As part of a project that our client was leading on, they had installed a beautiful limestone floor from Artisans Of Devizes. At the end of the project, they noted some discolouration on the tiles and wanted to see if this could be rectified.
On visiting the site, we identified that there was efflorescence across the stone. This is a phenomenon that we see most commonly in newly laid floors and occurs when moisture gets underneath the tiles. Often the salts that form on the surface come from the adhesive/bedding underneath and are drawn up through the capillaries in the stone.
We carried out a sample in order to perfect the process and ensure that the results would be satisfactory for the client. In advance of our visit also, we advised switching on the underfloor heating in order to dry the floor out as much as possible.
The work was carried out across 3 days with a 48 hour gap in between the first 2. During the first visit diamond resurfacing technology was used to remove surface damage and salt formation. Following this, a deep penetrating sealant was applied to reduce reformation of efflorescence. This required a curing time before the team were able to re-attend and complete the restoration process. The limestone tiles were refinished to bring them back to their original condition when they were first selected for the project.