Reclaiming Dirty Tile & Grout

Years of buildup on tile and grout can wreak havoc on the visual appeal of your facility. The photo below is an excellent example of how a quality tile and grout restoration job will provide a lasting impression to your customers and their associates!

Can you see the difference?

It should go without saying that tile and grout restoration is NOT for the faint of heart. These jobs require many hours of carefully coordinated work, but the results speak for themselves:

Here at Steadfast, we are a big fan of pressurized machines. For this job, we used the EDIC Endeavor, capable of producing up to 1200 PSI, to blast away all of those years of buildup. After scrubbing the tile and grout surface with a heavy duty alkaline stripper, specifically designed for unglazed ceramic, we carefully followed behind with the machine along the tile and grout surface. The results were almost instantaneous, reclaiming up to 90% of the original look and feel of the flooring!

Here are some things you should know BEFORE scheduling a tile and grout restoration job:

1. Understand your floor!

Natural stone? Glazed or unglazed ceramic? What type of grout, and is it sealed? Do your research beforehand! All of this will impact the type of chemical(s) used and the amount of labor required.

2. Be mindful of adjoining surfaces!

Whether acidic or alkaline, the types of chemicals used in this procedure will run the risk of damaging adjacent flooring types if the slurry runoff is not carefully controlled. Normally a dam can be used to prevent any runoff, but sometimes manual scrubbing is required in sensitive areas.

3. Never allow your chemical to dry!

Just like with stripping and refinishing, never allow your chemical to dry, as this can result in further staining and require more machine work.

4. Rinse, rinse, rinse!

A good machine will take care of this step for you, but be sure to recover all leftover residue! Be mindful of the location of your water source(s) and structure your work appropriately.

5. Bid the job appropriately!

A quality tile and grout restoration job should run at least $0.50 to $1.00 per square foot, depending on the intensity and volume of work performed. This takes into account all labor and equipment/supply costs.

For more information on tile and grout restoration in the Macomb area, please feel free to contact Steadfast Cleaning Solutions at (586) 459-0990.