New construction opens a wide array of options when it comes to selecting finishes. For this particular client, they wanted a durable floor that was also aesthetically pleasing to complete their basement. Since there was no topical sealer on the new concrete, a polished flooring system was selected. The basement itself was a little over 1200 square feet and featured a game room, main living area, bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. All of the flooring was to be polished to a level 400 shine and finished with a densifier and stain guarding product. Polished concrete is the most durable flooring choice. It allows the concrete to breathe below grade, creates movement and character throughout the space and is very easy to maintain. With a pond out back, a polished concrete floor is easy to clean and will be able to withstand high traffic.

New construction opens a wide array of options when it comes to selecting finishes. For this particular client, they wanted a durable floor that was also aesthetically pleasing to complete their basement. Since there was no topical sealer on the new concrete, a polished flooring system was selected. The basement itself was a little over 1200 square feet and featured a game room, main living area, bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. All of the flooring was to be polished to a level 400 shine and finished with a densifier and stain guarding product. Polished concrete is the most durable flooring choice. It allows the concrete to breathe below grade, creates movement and character throughout the space and is very easy to maintain. With a pond out back, a polished concrete floor is easy to clean and will be able to withstand high traffic.

Harbor View is a modern-day interpretation of the shingled vacation houses of its seaside community. The gambrel roof, horizontal, ground-hugging emphasis, and feeling of simplicity, are all part of the character of the place. While fitting in with local traditions, Harbor View is meant for modern living. The kitchen is a central gathering spot, open to the main combined living/dining room and to the waterside porch. One easily moves between indoors and outdoors. The house is designed for an active family, a couple with three grown children and a growing number of grandchildren. It is zoned so that the whole family can be there together but retain privacy. Living, dining, kitchen, library, and porch occupy the center of the main floor. One-story wings on each side house two bedrooms and bathrooms apiece, and two more bedrooms and bathrooms and a study occupy the second floor of the central block. The house is mostly one room deep, allowing cross breezes and light from both sides. The porch, a third of which is screened, is a main dining and living space, with a stone fireplace offering a cozy place to gather on summer evenings. A barn with a loft provides storage for a car or boat off-season and serves as a big space for projects or parties in summer.

New construction opens a wide array of options when it comes to selecting finishes. For this particular client, they wanted a durable floor that was also aesthetically pleasing to complete their basement. Since there was no topical sealer on the new concrete, a polished flooring system was selected. The basement itself was a little over 1200 square feet and featured a game room, main living area, bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. All of the flooring was to be polished to a level 400 shine and finished with a densifier and stain guarding product. Polished concrete is the most durable flooring choice. It allows the concrete to breathe below grade, creates movement and character throughout the space and is very easy to maintain. With a pond out back, a polished concrete floor is easy to clean and will be able to withstand high traffic.

New construction opens a wide array of options when it comes to selecting finishes. For this particular client, they wanted a durable floor that was also aesthetically pleasing to complete their basement. Since there was no topical sealer on the new concrete, a polished flooring system was selected. The basement itself was a little over 1200 square feet and featured a game room, main living area, bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. All of the flooring was to be polished to a level 400 shine and finished with a densifier and stain guarding product. Polished concrete is the most durable flooring choice. It allows the concrete to breathe below grade, creates movement and character throughout the space and is very easy to maintain. With a pond out back, a polished concrete floor is easy to clean and will be able to withstand high traffic.

New construction opens a wide array of options when it comes to selecting finishes. For this particular client, they wanted a durable floor that was also aesthetically pleasing to complete their basement. Since there was no topical sealer on the new concrete, a polished flooring system was selected. The basement itself was a little over 1200 square feet and featured a game room, main living area, bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. All of the flooring was to be polished to a level 400 shine and finished with a densifier and stain guarding product. Polished concrete is the most durable flooring choice. It allows the concrete to breathe below grade, creates movement and character throughout the space and is very easy to maintain. With a pond out back, a polished concrete floor is easy to clean and will be able to withstand high traffic.

New construction opens a wide array of options when it comes to selecting finishes. For this particular client, they wanted a durable floor that was also aesthetically pleasing to complete their basement. Since there was no topical sealer on the new concrete, a polished flooring system was selected. The basement itself was a little over 1200 square feet and featured a game room, main living area, bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. All of the flooring was to be polished to a level 400 shine and finished with a densifier and stain guarding product. Polished concrete is the most durable flooring choice. It allows the concrete to breathe below grade, creates movement and character throughout the space and is very easy to maintain. With a pond out back, a polished concrete floor is easy to clean and will be able to withstand high traffic.

Tricia Shay Photography
Example of a large trendy courtyard concrete patio design in Milwaukee with no cover

Transitional living room photo in Other

I would say that my design aesthetic is to create Classic, Transitional and Chic spaces for busy professional women who want to make good investments. The type of fibers you use in area rugs, fabrics on the chairs and topical treatments that can be applied to fabrics or rugs that are not inherently stain resistant. Another way to be Smart is by using furniture that can function so you can maintain great conversation, such as with these swivel chairs in the living room.

Cork tiles – beauty and soundproofing functionality all in one. Make the floors and walls in your home a hot topic of conversation. Be proud that you chose cork tiles to represent all your soundproofing needs. Show it off knowing you not only got a great product at a great price, but that it’s more than worth the money, because you have the functionality of a great soundproofing product along with the aesthetic beauty that will keep your guests impressed.

This black and red Victorian tiled hallway at a property in Newport, the third largest city in Wales, had a timeless charm about it, and a classic diamond pattern. Unfortunately, the tiles had lost their colour, leaving them looking dull and lifeless. It was clear to me, upon further inspection, that the existing sealer had failed, allowing dirt to become trapped in the pores of tile. This can be a very difficult problem to rectify without the right professional assistance; everyday household cleaners are rarely suitable for sealed floors and acidic cleaners can actually male the problem worse. The tiles needed a deep clean with strong products, followed by a fresh, robust surface seal to prevent dirt from becoming trapped again in the future. I started cleaning the tiles with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, worked in to the stone as per usual by using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Pro Clean is a reliable alkaline cleaner that works well on most kinds of natural stone, and while I could see it made a difference here, it was clear something stronger was required to remove what was left of the old sealer. To remove this, I applied a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which is a dedicated stripper that is safe to use on tile and stone for the purposes of breaking down old sealers, waxes, paints, and adhesives, and this proved effective in getting rid of all the old sealer. Once the cleaning was complete, I rinsed the floor thoroughly to remove any trace of chemicals left over from the cleaning products, before leaving it to dry overnight. I came back to the property the next day and, after checking the floor was completely dry, I proceeded to seal the floor using eight coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This types of sealer is known as ‘topical’, which means that it builds up a solid layer of protection on the surface of the tile. Topical sealers tend to be more suitable to Victorian and Quarry tiles as they typically require a lot of sealer due to their porosity and these types of sealer are less costly. Seal and Go also adds a nice aesthetically pleasing low sheen finish. As you can see from the second photo, this did wonders to the tiles and really brought this classic Victorian pattern back to life. Another satisfied client for the Monmouthshire Tile Doctor. Paul Wales Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

We cleaned and sealed this recently installed slate floor in Muskoka, Ontario. Where possible, we try to avoid topical coatings. This beautiful slate floor has a natural cleffed finish, and blends beautifully with the existing untreated materials found throughout this luxury cottage. We decided a penetrating sealer would be best to maintain it's current aesthetic. In the long term, as the floor wears and scratches, we will likely move over to an enhancer to hide damage while still avoiding topical sealers or waxes.

Here’s a really interesting commercial job for you, which I recently completed in the town of Hinckley, Leicestershire. I was asked to take a look at a Victorian Geometric and Encaustic tiled floor in the historic Queen’s Head pub. This floor is over a century old and although in good condition for its age had suffered significant wear over the years, along with some cracked tiles and slight inherent moisture issues. What the pub landlord requested was a restorative clean to alleviate the aesthetically damaging effect of the wear, and to enhance the natural colours of the stone. I was also asked to seal the floor following the clean to achieve a semi-gloss finish. The first step in the cleaning process was to mix a strong solution of one part Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to four parts clean water. Pro-Clean is a high alkaline cleaner which also contains stripping properties, allowing it to break down old sealer and tackle heavy soil build-up. The solution was applied to the floor and left to dwell for 15 minutes, giving it times to seep into the stone, get underneath the dirt and lift it to the surface. I addressed several paint spots and areas suffering from glue contamination by using Tile Doctor Remove & Go, which is specially formulated to break down paint and adhesives on unpolished natural stone floors, amongst others. The entire floor was then scrubbed using a special floor cleaning pad, and the resulting slurry was vacuumed away using a wet-vac machine. The final issue to deal with was the inherent efflorescence staining. This was treated using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up, an acid-based product which removes not just efflorescence but also grout haze, mineral deposits, and rust stains. The solution here was one part Grout Clean-Up diluted with four parts water. After completing the clean, I thoroughly rinsed the floor with clean water to remove any trace of cleaning product and dried the floor as much as possible with a wet vacuum, then before leaving for the day i installed a couple of air movers to assist with drying overnight. Upon my return the following day, I checked the floor for any excess moisture before sealing it with our topical, semi-gloss finish sealer, known as Seal & Go Extra which due to its formula is ideal for external or old internal floors where there is unlikely to be damp from membrane. This unique product provides excellent protection, and allows the tiles to breath where floors are suffering from inherent moisture issues. It is suitable for both internal and external use, on Victorian floor tiles, Sandstone, Flagstones, Terracotta, and rough Slate. As you can see from the photo, I was able to fulfil my client’s request to a high standard, bringing the pub’s old yet characterful Victorian tiled floor back to life again. Kay Sylvester Leicestershire Tile Doctor

This fantastic Victorian tiled hallway floor in Oxford was in good physical condition for its age; however like any sealed floor the sealer had worn down with use and with dirt becoming trapped in the pores of the tile it was now becoming difficult to clean effectively and had become dull and un-inviting. It was now due a really good deep clean and re-seal. Oxford as I’m sure your aware has a rich history and is home to one of the world’s best universities, so not surprisingly many houses here have interesting floors such as this one. Upon my arrival at the house, my first task was to protect the skirting boards, as well as the wooden floors leading into the other rooms. I then mixed a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, a versatile, high alkaline cleaner combined 50:50 with Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU, a particularly strong cleaner that utilises nano-sized particles to penetrate into areas of the stone that standard products simply cannot reach. I applied the solution to the surface and allowed it to soak for thirty minutes, allowing it to get to work on the ingrained dirt so it could be easily removed. Following this, I agitated the solution with a soft brush attached to a rotary scrubbing machine. I then applied more solution and left it for a further thirty minutes, before scrubbing this into the tiles using a black pad fitted to the rotary machine. After the clean had been completed, I rinsed the entire floor multiple times and vacuumed up the resulting slurry using a wet-vac machine. I left the floor overnight, allowing the surface enough time to dry and returned then next day to seal the floor, checking first to ensure the tiles had dried. To seal the floor I used several coatings of Tile Doctor Seal & Go. Seal & Go which is a water-based, topical sealer that is suitable for use on unsealed, porous surfaces such as Victorian tile, textured Quarry, Slate, and Sandstone; being water based you don’t get the smell so it’s much more pleasant to work with. As you can see from the before and after photos, the result was an aesthetically pleasing and – most importantly – clean, Victorian tiled floor. Needless to say, my client was extremely pleased with my work. Barry Woodward Oxfordshire Tile Doctor

It’s always a great surprise to find old tiled flooring hidden underneath carpet or linoleum which appears especially common with 19th century properties where it’s not unusual for the owners to uncover fantastically patterned, original Victorian tiled floors and, naturally, they want to restore them to their former glory. If you have a property of this type you might want to look under the carpets. The majority of the time, however, these tiles have been covered up for decades, allowing for thick layers of muck to build-up and are invariably damaged carpet grippers, surface glue and adhesive tape. This was pretty much the case with this customer who lives in the town of Warminster and was keen to have her own newly discovered Victorian hallway brought back to life, and called me down to see what could be done. Upon arrival at the property, I determined that the tiles would definitely require a very deep clean, including the remove of numerous glue stains, followed by the application of a new seal. Before I could begin the deep cleaning process, I needed to remove the carpet grippers and surface glue, attempting to remove as much as possible by hand using a scraper. For the particularly stubborn areas, I applied Tile Doctor Remove & Go, a powerful stripper specially designed to break down adhesives and solvents, and left it to dwell for 20 minutes to eat through the glue deposits. I then attached a black pad to a rotary machine and scrubbed the area thoroughly to clean the affected areas, before removing the resulting slurry using a wet vacuum and rinsed with clean water. Once I was satisfied that all of the glue had been removed, I proceeded to soak the floor using a solution of the high alkaline cleaner known as Tile Doctor Pro Clean. This is a versatile product that can be used on a wide range of natural stone floors to deal with heavy soil build-up. I left the Pro-Clean to dwell for ten minutes, and then scrubbed it into the tiles to remove the ingrained dirt and also to break down any old and ineffectual seals. The floor was then once again rinsed thoroughly with clean water which was then extracted using a wet vacuum before being left to dry for a couple of days. Upon our return to the property I immediately tested the floor for damp using a damp meter. This is an extremely important test to carry out before sealing any kind of tiled flooring, due to the fact that excess moisture left over from cleaning can cloud the sealer and damage its ability to protect against dirt and stains. Thankfully, the damp test revealed no excess moisture, and I was able to proceed with sealing the tiles. My choice of sealer was Tile Doctor Seal and Go, a water-based topical sealer that simultaneously provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable and aesthetically pleasing low sheen finish, also being water based it doesn’t give off a smell as it dries. This is a very cost effective product that is highly suitable for use on Victorian and Quarry tiles, I applied five costs to achieve the desired finish. The customer was very pleased with the final results. It’s always satisfying to restore original Victorian tiled floors to looking their best once again – and this one was no exception. Stuart Ford Wiltshire Tile Doctor

The Landscape Designer Job Description Though landscape designer jobs and landscape architect jobs are often tossed around as meaning the same thing, there are a few differences. The landscape designer job description includes: Using creativity and the beauty of nature to create a harmonious, aesthetically pleasing and functional area. Areas may include personal lawns, parks, highways, walkways, and more. Planning the finished product, tying in new features with current ones, by sketching it to scale. These drawings will be very detailed, down to the window and door placement on the buildings. Performing site analyses that include the assessment of current plants, soil conditions, lighting, the view, and architecture style of the house. The ability to communicate well both with clients and other types of workers (contractors, supervisors, etc) on the landscaping team. Researching topics such as plants and their ability to survive in an area, guidelines and codes. Make public presentations when necessary to discuss the project, complete with charts, sketches, and so forth. Reviewing plans, proposed changes, and any other necessary documents. Oversees progression of the project to ensure that it is going as planned. Keeping records, including everything from correspondence to reports.

Not too long ago I visited a client who had just moved into a lovely old cottage in Milton, Oxfordshire. She wanted to restore many of the antique features of the building, including a fantastic Quarry tiled floor in the kitchen. Quarry is typically a robust, hard wearing stone, but in a high traffic area like a kitchen, the tiles will need regular maintenance. These tiles clearly hadn’t seen a thorough clean and fresh seal in a long time, and so I was called in to provide just that. On the first day of work, I gave the Quarry tiles a deep clean using a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and water. Pro-Clean is a versatile alkaline cleaner that also helps to break down any old and no longer effectual sealer remaining on the tiles. The solution was applied evenly to the floor and left to dwell for half an hour, allowing time for it to seep into the stone to get underneath and lift out the ingrained dirt. I then removed the dirt by agitating the solution with a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor scrubber. I worked in small sections at first, and gradually finished the entire floor. After completing the initial clean, I rinsed away the soiled solution and vacuumed up the excess moisture using a wet-vac machine. I then scrubbed the floor an acid wash using a dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up to remove grout smears and other mineral type deposits. The resulting solution was then removed in a similar fashion using a wet-vac. The final step in the cleaning process was to rinse the floor with Tile Doctor pH Neutral Cleaner to remove any trace of product helps to tackle any remaining dirt and reset the pH balance of the tiles before sealing. After leaving the floor to dry overnight, I returned the next day to the house to seal the floor with Tile Doctor Seal & Go, a water-based topical sealer which gives the floor an aesthetically pleasing sheen and a robust surface seal. The photos demonstrate the results better than this short account can, needless to say the floor is now transformed. Barry Woodward Oxfordshire Tile Doctor

Having an effective sealer in place is essential for ensuring the long term condition of tiled floors in fact a lack of sealer can make cleaning the tiles exceptionally difficult as the sealer prevents dirt becoming ingrained in the tile. This property owner, living in the former spa town of Matlock in Derbyshire, was experiencing problems with their Terracotta tiled kitchen floor since they had applied some kind of wax to act as a sealer, and this had worn off within a few weeks. After this happened the tiles were not sealed again, making cleaning a big problem. Terracotta is a highly porous stone and thus easily soaks in spillages and stains, and allows dirt to become very easily trapped. In this situation, the property owner resolved to contact me about some professional maintenance. I suggested that the tiles would need a deep clean followed by the application of a fresh, high quality sealer. The work was agreed on and I made my way down to the property the following week. When I arrived at the property and saw the tiles first hand it became clear that a professional clean had been in need for a long time: greasy looking stains were particularly prevalent and covered large areas of the kitchen floor. To remove I mixed a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, which is a multi-purpose, high-alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser, and, working in small areas, applied it to the floor. Working in small sections was important because the stone is very porous and quickly soaked in any product laid down. I scrubbed the cleaner into the stone using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad, with the dirt and stains coming away nicely. Pro Clean is highly versatile and can be used for similar cleaning purposes on most types of natural stone floor. After cleaning each section, I quickly removed the excess dirty water and chemicals with my wet vax machine. Once the whole floor had been cleaned I rinsed it several times with fresh water just to make sure all cleaning chemicals were gone. I then left the floor to dry completely for 36 hours. When I returned to the property, I conducted several damp tests to check for any areas of the floor that needed further drying. As is almost always the case, there were a few areas that remained slightly damp, and I set about speeding the drying process along using my heat gun. In fact, it actually took me more than three hours to get the floor completely dry, but this was worth the effort as even the slightest excess moisture can damage the performance of the sealer. Once the floor was finally dried I began sealing the floor with one coat of Tile a Doctor Colour Grow sealer. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that penetrates deep into the pores of the stone, thus acting as a shield against ingrained dirt, and also raises the colour of the tiles to provide an aesthetically appealing appearance. sealer. After sealing with Colour Grow, I left the floor to dry for couple of hours and then applied six coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which is a topical sealer that builds up durable protection on the surface of the tiles. The combination of through cleaning and the application of not one, but two high quality sealers really did wonders for the appearance of these Terracotta tiles. Looking at the final results you wouldn’t have believed they had been without a proper clean and seal for so long! Needless to say the customer was exceptionally pleased and will surely be able to keep her floor looking great for a long time to come. Tony Olmet Derbyshire Tile Doctor