Custom made Walk-In Shower with one touch on/off pre-heated water control, custom made shower niche & tile shelf & river rock floor
Large elegant master gray tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile doorless shower photo in Kansas City with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, a one-piece toilet and blue walls

Debbie Ballentine
Photo of a partial sun landscaping in San Francisco for spring.

Drop-in bathtub - small traditional gray tile and stone tile marble floor drop-in bathtub idea with a pedestal sink, a two-piece toilet, open cabinets, white cabinets and gray walls

Mexican Pavers in a Rivera and San Felipe Shape. Corona pavers are available at Villa and Mission Imports. Sealer as well.
Patio - large mediterranean backyard brick patio idea in San Diego with a fire pit and no cover

The photographs below are of a Polished limestone floor that had been installed in the Kitchen of a house in Cheltenham approximately eight years prior. The polish and sealer had worn off over that time allowing dirt to become ingrained into the pores of the stone making it difficult to clean. This is a common problem with all types of porous stone and tile which need to be sealed to maintain their appearance. Sealers do wear down over time with use however and need to be maintained, this is why Tile Doctor have created a maintenance program whereby we pop by every 12 months to give the floor a light clean and top-up the sealer, it only takes a few hours, but it keeps your sealer in good condition. Cheltenham by the way is a lovely town situated on the edge of the Cotswolds which is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has a racecourse and is well known for the mineral springs which were discovered here in 1716. My first job was to protect the wooden kitchen units from any splashes by covering them some cotton sheets. Next, I set about restoring the Limestone’s appearance using a set of Burnishing Pads which is a form of polishing which involves the sequential application of four diamond encrusted pads of different grit levels. The first pad applied is a Coarse 400 grit pad which is applied to the floor with a buffing machine and lubricated with water. This process grinds away the top layer of dirt and staining from the stone, along with any old sealer, the floor is then rinsed to remove the soil that is generated. I then move through the system, applying the Medium and then Fine pads using less and less water as you go but rinsing in-between and extracting the water with a wet-vac machine. Once I was happy with the stone I scrubbed the grout lines to remove any soiling that the pads had failed to pick up. The floor was then given a final rinse and the wet vacuum used to extract as much moisture as possible. The floor was then left to dry out completely overnight. The next day I gave the floor a polish with the Very Fine 3,000 grit diamond burnishing pad, this is applied using a technique we call a “spray burnish” due to the fact that very little water is used during its application. The next step was to seal the stone using for which I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that protects the stone from within by occupying its pores. Colour Grow also has the added benefit of intensifying the natural colours in the stone. The floor was then left to dry for an hour before I gave it one final dry polish using the Very Fine burnishing pad. My customer was very happy with the final result and made the comment that they thought the floor looked brand new. Malcolm Crowther Gloucester Tile Doctor

A local cleaning contractor called us in to work on the Terracotta tiled floors at a council building in Amersham. The Terracotta had not been deep cleaned and resealed for about ten years and the sealer had worn off leaving the tile vulnerable to dirt becoming ingrained in the pores of the tile. The grout had also suffered the same fate and had almost gone black in many areas. This is a common problem with Terracotta which is quite porous and once those pores become ingrained with dirt the tile becomes difficult to clean effectively. The solution is to seal the tile however sealers wear off over time and this was basically the problem. After discussing the issues we agreed on a plan of action to deep clean the Terracotta tile and grout and then re-seal to protect it. Due to the busy nature of the building we agreed to do the work between Christmas and New Year when we knew the building would be empty. We started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which is a strong tile cleaning product that being in a gel form ensures it sits on the tile for longer, giving it a longer effective dwell time so it can really eat into and loose the dirt. After approximately twenty minutes the gel was scrubbed into the tile with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. This broke down most of the dirt and removed any remaining sealer. Once the whole floor had been treated in this manner it was rinsed thoroughly with water which was then extracted using a wet vacuum. With the soiled cleaning solution removed I could see the next step would be to spot clean stubborn staining and clean the grout. For this task I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean scrubbing it in by hand using stiff brushes and aided with a hand-held steamer to help treat the stubborn staining. Once done the floor was given a final rinse and then as much moisture as possible removed with the wet vacuum. We then left the floor to dry off completely and came back a couple of days later to seal the Terracotta tile. I mentioned earlier that Terracotta is porous; in fact it’s probably the most porous material I deal with, so to fully seal the floor I had to apply eight coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which will provide complete and long lasting protection against staining and dirt. Seal and Go also adds an appealing satin sheen to the tile and the new seal will make it much easier to clean in future. The floor tile and grout now look much healthier and I’m sure the council will be very impressed when they go back to work after the holidays. Happy New Year… Andrew Newstead North Buckinghamshire Tile Doctor

This stained glass window was created as part of our signature Aspen Stained Glass line. These windows look beautiful in cottage style or contemporary homes and are a great way for outdoor enthusiasts to celebrate their love of nature. The textured appearance of the glass provides the homeowners with a high level of privacy and comfort.

This Multi-Coloured Slate floor looks nice in the Kitchen of this property in Hythe, however due to the riven surface of the tile and the deep grout lines my customer had struggled to keep it clean. Additionally, the Slate has lost all of its lustre over the years since it had been installed and it was now due a deep clean and reseal. The combination of durability and price makes Slate a popular choice for floor covering, it is also available in a number of colours, ranging from plain black to a more diverse array of shades. Like any natural stone floor though it need sealing to keep the dirt out of the pores of the stone however sealers wear off with use Hythe by the way is a lovely medieval coastal market town with its own beach on the edge of Romney Marsh and close to Folkestone. Before starting I removed the kickboards underneath the kitchen units and protected the exposed woodwork with a thin film. To deep clean the Slate floor and remove any remaining sealer I applied Tile Doctor Remove and Go and left it to soak in for ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a light carbide brush. As well as removing the old sealer this process releases the dirt from the pores of the stone and brings it to the surface where it can be extracted. I have probably mentioned this before, but I’ve invested in a powerful van mounted pressure extraction system for removing the dirt, old sealer and emulsified soils released from the stone. The system works by applying water at high pressure on the floor via a spinner tool and then simultaneously extracts the waste under suction back to a grey water tank on the van. From the customers point of view, it makes light work of cleaning the floor and more importantly leaves the floor dry and leaves no mess. Having a dry floor at this stage is important as it means I can usually seal the floor on the same day. Its not a good idea to apply a sealer to damp floor as it will affect the way it cures and lead to an undesirable finish. The way to make sure the floor its dry is to use a moisture meter and take readings in several places around the floor. You can use an air mover to improve drying times however older floors can take a very long time to dry and for those I tend to book another day to apply the sealer. With the floor dry I set about applying the first of two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which provides both a hardwearing sheen to the slate as well as enhancing its natural colourings. It has strong water repellency characteristics which makes it ideal for use in a kitchen where spillages are quite common. This was quite a small kitchen, so the work was completed in one day. My client was amazed at the transformation and grateful for our advice on continued maintenance which for this floor I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for daily cleaning. Michael Conlon South Kent Tile Doctor

Recently Heidi and I worked on a Victorian tiled hallway floor at a house in Turton, Lancashire, an area which lies on the southern slopes of the West Pennine Moors. Victorian tile floors are commonly found in the reception area and hallways of older houses and public buildings, many of which date back to the reign of Queen Victoria (hence ‘Victorian’ tiles). It was during this time that the tile industry really started to boom. Upon inspection it was evident that the floor in question had suffered from some settlement in the past resulting in a crack in the base under the tiles which had lifted one side and dropped the other; this is quite common in old houses resulting in some of the tiles becoming loose and would need to be fixed back in place before the floor could be given a good clean and re-seal. Removing Lippage from Victorian Tiles The concrete floor under the tile was patched as best as could be without pulling up more of the floor and the tiles were fixed in place, unfortunately however many of the triangular tiles in the adjacent border would not lay flat resulting in a lippage issue between them which naturally the customer was not very happy about. Not wishing to cause the customer the extra expense of pulling up more tiles and relaying the concrete subfloor I left the tiles to fully set and then came back a few days later with a handheld Flex Machine fitted with a small 220 Grit Diamond pad to grind the tiles flat. As the pictures show, this made the difference and the diamond did not scratch the tiles despite the surface being dry. Diamond pads are usually used on stone floors but after some investigation back at the Tile Doctor training centre we also realised they can be used on other types of tile including Victorian. Once this was resolved the entire floor was given a thorough clean using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in with a scrubbing pad. As well as cleaning the tile and grout it also removed any remaining sealer which is important if you don’t know the history of the floor as the previous coating maybe incompatible with the new sealer. Once done the floor was given a thorough rinse with water which was then extracted from the floor with a wet vacuum. Sealing Victorian Tiles The floor was left to dry and I returned later to seal the tiles with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile and intensifies colour whilst also providing durable protection from within. Normally I use Seal and Go on Victorian Tiles however in this case the customer had specified a matt finish. The results were fantastic and the client was very pleased with the now flat Victorian tiled floor which, thanks to the cleaning and sealing, was back to looking its best. Another happy customer for the Lancashire Tile Doctor!

This is a master bathroom with a separate shower and tub area. The tub area was not being used so it was converted into a makeup vanity area. This was a full gut renovation, all tiles were removed. New floor to ceiling faux carrara porcelain 12x24 tiles were installed. Marble hexagon mosaic tiles were installed on the shower floor and a sliding glass shower door replaced the dated swinging door. A shower grab bar was added for safety. Lighting was amplified with new ceiling recessed LED damp-rated lighting as well as new pendant lights flanking the vanity mirror.

Interior Design, Custom Furniture Design, & Art Curation by Chango & Co. Photography by Raquel Langworthy See the project in Architectural Digest
Example of a huge transitional boy dark wood floor home design design in New York with blue walls

Mediterranean exterior home idea in San Francisco

This 1970s ranch home in South East Denver was roasting in the summer and freezing in the winter. It was also time to replace the wood composite siding throughout the home. Since Colorado Siding Repair was planning to remove and replace all the siding, we proposed that we install OSB underlayment and insulation under the new siding to improve it’s heating and cooling throughout the year. After we addressed the insulation of their home, we installed James Hardie ColorPlus® fiber cement siding in Grey Slate with Arctic White trim. James Hardie offers ColorPlus® Board & Batten. We installed Board & Batten in the front of the home and Cedarmill HardiPlank® in the back of the home. Fiber cement siding also helps improve the insulative value of any home because of the quality of the product and how durable it is against Colorado’s harsh climate. We also installed James Hardie beaded porch panel for the ceiling above the front porch to complete this home exterior make over. We think that this 1970s ranch home looks like a dream now with the full exterior remodel. What do you think?

I was contacted about a Georgian property in the Kent village of Leeds , to see if I could do anything to improve a Travertine tiled floor. The use of Travertine was extensive and had been installed throughout the ground floor including the kitchen, dining room, utility and bathroom WC. Travertine is probably my favourite stone, but it is acid sensitive and attracts dirt easily, due to its ‘holey’ composition. Initially we discussed the floor over the phone where I got to know about the issues they were experiencing, and I detailed the renovation process I normally use to restore it including the products and timelines. Naturally they wanted to me to provide a quote for the work however its tricky to do that accurately without seeing the floor, so I arranged a date to pop over. Upon arriving I could see the tiles and the wide grout joints had extensive, ingrained dirt indicating the previous sealer had long since worn away. This is a common issue with stone floors, and to re-assure myself and the client it could be resolved I cleaned a small area in the utility room with pleasing results! This test clean helped me to understand which products and methods would work best on the floor and later that day I emailed over a detailed quote for the renovation. Happy with the quote I received a reply the same day asking when I could start. My colleague and I arrived on the agreed date and work started with adding protection to all areas that required it. We use a lot of water during the cleaning process and some materials such as MDF can become damaged with water ingress, so it makes sense to do this. To get the floor clean, a coarse Carbide Brush fitted to a rotary machine was run over the Travertine tiles to scrub in a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This process generates a lot of slurry as the dirt was washed out of the stone and grout which is extracted with a wet vacuum as we progressed. Next it was on hands and knees with more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and handheld brushes run over stubborn areas and along the grout lines to take them from 80% up to 100%. Happy with the results, the next step was to renovate the stone using a series of diamond encrusted burnishing pads. Using only water for lubrication this process starts with the application of a coarse 400-grit burnishing pad attached to the floor buffer. This produces a lot of slurry which again was removed with a wet vacuum. This left the Travertine clean, but the pores of the stone had been opened giving the floor a matt finish and more absorbent than it was originally. To further refine the appearance of the stone the next two burnishing pads were applied which are 800 and 1500-grit. These pads polish the stone and close the pores, restoring the natural sheen in the process. After each pad was applied the slurry was rinsed off the floor with water and extracted with the wet vacuum. Once complete the floor was left to dry off fully overnight. I arrived the next day and took several moisture readings from the floor to check that it had dried off sufficiently overnight. The results were good, so work moved onto sealing the Travertine with two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is a natural look impregnating sealer. It works by soaking into the stone, occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. This ensures dirt remains on the surface where it is easily cleaned away. The final step in the floor’s renovation was to apply the last of the diamond polishing pads which is a very fine 3000-grit. This pad further improves the polished appearance of the stone resulting in a satisfying sheen. The work made a massive difference to the floor, and I received an email the next day from one of the owners who was really pleased with the transformation: ”Floors look brilliant. Very pleased.” For the care and maintenance of polished sealed floors I recommend the use of Tile Doctor’s Stone Soap which is a gentle but effective cleaning product that won’t impact the sealer and contains a patina enhancer. When it comes to sealed floors my mantra is: “If you look after the sealer, the sealer will look after the floor!” Graham Davis North Kent Tile Doctor

Freestanding bathtub - large cottage master porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub idea with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, white walls, a vessel sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

Bathroom - country bathroom idea in Bridgeport

Marble tiles can be tumbled in large drums to achieve an aged and softened effect, and this can look very nice providing that the stone is adequately maintained. In the case of this floor at a property in Twickenham South West London, the Marble tiles that had been laid over five years ago, and in that time the sealer had worn down offering the floor little protection. Dirt had now become ingrained in the pores of the stone and grout, and a deep clean and fresh seal were required to restore the stone’s original colour and lustre. The property owner asked me to complete the job and I was more than happy to oblige. To begin the restoration, I applied both Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a high alkaline cleaner, and Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which a heavy-duty stripper and remover, to the floor and scrubbed the products in using a scrubbing pad fitted to a professional rotary machine. The chemical solvents in the Remove and Go helped to break down any old sealer that remained inside the stone, allowing the Pro Clean to then work its magic on the stubborn ingrained dirt the customer had struggled to remove previously. Some of the deeper veins and grout lines I chose to scrub by hand to ensure the fullest and most meticulous clean possible. The resulting soiled cleaning solution was then pressure rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet-vacuum, leaving a completely clean floor that was now ready to be sealed using a new sealant. I returned to the property the following day after allowing the Marble tiles to dry fully. Drying the tiles is a crucial part of the restoration process, since even a small quantity of excess moisture can cloud the sealer and prevent it from working to its fullest capabilities. I applied two coats of our solvent-based impregnating sealer known as Tile Doctor Colour Grow. As the name of the product suggests, Colour Grow not only protects the tiles against ingrained soil, it also thoroughly lifts and enhances the natural colours in the stone. The new seal will make it easy for our customer to maintain the floor, making daily cleaning easier. It will also protect the stone against the nasty spillages that are common in kitchens and living rooms. The customer was thrilled with the much-improved appearance of the Marble tiles and is very reassured that they will now stay in great condition for a long time. Another satisfied client! Jonathan Oldham South Middlesex Tile Doctor

Limescale deposits are a big problem in many parts of the UK where hard water is common. To remove it you need to use a strong acidic cleaner however what to do if you have limescale deposits on Limestone? As many may already know, Limestone is an expensive, high-quality stone that like a lot of natural stone is acid sensitive and can be damaged with the application of acid-based products. You can use acids on Limestone however if your careful and I demonstrated this recently at a property in this village of Everdon near Daventry in Northamptonshire. My customer had a fantastic black Limestone tiled shower cubicle that had been absolutely ruined by white limescale staining and it had reached the point where the situation simply couldn’t be resolved with standard cleaning products. As the staining was so severe, I opted to use Tile Doctor Acid Gel to clean the tiles. This is a blend of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids in gel form and is the best product for cleaning vertical services, since water based products just run off and don’t have time to work on the staining. Working in small areas, I carefully scrubbed the product into the stone and then rinsed it off with plain water. This process was repeated across the whole cubicle, reducing the stains significantly in the process. Next, I used a handheld polishing machine fitted with 6” diamond encrusted burnishing pads, along with some water for lubrication, to polish and deep clean the stone, removing any stubborn stains remaining on the tiles. I left the cubicle to dry completely overnight. Upon my return the next day, I proceeded to seal the tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This sealer is impregnating, meaning it fils the pores of stone to protect against ingrained dirt and staining. As well as providing stone protection, Colour Grow also enhances the natural colour in the stone – in this case, the deep black shades in the Limestone. Having finished the job, I gave the very happy customer some advice on keeping limescale and other staining at bay in future. I explained that proper maintenance can be conducted by simply rinsing the tiles with clean water after each use of the shower, and by using Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro tile aftercare cleaner at least once a week. Phil Vissian Northamptonshire Tile Doctor

These Marble tiles were installed at a lovely property in North Ferriby by another tile company who although has done a great job laying the floor had neglected to provide the owner with any kind of post-installation maintenance. Thus the tiles, which covered a large kitchen and hallway area, appeared dull and certainly not up to the standard that could be achieved with the right methods. Funnily enough, the tile company had told the property owner that the stone would need to be sealed, but did not offer to carry out the process themselves. After conducting their own research, the property owner contacted her local Tile Doctor to see what could be done. I came round to inspect the floor and recommended the floor was polished through a process known as burnishing, followed by the application of a sealer to provide durable protection for the stone. Burnishing involves the application of diamond encrusted pads with different levels of grit. At Tile Doctor we work with a four pad system that allows us to gradually refine the polish on suitable tiled floors, including Marble and Limestone. I started the process by applying a Coarse grit burnishing pad across the entire floor lubricated with a little water, the 17 inch pads fit a rotary floor buffing machine and so are relatively straight forward to use but do take time. Following this, I worked my way through the burnishing system, repeating the process with Medium, Fine and Very Fine grit burnishing pads to achieve a brilliant, consistent shine. The floor is given a quick rinse between pads in-order to remove the resultant slurry before starting with the next pad. The second part of the restoration was to seal the floor to protect the stone against future dirt, stains and damage, which is more common in busy areas of a house like the kitchen. I opted to seal the Marble tiles with two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal. This is a premium, no-sheen sealer that leaves the Marble with a more natural looking polished appearance. As a solvent-based, penetrating sealer it gets deep into the pores of the stone to protect against stains and ingrained dirt, especially in food preparation areas. To finish off I used the very fine diamond pad just to guarantee the brilliant shine you can see in the photos. The property owners were exceptionally pleased with the results achieved and will undoubtedly be glad that their lovely Marble tiled flooring is now protected for long-term use. Another satisfied client. Ronnie Phipps East Yorkshire Tile Doctor