marble tiles Archives - Wiltshire Tile Doctor

Marble Shower Tiles Damaged by Viakal Limescale remover

This was an unusual problem; a customer contacted us regarding their Marble shower room at a house in Marlborough where the customer had sprayed Viakal Limescale remover onto the Marble tiles to clean them which unfortunately etched the surface. I’ve downloaded the MSDS sheet from the Inernet for this product and can verify it contains a combination of Etidronic, Formic and Phosphoric acids so not a very safe product to use on Marble or any sealed stone surface.

Marble Shower Wall Tiles Marlborough Before Cleaning

Cleaning Marble Wall Tiles

To remove the etching the Marble tiles were burnished using a 6inch coarse diamond encrusted burnishing pad fixed to a hand held rotary machine and lubricated with a spray bottle of water to help keep tiles wet. Burnishing pads come in a set of four from Coarse, Medium, Fine and Super Fine so once we had removed the etching using the coarse pad we then applied the next pads in turn which re-polish the area back to its original shine. Between pads we rinsed the tiles down to remove any soiled water away; after the final super fine pad was applied the shower tiles were given a thorough rinse down ready for sealing.

Sealing the Marble Wall Tiles

The wall was wiped down and left to dry overnight and we returned the next day to seal the Marble tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which will protect the tile against water marking and staining from toiletries. I explained to the customer that the best way to protect the sealer was to simply use the shower head to rinse the walls every time you shower; Tile Doctor also sell an everyday cleaning product for use with showers called Aqua-Pro which is a mild alkaline cleaner that can remove body fats and stains from shampoo and soap products etc.

Marble Shower Wall Tiles Marlborough After Cleaning

Burnishing the Marble tiles resolved the problem so all is well however if you have a natural stone or sealed tiled surface in your house be warned and always read the label of cleaning products before you use them; if in any doubt do give Tile Doctor a call we are always ready to advise.

Marble Shower Refresh in Marlborough

Marble Tiled Floor Trowbridge Before and After

Polished Marble Tiled Hallway Floor Cleaned and Polished in Trowbridge

1 Comment / Work History / Wiltshire Tile Doctor

The owner of this polished Marble Tiled hallway at a house in Trowbridge was unhappy with the look of their floor which had become dull and scratched and wanted the floor re-polishing. Apologies in advance for the pictures below on reflection I should have taken some close-up shots so you could see the problem better.

Cleaning Marble Tile and Grout

The first step first was to give the floor a general clean focusing on the grout lines so I started by mixing a mild dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline based product that is safe to use on Marble. The solution was brushed around the floor concentrating on getting the product into the grout lines. I left this to dwell for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing with stiff grout brush. Once the grout lines were cleaned the dirty solution was removed with a wet vacuum and the tiles rinsed thoroughly with clean water.

Polishing Marble Tiles

The next step was to burnish the floor using a coarse diamond encrusted pad fitted to a rotary machine. This is used with clean water to remove surface scratches and any sealer that may be present. Once the water has turned to slurry after 4 passes of each tile I would remove with a wet vacuum and rinsed thoroughly.

One that step was completed the process is repeated using the Medium, Find and Superfine polishing pads which in turn will gradually re-polish the surface. Between each pad I would remove the slurry using wet vacuum and rinse thoroughly.

Sealing Polished Marble Tile

The floor surface was now restored but still too wet to seal so I called it a day and returned the next day to seal the tiles. On my return I checked that the surface was dry enough to seal using a damp tester which came back OK. My first job was to add an extra shine to the floor by polishing it further with a green buffing pad. Next I sealed the floor using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which enhances the colours and also protects against future spills and stains etc. Once the seal had dried sufficiently I used a white buffing pad to give one final polish.

Upon completion I gave the customer some cleaning tips including the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner to prolong the life of the sealer; unlike acid based sealers it won’t damage the sealer every time you clean the floor.

Cleaning and Polishing a Marble Tiled floor in Wiltshire

Polished Marble Tiled Hallway Floor Cleaned and Polished in Trowbridge Read More »