kitchen floor Archives - Lincolnshire Tile Doctor

Dull Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor Polished and Transformed in Bourne

We recently undertook a truly remarkable transformation of a tired and weathered Marble floor at a home in Bourne in South Lincolnshire. Once the pride of the property, the surface had dulled over the years—its natural sheen muted by time, foot traffic, and improper maintenance products.

Dull Marble Floor Before Polishing in Bourne

There were no physical issues with the Marble tiles, it was simply a case of the polished appearance being worn down with use, the grout had also darkened with dirt. The solution would be to hone the polish back onto the Marble using a set of burnishing pads, cleaning the grout and then re-sealing to protect the stone from ingrained dirt. I quoted for completing the work which was accepted and a date set.

Cleaning and Polishing a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor

The renovation began by adding protection to the adjacent carpeting and plinths with silicone; water ingress can cause damage especially to MDF so this step is always worth doing. Once done the floor was given a meticulous deep clean using a rotary buffer to remove surface dirt.

Next, to restore the deep polish and natural beauty to the stone a series of Tile Doctor Diamond Burnishing Pads were run over the tiles in sequence from coarse to extra fine. The coarse pad removes layers of ingrained dirt, residues and fine scratches that mask the floor’s character. Water is used to lubricate the process, and this turns into a dark slurry as the work progresses. Once each tile has been burnished several times with the pad, the floor is rinsed to remove the slurry.

The pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line so at this point I ran a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean along the grout lines and scrubbed it in with a wire brush to get the dirt out.

After another rinse and extraction, the coarse pad was then changed on the buffer for the first of the three finer pads. These finer pads gradually hone the stone and restore the deep polished appearance. With each pass, the marble reveals more of its hidden depth and clarity. Again, these are applied with water and the floor rinsed and extracted afterwards to remove the slurry.

The last pad is a very fine grade and is applied dry with only a little water using a process we call a spray burnish and leaves the marble smooth with a deep light-reflecting finish.

Marble Floor During Polishing in Bourne

Sealing a Marble Tiled Kitchen

On day two, the Marble was finished with the application of the sealer which for this floor we had decided upon Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This is Tile Doctor’s premium impregnating natural look sealer that penetrates deep into the stone protecting it from within.

The sealer occupies the pores in the stone ensuring dirt cannot reside there, keeping it on the surface and thereby providing long-lasting protection from spills, stains, and moisture. With Tile Doctor Ultra Seal, the Marble’s surface was not only radiant but now ready to resist the rigours of daily life.

The result? A floor that shimmered with elegance—its rich shine and warm tones brought back to life, glowing under the natural light like a polished sculpture. The homeowners were overjoyed, and we were proud to have revived a floor that now looks as luxurious as the day it was laid.

For aftercare I recommended Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle yet effective cleaning product that contains a patina enhancer and won’t impact the sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tiled Kitchen Floor in Lincolnshire

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Travertine Kitchen Floor Before and After Restoration in Lincoln

Travertine Kitchen Tiles Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Lincoln

1 Comment / Lincoln Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History / Phil Barrs

Travertine is a lovely beige and brown stone that looks fantastic when it’s first laid but needs work to maintain the appearance. This was exactly the problem my customer who lives near the historic Cathedral City of Lincoln had experienced. The sealer on their Travertine Kitchen floor was becoming worn in the more commonly used parts of the floor letting dirt become ingrained into the pores of the stone and the grout was also becoming darker where it was getting dirty. They also had pets that spent a lot of time in the Kitchen which didn’t help and there were also small holes in the Travertine that were trapping dirt and would need filling.

Travertine Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Lincoln

Cleaning and Burnishing a Travertine Tiled Floor

To deep clean the stone and grout I applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, left it to soak in for ten minutes and then worked it into the floor using a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine. Pro-Clean is a strong reliable alkaline product which is safe to use on stone and grout including Travertine and Limestone.

I also ran a stiff grout brush along the edges of the floor and especially along the grout lines to get the grout as clean as possible; the scrubbing pad struggles to reach into the recesses of the grout so it’s best to do this by hand. The now dirty cleaning solution was extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum and rinsed with water to ensure the tile and grout was now clean and any stubborn stains spot treated.

Travertine Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Lincoln

After the deep clean we filled the holes as required using flexible filler which gives a really smooth look to the flooring. We then left our turbo dryer system on overnight to thoroughly dry out the floor before returning to seal the tiles on day two.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Floor

The next day I returned to the property and proceeded to seal the Travertine tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer to protect the tiles and also really enhance the natural colours in the stone. As an impregnating sealer, Colour Grow penetrates into the stone and fills its pores to safeguard it against ingrained dirt and stains from within.

Travertine Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Lincoln

As you can see from the photographs, the combination of a deep clean, high quality polish and fresh seal really transformed the appearance of the floor from dull and lifeless to a really asset to the kitchen. The customer was so happy with the results she has booked us in to carry out the same work to other flooring in the property.

Travertine Kitchen Floor After Cleaning and Sealing Lincoln

Professional Maintenance of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor in Lincoln

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Cleaning Terracotta Floor Tiles Near Boston

Boston Tile Cleaning, Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Work History / Phil Barrs

Details below of a terracotta floor cleaning job we did near Boston, that’s Boston in Lincolnshire which is small port on the east coast of the UK as opposed to Boston, Massachusetts which was given its name by emigrants from this area.

The tiles were expensive handmade terracotta tiles, a few of which contained finger prints that had been baked onto the tile during the manufacturing process. The owner had previously tried to seal the floor themselves using other products but was having difficulty and had delayed making use of their new kitchen extension until the floor could be sealed.

Cleaning Terracotta Floor Tiles

To ensure a consistent finish we had to remove the previous sealer and make sure the Terracotta floor was clean it was scrubbed with a buffing machine assisted with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an effective alkaline cleaner and sealer remover depending on the dilution. Cleaning the Terracotta floor tiles took a day to complete before being washed down with clean water to remove any remaining cleaner and neutralise the floor.

Sealing Terracotta Floor Tiles

The floor was left overnight to dry and we came back the next day to apply a sealer to protect the tiles, sealing those pores that collect dirt and make them easier to clean. We used four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go for this; it’s recommend for Terracotta floors bringing out the colour in the tile whilst providing a Matt finish. The customer was over the moon with the results and can now move into their new kitchen and sealed tiles.

Cleaning and Sealing handmade Terracotta floor tiles near Boston

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