Search results for "Remove soil" in Home Design Ideas

This Limestone tiled floor had been installed in the kitchen of a property in Teddington three years before and due to the use of the wrong cleaning product was now stripped of its protective sealer. Limestone like any natural stone is porous and without a sealer in place dirt becomes trapped in the stone making it very difficult to keep clean. The property was close to Bushy Park situated in South West London on the North bank of the Thames which is only about seven miles from my base in Shepperton.
I discovered all of this after visiting the property to quote for deep cleaning and resealing the floor. It turns out they have been using Flash multi-surface & floor cleaner which has an acidic pH of 10.3, compare this to Tile Doctor Remove and Go which we use to strip sealers off floors and has a pH of 12. Needless to say, this was not the right product to use and the old sealer had been completely stripped off the floor and probably within the first few months.
On top of this our customer had 3 children and a dog running in and out of the garden and was therefore transferring quite a lot of dirt into the stone. After surveying the floor, I discussed the renovation process with the customer which would take two days and include a deep clean of the Limestone followed by the application of a sealer to ensure it did not hold onto the dirt. They were after a sheen finish for the floor and were keen to have natural brown and cream variations in the stone highlighted. We agreed a price for the work and booked a date for the work to start.
To start with, we machine scrubbed the floor with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to break down the dirt and release it from the stone. We find the best process is to spray the Pro-Clean onto the floor first and then leave to dwell for ten minutes before scrubbing. It’s not long before the cleaning solution turns dark with the dirt released from the pores of the stone and this soil is then rinsed with water and vacuumed off the floor with a low-pressure hard floor cleaning machine.
Following the cleaning, we honed the Limestone using a sequence of 800, 1500 and finally 3000-grit Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads. The pads are applied with water to lubricate and the slurry generated is rinsed off the floor as before. This burnishing process brings up the natural sheen of the stone and tightens up its pores prior to sealing. I left the floor overnight to allow it to dry out.
The next day I returned to the property and checked the floor for moisture using a damp meter. The readings were fine, so I proceeded with the application of the sealer for which I used two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that enhances the colours and contrast on the stone while protecting it against future soiling and spillages. It gave a lovely sheen finish to the floor as requested by the customer.
As you can see from the pictures the process made a huge difference to the floor which now looks lighter and brighter, certainly the customer was more than happy. Before leaving I recommended, they should clean the floor using Tile Doctor Stone Soap, this is a pH neutral product that will ensure the seal does not get broken down like it previously had using the household cleaners. It is gentle enough to use every day if you wish is designed to help maintain the patina of the burnished stone.
Jonathan Oldham
South Middlesex Tile Doctor

Exclusively at TLC Carpet One & Floor in Craig, CO.
Innovia™ Touch carpet is the SUPERSOFT extension of Carpet One Floor & Home’s premier soft and durable Innovia™ brand carpet. Its incredible built-in stain and soil protection ensures that liquids, spills and soil will remove easily, for a long-lasting carpet. This carpet is ideal for consumers looking for that step up from Innovia™ for the ultimate soft experience.

This basement remodeling project began in a traditional Edina home with an unfinished basement and underutilized space. With the Super bowl on the horizon the owner wanted a new space for entertaining and chilling out.
The project began with a warm fireplace positioned at an angle to get the most impact in the smallest space. A solid wood mantle encloses the firebox and supports the large-screen HDTV, offering the best angle for viewing HDTV. Using a gas-burning fireplace insert makes the new fireplace enjoyable and efficient, great for cold Minnesota nights.
Outdoor landscaping to accommodate the new windows greatly improved the volume of natural sunlight and fresh air available to the basement. Removing layers of soil and rock and reinforcing with landscaping rock created a great new place for summer flowers. This technique also works well when installing egress windows that can serve as a legal fire escape that can add value to a basement remodeling project.
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This town home job was a complete transformation from an old, dirty, insignificant front and back yard to living in luxury with the space provided. This job required for us to do a bit of demo, including cutting, and ripping out the sidewalk in the front yard, all pavement and old decking in the backyard, and replacing it with appealing, level pavers all the way around. Along with this beautiful change, we also replaced the fence in the backyard, and put in a nice decorative fence in the front yard. In addition to these adjustments, we provided 4 large very nice pots in the front yard, filled and placed them. Added top soil, sod, river rock, and planted some plants in the front yard. Made sure all pavers were retaining their positioning, and waited time for client to get other renovations, when finished we anchored and placed a pergola between the garage and home and stained it.
In short: Demoed job site by removing all concrete, ordered fountain, leveled terrain, created customer-selected custom arbor, placed liner where necessary, built fence in front yard, added mulch, added sand, additional leveling, and pavers in front and back, added metal edging, planted plants, brought in various pots and placed them, added sod, added river rock, received fountain and put it in place, removed and redid fence in backyard, built and stained pergola.

MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

Nestled on a picture-perfect hill country property with a serene creek running through it, this hill country modern family home is a blend of fun and sophistication. The exterior's combination of geometrical shapes and a distinctive color palette is inviting and pleasing to the eye.
As light streams into the living room through walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, it creates a cheerful and bright atmosphere. This unmatched design with exquisite finishes generates a seamless confluence from the interior living spaces to the outside oasis.
One of the unusual characteristics of this home was the expansive soil conditions on site. Removing four feet of soil and replacing it with fill material was an unusual process for us in the Hill Country but a needed process to safeguard this home for many years of enjoyment.

Demo and removal of old retaining wall. Installation of walkway, retaining wall and second patio. Built steps out of the wall stone.
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in New York.
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in New York.

We removed all the thick brush,remove small trees and apply 2" of top soil with compost. Then installed the sod grass (Tall Fescue)
Design ideas for a landscaping in DC Metro.
Design ideas for a landscaping in DC Metro.

MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized?
This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants.
We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy.
Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized?
This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants.
We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy.
Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

This landscape was mostly Bermuda grass and junipers. The landscape was gutted and replaced with native plants and ground covered with gravel and bark. The chairs were restored. Another client had them sitting around in a corner of his yard.
The gravel is actually pea gravel on top of a layer of 1-1/2" river rock base since no weed cloth was used. This keeps the gravel from sinking into the sandy soil.
Photo by Tom Lanier

Exclusively at TLC Carpet One & Floor in Craig, CO.
Innovia™ Touch carpet is the SUPERSOFT extension of Carpet One Floor & Home’s premier soft and durable Innovia™ brand carpet. Its incredible built-in stain and soil protection ensures that liquids, spills and soil will remove easily, for a long-lasting carpet. This carpet is ideal for consumers looking for that step up from Innovia™ for the ultimate soft experience.

This property had been let go for a number of years by the previous homeowner. Our returning client had just purchased the home when he decided to extend the turf spaces and completely restore the grounds. This property had dead shrubs and trees, weeds everywhere, over grown plant material, insect and disease issues in the turf and shrubs, eroded gravel paths, and absolutely no mulch in the planting beds once we arrived.
Our client had an overall landscaping budget of 25,000 and wanted to open up the backyard and make it more functional for his two young children. The project took approximately 2 weeks in it's entirety. Our company installed topiary Hydrangea on each side of the rear guest house, roses in the two box gardens, replaced plant material throughout the garden, extended the Fescue turf areas by 2,000 Sq. Ft., trimmed and correctively pruned all the plant material on site, refreshed the gravel pathways, installed mulch throughout the property, re-located large boxwood, removed the existing Fescue, Installed a premium sifted garden soil throughout the planting areas, and removed five trees in the rear yard.

This is a Travertine tiled floor installed at a property in the popular Cheshire town of Wilmslow around 16 years prior. It had previously been maintained by a Tile Doctor colleague about three years ago and the owner was hoping the floor could be given a simple maintenance clean and seal. This is a service we provide as part of an annual maintenance plan, unfortunately after surveying the floor it was clear they had left it far too long, the floor had lost its shine and it would now need to be resurfaced with a set of diamond burnishing pads and then resealed.
Naturally burnishing the floor costs more than a simple seal and polish but if you are going to opt for the quicker maintenance plan route it does need to be done at least annually and possibly more frequently if it’s a floor in frequent use such as a kitchen. We agreed a price for the work, and I arranged a time with them to return and renovate the floor.
To restore the polished appearance of the Travertine I used a set of four burnishing pads which are applied to the floor with a rotary machine. You start with a coarse 400-grit pad using water to lubricate and running it over each tile at least three times. This first pad cleans up the stone and removes old sealers. This is then followed with the finer 800-grit, 1500-grit and finally a 3000-grit pad. Except for the 3000-grit, each pad is applied with water and the floor is rinsed and the soil extracted afterwards with the wet vacuum.
The Grout lines were also deep cleaned with a scrubbing brush and Tile Doctor Pro-Clean tile and grout cleaner. The product really gets to into deep seated dirt and grease which tends to accumulate in the grout. After a final rinse and extraction, the floor was then left to dry off overnight.
I returned on the second day and started by checking the floor was dry by taking several moisture readings with a damp meter. The readings were good, so I proceeded to seal the floor using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Colour Grow is an ideal sealer for Travertine as it seeps into the pores of the stone enhancing the natural brown colours in the process. It also offers great protection going forward.
Whilst I was there I had noticed that one of the doors had scratched the floor, fortunately the polishing process had got the scratches out of the stone but to prevent future scratching I helped them remove the door so a carpenter could shave off a few mm’s from the bottom.
My customer left the following feedback:
“Second time had Travertine floor restored, cleaned & sealed, the first time was 3 years ago. Great job done then by Simon Bywater. This time Kamila did a really professional job on the kitchen limestone floor. A bit more expensive this time, but a good job was done. Have left instructions for her to contact me in 12 months time for annual maintenance on the same floor, hopefully to prevent restoration being required! Highly recommend the service.”
The floor looked great and they should now be able to maintain it in between the maintenance visits, with day to day cleaning using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner.
Kamila Logonzy
East Cheshire Tile Doctor
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