Stone Floor Cleaning Hertfordshire

You don’t expect a new floor to need restoration. But this was the case with the kitchen floor of a family home in Baldock, Hertfordshire. The porcelain floor had only been installed six months earlier. It should have been in perfect condition. But sadly, right from first day it had only brought disappointment.

Poor condition of the new porcelain tiled floor

Despite loving the style of the floor tiles that they had chosen, the floor itself had caused so much disappointment that the homeowners were considering taking it up and replacing it. The problem was that everything that came into contact with the floor in the smart kitchen-diner immediately showed, from drips to footprints and paw prints from the family dog. Once the floor became dirty, each mark was incredibly difficult or impossible to remove.

What caused this ceramic floor to attract dirt?

Saul at Cornwell Services examined the kitchen floor and was able to identify the underlying problem: the entire floor was covered with a grout haze. In addition, the tiled floor had never been sealed due to incorrect advice from the tile shop. There was nothing wrong with the tiles. Porcelain is a type of ceramic tile that is strong, fine-grained, smooth and relatively imperious to water. It’s ideal for high-moisture environments in the home. The problem was caused by poor installation.

What is grout haze?

Grout haze occurs when the tiler leaves a grout residue on the surface of the tiles by not thoroughly rinsing the sponge when removing the excess grout. This dries as a thin film of unsightly grout or haze on the surface of the tile. The haze has a rough, dirt-attracting texture. It’s also porous which makes everyday dirt very difficult to clean. Grout haze can only be removed by a professional.

Shhh! Secret grout floor cleaning project

Tackling the work involved some flexibility since the job was to be a surprise for the client’s wife and secrecy was paramount. That meant that inspecting the floor was carried out in secret. When it came to working on site, that had to be done in secret too. Saul hid the van out of sight and only arrived at the property once the lady of the house had left for work.

Seven steps: porcelain floor cleaning and restoration

Once Saul ascertained that the issues with the floor were primarily due to grout haze, he could formulate a plan of action to restore the floor to the state it should have been in when it was originally installed.

1. Preparation: After thoroughly vacuuming the entire floor to remove debris, dust and grit, Saul prepared the floor for cleaning by masking off the kitchen units and any vulnerable surface to protect from the risk of splashes.
2. Alkaline treatment: An alkaline stripping agent was applied to the tiled porcelain floor. This solution was thoroughly scrubbed into the floor with a rotary machine using brushes and pads. It dissolves dirt and any polymers which may have risen to the surface and could impede the efficiency of the cleaning. Alkaline cleaning agents are also highly effective at emulsifying most household dirt which is usually acidic in nature.
3. Rinse: Next, the floor was rinsed with water under high pressure within our enclosed tooling to prevent splashing. The dirty water from this process is extracted directly into the waste tank in the van.
4. Phosphoric treatment: Once the surface dirt had been successfully removed the grout problem could be tackled. A liberal coating of a phosphoric acid-based product was applied. This rapidly dissolves the grout haze. Because the haze is such a thin layer can be removed without damaging the actual grout lines themselves.
5. Deep clean: A rectangular oscillating machine was used to agitate the surface. This reached into the corners so that all the residue was removed. It is painstaking work, on small areas at a time to retain control.
6. Neutralise: The floor was thoroughly rinsed and neutralised afterwards.
7. Impregnating seal: Once dry, and after making sure that all the haze and dirt was gone, a penetrating seal was applied to the clean floor tiles to help prevent the ingress of water and oil-based spills and stains in future.

The client was pleased, and his wife was surprised and absolutely delighted with the results that had been achieved in secret.

Don’t assume you need to replace your tiled natural stone floor or tiled ceramic floor due to its poor condition. Often with professional help it can be restored for a fraction of the cost to replace it. 

Please contact Saul at Cornwell Services on 07738 022813 for help to clean and restore the tiled floor in your home or business premises. We’re a Hertfordshire-based business and we cover Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and north London.

Because natural stone looks great and can last a long time, today many business premises and residential homes feature tiled stone floors. These floors may have dealt with the footfall from a few years or even a few centuries. Over time marble, limestone, slate and other natural stone floor tiles can become dirty, damaged and look past their best. When the situation gets really bad, you might think the only answer is to take up the tiles and replace them with a new floor altogether. But before you replace your stone floor at great expense, consider whether a specialist in stone floor cleaning and renovation can rescue your existing floor.

Natural stone floors – problems that can be put right

If it’s possible to renovate a stone floor it will usually be a far more cost-effective solution than taking up the old floor and putting in a new one.

Specialist stone floor cleaning and restoration can:

• Remove ingrained grime from stone tiles
• Smooth away lippage, where the stone floor tiles are uneven
• Clean or refinish grout for a professional look
• Neutralise algae or other outdoor hazards
• Polish scratches out of the surface
• Correct patches of discolouration

Check with a stone floor cleaning specialist first

If you think your stone floor will have to be replaced it is always worthwhile checking first. You might be surprised that stone floors that appear damaged, dirty or dull can be brought back to life in many cases. You can contact a stone floor cleaning specialist like Cornwell Services and we’ll quickly be able to determine whether we can renovate your stone floor instead.

Please contact Saul at Cornwell Services on 07738 022813. We’re a Hertfordshire-based business and we cover Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and north London.

Recently Cornwell Services were called upon for specialist limestone floor cleaning at a home in Hertfordshire. The property is a contemporary house with a high-end kitchen and dramatic floor to ceiling glass. This light, bright, reflective design style looks best when the floor is in impeccable condition. Unfortunately, the floor at this property was showing signs of wear and tear which the homeowner wanted to resolve. Cornwell Services were able to renovate the limestone floor tiles bringing them back to their best. Because our client needs the floor to always remain in a clean and shiny condition, we now provide regular maintenance too. Here’s the problem we faced and what we did about it.

The problem – wear and tear on limestone floor tiles

The floor was looking tired with signs of normal wear and tear. It had been marked and discoloured by spills from liquids such as fruit juices and cola. The floor surface was uneven due to the way the tiles had been laid. Scratches had appeared from the movement of chairs which didn’t have protective felt pads under the legs. A few cracks could be seen across the limestone tiles and in places, the grout had failed.

The process – limestone floor cleaning and restoration

Due to the scale of the project, the initial work to clean and restore the stone floor took six days to complete. This involved:

• Protecting kitchen units and other surfaces by masking them and refinishing the grout where necessary.

• Removing lippage (uneven surfaces) with heavy duty metal bond diamond tooling on a 150kg machine.

• Reducing the deep scratch patterns created from lippage removal with Stage 2 and 3 metal bond diamond tooling.

• Reducing the scratch patterns further until the floor becomes reflective with Stages 4, 5, 6 and 7 resin bond diamonds.

• Replicating this attention in edges and corners with smaller machinery for a totally clean and smooth floor.

• Using high quality polishing powders under a natural hair pad on a lighter rotary machine for a high gloss shine.

• Applying an impregnating seal to the dry limestone floor and buffing it until dry to prevent any future water and oil-based spills from penetrating the tile.

Regular limestone floor cleaning & maintenance 

Once the limestone floor had been returned to a beautiful, smooth and reflective finish it’s a much simpler task to keep it this way. The client has chosen a maintenance plan which provides two visits each year. The work can be completed well within a day causing minimal disruption to the client’s home. At each visit the floor is cleaned, polished and resealed to ensure that it remains an elegant feature of this stylish home.

For details of our stone floor cleaning service please contact Saul at Cornwell Services on 07738 022813.

Cornwell Services are a Hertfordshire-based business and we cover Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and north London.

Cornwell Services clean and restore stone floors in modern and period properties. When we restored the historic quarry tile floor in the elegant dining room of a beautiful Georgian property in Hertfordshire, we also provided stone floor cleaning to bring other rooms up to standard. The homeowner was committed to restoring the period features of the property as sensitively as possible and we were very glad to play our part. All but one of the rooms we worked on had original quarry tiles with just one laid with modern quarry tiles. Regardless of age every room needed specialist stone floor cleaning.

Dining room – putting right past mistakes with a quarry tile floor

The extreme age of the quarry tiles had led to them becoming porous, absorbing dirt. Efforts by previous homeowners to protect the tiles with sealants and wax had sealed in dirt and further harmed the condition of the floor. In order to restore the floor, Cornwell stripped it back to the bare quarry tiles and then carefully deep cleaned the floor before applying the correct protective seal. Our specialist floor cleaning process has returned these period quarry tiles to their original colour and charm. It will also protect them against future damage.

Lobby, utility & bathroom – restoring original quarry tile floors

Cleaning the quarry tiles in these rooms was a challenge, even for ourselves! The reason was that as well as a build-up of decades of dirt, these floors hadn’t been protected during renovation works to the property. As a consequence, the historic quarry tiles were covered in new paint spots and builder’s debris. By following our stone floor cleaning process, with the addition of a great deal of careful manual labour to put right what had gone wrong, we restored these wonderful quarry tiled floors to their beautiful best.

The front hall – preserving an historic quarry tile floor

In front entrance hall of the house the quarry tiles were coming to the end of their serviceable life. A good number of the tiles are flaking and breaking down. But the client was content to keep them for as long as practically possible, so with even greater gentleness than usually required we cleaned away decades of dirt with good results.

The side hall – cleaning modern quarry tiles

This room also had a quarry tile floor. But unlike other rooms, the floor was quite newly laid since the original floor was too badly damaged to be restored. Unfortunately, it had also become damaged by building work because it hadn’t been covered during renovations. Again, with thorough quarry tile cleaning, we were able to resolve the issue and restore these tiles to pristine condition.

When you need a specialist to clean or restore your stone floor please contact, Saul at Cornwell Services for your next stone floor cleaning project – just call 07738 022813.

We are based in Hertfordshire and provide stone floor cleaning and restoration across Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and north London.

It’s easy to become convinced that the stone floor in your home or commercial property is beyond repair. Ingrained dirt, uneven surfaces and grout problems can make even the best materials – such as marble tiles – look dreadful and create a trip hazard. Given property owners’ instinct to replace floors in bad condition, Cornwell Services was delighted to be given the task of marble floor cleaning and restoration at a home in Ely, Cambridgeshire. We were able to rescue the marble floor tiles in the kitchen for a fraction of what it would have cost the homeowner to replace the floor. That’s a great result for our client.

Cambridgeshire marble floor renovation

The issue for the property owner in Cambridgeshire was that their marble kitchen floor had been poorly laid two years earlier. The floor had extreme lippage with some tiles sitting higher than others resulting in an uneven surface. The marble tiles had also not been grouted. Given the disappointing workmanship of the original tiler the client was not satisfied with the floor and considered removing the tiles would be their only option. Fortunately, they contacted Cornwell Services first to see if the floor could be saved. It could!

The work to clean and restore the marble floor took only two days, with Cornwell Services returning to the property once the floor was dry in order to seal it.

The stone floor cleaning & restoration process

Saul Cornwell at Cornwell Services worked on this project. He masked off the kitchen units and grouted the floor ready for grinding and de-lipping. With the kitchen units protected and the grout dry, the following day he was able to create an even surface using a 150kg machine kitted out with heavy duty metal bond diamond tooling. This process is classed as grinding, but it’s completely dust-free since water is used to create an abrasive slurry. This rapidly removes the high spots from the tiles creating a flat but scratched surface.

Once the marble floor in the kitchen was completely level, Saul used Stage 2 and 3 metal bond diamonds to reduce the deep scratch patterns. These scratch patterns were further reduced at Stages 4, 5, 6 and 7 using resin bond diamonds, until the floor became reflective. Saul also tackled edges and corners with smaller specialist machines so that the entire floor was in pristine condition.

During the final process before sealing Saul used high quality polishing powders under a lighter rotary machine with a natural hair pad. This created a high gloss shine, leaving the marble floor beautifully smooth with a reflective finish. Once dry, a specialised impregnating seal was applied and buffed until dry to prevent the ingress of water and oil-based spills in future.

The client was astounded that such dramatic results could be achieved with a floor that would otherwise have been ripped up and replaced. To find out whether we could restore your floor with our specialist stone floor cleaning and renovation service please contact Saul at Cornwell Services on 07738 022813. We work for homeowners and businesses across Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and north London.    

At Cornwell Services we’re in the business of cleaning and renovating stone flooring. But what makes tiled stone floors such a popular choice in the first place?

The enduring appeal of tiled stone flooring 

Put simply, the huge choice of styles, ease of maintenance and durability of stone floors has made them a wise choice in past centuries as well as in today’s modern homes and business premises.

Original stone floors found in period properties, whether quarry tiles, marble, brick, patterned Victorian tiles or flagstones, all pay testament to these attributes. This flooring will have been chosen for areas of a building to create an impressive entrance hall, to provide a practical non-slip, non-porous floor for kitchens and working zones, or to provide a robust surface in public areas that’s both hardwearing and elegant.

Modern buildings favour stone floors too, for their contemporary aesthetic. Travertine, sandstone, porcelain and slate can help create stunning living and working spaces. Flooring using a single material throughout can help to add to the feeling of space. Whilst a clever use of different stone floor tiles can effectively zone open plan living areas or public areas. Stone floors are suitable for underfloor heating too, allowing a comfortable home or productive commercial premises without radiators taking up valuable wall-space.

Minimum maintenance – stone floor cleaning

With modern properties, a bit of care and some expert stone floor cleaning can ensure that floors continue to provide the functionality and aesthetic style that property owners require. At Cornwell Services we’re called in to ‘fix’ stone floor problems that occur at modern properties. For example, the marble surround to a Hertfordshire swimming pool had become marked with algae and we were able to bring it back to its former beauty by undertaking specialist stone floor cleaning which involved removal of algae, deep cleaning and sealing. From here a little regular maintenance each year will ensure the stone floor remains clean and safe underfoot.

We often have the pleasure of cleaning or renovating the historic flooring surfaces in period properties, whether these are private homes or company premises. For example, we’ve renovated the quarry tile floors in a Georgian property near Hitchin through specialist deep cleaning and sealing. Business owner, Saul Cornwell, takes great pride in drawing upon his technical knowledge and taking the steps required to restore these period features so that the beauty of natural stone floors that’s been diminished by the passage of time can be seen once more.

Whether you’ve chosen a stone floor for your building or become the owner or manager of a natural stone floor with your period property, Saul at Cornwell Services is on hand for specialist stone floor cleaning – just call 07738 022813.

Cornwell Services are a Hertfordshire-based business and we take on renovation projects and regular maintenance of stone floors across Hertfordshire as well as in Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and north London.

Property owners near Hitchin, Hertfordshire recently called on Cornwell Services for specialist help to clean and restore the quarry tile floor in the dining room of their Georgian property. This stone floor cleaning project was carried out as part of the client’s programme of restoration to preserve the period features of their new home as well as to satisfy the planning requirements for renovations to this historic listed property. Whilst every stone floor cleaning project is different, this case study provides a good guide as to how to restore quarry tile floors in period properties.

The challenge – quarry tile floors

The dining room floor had been laid with traditional red quarry tiles. These tiles would have been made by extrusion or press-forming, with clay tiles fired at high temperatures. The resulting tile is robust with high slip-resistance. But purely due to the age of the quarry tiles – estimated at 200 years or more – they needed specialist treatment to once again look and perform at their best.

The extreme age of the quarry tiles and continued wear and tear over the years had led to them becoming porous. This meant that they had become prone to absorbing dirt, spoiling their appearance. Attempts by previous owners to prevent further tile damage meant that the dirt became sealed in, under waxes and seals.  Unfortunately, since different seals are not compatible with each other, including different brands of the same type of seal, these well-intentioned actions had simply made matters worse.

The client’s requirement – restoring a period stone floor

• To strip the historic stone floor back to the bare quarry tiles.
• To carefully deep clean the floor to remove centuries of dirt and restore the natural colour and appearance of the tiles.
• To apply a new protective seal that would be fit for purpose and extend the lifetime of the quarry tiles.

Cornwell’s approach – stone floor cleaning

To tackle the sealed in grime, we used a high alkaline stripping agent. This worked by dissolving layers of old seals and waxes and lifting out the embedded dirt. Once the ingrained dirt had been removed, the quarry tiles were then thoroughly scrubbed. We did this using diamond impregnated brushes on a heavy-duty rotary floor-cleaning machine to remove surface dirt and debris.

The resulting dirty slurry was rinsed and removed into the waste tank of our van-mounted machine. This ensured that any dirt, wax or minerals can’t be redeposited on the floor surface. With the grit and grime extracted, the stone floor was cleaned again, but this time using an acid-based solution. This was effective in neutralising the alkaline, removing any grout haze or cement residue, and preventing the formation of efflorescence – a milky mineral surface residue that’s common with older quarry tile floors. This approach meant the quarry tiles were in near pristine condition as befits their age.

Drying time after cleaning quarry tiles

Depending upon the porosity of the tile and drying conditions a newly cleaned quarry tile floor can take just a single day to dry out, or it can take two weeks or more to become dry enough to allow the seal to be applied.

Fortunately, the dining room of this Georgian home enjoyed a south facing position. With the natural warmth of the sun together with our air movers and plenty of ventilation, the floor dried out quickly. We were able to apply an even coating of sealant the very next day completing the restoration of the quarry tiles and making the dining room floor an attractive historic feature once more.

Need help with restoring stone floors?

Contact Saul at Cornwell Services on 07738 022813 to ask about how we can restore the stone floor in your historic home or period investment property.

We provide specialist domestic and commercial stone floor cleaning services in Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and south-east England.

Nothing beats the beauty of a natural stone floor, be it travertine, marble, terracotta, slate, limestone or sandstone. The elegance and durability of stone tiles make them a popular design choice for both residential and commercial properties in the Home Counties. But like all good things it takes a little work to keep stone in good condition. So, what can you do to stop the stone floor in your home or business becoming ingrained with dirt, making it unsightly or unsafe? Thankfully, with the right approach and some expert care most stone floors can be returned to their stunning best and kept that way. Here are some tips from Cornwell Services.

Stone floor cleaning – what to do

Do ensure your natural stone floor is swept and vacuumed frequently so that dirt and grit aren’t allowed to build up and damage the tiles’ surface.

Do take care that the floor is mopped with a damp mop and not a soaking wet one!

Do ensure that specialist stone cleaning products are used as this won’t leave a residue or damage the seal on your tiles.

Do make sure that any accidental spills are cleared up immediately to help to preserve the stone floor.

Do make use of a specialist stone cleaning service since trained professionals have the expertise, equipment and cleaning products to clean, seal and maintain the finish of your stone floor.

Natural stone floors – what to avoid

Don’t allow the floor to be mopped with any cleaner that’s acidic since this will damage natural stone like travertine, marble and limestone. Take care because commonly available tile and grout cleaners often contain acid in the form of lemon juice or vinegar and general cleaning staff may be unaware of this fact.

Don’t allow the use of abrasive cleaners as they can scratch and mark stone tiles.

Don’t allow the use of a vacuum cleaner which has worn or missing wheels when removing dust and dirt, since this can harm the stone’s surface.

Specialist cleaning to restore stone floors

Typically, homeowners and commercial property managers will need specialist help to rescue natural stone floors where the tiles and grout have become dirty and stained over time. Specialist stone floor cleaning technicians like Cornwell Services, know how to approach different types of stone floors and renovate them. These are three approaches a specialist might use:

• Restorative refinishing, including diamond stone polishing for smooth marble floors, and cleaning and repairing grout lines

• Aggressive cleaning with high performance chemicals or poultices to remove paint, adhesives, mould, mildew and ingrained dirt

• Deep cleaning with steam pressure to restore natural colour and condition

Once the stone tiles and grout lines are returned to their natural colours, the stone floor can be resealed by your specialist with a coating that makes it resistant to water, oil, bacteria and dirt. At Cornwell Services we select impregnating or topical sealers dependant on the type of stone and its condition.

Once thoroughly clean and resealed, a six-monthly cleaning routine, using pH neutral products, followed by a top-up seal will normally be sufficient to keep travertine, terracotta and any other stone floor in excellent condition.

Budget-friendly stone cleaning routines

With regular specialist cleaning, you’ll be able to secure better value for money. That’s because regular cleaning will ensure that stone floors can retain their cleanliness, safety and aesthetic appeal for longer. This in turn means that you need less serious intervention resulting in less disruption and a lower cost.

Cornwell Services provide domestic and commercial stone floor cleaning services in Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and south-east England.

Contact Saul at Cornwell Services on 07738 022813 to find out more about our specialist stone floor cleaning service or to talk through your stone floor restoration requirements.

This case study shows the before and after pictures from a recent marble floor cleaning project in Hertfordshire. The stone flooring formed an elegant pool surround for a 5-metre outdoor swimming pool at a private residence. Cornwell Services were asked to clean and restore the marble surface which was in need of deep cleaning. After specialist treatment, the homeowner was delighted with the transformation. Take a look…

Marble floor – tough but porous

As a hardwearing design classic, marble is a great choice for indoor and outdoor floors. But despite being a hard, stone surface, marble is a porous material. This means that it can be prone to a build-up of dirt and staining over time.

The marble restoration challenge

With this project the tiles were comprised of honed marble for slip resistance – essential for a pool surround which will get splashed and wet. A honed surface also means that it can catch the dirt more easily than polished marble. In this case the tiles had become stained and covered in algae and lichen.

In addition, the swimming pool had a very practical retractable pool enclosure, given our changeable climate. This can turn an outdoor pool into an indoor pool in a matter of minutes. Since the pool enclosure had been left over the pool for some time the marble tiles on the outside had different discolouration compared to the tiles kept under cover. When the enclosure was retracted the difference in the condition of the marble was clear with a tramline in evidence where the enclosure ran over the tiles.

Our marble floor cleaning regime

To return the marble pool surround to its original pristine condition, we neutralised and removed the algae and lichen growth, along with the dirt and grime. This was done with repeated washing using a specialist stone-cleaning agent. Then the entire marble floor surface was rinsed, making sure that all the dirty water was extracted into the waste tank of our powerful van-mounted machine. This step is necessary to protect the surrounding area from any damage. Once dry, a seal was applied to the floor which impregnated the marble tiles to help prevent any future regrowth of algae or ingress from dirt.

These photographs demonstrate what can be achieved. The result is that the marble pool surround has been transformed – back to its original condition.

Ask us about your stone floor

To find out how we could help with your own stone floor cleaning project please contact Saul at Cornwell Services on 07738 022813.

Cornwell Services are a Hertfordshire-based business and we cover Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and south-east England.

Limestone tiles offer a light, bright and sophisticated appearance to any room where they appear. Limestone floors can be found in many different settings including traditional, modern, domestic and commercial. Why is limestone so popular?

Strength and Durability:

As a natural tile, limestone offers great strength and durability which means that it offers a flooring alternative that can be placed within many rooms of the house. If treated and maintained correctly this stands the test of time in relation to the lifespan of your limestone floor.

Long-lasting Alternative:

Proof of this are the Pyramids in Egypt. Limestone is able to retain its natural look and structural integrity even within high-usage areas of your home or business. This is really important for people looking for a long-lasting solution.

Timeless Appeal:

This shows in the many decades that limestone has remained as one of the most popular stone floor choices. Flooring alternatives that stand the test of time are rare. So many come in and out of fashion, however, limestone is showing no signs of this.

Versatility:

Limestone is known to be versatile in its properties. It can be used for many different applications and still allows unique individuality. Limestone tiles are available in different shades, finishes and can be fully restored by a stone floor cleaning expert when required.

We were asked to deep clean and restore this limestone floor in Much Hadham. The first images show the dull floor when we arrived. Dirt had been pushed into the grout lines and cleaning of the tiles has become unsatisfactory to our client.

Limestone cleaning requires great understanding and usage of the correct techniques, machinery and products. The end result is a limestone floor that shines, no longer looks dull and is an attractive statement.

Our clients were exceptionally pleased with the finish we achieved.

Are you looking for a limestone cleaner? Please call today on 07738 022813 to arrange a no obligation quotation.