Case Study | Islamorada, Florida Keys

Tile and grout cleaning in Islamorada for a Keys property manager: two condo units in one building, ceramic tile throughout, two screened balconies, and a one-day window before both units were occupied again. No beds or furniture moved. Here is what we found, what we did and how we worked around the schedule.

The Job at a Glance

Islamorada | Ceramic tile | Work by Franco and Javi

Watch the Balcony | 22 seconds

STEP 1 OF 3

Both units have beige, stone-look ceramic tile. The property manager wanted the traffic paths done, the walkways that take the most foot traffic in a rental: the kitchen, the hallways and the main routes through each unit.

In the kitchen there was a rust stain on the tile next to the refrigerator. There were also two screened balconies, tiled in the same ceramic, and both needed the work. One just looks worse than the other on camera because of the light.

STEP 2 OF 3

Franco and Javi cleaned the tile and grout along the traffic paths in both units with our low-moisture method: chemistry first, then controlled extraction. No high pressure and no steam, so the grout lines are not flooded with water.

They treated the rust stain by the refrigerator, cleaned both screened balconies, and set air movers on the floors to help them dry.

STEP 3 OF 3

We had a one-day window before both units were occupied again, and we finished inside it. We focused on the high-traffic areas, and both clients were fine leaving the furniture where it was, so no beds or furniture had to be moved and each unit stayed set up for the next stay.

That is the kind of job we are set up for in the Keys: get in, clean the tile and grout that takes the foot traffic, and get out of the way before the next arrival.

More From This Job

Who We Clean For in the Keys

Case Study | Pinecrest

Saltillo tile cleaning in Pinecrest, not a full restoration, was what this owner asked for. The aged Mexican Saltillo kitchen floor carried buildup, embedded dirt and discoloration, and there was a budget in mind. This job was about getting the most out of the clay while respecting that budget.

What was on the clay

Buildup on the surface

Embedded dirt

Discoloration

A budget to respect

The Job at a Glance

Pinecrest | Mexican Saltillo | Clay-safe, low moisture

STEP 1 OF 3

Saltillo is handmade clay, and this kitchen floor had aged the way Saltillo does: buildup on top, dirt worked down into the surface, and discoloration across the tiles.

Saltillo needs a very specific approach. The wrong chemicals or too much pressure can damage the clay, so before anything touches the floor, the method has to fit the material.

Watch the job | 17 seconds

STEP 2 OF 3

Miguel handled this one himself, in about 4 hours.

STEP 3 OF 3

Not every Saltillo floor needs a full strip. This owner wanted the floor clean and wanted to stay within a budget, so that is the job we did. A full Saltillo restoration is a different, longer process, and we tell you which one your floor actually needs at the assessment.

Not sure it is Saltillo at all? Read terracotta vs. Saltillo. They are not the same tile.

The right job for the floor, and for the budget.

Case Study | Pinecrest

Pool deck grout haze and rust removal in Pinecrest, on one deck with two problems: cloudy haze left behind after installation, and rust from irrigation overspray and outdoor metal furniture. The pool contractor on the project called us in, the way they do whenever they run into a surface problem like this.

What was on the deck

Grout haze from installation

Rust from irrigation overspray

Rust from metal furniture

No protection against sun, chlorine and moisture

The Job at a Glance

Pinecrest | Outdoor pool deck | Cleaned and sealed

STEP 1 OF 3

They can be treated in the same visit, but they need different chemistry. Each one gets its own process rather than a one-size-fits-all treatment.

Watch the job | 1.5 minutes

STEP 2 OF 3

Miguel and Franco did this deck in about 6 hours.

STEP 3 OF 3

Usually it is irrigation overspray or metal furniture left in place, which is exactly what this deck had. Sealing helps slow it down, but the source often needs addressing too. The sealer is not the whole answer on its own.

Outdoor sealing is also its own thing. A pool deck faces UV, chlorine and constant moisture that indoor tile never sees, so it needs a sealer made for that.

Treat the haze and the rust separately. Then protect the deck.

Case Study | Pinecrest

Grout color sealing in Pinecrest was the call for new owners who walked into stark white grout against wood-look tile. It was not their style at all. Instead of ripping out the floor, we color-matched the grout directly into the tile. No demo, no new flooring.

The Job at a Glance

Pinecrest | Wood-look tile | Grout color sealing

STEP 1 OF 3

The tile itself was fine. The problem was the look: bright white grout lines cutting across a wood-look floor, so every joint stood out. The new owners did not want to live with it, and they did not want to tear out a floor that was otherwise in good shape.

The grout color can be changed without replacing the tile. Grout color sealing recolors the existing grout lines to match or contrast with the tile, without touching the tile itself.

Watch the job | 53 seconds

STEP 2 OF 3

Miguel, Javi, Franco and Gian worked this floor over 5 days.

STEP 3 OF 3

Paint sits on top of the grout and wears off. Color sealing bonds a pigmented sealer into the grout itself. Because the grout is recolored, you can go either direction: take stark white down to something that disappears into the tile, or go the other way for contrast.

It costs a fraction of what a floor replacement does, and the tile you already paid for stays where it is.

Change the grout. Keep the floor.

Case Study | Miami Lakes

Grout haze removal and tile cleaning in Miami Lakes were two separate jobs on one floor, in a newly purchased home that sat empty before move-in. The new owner saw a dull, patchy floor across the large-format concrete-look porcelain and assumed it was dirty or worn out. The two problems do not have the same fix.

The Job at a Glance

Miami Lakes | Large-format porcelain | Low moisture

STEP 1 OF 3

The previous owner most likely spent years assuming the cloudiness was simply how the floor looked. Matte porcelain like this holds haze worse than polished, because the surface texture gives the film something to grip.

Watch the job | 31 seconds

STEP 2 OF 3

Miguel and Javi did this one together, in about 5 hours. Low moisture throughout: chemistry plus controlled extraction, no high pressure, no steam.

STEP 3 OF 3

Sequence is the part that gets missed. You clean first, because you cannot judge how much haze is present while soil is still sitting on top of it. Only once the floor is clean can the haze be identified and matched to the right chemistry.

Reverse that order and you are guessing. Guessing on the face of a tile is how floors get damaged.

Clean first. Then you can see the haze.