Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Limestone tiles carried out in East Yorkshire

Cleaning and Renovating Limestone tiles

Limestone is a sedimentary stone, as such it’s generally very porous and acid sensitive and can be damaged through the use of even mildly acidic soaps, shampoos and body washes. Because of this we do not recommend it for use in wet rooms, shower cubicles or near swimming pools.

Like any stone Limestone needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming ingrained in its pores and many varieties including Blue Lias, Blue Moleanos, Jerusalem and White Moleanos to name a few can be polished to a high shine using a series of burnishing pads.

We have found that Black Limestone has become very popular in gardens where it contrasts well against green planting and looks fantastic when wet. One issue we find however is it easily upset by the use of acidic patio cleaners that leave the stone looking dull and lifeless. If this has affected you then not to worry we do have a way of restoring the beauty of the stone back to its original condition.

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.


Jerusalem Limestone After Cleaning York

Renovating Jerusalem Limestone Kitchen Tiles in York

Jerusalem Stone is a pale variety of Limestone that comes from Israel and is available in different colours. It’s a high-quality material that has been used in construction for thousands of years however like all Stone used as flooring, it benefits from being sealed to prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the stone.

Jerusalem Limestone Before Cleaning York
This ground floor of this house in the historic walled city of York had around 60 metres of Jerusalem Limestone installed throughout the kitchen area and some adjacent steps. Its appearance had degraded with use and was now looking flat, dirty and generally uninviting. Additionally, the customer didn’t like the natural pitting in the stone which proved to be a trap where dirt became ingrained making it more difficult to clean.

Jerusalem Limestone Before Cleaning York
I surveyed the floor and discussed the process required to restore the floor including restoration work to fill the pitting. I also worked out a price which was agreed and booked a date in the diary for the work to be done.

Cleaning and Filling a Jerusalem Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

My first task was to fill the holes using three different colours of grout. The floor was a mixture of shades, so I chose the best match based on the different colours in the stone. This work was tedious and a little slow but worked well and I was very pleased with the result. I come from a Tiling background so am quite used to working with grout in this manner.

Jerusalem Limestone Before Filling York Jerusalem Limestone After Filling York

Next the floor was deep cleaned with the 400, 800 and 1500 grit diamond burnishing pads fitted to a weighted floor buffer and lubricated with water. The pads are applied in sequence starting with the 400-grit pad first and the soil generated is rinsed off with water in-between. This process removes grease marks, old sealers, ingrained dirt and builds the polished finish of the limestone. I also used a hand-held burnishing block on the steps to get into the intricate corners.

The grout was particularly dirty and was cleaned by hand using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbed in with a narrow stiff brush and the soil rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. This product is a multi-purpose cleaner and degreaser and it really gets to work on the hard to shift build-up of dirt, grime and grease.

The floor was left to dry off overnight, the lovely warm weather was a blessing as the floor was pretty large, thankfully we didn’t need to install any driers on this occasion.

Jerusalem Limestone During Grout Cleaning York

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the next day to finish the polishing with the final 3000-grit pad applied with a little water sprayed onto the tile. once done I tested the floor with a damp meter to make sure it was nice and dry and ready for sealing. The filled areas were looking particularly good, eliminating the issue the customer was having with dirt getting stuck in them.

To seal the Jerusalem Limestone and protect it from ingrained dirt I used two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is a natural look sealer that doesn’t alter the appearance of the stone. As well as providing the natural no-sheen look that the customer wanted it will provide stain protection and is recommended for food preparation areas such as kitchens. It also was excellent for sealing the grout and the areas I had filled.

Jerusalem Limestone After Cleaning York
The customer was very happy with the result and couldn’t believe how fast we had worked to restore the floor. She was relieved it would now be much easier to clean and maintain.

Jerusalem Limestone After Cleaning York
 

Source: Limestone Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in York

Renovating Jerusalem Limestone Kitchen Tiles in York Read More »

Grey Limestone Floor Before After Cleaning Barton

Grey Limestone tiled floor Polished and Sealed in Barton

This beautiful Grey Limestone tiled floor in the small village of Barton had been installed by a tile company but had not been treated in any way. The customer had been told by the tile shop that the stone in question would have to be sealed. After doing her own research and finding us at Tile Doctor I went to see what could be achieved.

Grey Limestone Floor Before Cleaning Barton

Polishing a Limestone tiled floor

As the floor was new I was able to get straight into polishing the Limestone with a set of four diamond encrusted Burnishing pads fitted to a rotary floor machine. I started with a course burnishing pad lubricated with a little water and then this was followed by the medium, fine and very fine pads to achieve the desired effect giving the floor a quick rinse in-between each pad.

Grey Limestone Floor During Cleaning Barton
As you can see from the photographs going over the full floor with each pad I managed to achieve a great polish on the floor and it was soon ready to be sealed.

Grey Limestone Floor After Cleaning Barton

Sealing a Limestone tiled floor

After polishing, the only task remaining was to provide the floor with a durable seal that would protect the Limestone from staining. I did this by applying a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal, which is a premium, natural-look penetrating sealer that is specially designed to provide maximum stain protection from within.

Grey Limestone Floor After Cleaning Barton
 

Polishing and Sealing Limestone Floor Tiles

Grey Limestone tiled floor Polished and Sealed in Barton Read More »

Limestone Tiled Floor Bridlington After Burnishing

Limestone Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Bridlington

I was recently contacted by a client who lives in the small coastal town of Bridlington, East Yorkshire. Bridlington has a small sea fishing port known for its great shellfish.

My client had a Limestone floor that was really in need of a fresh up: over the years the tiles had become dull and worn-looking, and she was keen to restore a nice shine to the surface. I was on hand to treat the floor to a much needed clean, polish and seal.

Limestone Tiled Floor Bridlington Before Burnishing Limestone Tiled Floor Bridlington Before Burnishing

Cleaning and polishing a Limestone tiled floor

My first job was to strip off the old sealer. I did this using a coarse diamond burnishing pad fitted to a rotary machine. The floor was then given a thorough rinse with clean water to clear off any dirt and excess sealer. Following this, the excess water was quickly soaked up with a wet-dry vac machine to make sure there was no leftover moisture, as this could have potentially affected the performance of the new sealer (which I would apply at a later stage).

To polish the floor I continued with the system of burnishing pads, starting first with a medium burnishing pad, followed by the fine and very fine pads to achieve the desired effect. The result was a very nice overall sheen.

Sealing a Limestone tiled floor

After cleaning and polishing, the only task remaining was to provide the floor with a durable seal. I did this using Tile Doctor Ultra Seal, which is a premium, natural-look penetrating sealer that is specially designed to provide maximum stain protection from within. This particular product is suitable for use on a range of different natural stone floors, including Limestone, Slate, Granite, Marble and Travertine.

Limestone Tiled Floor Bridlington After Burnishing Limestone Tiled Floor Bridlington After Burnishing

Overall, my client was very happy with the results. As you can see from the photographs, the clean, polish and seal made a marked difference on the condition of the floor, turning the tiles from dull and lifeless to full of character and colour once again.

Renovating Limestone Floor Tiles in East Yorkshire

Limestone Tiled Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Bridlington Read More »

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East Yorkshire Tile Doctor

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