Stone Floor Cleaning Hertfordshire

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.

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.

We were invited to fully restore these beautiful slate floor tiles in Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire recently. As the first two images show, over time they had started to look dull in appearance and had lost the sheen that they had once had.

Even with the most careful homeowner, deterioration of your stone flooring is inevitable through daily life. And the speed to which this occurs can happen quicker in a household with pets.

Slate cleaning offers exceptional results, as shown in the last two images and the owner was so pleased with the new finish.

Whilst working on this job, our client asked questions about slate flooring. They had always liked the look of their floor and so to see it restored renewed their enthusiasm for it.

Whilst discussing the stone restoration process we identified the following interesting facts about slate.

• The colouration of any slate tile is largely determined by the amount of iron that the stone contains
• Slate is a very versatile natural stone; it can be used in a range of different uses throughout a home or business including flooring and roofing
• Slate is best-equipped to deal with rain water and freezing conditions due to the fact that it is an absorbent stone
• Slate can often crack slightly or flake; this is due to its make-up and should therefore never be polished
• It is rumoured to believe that the United Kingdom produces some of the world’s best slate

This information and other factors such as its durability and non-slip qualities pay testament to the popularity of slate floors. Take a moment to look through our slate restoration blog posts to view the different variations of slate that we have skilfully restored.

If you would like to enquire to receive a free, no obligation quotation we invite you to call on 07738022813.

Slate flooring is incredibly versatile and is suited to both exterior and interior settings. They are an easily-recognisable natural tile that boasts an anti-slip quality, offering testament to its popularity.

We were asked to restore this slate floor in Digswell, Hertfordshire; the house had been rented out for over five years and although not abused, the tile floor had been neglected and was in need of full restoration.

This process strips back years of dirt, grime and likely incorrect product usage and restores the tiles to their former and natural elegance and glory. The deterioration of the tiles often happens over a long period of time so it is sometimes the case that home owners are not aware of this decline.

The stone seal had broken down in places and so needed to be stripped off and re-sealed. The client was about to have a new kitchen installed so it was the most appropriate time for us to complete our tailored stone restoration process.

After the seal and dirt and been removed, the tiled floor was left to thoroughly dry for several days before the new seal was applied. We then discussed our stone maintenance programme, which keeps on top of the stone cleaning.

Our client was more than happy for us to set this up and we will be returning once a year now to deep clean and top up the seal as part of our ongoing programme.

This forms part of our high-level customer service, which we take great pride in.

If you would like to discuss cleaning your slate tiles we would invite you to call our dedicated team on 07738022813.

We work hard to guide you through the process from initial enquiry through to completion of the work and beyond.

This series of images shows an example of a slate cleaning job we completed in Barnett, North London. It displays the stages of slate restoration from start to finish and shows the incredible results that can be achieved.

The before images show how incredibly dirty these slate tiles were prior to our visit. The tiles were ingrained with grime and dirt and you could no longer see the beautiful tones of the tiles through it. Before contacting Cornwell Services, this customer thought that they would have to take up the stone floor and have it replaced.

We used a powerful stripping agent that worked to remove the grease and previous seal. This process takes the tiles back to bare stone and provides a fresh surface for the restoration process.

When the slate floor was dry we applied two coats of a topical seal that left a satin finish. This protects the floor from spills and dirt whilst works to enhance the natural colours of the slate.

This image shows the process as it was completed; this part of the process is fascinating and really does show visible improvement.

The slate floor tiles were left clean, restored and like-new. Natural slate is a striking stone and is brilliant for areas of your home where there is high foot traffic. They have a natural slip resistance and are hard-wearing.

If you would like information on cleaning slate tiles or the options that are available to restore your slate flooring please contact Cornwell Services on 07738022813.

We will arrange an inspection of your stone flooring; from this point we will give you a written quotation discussing the scope of works and the cost to complete it.

We work hard to provide you with information and advice to make sure that the end result is tailored to your requirements.

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