Polishing Hard Basalt Floor Tiles with Coarse Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads in Chelmsford

I thought I would share the following case study which involved the renovation of Black Basalt tiles in the kitchen and bathroom on a property in Chelmsford Essex. The owner had the tiles installed ten years ago and since that time they had lost their appeal and now looked dull and flat.

Unhappy with the way they looked he decided to call me in to see what could be done to revitalise the tiles improve their appearance.

I called in on the property when I was next in the area to do some measurements and run some tests to work out the best way of proceeding. Basalt isn’t a very popular tile which is surprising as it’s a very hard stone and has a lot in common with Granite. Nevertheless, I was confident that by treating it in the same way as a hard stone I would be able to get the best out of the tiles and restore it to its original condition.

I worked out a renovation process and submitted a quote for the work which was accepted.

Cleaning a Basalt Tiled Kitchen and Bathroom Floor

I returned on the agreed date and set about cleaning the floor using Tile Doctor Remove and Go worked in with a 400 and then 800-grit burnishing pad fitted to a rotary buffer running at a slow 150 RPM.

Tile Doctor Remove and Go is a cleaner and seal remover, I had worked out that the previous sealer had worn off on most of the floor, so it now needed to be completely stripped off and replaced. The 400-grit burnishing pads are great for cleaning hard stone, the coarse pad got right into the basalt tiles lifting the dirt and what remained of the old sealer to the surface where it was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The 800-grit burnishing pad is a polishing pad and adds a slight sheen to the surface.

Next the tile and grout were treated using a weak dilution of Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up, paying extra attention to the cleaning of the grout lines in the process. This is an acidic cleaner which also neutralises the floor following the use of Remove and Go which is alkaline.

After another rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum I left a blower in place to dry the floor for a couple of hours and asked the owner to put the under-floor heating on overnight to full.

Sealing a Basalt Tiled Kitchen and Bathroom Floor

The floor had dried by the next day, and I was able to start applying the first of what would be two coats of Tile Doctor Xtra Seal to give the basalt its correct look. X-Tra seal is a modern oil-based sealer that is rated for wet areas and puts colour and structure back into the stone.

Having two separate areas to seal worked to my advantage as I was able to start sealing the bathroom floor whilst the first coat to the kitchen floor was drying.

Once complete both Basalt floors looked great and my client was very happy with the difference we had managed to achieve. Additionally, the new sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface of the stone making it easier to clean going forward.

On the subject of cleaning, I recommended the use of a PH neutral floor cleaner such as Tile Doctor Stone Soap going forward. This product won’t impact the sealer and contains a patina enhancer which will help the stone keep its polished appearance.

Source: Professional Stone Floor Cleaning Services and Solutions near Chelmsford