Spalding

Indian Sandstone Kitchen Floor Renovation Spalding Lincolnshire

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 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 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

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Minton Hollins Victorian Floor Restoration Spalding

Restoration of an Original Minton Hollins Victorian Floor in Spalding

The pictures below come from a Victorian property in Spalding which had a hallway tiled in original Minton Hollins tiles. This is a famous tile manufacturer based in Staffordshire in the 1800’s and are very sought after. You often hear of homeowners claiming to have a Minton tiled floor but its very difficult to prove unless you can check underneath the tile to see the manufacturers mark.

Minton Hollins Victorian Floor Before Cleaning Spalding

The floor was in a bad state of repair and on inspection I could see there were many loose and cracked tiles and some areas where bad repairs had been carried out. After reviewing the whole floor, I created a quote for resolving all the tiling issues, deep cleaning and then sealing with a matt breathable sealer.

Minton Hollins Victorian Floor Before Restoration Spalding

During the inspection I noticed there were five or six tiles that had been laid upside down to reveal the Minton Hollins & Co mark confirming the provenance of the floor. It may sound unusual but it not that uncommon to find tiles laid upside down on old floors like this and it certainly adds character.

Minton Hollins Victorian Floor After Restoration Showing Manufacturers Mark

Happy with the quote and keen to have the floor restored we set a date for the work to start which would take several days due to the tiling work that was required.

Deep Cleaning a Large Victorian Hallway

Before starting with the cleaning, the first task was to sort out all the tiling issues. Loose and broken tiles had to be carefully removed in order not to disturb adjacent tiles and then the replacements were cut to size and fitted to match the original pattern.

Minton Hollins Victorian Floor During Restoration Spalding

My customer had managed to source the replacement tiles which isn’t as difficult as you might think as they are still very popular today and there are several manufacturers still producing them.

Then on day two the floor was deep cleaned using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to breakdown and release the dirt in the tiles. I let the Pro-Clean soak in for about ten minutes before scrubbing it in with coarse 100 and 200-grit diamond pads to remove ingrained dirt and any surface patination on the tiles. Once done the soiling was rinsed off with water and then extracted with a wet vacuum.

Minton Hollins Victorian Floor During Cleaning Spalding

The floor was then given an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel to neutralise the PH level of the floor after the use of Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaning product. This also helps counter any efflorescence salt issues that may be present in the floor and generally brightens up the tiles further by removing any surface grout. The whole floor was then scrubbed and rinsed with water and then left to dry off.

Sealing Victorian Tiles

A lot of water is used during the cleaning process and I needed the floor to dry out completely before the final step of applying the sealer so I left a couple of air movers in place to speed things up.

Minton Hollins Victorian Floor After Restoration Spalding Minton Hollins Victorian Floor After Restoration Spalding

I returned a few days later to seal the tiles with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a fully breathable impregnating sealer that won’t scratch or peel and will enhance the colour in the tile. Breathable sealers allow moisture in the subfloor to rise thought the tile and evaporate at the surface. This is an important consideration for an old floor like this one as it won’t have a damp proof membrane installed and you don’t want damp building up under the floor where it can reach out to the walls.

The work was transformational and the results really speak for themselves. Certainly, my customer was delighted with their new period floor which is a great feature to have in the property and as mentioned before very sought after.

Minton Hollins Victorian Floor After Restoration Spalding

For aftercare cleaning of this floor, I recommend using a pH neutral tile cleaning products such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner; reason being that other products can simply too strong and contain bleach which can damage the sealer.

 

Professional Renovation of a Large Victorian Tiled Floor in Lincolnshire

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