Bournemouth Tile Cleaning Archives

Etched Encaustic Tile Renovation Bournemouth Hotel

Renovating an Etched Encaustic Tiled Terrace at a Bournemouth Hotel

This summer we were asked to visit a luxury hotel and spa in Bournemouth where the cleaning team had used a strong acidic patio cleaner to clean encaustic floor tiles installed on a rear terrace. The acid unfortunately did more than clean the tiles, it also removed any protective sealer and etched the surface leaving the vulnerable to dirt. Realising the tiles were now in a worse state and now proving impossible to keep clean we were asked to call in and recommend a solution.

Etched Encaustic Tiles Before Renovation Bournemouth Hotel

I visited the hotel to survey the floor and could see they were becoming heavily soiled. The rough etched surface was attracting dirt and without a sealer it was getting into the pores of the tile. The tiles would need deep cleaning to flush the dirt out of the tiles; they would then need burnishing with diamond pads to remove the etching and then finally sealing to protect them going forward.

A detailed quote was emailed over to the facilities team who were happy to proceed and a date was scheduled.

Deep Cleaning Encaustic Floor Tiles

Work started with an application of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak in. After ten minutes the floor was burnished with the first burnishing pad which is a coarse 400-grit. The pads contain industrial diamonds and are fitted to a weighted rotary buffer which is run over each tile at least three times to remove the etching. More water is applied as required to keep the surface wet and lubricated.

Etched Encaustic Tiles During Renovation Bournemouth Hotel

Rinsing and extracting with the wet vacuum after each pad I moved through the series of pads onto the 800 and 1500-grit pads again using more water as required. We stopped at the 1500-grit pad as the finish matched the shine of the rest of the patio that hadn’t been affected.

The grout was also cleaned with more Pro-Clean and a stiff brush and after a final rinse the floor was left to dry out.

Sealing an Encaustic Tiled Terrace Floor

The following day I returned to seal the tiles first checking the floor had completely dried out. To do this I take several moisture readings using a damp meter. The readings were fine so I was satisfied the tiles were ready to accept a sealer.

To seal the Encaustic tiles three coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal, which rated for external use, were applied; additionally, the X-Tra seal which is oil based was mixed with Colour Grow to make it more workable. This durable combination improves colour and was ideal for high traffic hotel terrace like this. The last step was to give the tiles a final buff with a white pad to remove excess sealer and bring up the polished appearance.

Etched Encaustic Tiles After Renovation Bournemouth Hotel

The result was transformational and the attractive encaustic tiled terrace is now back in full-time use.

Professional Restoration of Encaustic Floor Tiles in Dorset

Renovating an Etched Encaustic Tiled Terrace at a Bournemouth Hotel Read More »

Terrazzo Porch Floor Restoration Bournemouth

Restoring a Cracked Terrazzo Porch Floor in Bournemouth

1 Comment / Bournemouth Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning / Steve Berryman

The pictures below are of a weathered Terrazzo floor laid in the open porch of a house in Bournemouth. Being exposed to the elements the Terrazzo was dull with ingrained dirt and unfortunately a few cracks had developed.

Terrazzo Porch Floor Before Restoration

Unhappy with its appearance the owner felt it was time for a refresh and contacted Tile Doctor to see what could be done. We discussed the project over the phone and shared a few images over email. Restoring the appearance of the Terrazzo wouldn’t be an issue however I was concerned about the cracks so I arranged a time to visit the property so I could understand the extent of the issues in detail.

Terrazzo Porch Floor Before Restoration

Whilst at the property I was able to confirm that the cracks were not that deep and came up with a restoration plan that would completely renovate the patio. I was able to use this to create an accurate quote for the work which was accepted and a date set on the proviso off good weather.

Cleaning a Terrazzo Tiled Porch Floor

Thankfully the weather was good and I was able to move straight onto burnishing the Terrazzo with a set of 17-inch diamond burnishing pads worked in with water. The first pad in the sequence is a coarse 400-grit which grinds off the dirt and is the first step in refining the appearance of the stone and aggregate. The process generates a fair amount of slurry in the process which is then rinsed away with more water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The fine cracks in the Terrazzo were then filled using a flexible grout in a similar colour to the Terrazzo. Once that had dried the burnishing process was repeated using a medium 800-grit and then fine 1500-grit burnishing pad, rinsing and extracted after each pad. The last pad in the sequence is a super fine 3500-grit pad that is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the surface.

Sealing a Terrazzo Porch Floor

First, I checked the floor had dried out with a moisture meter, it was within the acceptable levels, so had the green light to processed and seal the Terrazzo. For this a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal were applied which is an impregnating natural look sealer that provides durable protection to the surface as well as allowing the floor to breath.

Terrazzo Porch Floor After Restoration Bournemouth

Once I had finished it looked like a new installation and my client was very pleased with the result. Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare and the importance of protecting the sealer from strong cleaning products that could damage it. For sealed and polished stone, I recommend using Tile Doctor Stone Soap, it’s a mild yet effective cleaning product that will help maintain the patina.

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Porch in Dorset

Restoring a Cracked Terrazzo Porch Floor in Bournemouth Read More »

Commercial Travertine Tiled Floor Before and After Polishing Bournemouth

Polishing a Travertine Floor for a Bournemouth Building Society

1 Comment / Bournemouth Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / Steve Berryman

This is a great example of a commercial floor we were asked to maintain recently for the Bournemouth branch of the Nationwide Building Society. Bournemouth is a busy seaside town with a lovely beach and some notable Victorian architecture. As you can imagine being a building society the site is in constant use during the day with customers and staff coming and going. The work would therefore have to be done overnight in stages working in different areas every evening until complete.

Nationwide Building Society Office Bournemouth

The floor was Travertine which is a very durable stone and ideal in heavy traffic areas such as this, but it needs to be protected with a sealer to prevent dirt becoming ingrained in the pores of the stone. Being such a busy commercial floor, the sealer gets a lot of wear so the floor needed polishing and then resealing to keep it looking good.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Nationwide Building Society Bournemouth

Cleaning and Polishing a Travertine Tiled Floor

To get the floor clean and hone the stone to a polished appearance we use a set of Diamond impregnated burnishing pads which are run over the floor with a floor buffer. Tile Doctor do a set a of four which include 400, 800, 1500 and 3000 grit pads and are ideally suited for the purpose.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Nationwide Building Society Bournemouth

The pads are applied with water for lubrication and in sequence starting with the coarse 400-grit, medium 800-grit and then fine 1500-grit pad. If you are familiar with grades of sandpaper used on wood, then you will appreciate that this is a similar kind of process. The floor is rinsed with more water in between each pad to remove the slurry that is generated and then extracted from the floor using a powerful wet vacuum. The last pad to be applied is the very fine 3000-grit which is applied with only a little water sprayed onto the tile and this really brings up a deep shine on the Travertine.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Polishing Nationwide Building Society Bournemouth

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Floor

After the floor was dry, we applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow impregnating sealer that works from within by occupying the pores in the stone for maximum protection. Tile Doctor Colour Grow is also a colour intensifying sealer which provides durable surface protection, as well as enhancing the colour of the floor bringing out the natural tan and cream colours. Colour Grow is also a breathable sealer that allows moisture to rise through the floor however being a new building this would unlikely to be a factor.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Polishing Nationwide Building Society Bournemouth

As you can see from the pictures the results were amazing and the client was very pleased! They commented how smoothly the process had gone and how accommodating we had been coming in overnight. Hopefully there are many more branches that may require our services!

Professional Polish and Seal of a Commercial Travertine Floor in Dorset

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Bournemouth Tile Cleaning, Bridport Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Christchurch Tile Cleaning, Dorchester Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Ferndown Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Lyme Regis Tile Cleaning, Marble Tile Cleaning, Poole Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Sandbanks Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Sherborne Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Swanage Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Weymouth Tile Cleaning, Wimborne Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Steve Berryman

Dorset Tile Doctor

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