This Beautiful Stratford Home Had a Dirty Marble Bathroom Floor. See How a Stone Cleaning Fixed the Problem!

December 29, 2015

Bathroom floors can get so dirty – sometimes they seem to magnetically attract grime and stains. For a budding new homeowner in Stratford, CT, the prospect of a bathroom with marble tiles was very appealing. She didn't know much about marble – just that it was a luxurious stone, and that it had a beautiful, more natural appearance compared to ceramic or porcelain tiles. The marble in her home was in fact tumbled marble, and it extended all the way from the hallway to the sink and toilet.



After a few years, the tile around the commode began to show signs of aging. It was a little embarrassing how dark and dirty the grout was in that particular location! As time wore on, she grew more and more disgusted with the gradation in light greys, middle browns, and dark black colors that had overtaken her once natural-looking grout. She kept trying to clean it with her best soap-based cleaner, but it seemed to make little difference. The tiles themselves began to look dull and hazy as well – she couldn't tell if this was an optical illusion from the dirty grout or if the floor was genuinely a dirt-trap. She searched online for Stratford stone cleaning and quickly discovered that a company with great reviews that would give her a free quote: Sir Grout of Greater Fairfield County. She dialed (203) 763-1332 and quickly booked an appointment.

The Stratford resident was not confident that anyone could restore her grout. She fervently hoped that no one would ask her to tear out the marble tile. She couldn't imagine how expensive that would be! Living in a home with ongoing construction would be a descent into chaos. When the day of the appointment finally arrived, the technicians took a thorough look at her bathroom floor. They quickly identified the material, and recognized the telltale signs of soap residue on the tile and grout. This was creating the foggy look over the tile and even making the dirt and grime stick to both the tile and the grout.

The team quickly formulated a plan to combat both the current dirtiness and future staining. First, they would use a gentle proprietary process to perform and in-depth cleaning on the tile and the grout. After that, they would seal both the tile and the grout. Sealing the tile and grout would help the hard surfaces resist moisture and dirt. Most grout, when freshly installed, needs a little time to cure before it can be sealed. As a result, grout is often left without a seal, exposed to the elements, traffic, and moisture. If left completely exposed like this, grout will become dry and brittle, and begin to crack. Tiles can become loose and cracked as well! Grout acts like a glue that holds tiles together, resistant to lateral motion. When grout becomes compromised, so do tiles as they lose their support structure. The culmination of poor maintenance and ignoring these problems will ultimately be water damage!

Fortunately, this Stratford homeowner had not let the problem get so bad as to be susceptible to water damage… yet. She was told that the job would only last a single day! She said yes, and asked the technicians to get to work as soon as possible. Quickly and thoroughly, they performed step one: grout cleaning. Using an upright, soft scrub brush system combining vapor and a proprietary mixture of pH-neutral and alkaline chemicals, they gently removed the many layers of soap scum and dirt that were sullying the once-impressive marble tile. Once the cleaning process was over, they applied sealers to both the tile and the grout to prevent water absorption and protect the tile and grout from future traffic. The final step was education: all that soap scum was a product of the soap the homeowner used to clean the bathroom! She didn't know that a soap-based cleaner can leave a lot of film, which creates a habitat for dirt, grime, and if left unchecked, mold and mildew. She needed to use a cleaner that would leave no film (soap-less), and a cleaner that was pH-neutral. The team provided a few recommendations.

The floor looked as good as new! She was ecstatic. In as little as a day, the job was complete. There was no remodeling, no disgusting smells, and minimal invasion to her home. Also, the price was very affordable. What a relief!

Do your stone tiles look irreparably dirty? Is your grout dingy and uneven? Call (203) 763-1332 to schedule a free evaluation today!

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