Quarry Grout epoxy in Richmond

Quarry tiles in Richmond

This is a 38 year old Quarry tiled floor in Richmond, Tiles had never been cleaned since the first time they were sealed back then and were in desperate need of some attention. The first part of this job was the restoration of the tiles themselves, tiles needed a deep clean, acid wash and breathable sealant. We did have a few Efflorescence issues with this job as the amount of water needed during the clean pushed salts up to the surface but this was dealt with on the return visit after leaving the tiles to dry for 3 days. The tiles were deep cleaned with a weighted Victor Trojan buffing machine and the excess soiled water removed with a Hyundai wet vacuum to aid drying time, the grout lines were then scrubbed with a wire brush and the tiles were then acid washed and left to dry for a few days. Upon my return it was decided that the grout lines were ruining the overall appearance of the tiles so we decided to Epoxy colour them, the Epoxy does not only give the grout lines a nice uniformed colour but it also seals the grout, giving the grout a nice wipeable surface making it easier to clean moving forwards. Once the results were satisfactory I then applied 7 coats of a breathable semi impregnating low sheen sealer, giving the tiles back some colour and a nice easily cleanable surface. Overall the job came up very nice, client was very happy leaving positive feedback and more work booked in for a later date. I also recommended that the client uses a neutral tile cleaner on this floor moving forward and gave them the information necessary for them to make an order of those products, this will help keep the sealer healthy without causing damage as previously they had been using supermarket type cleaning products that turned out to be very aggressive, causing damage in the first place. This is a very common job for us, and one that we enjoy. The results on badly damaged floors are always satisfactory, It's hard work but definitely worth the effort.

Victorian tiles in Richmond


This is a Victorian floor in a lobby area of a residential block in Richmond. Building work had been carried out in the building and the builders had used a sticky floor protector that had left a sticky residue on top of the tiles, not only that the floors had only been moped each day for the past 8 years and moping is only a process of moving dirt from one place to another rather than cleaning it. Clients called me in and the work was booked over 2 days, on day 1 I covered the floor with acid gel and allowed it to dwell for 15 minutes, I then lightly moped the floor and got to work with a scraper to remove as much sticky residue as possible. I then applied some more acid gel and got to work with the Victor Trojan weighted buffing machine and a 400 Diamond pad, I slowly moved the machine across the tiles ensuring all areas where covered and each time I had completed a small section I used the Hyundai wet vacuum to remove the soiled water as it was so muddy I didn't want it to be allowed to soak back in to the tiles. Once I had worked my way to the end I then vacuumed everything and applied more acid gel, I then applied a small amount of water and continued the deep cleaning process on an 800 diamond pad. When this was done I again wet the floor and vacuumed everything up, I was satisfied I had got the floor to a good condition so I then applied water and ran over the floor with a 1500 diamond pad and vacuumed one last time. I then left the floor to dry overnight, it's important to do this as all the moisture can escape and it allows for any issues like salts to come out before sealing, thus giving me time to deal with it. I returned on day 2 to seal the floor, after a damp meter reading and a quick check of the tiles I was satisfied I could continue. I sealed the floor with Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing full impregnating sealer that leaves a Matt finish and really brings the colours of the tile out. I applied 3 coats using a microfiber cloth, buffing off the excess with a clean cloth after each application. Once satisfied I called the client to have a look and they were extremely happy with the outcome. This has now turned in to a maintenance job with monthly visits to stay on top of the floor's condition. 

Terrazzo clean and seal Battersea power station cinema

Here we have week 1 of a 6 week project taking place over 6 months, The entire area is over 1000m2 but can only be done a bit at a time. The tiles are extremely dirty and have grout haze all over the tops trapping even more dirt and giving the tiles a rough texture. The most difficult part of this job has been the sheer size of it and the timings of when the work can be done. Each day I'm there is a 0500 start and I need to be out before the building is open to the public at 1100 hours meaning a section at a time has to be completed and sealed before I leave. To complete this floor I've used a 4 pad system, Victor Trojan buffing machine, hot air blower and the Hyundai wet vacuum. I found the first 400 pad immediately took the dirt and grout haze from the stone leaving me with a nice smooth tile face, I then extracted the soiled liquid from the surface with the wet vacuum and poured down the toilet. After this I moved on to the 800 pad to start to polish the tile, as well as taking off any areas of dirt I had missed, once this was done I extracted the soiled liquid again and poured clean water all over the floor and moved to the 1500 pad. The 1500 pad is a lighter pad used to give the tile a last wet polish before you move on to sealing and dry polishing. Once the 1500 pad was completed I extracted the soiled liquid, and put a hot air blower on the floor rapidly drying the tiles out, I then left it for an hour and grabbed a coffee. When I returned the tiles were dry and ready for an application of ultra seal, I rubbed this in with a micro fibre cloth making sure I removed any areas of excess, I did this twice before allowing the tiles to dry again for 30 minutes. Once the tiles were dry I moved on to the 3000 pad, dry polishing the tiles in left right movements followed by circular movements. This works the sealer into the tiles, closes the pores and gives the tile a smooth, non-slip wipeable surface that will be difficult for dirt to penetrate in the future. This entire hallway took me 4 days to complete, done in 25% sections at a time. The client was extremely happy and said it looks like a new floor.

 Twickenham TW1 

Grout epoxy and silicone replacement. (private job)

This is a ceramic tile in Twickenham, Job was booked at the very last minute as the client was moving out of a rental property and had been told by the landlord they would not receive their deposit back if the bathroom tiles were not sorted. On inspection I knew immediately that they had a limescale issue so I first went to work on this with some grout clean up on a cloth working on small areas at a time. I used this because of the acidic element to the product which I know kills off limescale and as it was only a haze across the tile I was able to remove it without much fuss. I then scrubbed the grout with pro clean which is a degreaser and a wire brush removing all of the the top layer of dirt, mould and limescale. Once I had done all of this I used a blade and scraper to remove the old silicone and left it open to allow for any moisture trapped behind to escape and dry. I then moved on to the epoxy for the grout, For this I mixed a white and a small amount of light grey to come up with the colour I needed which was a slightly off white, when I had go an almost perfect match I started to work the product in to the grout using brush applicators especially designed for the grout lines ordered in from the United states. I applied 2 very fine coats allowing the product to dry each time and removed any excess from the tile with a very slightly damp sponge. The tiled floor was not part of the job but I also did this for good measure as it made the job as a whole look nicer for the client. Once all of this was done I replaced the silicone around the bath edge, cleaned up after myself and left the client with brand new looking tiles.

Customer Feedback (Checkatrade)

 Daniel went above and beyond and managed to squeeze us in on a very short notice. Bathroom tiles went from being yellow and moldy to white and clean. I couldn't recommend him more, and honestly, the photos speak for themselves. 

Terracotta Tiles SW10 Chelsea

These are Terracotta Tiles in Chelsea SW10, Tiles were installed 28 years ago, sealed and never looked at again as they were in a utility room. Clients moved in 1 year ago and were going to pull the tiles up to replace with vinyl. They assumed the tiles were too far gone for restoration but decided to give me a call first to see if there was anything that could be done. I visited the property and conducted some tests and established that we could in fact work with the tiles. Once the area was clear I began working to take the existing sealer off, it was clear from the start that the sealer had been applied very well on application and all dirt on the surface was ingrained into this sealer and not the tile itself. Deep cleaning of the tiles could only commence once the sealer was gone so I started by applying remove and go stripper mixed with water with a mop and allowing to sit for 15 minutes, I then agitated this with a brush and and repeated the process a few more time, I then used my DeWalt handheld rotary machine with an 80 grit carbide brush to attempt to take the sealer off. I soon realised that many coats of sealer had been applied and I would need to repeat this process a few times, Each time improving the state of the tiles and giving me confidence that I was in fact on the right path. Once the sealer had been removed completely I decided to use a Heavy Build Up remover to help with the cleaning process. I applied this and left it to sit for 20 minutes, I then vacuumed it up and put some more in a bucket with a sponge. I sponged the product on to the tiles again in sections and used the DeWalt machine to work those areas with the carbide brush and vacuumed up the mess with my Hyundai wet vacuum, this allowed me to work in small sections and to keep on top of the clay that flicks off of the top of the tile during deep cleaning. On this occasion I did not need to wire brush the grout as the machine did the work for me. At the end, once I was satisfied I had got the tiles to the best condition I possibly could I gave the floor an acid rinse to kill any salts, vacuumed this up and then moped lightly with clean water making sure I cleaned any of the surrounding areas that had got a little bit mucky. I decided that as this was a Terracotta tile it was best to leave it over the weekend to dry, this allows for any water vapours to completely evaporate before sealing and also any salts issues that may arise so they can be dealt with before sealing. On my return, after a damp meter reading gave satisfactory results I sealed the floor using Seal and Go Extra and a paint pad, it took 4 applications of the sealer before I achieved a correct, fully sealed surface. I then recommended the client uses a Neutral Tile cleaner moving forward.

Customer Feedback (Checkatrade)

Daniels standard of work is outstanding. Our tiles came out better than we ever imagined. He arrived on time and was very professional and explained the complete process. He was also very tidy. I would not hesitate to use him again and would thoroughly recommend him. 

Richmond KT2 

Ceramic tile floor in Richmond. Customer had called me as a cleaning company had been over to clean the tiles and grout. 

The grout had originally been painted black and unfortunately this had all been scrapped or by the cleaning company and left in a bad state, as well as that the tiles has not been cleaned properly either. 

I started off by filling in missing grout at the back end of the room, I used a fast drying black grout so that I could come back to it later. 

I then took my Victor Trojan buffing machine with a black scrubbing pad, some pro clean and a mop and bucket and soacked the floor. I moved the pro clean around the mop and let it sit for 15 minutes. I then began to clean the tiles with the machine, moving slowly with small circles to ensure I was getting everything off. 

Once this was done I chucked another bucket of water down and then wet vacuumed everything up. 

Once this was done I started epoxy sealing the grout using black epoxy grout paint, this not only seals the grout but also gives everything a uniformed colour the whole way through. I didn't need to wire brush and clean the grout on this occasion as the grout had already been cleaned 2 days earlier. 

It took 3 coats of grout paint to get the desired effect and 9 hours of hard work on my hands and knees. 

I then checked the new grout was dry at the back of the kitchen and repeated the process. 

There was also a small toilet to be done and I did this using the same process but with a handheld DeWalt polishing machine with a 6inch black scrubbing pad. 

Customer was very happy, I recommended they use a Neutral cleaner as I was leaving the property and will be back to do 2 more tiled bedroom floors very soon. 

 Black slate floor in Kensington SW7

This is a black slate floor in Kensington that had been stripped of oil and sealer due to the client using a steam mop repeatedly over the years. The floor had missing grout also that needed replacing before cleaning could commence as it was in a flat and holes in the grout may cause damage to the ceiling below and cause water to get trapped under the tile, possibly effecting the sealer. 

The first thing I did was to cover all surfaces in drop cloth, to keep spray to a minimum. I then filled the holes in the grout with fast setting grey grout and started to deep clean the tiles. 

To clean the tiles I used pro clean, and a Carbide brush on a handheld DeWalt polishing machine, I then used a Hyundai wet vacuum to hoover up the water and sediment that had come up during cleaning. 

I then scrubbed the grout with a mixture of pro clean, water and a wire brush and to finish gave the tiles a light acid wash using Grout clean up mixed with water in a mop bucket. 

I vacuumed this off, washed the tiles down with water and gave it a final vacuum. 

I then left the floor to dry out, leaving my fan with the client to leave running for a few hours before tuning off and leaving over night. 

On my return, after establishing the stone had completely dried out I applied 2 coats of Xtra seal, I clothed in small amounts at a time and then polished off the excess with a clean cloth as I went along. It's important to remove the excess as the sealer can get slightly tacky of too much is left on the surface. 

I chose Xtra seal as it's an oil based sealer and really gives the stone back it's colour. It's also extremely durable and leaves a nice low satin finish. 

Client was extremely happy, and was recommended to use Neutral tile cleaner moving forwards 

The clients here had been renting the property out to tenants, unfortunately over the years no maintenance had been carried out on the tiles and grout and they were in desperate need of work being carried out. Client originally wanted us to dig all existing grout out and replace, luckily for them there is a better, more cost effective method than this, restoration. 

After carefully removing Limescale with acidic cleaner we then turned out attention on to the grout itself, digging out damaged areas and replacing with new and then sealing/colouring the existing grout with Epoxy coloured sealant using specially designed applicators to evenly brush it on.

The epoxy dry's within 20 minutes, but fully cures in 24 hours leaving a beautiful uniformed colour across all areas. 

Heavily soiled and neglected 35 year old Quarry tile restoration in London. Tiles were in need of some deep cleaning, stripping and restoration. Doctor Grout specialise in all stone tile and natural stone restoration but we especially like Quarry as it is so versatile and can almost always be bought back to a high standard regardless of the age.

After some stripping and deep cleaning using a handheld machine with carbide brushes, lots of water extractions and elbow grease the results were astonishing. 

6 coats of topical water based breathable sealer later and the customer was left with a floor that will last a lifetime.

Heavily soiled and neglected 130 year old Quarry tile restoration in Kent. Tiles were in need of some deep cleaning, stripping and restoration. Doctor Grout specialise in all stone tile and natural stone restoration but we especially like Quarry as it is so versatile and can almost always be bought back to a high standard regardless of the age.

After some stripping and deep cleaning using a handheld machine with carbide brushes, lots of water extractions and elbow grease the results were astonishing. 

5 coats of topical water based breathable sealer later and the customer was left with a floor that will last another 130 years with the correct maintenance and care.

Viakal damaged marble table top in London , we always tell clients to stay away from Viakal, but mistakes happen and when they do we are here to fix them. This was an extremely damaged table top. But luckily for the client damage like this is only an eye sore. And not permanent. (stone cleaning)

After some very careful grinding on the diamond pad system we were able to take the stone back far enough to be able to expose a whole new surface. We then used oil based sealers to really bring the black out in the stone and followed with a polish. (stone sealing)

Another happy customer, and another table saved!

In this job we came across a very dull and sad looking piece of marble that had completely lost it's character and looked lifeless. 

After a good polish on the diamond pad system using a handheld machine the results were incredible. 

We left this job with another happy customer who booked themselves on to the maintenance plan for yearly visits. 

A customer in Purley called us in to help with the Limestone floors in their home. The floors had not been touched since being laid and incorrect sealers had been applied allowing dirt to get in to both the stone and grout. 

After a few hours of Grout scrubbing we then started work on the stone, working our way through the diamond pads on the heavy milling machine to firstly remove the old sealer, grind out any blemishes and damage and finally bring the stone back to a polish.

When we finally felt the stone was ready we applied an impregnating sealer using a system of both sealer and wet polishing, followed by a dry polish at the end. Results were extremely good and the customer booked us in for yearly visits to maintaine the floor.

This was a very sad, neglected Quarry floor in Peckham, client was ready to give up and rip the floor out but decided to give us a go first. It turned out the previous stone restorer had used the wrong sealers leaving the floor a complete mess for 10 years. 

This floor was really looking very beaten up and sorry for itself, in total we spent 7 hours on our knees scrapping off the old sealer followed by a sealant stripper and a deep clean on the heavy machine and wet vacuum to remove all the muck.

Results on this floor were really good. Floor was left looking healthy with a nice shine and colour enhancement. Yet another happy customer.