Case History - Rockliffe Hall

Prior to being contacted, Rockliffe Hall had engaged the services of an inexperienced contractor to clean & seal the limestone floors to the main reception and adjoining areas. The floor had been incorrectly sealed using an inappropriate sealer. The result was a hard lacquer type film on top of the stone that accentuated dirty mop marks left on the stone due to poor cleaning prior to sealing. The contractor had then tried to remove the sealer from the surface of the stone  making the appearance of the floor inconsistent & detrimental to the surroundings. Around the reception & adjoining areas, sensitive materials such as polished wood & stainless steel abutted the surface increasing the risk of marking and damage to these surfaces during any rectification works.

Challenge:

To remove the residual lacquer from the stones surface without changing the aesthetic or texture of the stone in any way. To protect all other surfaces that came into contact with the flooring including skirting boards, display cabinets, reception desks and doors, lift doors etc. To ensure rectification works had zero impact on the customer experience and still allow the smooth running of the hotel at all times.

Solution:

Years of experience restoring & maintaining stone floor all over the country was key to the sucess of this project. Due to the area being in a dominant position within the hotel the use of any chemicals was ruled out at the onset. Any strong lingering smell of chemical could have been detrimental to staff and hotel guests alike. There was also the possibility that harsh chemicals could have permanantly damaged the adjoining surfaces. Diamond abrasives were also ruled out as in this instance as this process would have ended up being costly and very time consuming. Using a technique of honing, using an inert honing medium and the use of specialist weighted, variable speed rotary machines & free flowing superfine abrasives the hard lacquer was removed. The surface was then cleaned and restored using the same method albeit it with different grades of product. The floor was sealed using an impregnating sealer specially designed to have no visual impact on the stone surface. All works were carried out between 12 midnight and 5am (over 2 nights) at which point the area was handed back perfectly clean and ready to use.

Results:

The combination of knowledge, ability, patience & technique transformed the limestone to a clean sophisticated look enhancing the natural beauty within the stone allowing it to function & look the way the architect had intended. 

Mark Carton

markcarton@icloud.com 

07891 851399