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 East Yorkshire

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.

Yorkshire Stone Floor Before After Cleaning and Sealing Driffield

Recently Installed Yorkstone Tiles Cleaned and Sealed in Driffield

1 Comment / Driffield Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Work History /

Yorkstone is a variety of Sandstone unique to Yorkshire, and is known for its hard wearing and durable qualities. It was first manufactured during medieval times, but is still used for a range of building and construction purposes including, of course, tiled floors in houses. Yorkstone comes in a variety of natural colours, depending on the mineral makeup of the stone, and means that the tiled floors often have a unique look to them.

Yorkshire Stone Floor Before Cleaning and Sealing Driffield
This customer, living in the small Yorkshire town of Driffield is the lucky owner of a fantastic new Yorkstone tiled living room floor. Unfortunately, the floor had been installed by an independent builder, as opposed to a professional tiling company, and had been left with no sealer to ensure it would stay looking great for a long time to come. Over time, the lack of a sealer has allowed the dirt to become ingrained in the stone, making it increasingly difficult for the customer to keep the tiles clean. I was called in to bring completion to what was an unfinished job!

Yorkshire Stone Floor Before Cleaning and Sealing Driffield

Cleaning a Yorkstone Tiled Living Room Floor

As you can see from the photographs, the entire floor was quite dusty and dull looking following the recent installation. To get the tiles clean, I mixed a strong 60-40 mix of Tile Doctor Pro Clean and clean water. Pro Clean is a reliable alkaline cleaner suitable for use on most natural stone floors, including Sandstone, Quarry, and Slate.

The cleaning solution was applied to the floor and left to dwell for 20 minutes, allowing it time to penetrate the stone. Then, using my 17” rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad, I proceeded to deep clean the tiles, leaving them looking immediately cleaner and more vibrant. Any resulting cleaning residue was promptly soaked up using a wet vacuum.

Yorkshire Stone Floor After Deep Cleaning Driffield
The process was repeated in the more stubborn areas, and I gave the floor a final rinse with water and left it to dry. Typically, we would leave a 12 to 24 hour drying period, depending on whether there is a damp proof membrane installed. However, this floor had underfloor heating and so dried really quickly, allowing me to seal it on the same day.

Sealing a Yorkstone Tiled Living Room Floor

The customer wished to have a matt, natural finish for the Yorkstone tiled living room, so I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, our impregnating sealer which offers a natural, no-sheen look for textured floors, while providing durable protection against ingrained dirt and stains.

Yorkshire Stone Floor After Cleaning and Sealing Driffield
As the name of the product suggests, Colour Grow contains colour intensifying properties which really helped to accentuate the rich variety of colours in the customer’s Yorkstone tiles. The results were fantastic and you can see from the water test we performed after the sealer dried how water now bubbles up on the surface of the stone.

Yorkshire Stone Floor Cleaned and Sealed Water Test Driffield
 

Unsealed Yorkstone Cleaned and Sealed in Yorkshire

Recently Installed Yorkstone Tiles Cleaned and Sealed in Driffield Read More »

Indian Sandstone Floor Before After Cleaning Swanland

Indian Fossil Sandstone Tiles Restored in Swanland

1 Comment / Hull Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Work History /

These Indian Fossil Sandstone tiles (sometimes known as ‘Yorkstone’ tiles) at a property in the small town of Swanland near Hull were, on initial inspection, in great condition, with no cracks or damaged tiles. However, thanks to a lack of sealer, the tiles had become ingrained with dirt, resulting in a heavy soil buildup that dulled the appearance of the stone. Also noticeable were some unsightly cement splashes around the grout lines.

Indian Sandstone Floor Before Cleaning Swanland
The property owner contacted me with the problem and I recommended that the tiles were simply in need of a deep clean and seal and after arranging a date I went over to carry out the job.

Cleaning an Indian Fossil Sandstone Floor

I started the job by tackling the cement splashes around the grout lines. In this case I opted to carefully break them down manually using a good old fashioned hammer and chisel, whereas when it comes to stubborn adhesive and paint stains I would recommend a specialised cleaner such as Tile Doctor Remove & Go.

The first step of cleaning the main area of Sandstone tiles was to mix a solution of one part Tile Doctor Pro Clean to four parts water, before applying it to the stone and scrubbing it in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. This helped to break down the heavy soil build up, and is an effective method for doing so on most types of natural stone floor.

Indian Sandstone Floor During Cleaning Swanland
The second step involved rinsing the floor with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to neutralise the floor (after exposure to the high alkaline Pro Clean) and remove the other products used to clean the surface. This also helped to shift any remaining ingrained dirt caused by a lack of sealer, leaving the tiles clean and ready to receive a new seal.

Sealing an Indian Fossil Sandstone Floor

After completing the clean, I left the property to allow the floor to dry overnight. Upon my return the next day, I checked for excess moisture and, once satisfied the floor was dry, I proceeded to seal the floor with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go. Checking for excess moisture prior to sealing is essential as it can cloud the sealer and damage its performance.

Seal & Go is a water-based topical sealer designed to build up stain resistant
protection on the surface of the floor and to allow moisture vapour transmission. It
is typically used to seal internal, unsealed porous surfaces, including Sandstone,
Quarry and Victorian tiled floors and being water based you don’t get a smell as it dries.

Indian Sandstone Floor After Cleaning Swanland
These once dull and dirty Sandstone tiles are now restored back to looking their best thanks to a deep clean. With the addition of a fresh seal, the tiles are protected against future soil build up and spillages, and have an aesthetically pleasing low-sheen finish.

Dirty and Dull Indian Fossil Sandstone Tiled Floor Refreshed in East Yorkshire

Indian Fossil Sandstone Tiles Restored in Swanland Read More »

Indian Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor Before After Cleaning Hessle

Indian Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor Restored in Hessle

1 Comment / Hull Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Work History /

The pictures below are of an Indian Fossil Sandstone tiled floor at a house in the small town of Hessle which as you can see was in a need of a deep clean and seal. The tiles themselves where in good physical condition with no cracks, just a lack of sealer and a heavy build up of dirt.

Indian Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Hessle

Cleaning dirty Flagstone floor tiles

I started the job by dealing with some unsightly cement splashes that had been left around the grout lines, breaking them down manually using a good old fashioned hammer and chisel.

Once that was taken care of step one was to mix a solution of one part Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to four parts clean water, applying it to the tiles and scrubbing it in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. The second step involved rinsing the floor with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner to neutralise the floor and remove any trace of product used to clean the surface. This process removed the ingrained dirt caused by a lack of sealer and clean the area ready to receive a fresh seal.

Indian Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Hessle

Sealing the Flagstone tiled floor

I left the property to allow the floor to dry over night. Upon my return the next day, I checked for excess moisture and, once satisfied the floor was dry, I proceeded to seal the floor with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go. Seal & Go is a water-based topical sealer designed to build up stain resistant protection on the surface of the floor and to allow moisture vapour transmission. It is typically used to seal internal, unsealed porous surfaces, including Sandstone, Quarry and Victorian tiled floors.

Indian Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Hessle
 

Sandstone Tiled Floor Restoration in East Yorkshire

Indian Fossil Sandstone Kitchen Floor Restored in Hessle Read More »

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