hertfordshire

Covering over Linoleum Tile

It is possible to cover your linoleum tile without removing the old linoleum. Depending on what you plan to lay over the old linoleum you may or may not need to put down what is called an “underlayment” over the old linoleum. Not only is it possible to cover linoleum tile without removing the old tile, it's often preferable, particularly in older homes where the linoleum may contain asbestos.

Understanding Underlayment

Underlayment is not a subfloor, although some do-it-yourselfer's often mistake it for that. It can be anything from particle board, hardboard, OSB (Oriented Strand Board), or plywood. Underlayment is the level in-between the sub-floor, which is the structural level of the floor, and the actual flooring material, which may be carpet, tile or wood. It's important to select the correct type of underlayment for the type of flooring you plan to install. Different floorings, such as tile and wood, need a different underlayment than carpet or linoleum.

Things to Consider when Covering over Linoleum Tile

Although underlayment is thin, by the time you add your new linoleum, tile or wood floor you may actually raise the level of your floor as much as 3/4 inch to 1 inch. This won't matter unless you have kitchen appliances, storage bins or other items that may be affected by raising the floor level.

• If you have a linoleum floor installed before 1978 you will be encapsulating what is most likely linoleum with asbestos in it. This is a good thing.
• Using underlayment will make your new linoleum floor smoother than simply laying new linoleum over the old.
• It is less expensive to lay a new floor over existing linoleum rather than to remove it.
• It is possible to lay carpet, wood, ceramic or stone tile, rubber or paint over an existing linoleum floor.

What You Can Lay over Existing Linoleum

• Carpet - Carpet and carpet pads can be laid over existing linoleum by doing nothing more than cleaning the linoleum before installing the pad and carpet.
• Wood Floors - Wood flooring is nailed directly into the sub-floor or linoleum so no removal is necessary. Simply clean and install the padding if installing a floating floor, or just nail the flooring directly into the linoleum.
• Linoleum - If you plan to install another linoleum floor over the existing floor, it's better to install an underlayment in order to keep “ghosting” of the old linoleum bumps, nicks and edges from imprinting on the new linoleum.
• Tile - If laying ceramic tile, slate or stone you'll need to clean, then sand or scratch up the old linoleum to provide a surface the mortar for the tile will adhere to. Not only that, the floor must be perfectly level or the tile will crack when it is walked on. To ensure a level floor put down underlayment when laying a tile floor over linoleum.
• Paint - If painting linoleum tile to cover it up you will need to clean it, sand it and prime it before applying an oil-based primer and exterior floor and porch paint.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Repairing Victorian Hallway Tiles in Worcestershire

The young couple who owned this house was in Kidderminster were expecting their first baby and wanted the original hallway floor repaired and restored in keeping with the Victorian house. Before contacting us, they had spoken with a builder who had said it was beyond repair and recommended ripping it up and laying a new floor. They were aware of the value that original features like floors can add to a property so undeterred they kept looking for a solution and found Tile Doctor.


I am the local agent for Tile Doctor in Worcestershire and specialise in the restoration of old tiled floors so after popping round to take a look I was able to confirm that their builder was wrong and there was no reason why the floor couldn’t be restored. Relieved the floor could be restored they happily asked me to do the work and we arranged a date, it also turned out that he was also a fellow Mod and scooter rider, so we had plenty to talk about.

Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned to the property a few weeks later with my tiler and we began the work of carefully inspecting the floor to identify, remove and refit loose tiles. This was followed by repairs to the screed base and then cutting new matching tiles to replace those that were missing. Having worked on old Victorian and Edwardian tiles for some years now I have built up a collection of re-claimed tiles and often scan eBay for them as I know they will come in handy at some point in the future. The repair process took three days to complete as naturally each tile needs to set in place and can only be grouted in once the adhesive has gone off. It’s also delicate work as anything out of place in the pattern of the floor would be conspicuous obvious.

Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

On the fourth day the tiling work was complete, and I set about giving the floor a thorough clean starting with the application of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to remove any remnants of sealer, paint splashes from decorating and other marks. The solution was left to soak into the tile and grout for ten minutes before being worked in with a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer running on slow speed. The soiled cleaning solution was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum, any stubborn areas were then spot treated until I was happy the floor was clear. Using the same process, the floor was then treated to an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This served two purposes, first and acid wash will remove any fine grout smears and second the acid will neutralise any efflorescent salts that had built up in the tiles and could cause issue later. This is a common problem with old floors as they don’t have the protection of a damp proof membrane. The floor was then carefully rinsed down with water applied using micro fibre cloths, so it wouldn't get too damp and then left overnight to dry off fully assisted with a couple of air movers I had left in place.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned the next day to seal the tiles checking first that the floor was dry by taking a few moisture readings with a damp tester. The air movers had done the job and I was able to crack on applying numerous coats of sealer which will protect the tile going forward and also enhance its appearance. My choice of sealer was Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra which is a fully breathable sealer that can cope with moisture rising through the tiles, it also adds a nice sheen to the tile and works extremely well on clay-based tiles such as these. Over the course of the five days the floor was transformed, and my customer was over the moon and I was happy to have saved yet another floor.




Source: Victorian Tile Cleaning and Restoration Service in Worcestershire