Grout Cleaning

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

Cleaning and Renovating Grout

The top layer of grout is porous and can absorb grease, dirt and limescale. Spillages such as wine, lemonades or greasy substances will cause marks and patches in the joints in the floor. Grout between wall-tiles particularly in damp areas like bathrooms will become dirty and unattractive as a result of Mould, Mildew and Limescale.

Mould is one of the most unsightly problems, which usually starts off in the wettest area of the room, this could be the bottom of the shower or bath, then starts to spread and if left unchecked could cover a large area of the wall.

Another common issue we find is a problem known as Grout Haze or Grout Smearing where a thin layer of grout has been left to set on the surface of the tile. Once grout has set it is difficult to remove.

Discolouration of grout joints in bath or shower areas due to continued use of acid formulated shampoos and soaps. This causes yellow orange and pink stains to the grout over even a short period of time. Whilst Grout Joints can be cleaned, badly stained grout may need to be re-coloured.

Protecting your grout in advance with a sealer will prevent most of these issues and although relatively unknown in the UK, protection awareness is growing. Sealing forms an invisible barrier between the grout and the surface, this will then protect your investment for years to come.

We have solutions for all the problems listed above and below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past to resolve many of these issues. It should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Removing Grout Haze from Wood Effect Porcelain Floor Tiles in Stoneygate

Post Installation Clean of Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles in Stoneygate Leicester

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Leicester Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning / By

The floor in the Kitchen photos of a property in the Leicester suburb of Stoneygate are not as you might think made of wood but are in fact Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles. They had recently been installed but unfortunately the tiler had not managed to remove all the grout resulting in a film of grout haze on the surface. This film does affect the appearance of the tile and due to the textured nature of the grout it will also attract dirt more easily making it much more difficult to keep clean.

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor During Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester Wood Effect Porcelain Floor Before Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester

Normally grout haze can be removed using an acid-based product such as Tile Doctor Grout-Clean-up however this was a modern polymer cement grout which is much harder to remove. Unsure how resolve the problem we were tasked by our customer to remove the grout haze and clean up the tiles to improve their appearance.

Removing Grout Haze from a Wood Effect Porcelain Tiled Floor

Before tackling the grout haze, the floor was thoroughly vacuumed and a silicone seal ran along the kitchen unit end panels to help protect against moisture ingress during cleaning.

The next step was to break down the polymers in the grout haze using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a versatile floor cleaning product we usually use to remove coatings such as sealers. This was allowed to dwell prior to agitation with an abrasive Tile Doctor 800-grit diamond pad. The resultant slurry was then rinsed off the tiles with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor During Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester Wood Effect Porcelain Floor During Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester

Next, I tackled the grout haze by giving the floor a wash and scrub in Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up diluted 1 to 10 with water. This product is designed for removing grout haze or grout smears as its sometimes referred to. This was agitated with a White floor pad getting into grain of the wood effect and removing the remaining grout and paint spots from decorating. Once done the floor was rinsed with water again and the slurry extracted using a wet vacuum as before.

Sealing Grout on a Porcelain Tiled Floor

With the grout haze removed the floor looked so much better and due to the nature of Porcelain should stay that way. Grout however is easily stained and there’s much more risk of that happening in a Kitchen so before leaving I agreed to seal the grout.

First the grout needed to be dry so I force dried the tiles with floor fans, then applied Tile Doctors Ultra Seal ‘natural look’ impregnating sealer to the grout lines.

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor After Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester Wood Effect Porcelain Floor After Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester

For aftercare I left my client with a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective cleaning product designed for use on tile and stone.

 

Wood Effect Porcelain Tile Cleaning in Leicester

Travertine Kitchen Floor Before After Refinishing Kings Norton Leicester

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Refinished in Kings Norton

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Leicester Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning / By

The photographs below are of a Travertine tiled floor installed in the kitchen of a 17th century cottage in the small Leicestershire village of Kings Norton.  The owner had called us in to deep clean and refinish the Travertine tiles which had become soiled, dull, the grout had darkened in places and there were lots of holes that needed filling.

This issue is quite normal for a natural stone floor which benefits from having a sealer in place to stop dirt from becoming trapped in the pores. Travertine can also suffer from pitting which are small holes in the surface of the tile, these pits attract dirt and should be filled to prevent that happening. With Travertine especially you need to ensure a neutral ph. cleaner is used as anything stronger can exacerbate the problem.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Floor

The first job was to give the floor a thorough clean with a particular focus on the grout and pitting. It was clear the sealer had pretty much worn off over time so Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was applied using a 1:4 dilution with water. The solution was left to soak into the floor for ten minutes first to help break down the soil build-up. The Pro-Clean was then worked into the Travertine tile and grout using a floor buffing machine fitted with a Black scrubbing pad and extra weights to increase contact.

Travertine Kitchen Floor Tile Refinishing Kings Norton During Cleaning Travertine Kitchen Floor Tile Refinishing Kings Norton During Cleaning

The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed off and the soiling extracted using a wet vacuum. This process was repeated until I was happy the stone and the grout were as clean as possible.

With the dirt removed it made it easier to highlight the holes that needed to be filled. For filling I used a straw-coloured resin glue which matched the natural colours of the Travertine very well. Once the resin has set the next move was to burnish the stone to further clean it, remove light scratches and generally improve its appearance. This process also helps the filled pits blend in with the stone.

Travertine Kitchen Floor Tile Refinishing Kings Norton Before Cleaning Travertine Kitchen Floor Tile Refinishing Kings Norton After Filling

Burnishing the floor involves stripping back the stone using a coarse 400-grit diamond encrusted burnishing pad and then building up the finish with a medium 800-grit pad to restore the finish and add the light sheen our customer had requested. The floor was given a light rinse and extraction in-between pads and then a thorough rinse afterwards to remove the slurry generated during burnishing.

Sealing Travertine Kitchen Floor Tiles

The floor was left to dry off naturally and we returned later to apply a sealer which for this floor the customer had requested a natural finish. After ensuring the floor was dry it was then sealed to saturation point using Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an impregnating sealer that penetrates deep into the pores of the stone to ensure dirt cannot become ingrained there. This sealer doesn’t alter the look of the stone resulting in the natural appearance the customer had specified.

Travertine Kitchen Floor Tile Refinishing Kings Norton After Cleaning Travertine Kitchen Floor Tile Refinishing Kings Norton After Cleaning

I left a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for aftercare cleaning; this is a ph. neutral product that will gently clean the stone and improve patina. If your going to use a supermarket cleaning product always read the label and ensure they are compatible for use with sealed natural stone.

 

Professional Maintenance of Travertine Floor Tiles in Leicestershire

Ceramic Tiled Toilet Floor Restored At Car Dealership In Melton Mowbray

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Melton Mowbray Tile Cleaning, Work History / By

At Tile Doctor, we carry out professional tiled floor restorations in both residential and commercial environments. In this particular case we were asked to take a look at the tiles at a Car Dealership in the town of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Melton Mowbray is known as the “Rural Capital of Food”, thanks to its range of local specialities, including its famous pork pie and Stilton cheese.

The problem was focused in the toilet area, where the non-slip Ceramic tiles had suffered heavy soil build-up. Since the cleaning contractor was unable to tackle the issue, Tile Doctor was recruited to restore the area using specialist tile cleaning methods and products.

Cleaning non-slip Ceramic Tiles

Judging by the level of soil build-up on the floor I mixed a solution of one part Tile Doctor Pro-Clean (a high alkaline cleaner) with five parts of water. This was then left to dwell on the tiles so the solution could seep into the crevices of the non-slip tile breaking it down and making it easier to clean.

Non-Slip Ceramic Tile During Cleaning Melton Mowbray
I agitated the solution using scrubbing pads to remove the soil which once the dirty cleaning solution was rinsed away and removed using a wet vacuum made a dramatic difference to the overall appearance of the floor.

Removing Grout Smears from Ceramic Tiles

The floor looked much better however now it was clean I could see a film of grout haze residue on the surface of many of the tiles which had been left over from the initial installation. To tackle this problem I applied Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up which along with grout haze this product can also remove rust stains and other mineral deposits.

I was now happy with the condition of the ceramic tile and grout and after another rinse with water I promptly force dried the floor with a special fan in order to get the toilet ready for use again. You only need to look at the before and after photos to see the difference!

Non-Slip Ceramic Tile After Cleaning Melton Mowbray
 

Tile cleaning for heavily soiled Ceramic tile floor in Leicestershire

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