Stone care

Limestone floor refurbishment in Kencot, Lechlade

Limestone floor refurbishment

Upon arrive to undertake the Limestone floor refurbishment is was obvious that the Limestone throughout the ground floor had lost its shine & protective layer.

To start the Limestone floor refurbishment, we started by removing the dirt, grime & remains of the original seal and deep cleaned the stone & grout.

This Limestone floor and grout had suffered a small area of etching damage from a oven cleaner spill. We started by removing the spoiled stone, neutralised the acid, then honed & polished the etching so that it blended with the surrounding floor tiles.

The next stage of the process is to apply a sealer into the stone and grout which enables the floor to become water repellent once again. The final stage in process was to apply a low shine polish which enabled the natural features of the limestone floor to be brought out.

Posted by Bruce Swait

Marble floor restoration – Polished white Carrara marble, professionally restored & sealed

Marble floor restoration, our team were in Clifton village, Bristol today restoring a marble floor.

The Carrara marble tiles were installed 3 years ago & had received no professional servicing & the original seal had failed. The main use area of the floor was discoloured, a little scratched & had lost its natural shine.

Marble floor restoration is something to be tackled by professionals and involves an in depth process. After a full chemical strip & deep clean. 4 courses of Italian marble polishing diamonds restored the surface to a full natural polished shine. We then applied a high specification professional sealing product to help with the on going maintenance.

Marble floor restoration example photo

Do get in contact with us if you have a marble floor that could do with a little professional restoring, sealing or polishing.

Posted by Bruce Swait

Historic Cotswold flagstone restoration

Today’s flagstone restoration in Painswick was a great success!

“Thank you for doing a great job cleaning up our flagstone floor as well as your friendly service.

Flagstone restoration before and after pictures

These historic Cotswold flagstones have been re-layed around 20 years ago but not properly cleaned or restored before installation.

The flagstone restoration process is quite involved. After the initial strip and hone we were able to assess the damage. We set to work removing a layer of bitumen and cement residues from a few of the flagstones, while making sure we preserve the warm surface and natural patina of the old flagstones.

Once the stones were in good order we applied a coat of penetrating sealer to block in the Limestone’s natural porosity.

The final process was to apply a thin layer of Italian wax and burnish to subtle warm sheen.

Posted by Bruce Swait

Tumbled travertine kitchen floor restoration

Travertine floor restoration, we’re really pleased to receive words from our client today in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire:

“Thank you so much, Bruce. You arrived exactly on time this morning and worked cleanly and efficiently. I was worried about the dust that may be caused by the Travertine floor restoration process but there was no need to worry as there was absolutely no mess! My floor looks so good and I am really pleased with the result. Would definitely recommend you to anyone with a tired looking stone floor. Marvellous!”

The floor had been installed well over 10 years ago. Higher areas of use around the kitchen island had suffered from ground in dirt and soiling that wasn’t removed with standard maintenance cleaning. In other areas the natural holes that occur in travertine had opened up over time.

We were able to concentrate on these problem areas and continue the surface throughout the whole installation cleaning deep into the stone and sealing and polishing it to give a consistent finish throughout

Travertine floor restoration after picture
Posted by Bruce Swait

Builders clean: Professional Limestone cleaning

Professional Limestone cleaning, sometimes even the most diligent builder doesn’t possess the correct skills and equipment to finish and otherwise well installed natural stone floor. We were asked to attend this property in Gloucestershire near Tewkesbury to assess the floor as the owner was unable to maintain it to the degree she would like.

After a closer look we discovered that although the floor had received an application of sealer the stone was not fully repellent thereby making cleaning attempts ineffective. The professional Limestone cleaning process would enable us to fix this.

Once we had fully stripped and cleaned the floor we were able to apply the The correct professional sealer for this type of limestone and re-finish the floor to create the look they only wanted and improving their ability to maintain it themselves.

Don’t give up on your natural stone floor if you are struggling to keep it clean or if it doesn’t look quite as you think it should. In almost all instances we can improve and restore the floor to estate that will enable you to maintain and enjoy it.

Limestone floor cleaningLimestone floor cleaningPlease contact us to see how we can help you get your floor back to new!

Posted by Bruce Swait

Slate surround swimming pool limescale removal. Completed job

Swimming pool limescale removal, these photographs demonstrate how with the right procedure limescale and other contaminants from the pool can be effectively removed leaving the natural stone surround looking its best.The slate swimming pool surround has been resealed to make ongoing maintenance more effective.We will come back annually to prevent the limescale building up on the slate swimming pool surround to such an extent again in the future.

Contacted by Mr Jones who has a swimming pool with slate surround that had become very stained and tarnished with limescale. The slate surround had been lay for over 20 years and despite domestic cleaning using propriety cleaners the limescale had built up over time.

 

The area of slate to be professionally cleaned was around 150 sq m with difficult access. We lowered the pool to allow full access to the Slate

 

Access was through a double door where the our cleaning machines were brought in. We can fit the tools through a standard door but it made life easier having the extra space

 

The process involved alkaline & later acid cleaning with a Klindex rotary machine, applying honing powder to the cleaning solutions brought some physicality to the process

This was done over a 2 day period by a team of 3.

 

Posted by Bruce Swait

Flagstone Cleaning

Flagstone cleaning is necessary on a regular bases as natural or concrete flagstones can collect a lot of dirt & grime over the years. It becomes harder to remove the longer it remains on the stones surface of the flagstones.

Our flagstone cleaning allows the correct combination of processes to strip, deep clean, seal & polish the flagstone floor getting it looking as good as new again.

The floor shown is a a concrete or composite flag stone floor fully restored by the team at Cotswold Stone Floor Cleaners. Please contact us for a free quote to clean your flagstones!

Posted by Bruce Swait

Cleaning & polishing Roche Marron Limestone

It’s always a pleasure to work with a high quality natural stone. Artisans of Devizes Roche Marron Limestone is a beautiful natural material that has a partial resemblance to Cotswold stone.

This Roche Marron Limestone floor had had years of family use and was in need of some TLC. The home in a small village on the outskirts of Cheltenham have been very well maintained but the floor had gone beyond what was possible to restore domestically. Standard lost that shine and the grout lines had become very dirty.

Once we’d carefully removed all the old seals and soils from the stone and grout lines, we set about naturally polishing the limestone tiles with diamond abrasives. Making the stone shine naturally stops the need for acrylic varnish styled sealers that prevent the stone from breathing. Naturally polished stone gives a more robust and attractive finish to the stone.

If you’d like to talk to us about re-finishing and cleaning your stone floor please get in contact

Posted by Bruce Swait

Improve the colour of natural stone floors

Over time natural stone floors can begin to look tired and unloved. Our professional cleaning processes can improve the colour of natural stone floors.

Floors have a hard life, take a lot of wear. The natural variations in the surface and the tiny pores collect soil and dirt as we walk over them.

But other factors take a toll on natural stone too, strong sunlight can have a bleaching effect on the stone surface. Along with some proprietary cleaning products will actually strip the colour from the stone.

We called in to a property near Northleach just East of Cheltenham to help out with the slate stone floor which was not looking its best.

After removing all of the old sealers and ground in dirt, we were able to expose the natural stone surface ready for the next process. We chose a product that would help ongoing maintenance of the stone draw out the colour & beauty of the Slate.

Unlike old-fashioned or cheap sealers this process does not leave a veneer-like plastic surface on the natural stone. The sealer molecules penetrate into the pours of the stone. Sealers that rely on covering the surface of the stone wear out in the main walkways where they are needed the most.

This penetrating sealer works from within the body of the stone repelling moisture and dirt.

Please contact us for a free quote to improve the colour of natural stone floors in your property.

Posted by Bruce Swait

Stone Floor Cleaning Jargon – Glossary of Terms

Stone Floor Cleaning Jargon / Glossary of Terms

We thought it would be helpful to put together a simple stone floor cleaning glossary of terms.

When it comes to floor cleaning there is often a lot of jargon that gets thrown around which is often completely misunderstood or simply confusing. Floor waxing, floor stripping and floor sealing,  floor buffing and burnishing are some of the processes used to clean stone floors to a professional standard. In order for us to make a decision on the best bespoke service for our customer`s floor it is essential that we gather as much information about the state of their floors as possible.

We have outlined a few jargon busters below to help you understand the process that we deliver to rejuvenate your stone floor to the highest standards.

Floor Waxing

Floor waxing involves stripping your floors via a stripping solution and a stripping machine. This removes the old layer of floor finish or wax that may be scratched or stained. Once this layer is removed a new coating of wax is applied to your floors. This will make your floors shine and look bright again.

Buffing and Burnishing

Buffing is a short-term way of making your floors shine. A buffing machine will work out any surface scratches there are in the finish. This will make the floor surface flatter which gives off more glow. Buffing will also smooth out your floors reducing the chances of a slip and fall accident. Burnishing is basically the same process as buffing just at a higher speed for more damaged and scratched floors.

Floor Washing

Sometimes a simple floor washing may be what is required. Floor washing is generally done on a regular basis to prolong the need for other floor cleaning and maintenance tasks. Floor washing will help remove small dirt particles that if not cleaned up will scratch floors and make them lose colour.

If you have any questions or would like to book your free quote please contact us on 01452 712662 or send us an e-mail on info@cotswoldstonefloorcleaners.co.uk

 

Posted by James Martin
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