A customer from Colne near Burnley was absolutely frustrated with their newly installed Sandstone floor in the kitchen of their farmhouse. Ever since it was installed it had proved impossible to keep it clean. The customer contacted Tile Doctor in the hope that we could remove the ingrained dirt and make the floor much easier to maintain going forward.
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I went over to inspect the floor and recommended a course of action. There was a section of stone which had a stain on it due to a pet accident, so we chose area to conduct a test clean. The flagstone responded well to the cleaning process which impressed the customer who booked us in for the job. There were happy to go ahead with my quote and quite relieved that she had finally found a solution.
Cleaning a Sandstone Paved Kitchen Floor
Arriving on day one, first I taped up the plinths and skirtings to ensure they were not marked during the cleaning, especially as the kitchen was newly installed. Then, to deep clean the floor and remove the ineffectual coating applied by the installer I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and let it soak in for about ten minutes. The solution was then worked into the stone using a coarse 100-grit milling pad. This coarse pad was then followed up with the application of a finer 200-grit pad. Together these pads resurface and clean the stone and remove the coarse surface that was trapping dirt so easily.
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The pads are applied with water which lubricates the abrasive action and results in a fine slurry that is rinsed off after each pad. The slurry is then extracted with a wet vacuum, keeping the mess to a minimum. The flagstone floor was then given a quick acid wash with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to clean the stone further and counter the alkaline cleaning product applied during the first stage of cleaning. After a further rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry off overnight.
Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor
Returning the following day, the floor was first checked using a moisture meter to ensure it was dry. We then sealed with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which added a nice subtle sheen to the stone and as well as protecting the stone from staining ensuring it is a lot easier to clean going forward.
I recommended they should use the Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, which is pH neutral so it will ensure that the sealant is not compromised during cleaning. This is a concentrated product so only a small amount is required, so a small bottle goes a long way.
The client was delighted with the floor and very relieved that it now looked exactly as it should.
Source: Sandstone Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in Colne, South Lancashire
Covering South Lancashire, Kamila Lagonzy is an agent of Tile Doctor, the largest Tile, Stone and Grout restorative cleaning network in the UK who have developed the products and techniques to handle a multitude of issues surrounding tile, stone and grout.