The pictures below are of a Polished Marble floor installed at a property in the village of Callow End which is a few miles South of Worcester. The owner of the house had attempted to clean and seal the floor by themselves and as you can see from the photographs, they ended up dulling its appearance. The physical nature of Marble and natural stone floors in general make them a difficult project to attempt without expert knowledge and the right equipment. I arranged to survey the floor and explained to the client how I intended to restore the appearance of the Marble to how it should look. I demonstrated the process on a small test area so they could get an idea of the result and explained that the floor could look even better than the day it was installed. Tile Doctor has developed a system called burnishing for natural stone floors which involve the application of a set of diamond pads which are used in sequence to clean and restore the polish to the stone. My quote was accepted, and a date set for the work to begin which should take two days. I arrived on the agreed date and started by sealing up the bases of the kitchen kickboards and skirting with silicone to protect against any damage from water ingress. I then vacuumed the floor to remove any debris and grit. Tile Doctor Stone Soap was then worked into the floor with the first of a set of diamond encrusted Burnishing Pads. The first pad is a coarse 400-grit pad and is run over each Marble tile four times. The floor is then rinsed with water and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum. This process was then repeated with an 800-grit, 1500-grit and then finally a 3000-grit pad which is applied dry with only a little water spayed onto the floor. Tile Doctor Stone Soap is a stone cleaning product designed for maintaining the patina on polished stone. Additionally, it has a sealer friendly pH Neutral formula which is ideal for floors like these. Many floor cleaning products you find in supermarkets are too harsh for use on natural stone and can cause damage over time (always read the label). Once the burnishing was complete the floor needed to be sealed to protect its’ final finish. Tile Doctor have a whole range of sealing products available but for a really durable shiny finish on Marble I recommend the application of Tile Doctor Shine Powder. This is a crystallising powder that provides a very high shine and tough durable finish, it’s worked into the stone using a white pad fitted to a rotary machine. My client was absolutely delighted with the result and agreed the floor had never looked so good and lived up to the high standard I told them they could expect. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which will keep the floor clean and help maintain the deep patina that I had built-up on the Marble tiles. Mark Conway Worcestershire Tile Doctor

Long and wide plank solid White Oak quarter and rift sawn wood flooring with a custom prefinish, locally manufactured by Hull Forest Products - Wide Plank Floors in Connecticut. Wood floors available mill-direct, unfinished or custom prefinished. Nationwide shipping. 1-800-928-9602. https://www.hullforest.com Photo by Christopher Saelens

Photography by Michael J. Lee

Dan Piassick

Photo credit: Denise Retallack Photography

Afyon Sugar Marble floor and mosaic wall tile So you decided to re-design some parts of your house. You don’t know where to start and what to choose. One of the more important decisions you will make is your choice of tile. Will it fit your furnishings? Should anyone enter the room, which type of atmosphere should the visitor feel? When they look down, what should they see? You should seriously consider Afyon Sugar marble tiles for your floor. Afyon Sugar marble, with its origins in the region Afyon, Turkey, is a high quality white or dark white marble with distinctive yellow or dark yellow veins running through it. It breaks the “cold” feeling a pure white marble tile can create or the pure white hygienic look. The veins create warmth and are suitable with basically any color scheme you decide in furnishings, curtains and paint. Imagine waking up in the morning and the sun’s rays lightly playing with the floor or kitchen counter and distinguishing the yellowish hint in the tile. This tile usually comes in polished finishes; although honed and brushed finishes are also widely available. Afyon Sugar marble mosaic wall tiles are perfect to round off the warmer atmosphere one would like to create in a room. The cleanliness of white with the hint of warmth creates that warmer feeling. Mosaic sizes generally starts at 5cm upwards. Create a pattern between light and dark by designing one first. Ask your specialist tile merchandiser for assistance in this regard. Most should have great pattern ideas. If not, they are not really offering the full service. Afyon Sugar marble usually comes in 2-3cm thickness, although minimum thickness of 1cm may be found. The grain per cubic centimeter density is 2.70 with an impressive 0.19% water absorption rate. Porosity is at 0.45%. This tile comes in various other edges, not only straight. Talk to your local tile merchandiser. Afyon Sugar marble tiles have various applications for interior or exterior use, counter tops in the bathroom or kitchen and stone cladding. So, when deciding on the right tile and you want to create some warmth within a clean finish, why not look at Afyon Sugar marble floor or wall tiles. This tile is an excellent all rounder tile with a soft finish. Talk to your local tile merchandiser who has the knowledge, expertise and necessary skills in providing you with the right advice.

Traditional Farmhouse kitchen remodel designed by Gail Bolling Madison, Connecticut To get more detailed information copy and paste this link into your browser. https://thekitchencompany.com/blog/gails-kitchen-renovation-and-after, Photographer, Dennis Carbo