Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal Combined with Colour Grow Sealer to Improve Workability when Sealing Slate Tiling in Wiveliscombe Somerset

This client had recently purchased a property in the market town of Wiveliscombe and decided to replace the kitchen units which sat on a Slate tiled floor. The customer had looked at cleaning the slate themselves but simply couldn’t get is clean enough and so decided to work in a visit from Tile Doctor between the removal and the installation.

I went over beforehand to survey the tiles and work out a price for the work. The Slate was holding a lot of dirt so it was clean any previous sealer that would have prevented this had failed and needed stripping off and replacing. There were also sections where the stone was flaking leaving it rough.

I worked out a detailed quote for deep cleaning the tile and grout and then sealing. The quote was accepted and I managed to shuffle a few appointments around so I could start work before the installation of the new kitchen.

Cleaning and repairing a Slate Tiled Kitchen

To clean the tile and grout and remove any remaining sealer a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was left to soak into the stone for roughly ten minutes. This gives the product time to breakdown the dirt. The floor was then scrubbed using a hard wearing 120-grit Silicon Brush attached to a rotary buffer which also helped to remove the loose flaking stone. The combination of Pro-Clean and brush pulled the dirt out of the stone into the solution where it was removed using a wet vacuum.

After reviewing the slate tile and grout more Pro-Clean was used to spot clean any stubborn marks using hand tools and a grout brush run along the grout lines until clean. The soiling was then extracted again using more water and the wet vacuum.

Next step was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this helps clean the tiles further and neutralises the ph level of the floor after the use of Pro-Clean which is alkaline. The floor was then given a final rinse with water and dried as much as possible using a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen

The floor was left to dry off fully overnight and then next day checked with a damp meter to make sure it was dry enough for sealing. The moisture level was within tolerance so we were able to get on applying the sealer. It’s important to check for moisture as applying a sealer to damp tiles can result in a patchy appearance.

To seal the floor Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal was mixed with Colour Grow to make it more workable and improve colour before applying it to the floor and then buffing off the excess. Both sealers are impregnators that soak into the stone occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained into the tile. This ensures dirt remains on the surface where it’s easy to remove.

Once complete the colours in the Slate really shone through and along with the grout looked so much cleaner. For aftercare cleaning I left the customer with a complementary bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, they were really pleased with the transformation and left the following feedback:‘Brilliant job, our slate floor has been transformed and the final look exceeded all expectations, so very happy!’

Source: Professional Stone Restoration Services near Wiveliscombe Somerset