Deep Cleaning Indian Sandstone Paving near Tunbridge Wells in Kent

A customer from the Tunbridge Wells borough of Southborough got in touch with me regarding the renovation of their Sandstone Paved Drive and Patio. The paving surrounded the property and since all the facias had recently been renewed on the house the stone was letting the overall appearance of the property down. It had been sometime since the Sandstone had been cleaned and as you can see from the photos what was once a beautiful stone had now darkened and lost much of its natural colour. I

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Floor Joist Repair: How to Sister Floor Joists

If you live in an older home, you may encounter the need for floor joist repair. Older buildings often develop floor problems due to constant foot traffic. Newer homes that were rapidly constructed may also sometimes experience joist weakening or damage. Rather than reinstall your joists, you can create second, or sister, joists alongside the first.

What You’ll Need

• Wood similar in length to the pre-existing joist
• Construction glue
• Screwdriver
• Screws
• Drill and bit

Step 1 – Evaluate Your Situation

Before you begin floor joist repair, you should examine and evaluate your current situation. Consider how weakened or damaged the joists are, and also whether a weight above them could be causing the joists to fail. If you have installed a large bathtub, for example, this may be causing the strain.

However, if you conclude that the culprit is probably age or damaged wood, you can go ahead and support your joists by installing a second pair. While evaluating, consider how you will install the other wood. Electric cables, heating ducts and plumbing can all get in the way of your floor joist repair.

Step 2 – Build the Sister Joist

When building the sister joist, remember that it will work better when you screw it directly into the existing post. If cables and other utilities may get in the way, you can install a slightly shorter joist to help support the existing one. Cut the lumber to the right length for your installation and drill a hole in the top of the joist. You’ll use this hole to screw it into the pole. Because you must also screw the bottom of the joist into position, you should make a hole there too.

Step 3 – Install the Sister Joist

You will need two rows of screws at each end of the joist, around 1/4 inch from the top and bottom edges. Before you screw these into place, add a layer of construction glue to the sister joist. Press it into the pole of the pre-existing wood support. Tighten the screws into place with your screwdriver.

Attach the bottom of the joist to the wall. (Use a block of wood or a pre-existing bar above the floor.) Glue the new piece into place and screw it down, as you did for the top. Wipe away any construction glue which squeezes out before you leave your floor joist repair job to dry.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Stained Sandstone Patio Renovation near Lancaster

This Indian Sandstone Patio in Bolton-Le-Sands near Lancaster had not been cleaned successfully for several years. Although the owner had power washed it on occasion, that won’t rid you of Black Spot, Mould, Lichen etc and this will build-up over the years. It does clean the stone up to a certain standard but at some point, it will need further treatment. My client had now reached this point and decided to give Tile Doctor a call to have it renovated. We discussed the Patio which ran

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Victorian Hallway Floor Tile Renovation Tips by Doncaster Floor Restoration Expert

Our clients from the Doncaster suburb of Wheatley Hills contacted us to see if we could rescue their Victorian floor. They were a young professional couple who had recently purchased and renovated a beautiful Victorian terraced house. They loved the Victorian hallway tiles, but they did need some attention and we were asked to renovate them.

Victorian floors often have areas of damage, usually at the bottom of staircases and in doorways due to heavy usage. This floor was no different. We decided not to replace every cracked tile but to concentrate on the worst areas which was at the bottom of the staircase.

A nice little feature of Victorian floors you often find is an upside tile left by the original tiler, it is usually a small tile tucked away at the edge. The Victorians believed that only god could create something perfect so one small imperfection was normally left and in this case one tile had been installed upside down.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

Before starting, replica tiles were sourced to closely match the originals and as you will see from the final pictures its now impossible to tell the difference. Standard sizes have changed though so to achieve a perfect fit the old tiles were used as templates and new tiles cut to match the originals. In total around twenty badly damaged tiles were replaced, I could have replaced more however with an old floor like this its good to keep some character and history in the floor.

Once the new tiles had set, work started on cleaning the floor which was done using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Tile Doctor Remove and Go combined. This makes a powerful formula that can clean and strips old sealers from tiles and after being left to soak in for ten minutes is scrubbed into the floor with a coarse 200-grit pad. Pads can struggle to get into the corners etc so for those tricky areas I use hand-held diamond blocks.

After rinsing the floor with water and extracting the soil with a wet vacuum I gave the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Acid Gel. This removes mineral salts trapped in the tiles and cleans off old grout smears. I always recommend an acid wash for old floors like this one as they do not have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor and this can result in salts rising through the tile as moisture evaporates, a process commonly known as efflorescence.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned the following day to seal the tiles with Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Before starting, moisture readings are taken from the tiles to ensure its dry, applying a sealer to a damp floor can cloud the sealer so it’s worth checking.

Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores of the tile protecting it from within and enhancing its colours in the process. Old Victorian tiles are quite porous after being deep cleaned so in total six coats were applied before the it was fully protected and waterproof. To check enough sealer has been applied I like to conduct a water test which should result in a water droplet forming a bubble on the tile as in the picture below.

Each coat of sealer needs to dry before applying the next, so it does take some time to fully apply the sealer.

Once sealed the Victorian floor looked much lighter, had a lovely natural sheen and the vibrant colours of the tiles really shone through. Our clients were overjoyed with the finished results and pictures of the floor were soon all over Instagram!

Source: Victorian Floor Renovation Expert in Doncaster

Floor Joist Repair: Fixing a Broken Floor Joist

To prevent your floor from sagging and being damaged, you may need to make a floor joist repair if the joist is broken. This should be done as soon as possible after you find a broken joist to avoid damage.

What You’ll Need:

• Saw
• Wooden board the same thickness and width as the joist
• Drill
• Bolts and Nuts
• Tape measure

Cut the Board

You will need to cut the board at least 6 inches longer on each side of the break to give it proper support. Measure the broken area and cut the board accordingly. Then, using the drill, drill two holes at each end of the board about 2 inches from the end the size of the bolt that you have purchased. Be sure the bolts are long enough to go through this board and also through the broken floor joist board.

Install the Board

Use the new board to measure where the holes for the bolts should be on the existing floor joist and mark them, then drill. If the broken joist has shifted a bit, you will first need to install one side of the brace board you have made by bolting it onto the old joist and securing it with nuts. Then have someone push the old boards until they are even while you bolt in the other side of the new brace and tighten.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Granite Kitchen Worktop Stained with Limescale Renovated in Folkestone Kent

Although expensive Granite makes the most beautiful and practical stone worktop you can install in your kitchen. It gives real wow factor to a room and this kitchen in Folkestone was no different. Normally granite needs little maintenance however Folkestone has very hard water (often referred to as limescale) containing high levels of calcium and over time the calcium in the water gets deposited on nearby surfaces. According to the Affinity Water website the water in Folkestone contains

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Are Raised Floors Better than Concrete Slab Floors?

Raised floors are a much better, drier, and warmer alternative than concrete slab floors. However, many homeowners like the industrial look of polished concrete slab floors. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The primary considerations are warmth, maintenance, comfort, durability, and cost.

The Advantages of Raised Floors

Raised floors are the floor of choice for many reasons. They’re easier to walk and stand on than concrete slabs. Wood floors give a little, making it easier on your knees and back if you must stand on them for any length of time. While a concrete slab may be easier to clean in a kitchen, workshop, or bathroom, it’s also harder on the body. If you live in a flood zone, you’ll pay less insurance for a raised floor system.

Raised floors give warmth and color to a room and are the classic and timeless choice for floors. Concrete can be painted or stained to appear warm, but nothing says true warmth like wood. They can also be installed in any room with ease.

Raised floors are warmer. Concrete tends to hold cold and to suck away warmth. If the concrete slab is on the ground, it will also tend to pick moisture up into the home and be a constant source of mold, even if sealed.

Raised floors allow homeowners to relocate plumbing with much greater ease. Pipes set into concrete slab are literally “set in stone.” To move a kitchen sink, toilet or plumbing requires tearing up the concrete floor and re-pouring it. With a raised floor you’ll have easy access to all your pipes, clean-outs, and machinery.

Cost is a primary factor as well. If you’re building in a flood zone or on a slope, the cost of pouring a concrete slab to meet code is much less expensive than setting a foundation on posts and beams and installing a raised floor. On the other hand, concrete slab poured on clay or unstable soil means you’ll make up the difference in cost by repeated repairs to cracked concrete and ruptured pipes.

It’s possible to add a raised floor to a concrete floor. If you have a loft, warehouse, commercial property, or building where the floor already exists, you may be wondering whether to keep the concrete or install a raised floor.

If you’re constructing a home, raised floor construction makes it easier for others to continue work on the house.

Advantages of a Concrete Floor

Some of the advantages of a concrete floor include low maintenance. Once sealed and finished, a concrete floor is essentially a no-maintenance floor. If sealed, there aren’t a whole lot of things that will penetrate the seal. Dropping objects on the concrete will do more harm to the object. If the concrete is chipped or damaged, it’s easy to repair. Concrete can be painted or stained to look like wood, brick, or tile. Heating elements can be installed in the concrete to make it less cold. Concrete, once laid, can also be tiled, carpeted, or even finished in a variety of colors if you get tired of it.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com