The owner of this polished Marble Tiled hallway at a house in Trowbridge was unhappy with the look of their floor which had become dull and scratched and wanted the floor re-polishing. Apologies in advance for the pictures below on reflection I should have taken some close-up shots so you could see the problem better.
Cleaning Marble Tile and Grout
The first step first was to give the floor a general clean focusing on the grout lines so I started by mixing a mild dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an alkaline based product that is safe to use on Marble. The solution was brushed around the floor concentrating on getting the product into the grout lines. I left this to dwell for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing with stiff grout brush. Once the grout lines were cleaned the dirty solution was removed with a wet vacuum and the tiles rinsed thoroughly with clean water.
Polishing Marble Tiles
The next step was to burnish the floor using a coarse diamond encrusted pad fitted to a rotary machine. This is used with clean water to remove surface scratches and any sealer that may be present. Once the water has turned to slurry after 4 passes of each tile I would remove with a wet vacuum and rinsed thoroughly.
One that step was completed the process is repeated using the Medium, Find and Superfine polishing pads which in turn will gradually re-polish the surface. Between each pad I would remove the slurry using wet vacuum and rinse thoroughly.
Sealing Polished Marble Tile
The floor surface was now restored but still too wet to seal so I called it a day and returned the next day to seal the tiles. On my return I checked that the surface was dry enough to seal using a damp tester which came back OK. My first job was to add an extra shine to the floor by polishing it further with a green buffing pad. Next I sealed the floor using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which enhances the colours and also protects against future spills and stains etc. Once the seal had dried sufficiently I used a white buffing pad to give one final polish.
Source: Residential and Commercial Tile Cleaning Services in Wiltshire