Sealing Sandstone Archives - Lincolnshire Tile Doctor

Large Indian Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Spalding

A homeowner near Spalding contacted Tile Doctor to restore a large Indian Sandstone floor that had lost its appearance and so the owner wanted it renovating. Covering approximately 130 square metres, the Sandstone had lost much of its original colour and character due to the sealer wearing off which led to the inevitable build-up of dirt, organic staining, and general environmental contamination.

Indian Sandstone Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Spalding

The customer wanted to bring the floor back to life and protect it from future staining and damage. After inspecting and the tile and grout, I recommended a professional deep clean followed by sealing using Tile Doctor’s trusted Pro-Clean and Seal & Go products.

I worked out a detailed quote to renovate the floor, which was accepted and a date agreed to do the work. Given the size of the floor the restoration project was scheduled over two days. The first day would focus entirely on deep cleaning the sandstone to remove years of ingrained dirt and organic growth and the second on applying the sealer.

Day One – Deep Cleaning Indian Sandstone Tiles

Work began by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, a high-performance alkaline cleaner specifically designed to break down stubborn dirt, dirty grout lines and other contaminants commonly found on stone surfaces. The solution was allowed to dwell before being worked into the stone using a heavy-duty floor scrubber fitted with a black pad.

The cleaning process lifted a surprising amount of embedded soiling from the sandstone, revealing the natural colours hidden beneath the surface. Particular attention was paid to heavily trafficked areas and sections exposed to moisture and grime was most prominent. Additionally, the grout was hand scrubbed where needed with more Pro-Clean.

Following the cleaning stage, the floor was thoroughly rinsed to remove all residues and loosened contaminants. Once completed, the transformation was already impressive, with the sandstone displaying much brighter and more vibrant tones. The stone was then left overnight to dry completely in preparation for sealing the following day using turbo dryers

Day 2 – Sealing an Indian Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

On the second day, after confirming the Sandstone was fully dry, work started on applying a fresh sealer to the floor. Several coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go were applied, allowing for thirty-minute drying time between coats. This is a high-quality sealer that will provide long-lasting protection and is idea for natural stone such as sandstone.

Multiple coats of Seal & Go were carefully applied to ensure even coverage across the entire 130m² area. The sealer once applied into the stone, helps to repel water, reduce staining, and make future maintenance much easier. Leaving a satin shine to the whole floor.

As the sealer cured, the natural beauty of the sandstone was enhanced further, enriching the colours while maintaining the stone’s natural appearance. The treated surface was left with excellent protection against general day to day use helping to preserve the floors restored condition for years to come and make it easy to keep clean.

Outstanding Results

The completed transformation was remarkable. What had previously been a tired and dull floor was restored to a clean, attractive indoor living space that once again became a feature of the property.

Indian Sandstone Kitchen Floor After Renovation Spalding

The customer was delighted with the results and amazed at the difference professional cleaning and sealing had made. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective product that won’t impact the sealer.

Indian Sandstone Kitchen Floor After Renovation Spalding

If your stone floor is looking tired, stained, or affected by algae and dirt build-up do get in touch as professional cleaning and sealing can dramatically improve its appearance and longevity.

Professional Sandstone Floor Renovation Service in Spalding

Riven Sandstone Tiled Floor Renovated in Boston Lincolnshire

Dirty Riven Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovated in Boston

1 Comment / Boston Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning / Phil Barrs

We were asked to restore a large 70m2 riven Sandstone floor in the historic market town of Boston where the customer had been sealing with an impregnator sealer but the stone just kept absorbing the daily dirt despite repeated cleaning. The Sandstone was now very dull with ingrained dirt and mopping just seemed to make it worse. Unhappy with the appearance they decided to call us in to resolve the issues and add a resilient finish with a slight sheen.

Sandstone Floor Before Renovation Boston

Something clearly was not right so after discussing the issue on the phone I arranged to visit the property and survey their problematic stone floor. I concluded that the sealer the client was using was not effective at sealing the floor properly and had let dirt get into the stone. This could be because the floor had not been cleaned well enough prior to sealing, insufficient sealer had been applied or perhaps the sealer wasn’t suited to Sandstone. Either way to resolve the problem the solution would be to deep clean the Sandstone stripping off the old sealer in the process and then use something more suitable for Sandstone such as Tile Doctor Seal & Go which would also give the subtle shine appearance they were after.

I worked out a quote to renovate the floor, which was accepted and a date agreed to do the work which would take two days, one to deep clean the stone and the second to seal.

Deep Cleaning a Riven Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first day started preparing the area which in this case was simply a case of removing the kickboards from under the kitchen units. Next, I created a strong cleaning, sealer stripper solution by combining Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with Remove and Go and then working in sections sprayed it on to the Sandstone and left it to soak in for ten minutes.

Sandstone Floor During Renovation Boston

The solution was then scrubbed into the stone using a brush pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine with added weight to improve contact. Using a brush pad is an important factor when cleaning riven stone as a normal flat pad would struggle getting into the grooves of the stone and works well on the grout lines as well.

The scrubbing action generated a lot of slurry which was extracted using a high pressure Rotovac system which is a great time saver. The Rotovac works by applying hot water under high pressure onto the floor to further force out ingrained dirt and muck from the stone whilst simultaneously extracting the soil back to a tank on our van.

The results were amazing leaving the stone both clean and free of the old ineffectual sealer. After this the floor was inspected and stubborn stains were spot treated and the floor given a final rinse. Now satisfied the Sandstone was clean I left a couple of air movers in place to assist with drying overnight.

Sealing a Riven Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day the moisture levels in the floor were checked with a damp meter, its important the stone is dry before sealing otherwise the results can be patchy. Fortunately, the air movers had done an excellent job and I was able to start applying the sealer.

Seal and Go is a water-based sealer (so no smell as it dries) that works by protecting the stone with an impermeable layer. It takes multiple coats to fully protect the stone but does give the Sandstone a lovely appearance and will protect the floor from everyday wear and tear as well as making it easy to clean.

The customer was over the moon and said it was better than when they first had it installed and mentioned they would definitely recommend our services going forward.

Professional Sandstone Floor Renovation Service in Boston

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