At Tile Doctor we see Sandstone/flagstones used at lot as Kitchen flooring, however as with any natural stone it needs to be sealed to protect it and bring out its beauty and colour.

One of the biggest problems we find with stone flooring in a kitchen is with the sealer becoming stripped away by the continuous use of cleaning agents not designed for this type of surface; without its protective sealer porous stone quickly becomes ingrained with dirt making it increasingly difficult to clean effectively.

Sandstone/Flagstone Tile Maintenance

ROUGH/RIVEN SANDSTONE/FLAGSTONE TILES

Rough Sandstone will shred most types of Buffing Pads, so to effectively remove dirt and cope with the textured surface we recommend the use of Diamond encrusted pads that are a lot stronger.

Start by applying Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor, brush this in and then add some water (approx. 1 litre per m2). Next, work this into the floor using a buffing machine fitted with a coarse 100-grit Diamond Milling pad. Clean the tiles with a left to right motion beginning at the back of the room and working slowly backwards towards the exit. Once you have cleaned a section (approx. 3m2) then you can use a wet vacuum to extract the dirty residue.

Repeat the buffing process with a 200-grit Diamond Milling pad but time apply some Grout Clean-Up diluted 1:10 with water and follow the same system as before.

To remove stubborn marks and sealers a stronger product maybe required such as Nanotech HBU remover (Heavy Build-Up), use as directed on the bottle.

Remove any cleaning solution and soiling using a wet vacuum (any cleaning solution left on the surface may impact the performance of the sealer) then neutralise floor by rinsing with clean water. Extract as much water and moisture from the floor as possible with a wet vacuum and allow to dry for 12 hours or more. Once fully dry you can applying a sealer, we find topical sealers like Seal & Go Extra work well on rough stone.

If you're finding that your Sandstone is just too rough to clean and its shredding your mops (such as Indian Sandstone) then consider having it fully Milled by one of our Tile Doctors. This process requires a specialist buffing machine to cut the stone back, standard hire machines are not heavy enough for this line of work and it needs to be heavy to cut the stone. Milling reduces the rough texture by about 85 to 90% thus making it much more easier to maintain, and clean and seal in the future and your mops will not be shredded anymore after it has been milled. Milling can change the look of the stone though, click the links below to see some examples how your stone might look after it has been milled.

SMOOTH MATT FINISH

To remove any excess sealer before cleaning use Tile Doctor Remove & Go Sealer remover using a buffer machine fitted with a black buffing pad.

Use Tile Doctor Pro-Clean Tile & Grout cleaner to effectively clean tiles, highly effective against Wax Sealers, Grease, Grime and general dirt build up. Remove any solution using a wet vacuum.

Remove any cleaning solution using a wet vacuum machine (any cleaning solution left on the surface may impact the performance of the sealer) then neutralise floor with clean water prior to sealing, remove with a wet vacuum and allow to dry for 12 hours or more.

This picture shows how Tile Doctor has managed to clean the dark patches from this Sandstone floor.

Sealing Sandstone

If a matt finish is preferred we recommend two or three coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, this has a colour enhancing agent that will improve the look of the tile. Additionally Colour Grow is a fully breathable solvent based impregnating sealer and provided the floor is dry before the sealer is applied the sealer will fully cure in 24 hours but can be walked on after a few hours of being sealed

If a deep satin finish is required then we recommend Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice sheen and lift the appearance of the tile, however this is an water based acrylic sealer and like Goldilocks porridge the conditions have to be perfect for this to work, i.e. no damp and no salts. Please note Seal and Go is not recommended for external applications.

PLEASE NOTE: Sealers break down after 2-3 years (depending on usage) and will need to be re-applied.

Maintenance Cleaning

Always use a PH neutral cleaner such as Tile Doctor Concentrated Neutral Cleaner which once diluted with water becomes completely PH neutral unlike bleaches and washing up liquids which are not neutral and can damage the sealer with prolonged usage. 

Sealers will wear down over time depending on use so it is recommended to top up your floor sealer once a year with the original sealer; one coat should be sufficient and by doing this it will save a lot of time and expense in having to deep clean the tiles and re-seal every three to five years. 

For many more examples of Sandstone Flagstone cleaning and sealing activities carried out by UK Tile Doctors please visit http://Sandstone.TileCleaning.co.uk

Picture shows how cleaning and sealing has brought out the colour and beauty of the Sandstone.

Recommend Products for Sandstone

When using our products please take time to familiarise yourself with the directions on the back of the bottle first.