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 Tyneside

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.

Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace Cleaning Jesmond

Removing Stains from a Recently Installed Limestone Fireplace in Jesmond

1 Comment / Fireplace Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Longbenton Tile Cleaning, Newcastle upon Tyne Tile Cleaning /

A homeowner from Jesmond in Newcastle had a newly installed Limestone Fireplace which had become badly stained by the installers during installation. They had attempted to clean the dust off but made rather a mess of it leaving brown staining all over the contemporary limestone hearth, there was also glue staining where the stone sections had been glued together and the glue had been allowed to run off marking the stone and then wiped off.

Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace Before Cleaning Jesmond

I asked for some photos of the staining to be emailed over and explained that I was confident the staining could be removed and the fireplace returned to its original condition. As expected, the photos indicated the problem, and I was able to provide a quote without making a site visit. The client was happy with my proposal and quotation, and we booked in a date for the work to be carried out.

Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace Before Cleaning Jesmond Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace Before Cleaning Jesmond

Cleaning a Limestone Fireplace

I first protected the surrounding areas, wallpaper, carpet and skirting boards, gave the hearth a light vacuum and set up to carry out the work.

My first cleaning task was to spray the stained areas with a Tile Doctor product called Reduxa. This was left to soak in before using a heat gun set at 400 degrees to gently heat up the treated area. This causes the stain to evaporate out with the Reduxa and may need to be repeated several times until the stain had gone completely. There were several areas that need treating like this so the process was repeated on all the stains.

Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace Before Reduxa Cleaning Jesmond Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace During Reduxa Cleaning Jesmond

Next there were several areas of glue staining which needed deep cleaning which was removed using handheld diamond blocks of different grits and a little water.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Fireplace

Once I was happy the limestone was clean, dry and free of all staining it was sealed with a coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which is an invisible impregnator that will protect the limestone from spills. Impregnators soak into the stone occupying the pores so that dirt etc cannot reside there, this ensures it stays on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace After Cleaning Jesmond

I then tidied leaving the area clean and tidy and the fireplace looking the way it should have done following installation. I then showed the client and he was over the moon that the stains were gone.

Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace After Cleaning Jesmond Brown Stained Limestone Fireplace After Cleaning Jesmond

On the topic of aftercare cleaning, I recommended using of Neutral Tile Cleaner decanted into a spray bottle with water. This can then be sprayed on and wiped off, being of neutral ph it won’t impact the sealer which should last for many years.

 

Professional Renovation of a Limestone Fireplace in Newcastle

Removing Stains from a Recently Installed Limestone Fireplace in Jesmond Read More »

Limestone Tiled Kitchen Renovation Whitley Bay

Grubby Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Whitley Bay

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Whitley Bay Tile Cleaning /

I was called by a lady from Whitley Bay who had a Limestone floor installed in her kitchen a few years back, since then it had become very dirty very quickly and looked very dirty. It was now proving very hard to keep clean and looked permanently grubby.

Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Whitley Bay

I went over to survey the floor and quickly diagnosed that the sealer which protects the pores of the stone from dirt had worn away leaving it vulnerable. Once dirt becomes ingrained into the stone it becomes very difficult to clean. To give her an idea of how well the tiles could look I deep cleaned a tile in the middle of the floor along with the adjacent grout. The difference was remarkable, especially the grout which really came up and it demonstrated just how dirty the floor was.

Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor Test Cleaning Whitley Bay

Impressed with the difference, I was asked to work out a quote to deep clean the Limestone tiles and grout and then to seal it with a durable impregnator. Happy with the plan, the quote and start date was agreed.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Kitchen in Whitley Bay

Work started with taping up the kicker boards and skirting, as I didn’t want any of the water I’d be using to clean to seep into the underneath and damage them. Kicker boards are usually made of MDF and this is easily damaged by water ingress.

The floor was then given a good vacuum before running over the tiles with a Silicone Carbide Brush fitted to a rotary scrubber. The process was lubricated using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which on order to break down any remaining sealer and deep clean the stone of grease and ingrained dirt. This generates a lot of soiling which is rinsed off with more water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Whitley Bay

The grout lines were then scrubbed using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in by hand with a stiff brush. The brush does clean the grout but can struggle to get into the recesses of the grout lines so I like to follow up by hand.

After another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was left to dry overnight.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Kitchen

Before applying the sealer, I checked the tiles were dry using a moisture meter in several areas. Applying sealer to a damp floor can result in a patchy appearance so I always check. In this case the floor had dried nicely overnight, and I was able to proceed.

The sealer chosen for this floor was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnator that soaks into the pores of the limestone preventing dirt from residing there and ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. A couple of coats later and the floor looked great with a subtle satin sheen. The colour enhancing formula of the sealer always did a nice job of bringing out the natural colours and tones in the stone.

The floor was transformed by the process and my client was over the moon with the finish. Before leaving I took time to provide some advice on how to maintain the tiles going forward and the importance of using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for day-to-day cleaning.

Limestone Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Whitley Bay

 

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Tiled Kitchen in Tyneside

Grubby Limestone Kitchen Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Whitley Bay Read More »

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