Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Deep Clean & Seal, Stirling

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Deep Clean & Seal, Stirling

This geometric Victorian tiled hallway at a property in Stirling was in need of some much-needed maintenance. The property is located in a predominately ‘Victorian’ built housing area of the city, just off the town centre. The owners of the property really appreciated the original features of their property in including the original (130-year-old) hallway floor feature; indeed, the house was a delight to behold with the many original features, preserved and still intact.

I was asked to come and survey the floor and quote on its renovation. In discussion with the customer, I ascertained that he had previously, on two occasions, sealed the floor himself, but it was now showing signs of wear and tear of the previous seal, and in addition, due to its age, a few chips and cracks.

Victorian Tiled Hallway

During the survey stage, I carried out a demonstration clean in their small vestibule area in order to show how dirty the floor had become. In addition, I inspected the floor and found there were a few cracked, worn and damaged tiles, which was only to be expected of a 130-year-old original Victorian floor but would not affect the aesthetic outcome. Moreover, there were signs of the previous seal showing as a ‘milky’ type substance and some small patches of what appeared to be efflorescence (crystalline salt deposits).  The floor tiles needed a deep clean and seal to bring back some life into the ‘old floor’.  I was confident I could rejuvenate the floor and in further discussions, we established that they would like a high sheen on the floor. With this in mind, I sent, within a day, my quotation that detailed the work and material to be used over 2 days. Within a short time period, the customers had accepted my quote and we set our diaries to a mutually agreeable start date.

Demonstration Clean

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Deep Clean & Seal, Stirling

On the day of the restoration, I first started by applying protective sheeting to the threshold edges and skirting areas as these would be exposed to the splashes of strong alkaline stripper that I would use.  This was followed up with a thorough vacuum of the hallway floor.

This was followed by spraying the tiles with a strong dilution of a professional alkaline stripper that would after a short dwell time begins to eat into any old sealants/coatings on the floor.

 After the required dwell period, I utilised my professional cleaning machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.  All the resulting slurry was extracted with the use of a wet & dry vacuum.

 On completion of this phase, the floor was cleaned with a neutral cleaner in order to ‘neutralise’ the remnants of the alkaline stripper I had used. In addition, the floor was rinsed using a mildly acidic rinse (this helps to eliminate any reside efflorescence) and once again, followed with a fresh clean water rinse.

Cleaning With Specialist Machine

On completion of the cleaning phase, I deployed two air-pod driers to dry off the floor overnight.

 Note: These originals Victorian floors, due to their age will not have a waterproof membrane below them as do modern floors, and they, therefore, require to ‘breath’ and expel moisture rising up from below that is consistently percolating up through these type of tiles. This issue requires careful consideration when cleaning and sealing this beautiful original tile floor.

   Sealing A Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor, Stirling

On my return the next day, I checked the tiles were dry by the use of a moisture meter. This detail is critically important (particularly for this type of original Victorian tiles) as to apply a sealer to damp tiles will lead to a patchy and ineffective seal. I was happy that the moisture reading was within tolerance levels for the water-based seal that I had decided to apply.

To begin, the floor was re-vacuumed; a single base coat of a water-based acrylic (topical) professional sealer was then applied to a small area and left to dry for 30 minutes. On my return, I inspected the seal and having ascertained that it had been effective: although I realised that being a porous stone, the floor would require a few coats of sealant. 

This particular sealer is a water-based is specially developed to protect the tile from within the stone’s pores in the clay tile and does not impede water evaporation. This sealer leaves a high sheen (almost gloss) finish which the client had requested.  This level of shine took the application of 6 coats of sealant due to the nature and porosity of the stone. Notwithstanding the time taken to achieve this, in the end, the required sheen level was achieved to which the customer wanted and, in addition, will provide long-lasting protection to the tiles.

Sealing A Victorian Tiled Floor

Victorian Hallway Floor Tile After Restoration, Stirling

The floor was greatly improved, and the client was delighted with the transformation and added that it (sealer) had given it “that lift” what they had been seeking. The geometric pattern and colours were now much more pronounced and prominent, and the hallway looked that much more inviting to both the client and visitors.

Victorian Tiled Floor Stripped, Cleaned & Sealed

I  had received an email from the customer the next day saying:

"Tom,

Hall looks brilliant this morning, just the appearance we were hoping for.

Thanks for all your efforts".

Regards

Tom

Acleanerplace Cleaning Services

Restoring The Appearance Of A Porcelain Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor, Bridge Of Allan, Stirlingshire

Restoring The Appearance Of A Porcelain Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor, Bridge Of Allan,  Stirlingshire

The customer contacted me to see if I could clean the porcelain ceramic (riven) tiles and grout in her ground kitchen and extended ground floor area of here large c. 1850 built home. Initially, I visited to conduct a demonstration clean in an area, and as you can see (below) there was a remarkable difference to the floor.

Demonstration Clean Patch

The customer also had two very large dogs that had free access to the ground floor areas which we agreed was contributing to the appearance of the one-year-old floor. Notwithstanding, riven type ceramic can very easily, as was the case here, trap dirt and grease more than their flatter counterparts.  Moreover, I gleaned that she had been using ‘shop bought’ cleaning products in an attempt to keep the floor clean.

Being as the demonstration went well the customer was keen to book a date for me to come back and clean the 58m2 area.  I agree that a deep clean would be the order to start with! I explained that as they were ceramic tiles, they did not require a seal (as would be the case on other types of kitchen tiled floors), although the grout lines would benefit from being sealed as these areas are the porous ‘weak spot’ of tiled floors. The client was happy that I would return a carry out a deep clean of the floor and assess the state of the grout and we scheduled the work in which would take a single day to complete.

Cleaning Of The Porcelain Ceramic Tiled Floor

On arrival on the day of the clean, an initial inspection of the 58m2 area was carried out to establish and additional problems since the demonstration clean.

 Having set up my equipment and established that the dogs were well out of the area, I took most of that day. I worked in small 5m2 areas by first spraying the floor with a high (professional grade) cleaner, allowing this to dwell on the tile surface for between 5-10 minutes.  I then went over the treated areas with my professional rotary and edging machines fitted with black scrubbing pads.

Ceramic Floor cleaning equipment

 After this a wet and vac machine was used to extract all the dirty water produced by the cleaning product; this was the followed-up a grout brush scrubbed along the grout lines and then by a wet mop rinsing in order to help ‘neutralise’ the alkaline cleaner and helps determine if the area, just cleaned,  is of a satisfactory standard.

As I worked my way across the large floor area in sections, I left an air blower in place over the completed section to quicken the drying process. This process was repeated throughout the large area until I was able to exit the ground floor by the rear external door.

Once dry the floor was inspected before we allowed the customer to view it. As mentioned, there was no need to seal the floor as ceramic tiles will not accept a sealer, however, the inspection did highlight the difference in some areas of grout that were discoloured. I highlighted this to the customer who will now consider having the grout lines re-coloured in the future.

Ceramic Floor Before Clean

Ceramic Floor After Clean

  

The customer, having inspected the floor, was over-the-moon with the difference that I had achieved, so much so that she has booked me to come back on a regular (6 Monthly) basis to and clean the floor.

If you are considering or having problems with the maintenance of your tiled floor, then get in touch with Acleanerplace Cleaning Services and a floor technician will only be too happy to visit and survey your floor. Acleanerplace Cleaning Services operate thought out the Forth Valley area of Scotland providing a variety of specialist cleaning services.

Amtico Floor Cleaned And Sealed, Dunblane

Amtico (Luxury Vinyl Tiled) Floor Cleaned And Sealed, Dunblane

I had the pleasure of being asked to clean and reseal an Amtico floor in Dunblane recently.  Amtico and Karndean for that matter are considered to be a Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) type of flooring and are a fantastic alternative to, wood, natural stone flooring or carpets. It does, however, require a different approach when cleaning and sealing.  The photographs shown below are from a living room floor of a house in Dunblane.  This Amtico LVT was not that dirty but it had lost its seal (dressing) in places and the sheen was worn away in the high traffic areas. Moreover, once the seal has failed then dirt can start to accumulate making the floor look less ‘luxurious’. This fact was recognized by the customer who had called us to see if we could help restore the floor back to it's just ‘like-new look’.

Amtico Vinyl Floor Before Cleaning   

The living room area was not a big area and unlike natural stone tiles, Vinyl (Amtico) is not a porous type floor so can be cleaned and sealed the same day rather than would be the case with a natural stone type floor, which can need 24-72 hours to fully dry after cleaning.  This upside to this is that there is less upheaval for the customer and is a more affordable price. During the survey of the floor, we discussed the various options with the customer and established that she wanted a high shine finish to the floor. Having agreed our quote, a day was set for the work to begin.

 Deep Cleaning Of Amtico Vinyl Floor Tiles

On the appropriate, set date, we started with a proprietary LVT, professional deep cleaning product that not only is considered an ‘eco-friendly', biodegradable cleaner/stripper but leaves a pleasant aroma. Having applied the product to the Vinyl floor it is left to dwell/soak into the floor for 10 mins - this dwell time is necessary for the product to not only suspend all the dirt particles but also help emulsify the old sealant.  The product is then agitated into the floor by the use of a deck brush.

The residue waste product is removed with the use of a wet vacuum machine or by mopping. Moreover, it is essential that all the cleaner/stripper is ‘neutralised’ by fresh clean water via mopping and wet vacuum extraction.  This stage is then finalised by the use of air movers that helps to quickly speed dry the Vinyl floor prior to the sealant application stage.

Sealing Amtico Vinyl Floor Tiles

Vinyl type floors cannot be sealed (dressed) until the tiles are fully dry as dampness can interfere with the new sealant and ruin it by clouding the sealer.  Therefore, it is imperative that the floor is dry and this is where the use of our air movers help, otherwise the floor would have to be left for at least five to eight hours (overnight) to fully dry.  When we had assessed that the Vinyl floor was dry enough, we moved to seal the Vinyl; whereby we applied three coats of a high shine sealant which gave the floor a nice high sheen in accordance with the customer’s specification.

This final stage is critical to the outcome of the project, in that each coat must fully dry before the next coat is then applied and this can be the time-consuming part of the day with each coat taking up to 30mins to fully dry. Each coat that is applied helps to build a layer of protection to the Vinyl and after this final coat, the air movers are used to assist in its drying. Note that the floor is safe to use to feet traffic after 30-40mins, but will not be fully cured for at least six hours, therefore heavy furniture should not be placed on the floor surface until then.

On completion of the project, the customer was ‘over-the-moon’ and I think you'll agree we managed to get that ‘like-new look’ back again. In addition, we advised her on the best maintenance procedures moving forward.

Regards

Tom
Acleaneplace Cleaning Services

Carpet Cleaning Prices, Stirling And Surrounding Areas

Carpet Cleaning Prices, Stirling And Surrounding Areas

This not a rant, but a, I believe, a fair appraisal of the current state of carpet cleaning prices, and the carpet cleaners who believe they are making a business out of pandering to the lower end of the market.

We all like a bargain, right. Who doesn't?  As a professional carpet cleaner in Stirling, I have over the past few years see many new entrants to our carpet cleaning business, both local and national. Now, I get many enquiries to clean carpets by potential customers to provide a price over the telephone; and being a fair-minded guy I'll give an appropriate estimate based on a few relevant questions: How big is the area? What type of fibre is the carpet, synthetic or natural,? How dirty is the carpet? Having produced an estimate, the response is usually "I'll get back to you"- they never do...

Cleaning Carpets in Stirling

Now my prices are not overly expensive, e.g. £50.00 for your average 5m x 4 m (20m2) living room. And, in addition, I have a minimum service charge of £70.00. Now as a business I need this minimum in order to service my business costs of labour, travel and fixed costs (insurances etc).

So the " I'll get back to you" (and they never do) statement means that they have found a cheaper quote elsewhere. So I reason that I'm too expensive or they (other carpet cleaners) are too cheap!

As stated, I run a professional business, have completed the appropriate courses, bought the best of equipment and payout for advertisements and all the associated costs- hence my minimum charge of £70.00. 

From a local point of view, the other professional companies in my area compete on a similar pricing structure dependent on the season etc. I do not advertise my prices, or as far as I can see so do the other surrounding companies. This is due to the many variables; the size of the area, the type of fibre etc.

There are other, local 'players' who advertise on the like of 'Facebook 'Marketplace' and Gumtree. These 'players' are the ones who will turn up with, at best a 'Rug Doctor', or at worst a 'Karcher' (the one where you put detergent type tables in the cleaning water!) cleaning machine. Honestly, folks, these 'players' do not have the first idea on how to clean your carpet (s)!  Their price is invariably (£25-£70), right and that will get you a full four bedroomed house cleaned...Notwithstanding, there is a market for such type; but is there?  Firstly, they don't carry insurance, have no overheads; probably claim benefits and if a problem occurs they vanish like 'scots mist' on a sunny day.

Stair Carpet Cleaning, Stirling

On the national side, there are a few franchise companies that do service the Stirling area. These franchises ( I did at one time think about taking on one..) but my research provided that they do similar prices to the local 'players' - perhaps slightly higher in price. However, in any case, they have similar costs to we independents but have to pay a franchise fee to the franchisor.  Now,  by my calculations, and even though they, the franchisee are guaranteed a certain volume of work I have come to the conclusion that they are, as the saying goes, 'busy fools'.

In my travels around Stirling, and beyond cleaning carpets I have had many an interesting conversation with customers about both the local 'players' and franchises. In addition, I am a member of a couple of carpet cleaners forums. On both accounts, I hear many horror stories suffered by unsuspecting customers by both types: I suppose there is a juxtaposition at play here; the customer does not want to pay that much (placing no value in the work), and the provider need to make a wage but has neither the time, nor  wish, nor (in most cases) the equipment to do a professional job. In the local 'players' position, they are only after is a 'quick buck' to supplement there other (benefits?) income. On the franchise position, they need to complete 2-3 jobs a day in order to make a living -'busy fools'-and meet their franchise obligations.

I hazard a guess that some of their customers are happy with the work carried out by either type, but anecdotally, in most cases, there is a deficit between the customers' expectations and that provided by the so-called carpet cleaner- well what should you expect for such a low price...

My customer usually says things like  "the last guy has never done that",  "he was only here for a half-hour"...Really, I'll say and then solicit the story about their last visit by a 'slap-and dash' outfit. On more than one occasion, I have been out to rectify problems: usually for over-wetting and the carpets still being wet after two days (yes two days!).

Alternatively, there is always the cheapest way and that is DIY, hire a rug doctor from your local supermarket. The last time I looked, it was about, on average £30.00 for a day's hire of the machine; £10.00 for a bottle of detergent. So for £40.00, you could do, possible your whole carpeted house for that.  The downside is that you haven't taken into consideration the transportation and labour (your time) costs. Moreover, I have experienced that most people fail to read the instruction properly and end up over-wetting and putting too much detergent into their carpets (a bad thing).

That said, why would you even bother hiring a 'Rug Doctor' machine; we are now seeing prices getting so low, that it is possibly cheaper to have a local 'player' or a franchisee to come and do it for as low as £19.00 for one room, or 89.00 for  a 4-5 bedroom house - Oh, just a warning, be ready for the 'up-selling' and or 'switch-and-bait' techniques of some franchisees - well, how else are they to make a living!

I hope this blog doesn't come across as a rant against my 'lower costing' competitors: supply and demand, right! My main concerns are with the person (newbie) requiring their carpets cleaned, and having no experience in what a visit by a carpet cleaner' is all about!  And of course, the cost will always be at the forefront of their considerations. 

Confused with what You'll get?

Now, if you have never experienced a proper, professional carpet cleaner visit your home, you will be none the wiser to the shoddy work that can be delivered for such a low price- after all what is the incentive to do a proper job if you are getting paid peanuts for it. If you have experienced a visit by a local 'player' or franchisee, then you may quickly realize the false economy of it... On the other hand, if you have experienced a visit by a professional carpet cleaner, you will have already agreed with my blog and probably not reached this far in.

Here at Acleanerplace Cleaning Services, in Stirling, we like to think we provide a quality service ('a proper job')at an affordable price. For that affordable price, you can have a pre-visit to survey the job and an explanation of how the work would progress ( our 12 point cleaning plan), and moreover, knowing that you will engage a local, independent company who will be there to provide advice and assistance if (a big if) should things be not too your satisfaction. Not convinced? Check out our many Google reviews: https://goo.gl/b86L74 and read what my many satisfied customers say.

Kind Regards

Tom

Acleanerplace Cleaning Services

Deep Cleaning Of Dirty Terracotta Floor Tiles, Stirlingshire

Deep Cleaning Of Dirty Terracotta Floor Tiles, Stirlingshire

Acleanerplace Cleaning Services were called to survey theses terracotta tiles in a Stirlingshire country house kitchen. The tiles were very dirty, having only been cleaned with a  'shop bought' alkaline cleaner.  The house was quite old and so I suspect the floor may have been down since the house was built.

I established that the terracotta tiles had not been professionally cleaned and the floor had lost the lustre, especially where the sealant had worn away and dirt and grime had become severely ingrained in the tile.  Moreover, the grout lines had also darkened. In the first instance, I carried out a test clean of a 1m2 patch so I could provide the owner with an accurate quote for renovating the floor and show the customer what was achievable.

After some discussion with the customer, my quote was accepted, and a date to do the work which was agreed would take place over a  three day period -one day to clean the tiles, one day for it to dry and one day to seal the floor.

Dirty Terracotta Floor Tiles

Day One &Two -Cleaning And Drying  Of Terracotta Tiles

On the appointed day, I started by applying a strong solution for professional tile cleaner/stripping of the floor. The solution is a strong, multi-purpose alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser. It is ideal for this type of heavily soiled floors. The solution is left to dwell for about 10 minutes then a  heavy rotary machine fitted with a Silicon Carbide  Brush is used to scrub the floor and loosen the ingrained dirt from the tiles.

Silicon Carbide Brush

The dirty residue water and solution is then collected by using a wet pick up vacuum. The floor is then thoroughly rinsed by mopping to remove any trace of the alkaline cleaning product and in order to inspect the tiles to see if any additional cleaning work was required. In this case, I assessed that no further cleaning was necessary, therefore we could move on. With the floor now clean, I now turned my attention to the grout and for which, I again used the professional tile cleaner/stripper and a bespoke, specialized narrow grout brush to meticulously scrub each grout line. The floor was again doused and rinsed with clean water.

Terracotta Tiled Cleaned

The clean floor was now dried with the assistance of some small air movers, but due to the porosity of terracotta, it required at least 24h hrs to fully dry out before a seal could be applied. 

Day Three - Sealing Of A Terracotta Tiled Floor

After 24 hours we returned and tested the floor with a moisture meter to assess whether the floor was dry enough to seal. During the survey, and in discussion with the customer, I had established that the customer's preference was for a satin finish to the floor tiles. As it was now thoroughly dry we start applying the sealant: As terracotta is made of clay it may require up to 6-10 terracotta due to porosity and which can be very time-intensive due to having to wait for each coat to dry before applying the next. In this particular case, the terracotta required seven coats of sealant before I was satisfied the tiles were fully sealed. The sealer used to protect the floor was an appropriate terracotta sealant that provided the 'satin sheen' that the customer desired.  On completion of the final coat and having dried, the customer was very pleased with the outcome; commenting on the difference that a new seal made to the floor tiles:

Terracotta Tiles with Satin Sheen sealant applied

If you think that Acleanerplace Cleaning Services can assist you with a dirty tile and grout floor then we would be happy to visit and carry out a survey and small demonstration clean. There is no obligation on your part and all surveys/demonstrations are free. So why wait, call Tom on 01786 817401. We provide our Tile and Grout Cleaning service throughout the Forth Valley and not just in the Stirling area.

Kind regards
Tom
Acleanerplace Cleaning Services