Search results for "Cracking" in Home Design Ideas

Clients had a 30 year old aggregate driveway that was cracked and they wanted an updated, low maintenance driveway.
This is an example of a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.
This is an example of a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.
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Photo of a mid-sized mediterranean partial sun stone formal garden in San Francisco.

Clients had a 30 year old aggregate driveway that was cracked and they wanted an updated, low maintenance driveway.
Inspiration for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.
Inspiration for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.

Clients had a 30 year old aggregate driveway that was cracked and they wanted an updated, low maintenance driveway.
Photo of a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.
Photo of a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.

This is our Cracked Cement Pattern. For more information, please call 800-635-1226 or visit our website at: https://choicebuildingproducts.com/.

Clients had a 30 year old aggregate driveway that was cracked and they wanted an updated, low maintenance driveway.
Inspiration for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.
Inspiration for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.

Photography by Liz Linder (www.lizlinder.com).
Photo of a transitional landscaping in Boston.
Photo of a transitional landscaping in Boston.

Clients had a 30 year old aggregate driveway that was cracked and they wanted an updated, low maintenance driveway.
Inspiration for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.
Inspiration for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.

This Travertine tiled kitchen floor had been laid around five years previously in a house in Didsbury and now most of the sealer had worn down making the floor difficult to clean effectively. This resulted in the tiles looking continually dirty and a few of the tiles had cracked which you can see in the photograph below.
To start off with i scrubbed Tile Doctor Pro-Clean into all the grout lines with a stiff brush in order to get them as clean as possible followed by a rinse with water which was extracted using a wet vacuum.
The next step was to strip the Travertine of any remaining sealer and dirt using a set of four Diamond encrusted burnishing pads which come in a number of grades and are applied from coarse to extra fine with a little water to help lubricate.
I used the first three pads from coarse to fine rinsing between each pad to restore the polished finish of the stone but stopped before applying the final pad so I could fill all the cracked tiles with a resin filler in a matching shade. Once the filler had dried I gave the floor a final polish with the fourth extra fine burnishing pad and gave the floor a final rinse at the end to make sure the floor was clean before sealing.
Once the floor was dry it was sealed using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that occupies the pores in the stone so dirt cannot become ingrained there. This particular sealer also enhances the natural colours in the stone.
After the final polish and sealing the cracked areas had blended in very nicely and the customer was very pleased with the overall result.
Steve Keary
Greater Manchester Tile Doctor

Every now and again, I get a call from a client located on the small peninsula of Sandbanks, Poole. Sandbanks, sometimes referred to as ‘Britain’s Palm Beach’, is known for its fantastic beach and high value property. My client asked me to take a look at a Travertine floor in his kitchen which was, in fact, more highly polished than he had wanted. The polished finish had worn off the travertine tiles where they had been walked on, leaving a dull trackway running down the centre of the kitchen. With its distinct characteristics, travertine is a popular choice for kitchen flooring, although it is also quite often used in bathrooms. In any case Travertine tiles will need regular maintenance to keep them looking their best.
Unfortunately, the kitchen floor must have experienced some sort of settlement or shrinkage as a long crack has appeared, which ran along the same line as the dull trackway. It is not uncommon for Travertine tiles to crack due to wear over time, or even bad fitting in some cases. While the exact cause of the crack was unclear, the homeowner concluded that the floor was certainly in need of restoration.
Repairing a crack in a Travertine tiled floor
Replacing the Travertine tiles was not an option due to a lack of spare tiles, so I opted instead to fill the crack in the floor using Harbro Stone Filler, an epoxy stone filler, matching the colour of the tile as closely as possible. I left this to set, before sanding down the excess filler.
My next action was to use a set of Tile Doctor Diamond burnishing pads to sand out any scratches and restore a more even shine to the floor, as per the client’s request. For polished stone, I recommend using a set of four burnishing pads applied in order: Coarse, Medium, Fine, and Very Fine. I used these one after the other with a little water to lubricate and restore the surface polish to the desired level.
Sealing a Travertine tiled floor
The next day, I returned to seal the floor with a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. Colour Grow is a colour enhancing, impregnating sealer which penetrates deeply into the pores of the stone, thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained within. This particular sealer also enhances the natural colours within the Travertine tile, whilst also providing long term durable protection.
Although the crack could not be made to disappear completely, its appearance was much improved. The customer was also very pleased with the long-lasting lower sheen provided, describing it as “the finish I had wanted in the first place when the tiles were fitted”.

Clients had a 30 year old aggregate driveway that was cracked and they wanted an updated, low maintenance driveway.
Design ideas for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.
Design ideas for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Cincinnati.

Incorporating rustic touches into the modern guest bedroom and bath.
Bedroom - large contemporary guest bamboo floor bedroom idea with multicolored walls and no fireplace
Bedroom - large contemporary guest bamboo floor bedroom idea with multicolored walls and no fireplace

Elevate your living room with this Cedar Ice Crack Resin Table, featuring natural wood grain and artistic resin inlays. The square design fits perfectly in modern layouts, while the durable construction withstands daily use. Ideal for creating a focal point in contemporary or rustic interiors.

The foundation of this bathroom floor was cracked. We applied an anti-fracture membrane and layed the tile directly over it. This prevents future cracking of the tile.

This client from Cobham contacted me in despair, she was quite concerned about her Travertine tiled floor which was cracking. She had the Kitchen and Dining room tiled with Travertine six years ago and recently several cracks had begun to appear in a long line crossing five tiles.
Several holes had also begun to appear and across the threshold to the kitchen from the dining area a serious lip had formed where a tile had risen above its neighbour causing a trip hazard.
After removing a tile from an unobtrusive area, I began to see where the issues lay. The tiler had dabbed the adhesive. This mean that instead of spreading the adhesive equally across the tile and floor they had splurged four lumps in each corner then set the tile down. This is poor working practice that will sooner or later become apparent. It means the areas were no adhesive was applied are eventually compromised resulting in cracking. This could take years or weeks to surface.
After some discussion we decided that I would remove and replace six tiles in total. The client was happy for me to go ahead and agreed a cost for the works to be done.
Returning the following week, firstly I had to remove the grout. This was done with a handheld Fein tool fitted with an oscillating blade. I thought this would be good experience from my son during the holidays, so I took him along and whilst I was working on the grout, he was able to gather the dust in a vacuum cleaner.
Next, I started to remove the cracked tiles with a chisel, starting from the cracks where the tiles would be weakest. This was noisy and messy work which required ear defenders and safety goggles. The process took several hours with the help of my son on general assistance duties. Once the tiles were removed this just left the remaining adhesive attached to the floor to get removed. This was the hardest part of the job, a lot of hammer and chisel work with as much dust gathered as possible to try and contain the mess. I had warned the customer that a considerable amount of mess would be produced and request that she should remove as much items as possible and to tape up her cupboards. Finally, I filled several holes in the sub floor so I would have a flat surface to lay the new tiles on. I left it there for the night to solidify.
Returning the next day, I began laying the replacement tiles down. Colour matching replacement tiles is a difficult task as Travertine is a natural product and colours vary greatly so these were a pretty good match.
Once the adhesive had set, I grouted in the newly laid tiles and once that was dry set about applying a sealer. For this I used two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which is an impregnating sealer that doesn’t alter the colour of the stone. This would ensure they were nicely protected and hopefully the client will not experience any further issues.
She was very happy with the result and was pleased the floor no long looked unsightly or posed a tripping hazard.
Rupert Mcleod
West Surrey Tile Doctor
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