Doug Neighbors – Tile & Stone Restoration & Cleaning Expert
Vaporlux Stone & Tile is a service that provides unequaled detail cleaning of all Stone, Tile and Grout. We achieve superior results often without harmful chemicals!
As we enter our 16th year of business, its a good time to reflect on our successes, and yes, to learm from the mistakes as well. One of the first axioms I learned was how much business we could earn simply by being PUNCTUAL! Arriving on time for an appointment (or calling if delayed) still goes a long way towards creating good will. Also, because this is an owner operated business, my customers know they are speaking with the person RESPONSIBLE for the results.
Over the years it has become very common for us to perform a secondary job at someone’s house which is totally unrelated to our initial work. We had a recent example of this in Yorba Linda.
In this instance, it was a repeat visit to clients who have us out for tile and grout cleaning in their bathrooms (travertine) as well as detail cleaning the tile floor in the kitchen (ceramic). They also had been in the process of getting written estimates for a major re-landscaping of their backyard, including a large bar with built in BBQ. They had assumed (and were told by more than one contractor) that the existing patio would have to be demoed.
When I first checked it out, it was easy to see how they all had arrived at that conclusion. This old stone patio was pretty beat! There was hardcore alkaline buildup from plant overwatering plus many years of dirt, grime and general weatherization. In addition, the grout was missing in a few areas (leading to some stubbed toes) and, did I mention “the efflorscence?” Most corners and many edges had the residual white powder from alkaline deposits leaching through the stone.
All in all, plenty of issues indeed; but something made me see the situation differently. My customers had no idea that our tile cleaning business includes exterior stone cleaning.
Upon closer inspection I could see it was flagstone. Maybe, I could make that natural rust color in some of the stones “jump out”. I stripped, cleaned and sealed a sample area of two stones. The results were DRAMATIC! We returned at a later date to completely restore their patio, which became a beautiful focal point of their “new” backyard. The best part for my clients was not spending $28,000 to tear out and replace something that can still look great! They ended up budgeting in other ammenities that otherwise were counted out. How cool!
As always, I approach each job individually with the hope I can exceed your expectations. Proper stone and tile cleaning can often save you the major expense of replacement (as was the case here). Routine maintenance will obviously extend those results as well!
Please feel free to contact me with any tile and grout cleaning questions you may have. I can be reached toll free at 714.330.0973, or via e-mail at info@vaporluxcleaning.com.
