Stone Soap

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.

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.

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