Sandstone Tile Cleaning Archives - Warwickshire Tile Doctor

Sandstone Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Sandstone flooring carried out in Warwickshire

Cleaning and Renovating Sandstone Floors

Sandstone is often used for Kitchen and Hallway flooring, however as with any natural stone it needs to be sealed to protect it and bring out its beauty and colouring. One of the biggest problems we find with stone flooring is with the sealer becoming stripped away prematurely by the continuous use of cleaning agents not designed for this type of surface. Without its protective sealer porous stone quickly becomes ingrained with dirt making it increasingly difficult to clean effectively.

Our method for renovating Sandstone typically involves stripping the floor of any existing sealer/coatings, deep cleaning to extract the dirt and then applying a fresh sealer for which I recommend Tile Doctor Colour Grow as it enhances the natural colours in the stone. If the floor is particularly bad, it’s best to resurface it with coarse milling pads which can remove a thin layer from the surface of the stone.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Sandstone Patio Cleaning Sealing Poets Corner Coventry

Sandstone Patio Renovation at Poets Corner in Coventry

This client in the Poets Corner area of Coventry had a Sandstone patio laid at the front of their property around 12 months ago. The installer didn’t seal the sandstone flagstones afterwards and it had since become rather grubby, the situation wasn’t helped by an overhanging tree which deposits sap on the patio.

Sandstone Patio Before Cleaning Poets Corner Coventry

My client needed it cleaned but didn’t want it done with a pressure washer as there was a concern about the mess it could make on a neighbour’s drive. Looking for another option Tile Doctor was contacted to find out what else could be done.

Happy to help, I went over to survey the patio and suggested we clean it using the same system we would use on internal stone using a rotary floor buffer together with a tile cleaning agent. I worked out a quote and got the go ahead to start the work. There was a spell of dry weather forecast so a date was agreed for the work to be done then.

Cleaning a Sandstone Tiled Patio Floor

The process I followed was to spray the sandstone with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and leave it to sit for ten to fifteen minutes so it could breakdown the dirt. Then using a floor buffer fitted with a brush attachment I slowly worked the solution into each tile. This process releases the trapped dirt from the tile and grout which was then rinsed off with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum. The patio was left to dry off in the sun whilst I had lunch.

Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Patio Floor

I came back later and ran some moisture tests with a damp meter to check the Sandstone was dry. The sun had worked its magic and it wasn’t long before I was able to apply a sealer. The sealer chosen was Tile Doctor X-Tra seal which is an oil-based product that is rated for external use and is designed to cope well with damp conditions. The oil in the sealer adds structure and colour to the stone whilst protecting it going forward and making it easy to clean.

Sandstone Patio After Cleaning Sealing Poets Corner Coventry

Once done the patio looked much cleaner and the sealer had done a good job of improving the look of the stone. I recommended we returned the following year to repeat the process to ensure that the patio was ready for the summer. Tile Doctor offers an Annual Maintenance Plan System for just this, one annual fee and the patio is taken care of every year.

My client was very happy with the restored patio and the entrance to the property now looked lovely with plenty of kerb appeal.

Professional Restoration of a Victorian Tiled Hallway in Worcestershire

Sandstone Patio Renovation at Poets Corner in Coventry Read More »

Sealing Sandstone Flagstones in Stretton under Fosse

Rugby Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Work History / Mick Gayton

These Sandstone flagstones were in the hallway of a house in the 16th century village of Stretton under Fosse, Warwickshire. The flagstone floor was in good condition however it had never been sealed so every time it was cleaned the cleaning product soaked into the floor and was less effective also the customer wanted to reveal the natural colours in the Sandstone and needed some of the grout repairing.

Cleaning Sandstone Flagstones

The first job was to clean and flush the flagstone so we set about cleaning the stone using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50/50 with NanoTech Ultra-Clean and further diluted with water. I often use this combination, Pro-Clean is a strong and effective alkaline cleaner whilst NantoTech adds tiny abrasive particles that assist and speed up the cleaning process.

The solution was applied using a mop and then worked into the floor using a rotary buffing machine fitted with a black 17” scrubbing pad. The soiled cleaning solution was then picked up off the floor using a wet and dry vacuum and the floor was given a thorough wash down with clean water to remove a trace of cleaning products that may impact the sealer. There were a few areas of grout that had cracked and become lose so we set about replacing the grout with a closer match as possible and then left for the day to allow the floor to try overnight.

Sandstone Flagstones Before Sealing Close-Up

Sealing the Flagstone Floor

We sealed the Sandstone flagstones with a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, there are a number of sealers we could of used for this floor all have different effects and differing levels of stain protection against spills but Colour Grow is really durable and helps to bring out the deep colour from within the stone . To finish and build up the lustre and richness of the colour we then applied seven coats of Seal & Go which add a nice low sheen to the surface of the tile.

Sandstone Flagstones After Sealing Close-Up

Cleaning and Sealing Sandstone Flags in Stretton under Fosse

Sealing Sandstone Flagstones in Stretton under Fosse Read More »

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Atherstone Tile Cleaning, Bedworth Tile Cleaning, Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Coventry Tile Cleaning, Encaustic Cement Tile Cleaning, Fireplace Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Kenilworth Tile Cleaning, Leamington Spa Tile Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Marble Tile Cleaning, Nuneaton Tile Cleaning, Polesworth Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Quarry Tile Cleaning, Rugby Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Stratford-upon-Avon Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Victorian Tile Cleaning, Vinyl Tile Cleaning, Warwick Tile Cleaning, Whitnash Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History / Mick Gayton

Warwickshire Tile Doctor

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