Ceramic Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of Ceramic Tile and Grout Cleaning/Renovation work carried out in Shropshire

Cleaning Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic tiles are usually fully glazed and so do not have any pores that dirt can become ingrained into, because of this they are easy to clean with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner and are generally low maintenance. Textured ceramic tiles however are one exception, they have a rough surface in order to make them less slippery and are often used around wet areas such as swimming pools. Dirt is easily trapped in the textured surface and to get these clean requires a more intensive clean ideally using a rotating scrubbing pad.

Due to their low maintenance we rarely get called to deep clean Ceramic tiles however grout is a different case. The top layer of grout is actually porous and due to it being recessed we find when they are mopped it leads to a build-up of dirt on the grout causing it to discolour. This can be resolved using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then once clean and fully dry, seal the grout with one coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal using a pipette.

Ceramic tiles are used a lot in bathrooms and shower cubicles where again we find it’s usually the grout or silicone sealant that discolours before the tiles do. In these cases we often find the appearance can be greatly improved with the use of a Grout Colourant and replacement of the silicone.

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

Ceramic Tiled Floor Renovation Shrewsbury

Renovating Patchy Grout on a Ceramic Tiled Floor in Shrewsbury

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Shrewsbury Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History /

These pictures were taken at a five-year-old property in Shrewsbury where the entire ground floor had been laid with Ceramic tiles. The owner was mainly unhappy with the grout which after five years of use had become patchy in appearance. Grout is usually the biggest problem when it comes to Ceramic and Porcelain floors, the tiles themselves usually require very little maintenance, whereas the surface of grout is slightly porous and can be stained.

Ceramic Tiled Floor Before Grout Colouring Shrewsbury

I recommended deep cleaning the floor and then re-colouring it with a Charcoal Grey colourant, not only would this resolve the appearance issue, but the colourant also acts as a protective barrier over the grout making it easier to clean and will ensure it had a consistent appearance. The alternative would be to slowly rake out the grout and replace with new which given the size of the floor would take a long time, also it would probably become stained again so we would be back to square one. My client was happy with my quote and agreed to go ahead, so we booked in a suitable time to carry out the work.

Ceramic Tiled Floor Before Grout Colouring Shrewsbury

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

To clean the tile and grout I first sprayed on a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean then after ten minutes scrubbed it in with a black pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine. I then followed this up with a manual scrub of the grout as the pads can struggle to reach into the recess of the grout line. This action lifted the dirt out of the floor which was then rinsed away with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

The next step was to prepare the grout for the colourant by scrubbing it with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This is an acidic product that cleans the grout further and etches the surface of the grout to ensure a better bond with the colourant. The solution was then rinsed away again and removed with the wet vacuum. This process was repeated with more water to neutralise the floor and remove any trace of cleaning products.

Colouring the grout on a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor

It was a large area, so I left the floor to dry off overnight and returned the following day to apply the Charcoal Grout Colourant. Applying the product is done with a small brush and any excess has to be cleaned off quickly before it dries which makes it quite a slow process. It certainly requires a steady hand and a lot of patience.

The Tile Doctor Grout Colourant is available in ten popular colours, so it is very versatile for all types of tiled areas. They also supply the Colourant in a kit form with a brush and bottle of Grout Pre-Treater so you have everything you need.

Ceramic Tiled Floor After Grout Colouring Shrewsbury

It was fairly tedious work, but the discoloured and patchy grout looked great after I was finished and my client was really happy with the result, they even left the following testimonial.

“Had the whole tiled ground floor of my house, cleaned, sealed and the grout darkened. Jozsef did a great job with no mess. I would highly recommend him”

Ceramic Tiled Floor After Grout Colouring Shrewsbury

 

Professional Renovation of a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Shropshire

Renovating Patchy Grout on a Ceramic Tiled Floor in Shrewsbury Read More »

Ceramic Tile Grout Cleaned and Recoloured in Childs Ercall

Ceramic Tile Grout Cleaned and Recoloured in Childs Ercall

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Market Drayton Tile Cleaning, Work History /

Ceramic tiles don’t have the charm of natural stone, but they are very easy to keep clean; grout on the other hand has a porous top layer that can become stained. This was the problem with a customer of mine who lives in the small rural village of Childs Ercall in the North of Shropshire. The customer had moved in about two years ago and they said that they can keep the floor clean and their main problem was the grout.

I went to take a look at the problem and gave the grout in one section a good scrub with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline tile and grout cleaning product. The result was good and although the grout returned to its original colour they wanted it to be changed.

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Grout Cleaning in Childs Ecrall

Cleaning and Preparing the Ceramic Tile and Grout

Before colouring the grout, it made sense to give the Ceramic tile and grout a thorough clean by scrubbing in a weak dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with a floor buffer fitted with a scrubbing pad running at slow speed. Once done I rinsed the floor with water and extracted the slurry with a wet vacuum.

With any grit and dirt removed from the floor the next step was to prepare the grout for the colourant. Tile Doctor have an acidic pre-treater cleaner for this which cleans and microscopically etches the grout giving the colourant a superior bond with the colourant. The solution is applied to the grout and then scrubbed in with a stiff brush before being rinsed off with water as before.

Applying Grout Colouring

With the tiles clean and the grout prepped I left the floor to dry for an hour before moving onto grout colouring using a colour of their choosing. There are ten colours in the Tile Doctor range and they are easily applied using a small brush wiping off any excess as you go, it was a large area with a lot of grout lines to cover so took the rest of the day to complete

Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor After Grout Cleaning in Childs Ecrall
I have to agree with the customer, changing the grout colour was a good move and I think you will agree the floor now looks much improved. The grout colourant has the additional advantage of providing a barrier over the grout which will protect it from further issues and make it as easy to clean as the ceramic tiles.

Ceramic Tile Grout Prepped and Recoloured in Shropshire

Ceramic Tile Grout Cleaned and Recoloured in Childs Ercall Read More »

Ceramic Tiled Floor Cleaned and Grout Recoloured in Mold

Ceramic Tiled Floor Cleaned and Grout Recoloured in Mold

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Whitchurch Tile Cleaning, Work History /

Moving into a new home is a stressful but rewarding experience. This customer had just recently moved into a property in the neighbouring and historic Flintshire town of Mold, and was keen to make some renovations.

High on the agenda was the restoration of a large number of Ceramic floor tiles spread throughout multiple downstairs rooms. Although undecided as to whether to keep the tiles for the long-term or have them removed, the customer did resolve to have them professionally cleaned, especially since the previous owner had left the grout in a miserable state.

Ceramic Tiled Floor Before Cleaning in Mould
Upon initial inspection I noticed that the previous owner had attempted to put more grout on top of the existing one in some areas, the problem with this being that the two groups were of different colours. This left the grout looking inconsistent and dirtier than it actually was. I mentioned to the customer that I could re-colour the grout for them after cleaning the floor and that it would be the best solution in this situation.

Ceramic Tiled Floor Before Cleaning in Mould

Cleaning and Colouring Ceramic Tiled Floor Grout

As mentioned, the tiles themselves needed a deep clean, and so I set about applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean liberally over the floor and leaving it to dwell for a short period. This allows the product, a high alkaline cleaner suitable for use on most natural stone floors, to seep into the pores of the stone to lift out and dissolve ingrained dirt and stains. Once I had allowed it to dwell I scrubbed the product into the tiles using a black pad fitted to a rotary machine.

Of course I also paid special attention to the grout lines, carefully cleaning them using more Pro Clean. With some floors I usually give the floor an acid wash at this with Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up to remove grout smears and mineral salt deposits but this was not necessary on this particular occasion.

Ceramic Tiled Floor After Cleaning in Mould
Once I had cleaned the entire floor I gave it a thorough rinse with water which was then extracted using a wet vacuum before leaving the floor to dry for two hours assisted with an air mover to speed up the process. When happy that the tiles were completely dry and ready to be re-coloured I went ahead and carefully applied a new black Grout Colourant that matched very well with the natural colour of the stone, giving the whole floor a smarter appearance.

Ceramic Tiled Floor After Cleaning in Mould
The customer was really pleased with the result and left some nice feedback on the job as a whole:

“Excellent experience all round, from initial consultation through to colour advice and scheduling work. Cannot speak highly enough of Joe, thoroughly professional and an amazing result. Highly recommended.”

Ceramic Tiled Floor and Grout Reconditioned in Shropshire

Ceramic Tiled Floor Cleaned and Grout Recoloured in Mold Read More »

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