A homeowner from the beautiful market town of Leominster was in touch earlier this year about the state of their Porcelain floor tiles. They were planning on putting the property on the market and wanted to do a few improvements to make it more attractive to a buyer. Happy to help I agreed to pop over and take a look at the problem areas.
The tiles were a grey, stone-effect porcelain tile laid in the floor of a small shower room so it wasn’t a very large area. Although the tiles were a little grubby it was the grout that was letting the bathroom down; which is not unusual as porcelain is generally waterproof and with grout being rough it traps the dirt. I was also made aware of a leak in the shower that they had attributed to failed mastic so I agreed to replace that as part of the work.
As well as replacing the silicone I recommended deep cleaning the tile and grout and then colouring the grout with a professional grout colourant to achieve a consistent appearance. Happy with my quote and keen to get things moving the work was scheduled in for the following week.
Cleaning a Porcelain Tiled Shower Cubicle
I began by cleaning the tile and especially the grout lines with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an effective alkaline cleaning product. The solution was applied and then left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed into the floor tiles and especially the grout. This action brought out the dirt and staining which was then rinsed off and extracted with a wet vacuum.
Next step was to prep the grout to take the grout colourant, for this a pre-treater is applied which is part of the Tile Doctor Grout Colouring kit. This product is mildly acidic and helps the colourant to achieve a stronger bond with the grout. This was applied to the grout and left for 5 minutes before being scrubbed in with the grout brush. It is then rinsed away with water, extracted and then the grout is left to dry.
Whilst the floor was drying, I set about stripping out the failed silicone mastic sealant with a sharp knife; the sealant was rotten in in places so very much in need of replacement. Once all the rubbish was swept out, I dried any remaining dampness from the grout and tiles.
Grout Colouring a Porcelain Tiled Shower Room Floor
This left the grout ready to be recoloured which was completed using a White colourant from the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant range. White is just one of eleven colours available in the range and was chosen in this case to give the grout a really fresh look.
The application of Grout Colourant not only colours the grout joints – it also seals and rejuvenates them. It also dries quickly, so I could apply a second coat quite soon after the first, removing any excess as I went.
Once the restoration was finished, I resealed the shower with fresh silicone mastic, again in White to match the grout. This last step finished the renovation and the result was quite a transformation.
Joseph provides professional stone, tile and grout renovation services in Leominster and across Herefordshire from Abbet Dore to Yazor. You can arrange a free, no obligation quotation from Joseph to remedy your issue or problem by calling 0345 512 0122 or completing the contact form on his website.