I was asked by the landlord of a flat in Wanstead, E11 to pop round and see if anything could be done to renovate the Vinyl flooring in the kitchen of the property. The existing tenant was due to move out and the pressure was on to get the flat renovated quickly so it could be put back on the rental market. Fortunately, I was working on a property nearby that week so I was able to arrange a convenient time to call in and survey the floor.
At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of the kitchen floor, but soon realised it comprised of square Vinyl tiles with a Terracotta appearance. Often these are Amtico or Kardean which are the main brands, but there are many others on the market. It was difficult to know for sure until after I had cleaned them as they were ever so dirty. Non the less I was confident the tiles could be cleaned, and after agreeing a price to carry out the work a date was agreed for my return later in the month.
Cleaning a Vinyl Tiled Kitchen Floor
To get the tiles clean I applied Tile Doctor Vinyl Strip diluted with ten parts water. This was left to soak into the Vinyl for roughly fifteen minutes before being scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. The machine just about squeezed into the narrow kitchen but it’s a great time saver that is far more effective than scrubbing by hand.
The scrubbing action released a lot of dirt from the floor which was then rinsed off with more water and then extracted with a wet vacuum. This process was repeated until the floor was clean.
Sealing a Vinyl Tiled Kitchen Floor
It was only a small area so I force dried the floor with high powered fans so I could seal the tiles with Tile Doctor Vinyl Shine later that day. which would protect them and make them much easier to clean going forward. Tile Doctor Vinyl Shine is is a modern high solids polymer floor seal and polish, it is designed to protect and enhance the appearance of Vinyl floor tiles. The formula includes special polymers which can produce a ‘Wet Look’ finish when multiple coats are applied and it also increases the slip-resistance for the floor, which is vital in a kitchen.
The floor looked really clean after I had finished and was completely transformed by the work, and as you can imagine my customer was amazed by the improvement. The landlord was seriously considering having to replace the floor and with this quick turnaround the flat would soon be back on the rental market.
In order to maximise the longevity of the sealer I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for day to day cleaning ultimately however it will be the tenants cleaning the floor.
We often get work preparing properties for sale or rental after a long lease, it makes a lot of sense to refresh the tile and grout before putting it on the market as it makes the property more appealing and adds a lot of value.