The owners of this stunning 400-year old property in Conisbrough had occupied it for a few years and were now having a lot of work done to the interior. They never liked the Sandstone Kitchen floor as it always looked dull and unclean, and this was made worse during the renovations. As a result, they had decided they would try and have it professionally cleaned and if not happy would look to replace it.
Conisbrough is a town within the borough of Doncaster. It’s most famous for its’ spectacular castle, Conisbrough Castle. It was originally built in the 11th Century after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Needless to say, the area has a lot of history including the residential property.
Even though the house was 400 years old this floor was part of a recent addition which used to be a tearoom. It was immediately obvious from our initial inspection the floor had never been sealed properly leaving it susceptible to stains, ingrained dirt and grime. We gave them a quote for the work which they were happy to accept, and we arranged a convenient date to return.
Deep Cleaning a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor in Conisbrough
To ger the dirt out of the stone I decided to start with a medium strength dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. It was sprayed onto the floor and then left it to soak in for about ten minutes so it could get to work on breaking down the soiling. After the 10 minutes was up it was worked into every inch of the stone using a scrubbing brush fitted to a rotary floor machine. This product is perfect for removing built up grease and deep ingrained dirt. As the floor had no seal for protection it was pretty dirty.
This action released a dark brown soil from the stone, and this was extracted with an industrial wet vacuum and quickly rinsed the floor with water. It was a reasonably large floor, so it was cleaned in sections working our way across the room making sure the floor was 100% clean as we went. After cleaning the floor twice, it was inspected, and further work carried out to the high traffic and stubborn areas.
Sealing a Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor in Conisbrough
The floor was left to dry out overnight and then checked with a damp meter then next day to ensure the moisture level had returned to normal. Applying a sealer to a damp floor is not recommend and can lead to an inconsistent result so I always check first.
To seal I applied Tile Doctor Colour Grow to the floor, this in an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from within and enhancing the natural colours in the stone in the process. It really brings out the beautiful colours and patterns of the stone transforming its appearance.
The floor looked great and the client was very happy with the overall appearance and decided they would stick with the floor, actually Sandstone is quite nice!
I recommended to the client they should use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to keep the floor looking good, this is a pH neutral cleaner which will not compromise the newly applied seal and will keep it in place, preventing the problems they had previously experienced. It has a fresh smell and is suitable for regular use.
Tile Doctor have a range of sealers that cover all types of finish and situations; before having your tile or stone floor sealed its worth contacting Tile Doctor for advice and to ensure your using the right sealer for your requirements.