Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here
Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

Craggy hardfloor advice
« on: December 01, 2008, 10:31:37 pm »
Got a job coming up to clean a largish conservatory that's laid with what appears to be reconstituted flagstones. They have a relief on them but also small pits about a ml deep and 2-3mm across.

My plan was to spray down some champion and scrub with rotory then  extract with hardfloor tool.

Does this sound about right? I'm suddenly picturing myself with a toothbrush cleaning these little holes.

Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2008, 10:33:58 pm »
yes, very fine toothbrush and tweasers, maybe some cotton buds for the finer parts! ;)

carlton care

  • Posts: 429
Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2008, 10:35:14 pm »
sherco's the man to ask

Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2008, 10:36:54 pm »
Found a use for the free TeePee brushes my other arf keeps giving me. ;D

clinton

Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2008, 10:39:57 pm »
 ;D

Jim_77

Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2008, 12:59:11 am »
What sort of product is champion?  I've never used it..

You may have to use both a pad and a polypropylene brush on your rotary, to cover all bases.  The pad will work best on the flat parts but not get into the recesses, whereas the brush isn't the best thing for flat surface agitation but stands a better chance of reaching into those tricky little nooks and crannies.

Funnily enough I cleaned a tiled floor this morning similar to this.  It was a glazed ceramic tile but formed to look like natural stone, with a slightly riven surface.  True to form, the riven parts were gunked up.

I approached it the same way as with all jobs like this - use the most robust combination of chemical and mechanical that the floor can stand.  In this case it was a floor stripper at 1:10 with a black pad.  I elected not to use the brush after the pad, although as it dried I had to nip round with a hand pad and wet cloth to bring up some of the grout joints a little better.

One important thing to note about tiled floors and flagstones is that the dark stuff in the riven parts may have been there all along!  It may well be the residue from where the tiler washed the floor over after grouting.  Hopefully you've got a strong acidic product for grout restoration (mine is based on phosphoric acid).  Apply some neat from a cotton bud to a very tiny part of the offending area.  If it's groutl you should see it "fizz" and go white for a few seconds.  If that's the case, you need to scrub the whole floor over with the weakest dilution of that product that you can use whilst still remaining effective.

The reason you have to stay on the lean side is that if you use the product too strong it can leave the grout looking artificially too light or washed-out, almost like an efflorescence effect.  This can be counter-acted a little by rinsing the floor again with an alkaline product, but will still be evident to a certain degree.  It does fade back after a little while too so it's not a complete disaster but best avoided.

sherco

  • Posts: 1041
Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2008, 07:51:42 am »
What u need is a rotary with a scrub brush and i would use Aquamix heavy duty tile & grout cleaner mixed with Aquamx nanoscrub, mop it onto the floor and let it dwell for 5 mins then scrub and extract with wet vac. Only do small areas at a time as it will dry fairly quick. DO NOT USE ACID BASED CLEANERS ON NATURAL STONE as you can cause serious damage to the stone. You will need a anti splash skirt for your scrubber otherwise you will get it splashed all over the walls. Once you have cleaned the floor you have to wash it with just water and clean this up with wet vac to remove any of the cleaner from the floor. Once the floor is dry you will need to reseal it, as you will have removed the sealent from the stone. You can either use a Aquamix stone enhancer or Enrich & seal. If you need anymore info let me know. Andrew
Natural stone floor restoration service.
Natural stone fixing and repairs.
www.poshstonefloors.co.uk

Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2008, 08:31:52 am »
Thanks Andrew.

Resealing oh no, totally new territory for me. Can i just mop it on and is there anything about resealing i need to know?

sherco

  • Posts: 1041
Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2008, 08:36:20 am »
You will need a paint pad from diy shop as these are the quickest to use, dont put to much on in one go then you will be fine. Give me a call if you want any help 07860589502. Andrew
Natural stone floor restoration service.
Natural stone fixing and repairs.
www.poshstonefloors.co.uk

carlton care

  • Posts: 429
Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2008, 08:50:31 am »
Did'nt realise acid on natural stone was taboo.................as they say, you learn something every day even if you're ancient.

sherco

  • Posts: 1041
Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2008, 09:06:02 am »
Did'nt realise acid on natural stone was taboo.................as they say, you learn something every day even if you're ancient.
Yes any calcium based stone, limestone, travertine, marble etc acid will cause damage.
Natural stone floor restoration service.
Natural stone fixing and repairs.
www.poshstonefloors.co.uk

Jim_77

Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2008, 07:34:35 pm »
Did'nt realise acid on natural stone was taboo.................as they say, you learn something every day even if you're ancient.

Acid on calcareous stone - no.  Acid on other natural stone, perfectly fine subject to using it carefully and testing first!

Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2008, 10:42:34 pm »
Jim

Champion is a high ph cleaner by craftex and is good stuff.



I an a bit more savvy now on what to do, BUt I have massively underquoted if I'm going to have to strip and seal.

I think I'm now going to have to write to the client and explain her conservatory and kitchen are going to be no go areas for a full morning. Waiting for it to dry then apply then dry x4  ??? ::)

What's the going rate /M2 ?

sherco

  • Posts: 1041
Re: Craggy hardfloor advice
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2008, 07:44:24 am »
You might not need 4 coats, when you go to reseal it get a teaspoon of water and tip it on the stone, if it absorbs very quickly then 4 coats will be needed, if it absorbs slowly then two coats will be enough, and if it sits on the stone then one coat will be fine. The secret of resealing is not to put to much on per coat and let it dry between coats. Do about 4/6 sqm at a time and wipe any surplus of with a terry towel, as i said a paint pad is brilliant for this, to give you an idea i did a 40sqm floor strip and reseal it took 5hrs one day stripping and cleaning and 4hrs the next day sealing and buffing with a tan pad on my rotary, and i charged £350 inc materials which were £50. Andrew
Natural stone floor restoration service.
Natural stone fixing and repairs.
www.poshstonefloors.co.uk