Subtle Grime - Photos & Ideas

Elegant l-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Other with glass-front cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island, gray cabinets, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash and white countertops

Fresh Elegance Full Home Remodel in Santa Clara

Memmo Interiors

Mid-sized transitional u-shaped light wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen photo in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray backsplash, stone slab backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and gray countertops

Gold River Fun Classic. Nar Fine Carpentry. Sacramento. El Dorado Hills

Nar Design Group

This fun classic kitchen in Gold River features Columbia frameless cabinets in Sandy Hook grey. A green glass backsplash in a random matte and polished pattern complements the cabinets which are faced with both painted wood and frosted glass. The Silestone countertops in the Lyra finish have an ogee bullnose edge. The floors are finished in a rich brown porcelain tile of varying sizes that are made to resemble distressed wood. Photo Credit: PhotographerLink

Find the right local pro for your project

Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz

Chesterbrook Revisited

Cunningham | Quill Architects

Transitional bathroom photo in DC Metro

Mahagony Island

Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction

The square shaped island leaves plenty of floor space to accommodate the turning radius of a wheel chair and visually anchors the large kitchen space. Tom Grimes

Stove Counter

Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction

The frosted glass cabinets and the Cararra marble backsplash are a subtle combination. Tom Grimes Photography
Mid-sized elegant single-wall porcelain tile eat-in kitchen photo in Other with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Evanston front porch power wash, staining and painting.

Windy City Painters

? Elevate Your Home's Charm with a Front Porch Makeover! ? ✨ Front porch beautifully refinished by the top-notch professionals at Windy City Painters, the best painting company in Chicago! ? Here's a glimpse of the meticulous process : ? Power Wash Magic: Started with a thorough power wash to bid farewell to dirt, grime, and the remnants of old paint. The porch now sparkles! ? Wood Whispering - Sanding Edition: Embraced the art of sanding to create a smooth canvas for the upcoming masterpiece. Goodbye rough edges, hello silky surfaces! ? Stairway to Elegance - Staining the Steps: The step treads and landing got a luxurious makeover with a premium stain, adding warmth and sophistication to the entrance. It's like a red carpet for your doorstep! ⚪ Radiant in White - Railings, Risers, and Sides: The talented hands at Windy City Painters painted the railings, risers, and step sides in a crisp, classic white. The result? A porch that exudes timeless charm and curb appeal. ?‍♂️ About Windy City Painters: ? Expertise Beyond Compare: Windy City Painters specializes not only in front porch refinishing but also in wrought iron fences and metal porches. They work their magic with rust removal, treatment, and restoration, ensuring longevity and beauty. ? Drywall Water Damage Repairs: Water damage? Not a problem! They're your go-to for seamless drywall repairs, leaving no traces of past troubles. ?️ Wallpaper Wizards: Transform your interiors with their impeccable wallpaper installation services. From subtle textures to bold patterns, they bring your vision to life. ? Kitchen Cabinets Revival: Give your kitchen a facelift! Windy City Painters excels in painting kitchen cabinets, turning them from outdated to dazzling. ? Contact Windy City Painters: ? WindyCityPainters.com ? WindyPainters.com ☎️ Phone: 773-818-6331 ? andy@windypainters.com ✅ Experience the Windy City Painters Difference! Transforming homes into masterpieces, one stroke at a time. Schedule your consultation today and let the experts work their magic. Your dream home awaits! #WindyCityPainters #ChicagoPainting #HomeMakeover #FrontPorchRefinishing #PorchPainter #ChicagoWallpaperInstaller #ChicagoCabinetsPainter ✨?️

Sponsored

Columbus, OH

Everingham Design

Columbus' Home Design Experts Specializing in Custom Cabinets

Evanston front porch power wash, staining and painting.

Windy City Painters

Evanston front porch power wash, staining and painting.

Windy City Painters

Evanston front porch power wash, staining and painting.

Windy City Painters

Modern Sandstone Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in High Green, Sheffield

Tile Doctor Ltd

The photos on this page are of a Sandstone Kitchen floor at a house in the High Green suburb of Sheffield. The Sandstone tiles looked grubby and needed some love and attention. Our client was getting fed up trying to keep the stone clean, particularly around the kitchen area where cleaning didn’t seem to make much. You can see how dirty it had become on the before picture below, this is stark contrast to the middle of the of the kitchen where the portable kitchen island normally sits. I went to the property to get a better look at the problem floor and carried out a small test clean to see which products and methods would have the best impact. The patch came up really clean without much difficulty, so I was confident on being able to restore its appearance. It was clear to me the original protective sealer had worn off and dirt had become ingrained in the pores of the stone where it was proving difficult to remove. My client was very encouraged by the test clean initial result and agreed to go ahead with the quote. We arranged a suitable time to carry out the work on a day when the family would be out of the way. I started by taping up the area to make sure the skirting and woodwork were protected from splashing. Once done a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto Sandstone tile and grout. It was left to dwell for approximately ten minutes to help break down all the grime and dirt and was then worked into the stone using a rotary floor machine fitted with a stiff bristled brush. This method totally transformed the dull sandstone, the stunning sandstone colours started to leap out and I could see the stone was well on its way to being transformed. The floor was then rinsed several times with water and the now soiled cleaning solution carefully removed with an industrial wet vacuum. With the floor clean I inspected all the tiles and repeated the process until I was happy the floor was total clean. I should mention It’s not always this easy to clean a stone floor and quite often I find myself having to utilise all sorts of products and methods before I’m totally satisfied it’s as clean as it could possibly be. With the cleaning done I left the floor to dry out overnight aided with heaters and air blowers. I returned to seal the floor the next day checking first that the stone was dry with a damp meter. Leaving the blowers on overnight had helped and the readings I took from the floor confirmed it was now ready for sealing. Earlier I had discussed the different types of sealer available with my clients and they had chosen to have the floor sealed with Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This works really well on Sandstone, enhancing its appearance, improving colour and of course adding protection to the stone to prevent grime and dirt stuck in the pores of the stone. Several coats were applied until I could see if was fully sealed and the right level of finish had been achieved. Sealing a floor can take some time as you need to allow each coat to dry before applying the next. Once done the floor looked meticulously clean and the new sealer had added a lovely subtle sheen to the stone. My client was very please with the transformation and left the following feedback. ‘Very professional approach, friendly, and offered great advice throughout the job. Very pleased with the finish Cheers Matt we will see you again’ One of the problems we find with many homeowners is that for cleaning they use strong bleach-based cleaning product on their sealed tiles, and this actually strips off the sealer leaving the stone vulnerable to ingrained dirt. As a result, Tile Doctor has developed Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it is pH neutral and gentle enough for everyday use without affecting the sealer. Matthew Lovett South Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Restoration of a Victorian Minton Tiled Hallway Floor in Kidderminster

Tile Doctor Ltd

I received this Tile Doctor enquiry from a customer in the historic market town of Kidderminster who had a Victorian Minton Tiled hallway floor that had been covered in carpet for a long time. The carpet had since been removed and now the floor was fully exposed you could see it was covered in carpet glue and dirty with ingrained grime. I arranged an appointment to inspect the floor thoroughly and provide a quote; you can never be sure what issues you might find, so surveying the floor first ensures I can give an accurate price. As anticipated the entire floor was covered in thick glue, fortunately apart from a few loose tiles the floor was in good order. I explained to the client the process I would use on the floor and that I was confident the floor could be restored for them. My quote was accepted, and we arranged a date to carry out the work. I often get customers claiming to have an original Minton Tiled floor however there were many manufacturers creating similar patterns at the end of the 19th century, the only way to be certain is to lift a tile and look to see what’s stamped on the back. In this case we had a few loose ones that needed relaying, so I was able to confirm that quite easily. I arrived on the booked day and the first step was to tape up the surrounding area to prevent any damage from splashing. I was then ready to tackle the glue. I applied a strong solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and covered the floor with industrial cling film to allow the solution to get to work without drying out. The film was removed after an hour and then the Remove and Go was worked into the tiles using a coarse 200-grit milling pad to cut through the glue and resurface the tiles. Afterwards the floor was rinsed with water and the soil removed with a wet vacuum. Some of the glue proved very stubborn to remove and had to be dealt with carefully by hand using an industrial scraper, sometimes a bit of elbow grease is the only way to get the job done. The floor was then given an Acid Rinse with Tile Doctor Acid Gel, this is designed to further clean the tiles and counter any efflorescent salts that might be present in the tiles due to the lack of damp proof membrane. After another rinse and soil removal I turned my attention to the loose tiles which were secured by removing the tile, scraping out the adhesive and re-fixing. The appearance of the floor was much improved after day and the floor was then left overnight to dry out in preparation or the sealing process. Returning the next day, I first checked the floor was dry using a damp meter. Once I was satisfied it was dry, I started to seal the floor. I had selected to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra for sealing. It adds a richness to the colour of the tiles and a subtle sheen finish. I applied three coats, waiting for each one to dry before applying the next. The pattern on the floor was really nice and the colours were now very vibrant. The client was very pleased and left a great review copied below: “Our floor wasn’t easy as it had some form of coating on it which was difficult to remove but Mark took a lot of time to ensure the surface was thoroughly clean before the sealant was put down. Very pleased with how it looks. K. B, Kidderminster” Mark Conway Worcestershire Tile Doctor

Restoration of an iconic Terrazzo Floor in Doncaster

Tile Doctor Ltd

This beautiful Terrazzo floor was uncovered in the hallway of a house in Doncaster, as you can see it had taken a bit of a beating over the years, but the owners were keen on having it restored. Restoring period features like these are a great idea as they are very sought after and can add a lot of value to a property. The floor had spent many years below carpet and nails had been hammered through the floor to hold carpet grippers in place. Along with this there was a lot of glue and paint to remove. However, I was confident that we could get the floor restored, I gave them a quotation for the work, and they were happy to proceed as soon as possible. Doncaster is a hot spot for terrazzo floors, apparently there was a big Italian community there in the early part of the 1900s. Doncaster is also famous for its rich rail heritage; the main Doncaster train station is on the East Coast mainline and you find many original station buildings have Terrazzo floors in the public areas. The first job was to remove as much of the paint, glue and other contaminates as possible. These were scraped off the floor by hand using a razor-sharp scraper. We then moved onto using a set of five diamond burnishing pads of different grits to cut through the top layers and grime to eventually bring this floor back up to its’ former glory. Starting off with the most coarse pad first I started to go over the floor a pad at a time, each pad is fitted to a rotary machine which has extra weight added to it to make the pads work ever better. Each time a pad is changed, it is slightly less coarse, this starts to polish the floor up to a shine eventually ended with a very fine diamond pad. Water is added at each stage and removed with the wet vacuum before the next pad is used. Gradually the original floor started to shine through, the colours were quite pronounced, and you could see the floor was a lovely example of terrazzo. After a final rinse to remove the soiling generated by burnishing, I turned my attention to filling the many holes where the nails had been. The floor was left to dry off overnight and the following morning I returned to seal the floor with several coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. I choose this product as its designed to enhance the subtle colours in the floor and its fully breathable which is an important consideration when sealing floors in older properties. Damp proof membranes are a common feature these days but are a relatively recent invention. With older floors you need to allow the floor to breathe so the moisture in the sub floor can rise and evaporate at the surface, without this the moisture will reach out to the walls where it can cause rising damp. The result was a highly polished floor just the way it would have looked when it was first installed 90 years ago. As you can imagine the owners were over the moon with the transformation. Matthew Lovett South Yorkshire TIle Doctor