Slate Cleaning
Slate Cleaning For Brilliant Results
Cleaning slate is challenging – but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Using a number of specialist processes we can restore your slate floor to it’s original beauty and finish.
Take advantage of our FREE consultation by a trained and experienced Slate Restoration Expert as the first step in cleaning your slate floor.
Helpful Information About Slate Cleaning
The main challenges with Slate floor tiles is to remove years oils, polishes, waxes, dirt and grime without damaging the floor.
Slate is a wonderfully versatile stone that can be finished with a variety of finishes from rough texture, honed smooth or polished.
We are very fortunate in the UK to have easy access to Welsh slate, recognised since roman times as the premium quality slate as it is harder wearing than most other slates.
However, Welsh slate also has a premium price and lower cost slate tiles are available from around the world.
So if you are thinking of installing a slate floor, you need to research the source of the slate and check if it meets your needs.
Brazilian slate is quite hard, so it wears well.
Chinese and Indian slates are softer, so they wears quickly and can flake from foot traffic.
As with most things, you need to weigh up the cost against the characteristics of the stone.
Whilst slate has a low porosity, it will still absorb water and oil based spills, leaving annoying marks.
So it is always better to apply a sealer on the tiles to help maintain their appearance
Cleaning Slate Floors For Beautiful Results
We are mostly called in to clean slate when it has layers of sealer with ingrained dirt, so the finish looks dull and dirty.
So the cleaning starts with getting all the layers of old sealer off the floor.
We do this by using specialist strippers to break down the sealers and get them for rinsing off. We apply the stripper and leave it to do its work for up to two hours.
Most of the slate we clean is rough surface, and the sealer can be quite thick in the crevices of the stone.
So we use a rotary brushing machine and various brushes to make sure we have for all the sealer off the stone.
We may need to apply a second application if there are a lot of old sealer on the floor.
This is an important step as patches of old sealer will show up as dirty patches under the new sealer.
To make sure all the old sealer and slurry is removed from the surface of the slate we use pressurised hot water "rinse and capture" equipment.
To make sure all the old sealer and slurry is removed from the surface of the slate we use pressurised hot water "rinse and capture" equipment.
The equipment immediately vacuums the slurry away into a rinse tank.
After checking that all the sealer is removed, we use high speed air dryers to help fry the floor ready for sealing. If we find that lose grout has come away, we can re-grout the areas.
Once the floor is dry, we apply a sealer to help protect the stone from spills and make it easier to keep clean. Leaving a beautiful slate floor ready for years of use.
Slate Restoration Projects
Cleaning And Sealing Slate Floor In Abergavenny – Abbey Floor Care
This slate cleaning Abergavenny project focuses on cleaning a large area of Brazilian slate tile floors in a home in Abergavenny. The tiles were originally sourced from Mandarin Stone and installed 3 years ago. Following advice from the supplier, my client sealed the floor with a…
Renovating Slate Kitchen And Dining Area Floors in Barrow-In-Furness
Slate Cleaning Barrow In Furness Project Details These Slate tiles were installed in the kitchen and dining areas in Barrow-In-Furness. The client was not happy with the appearance of the Slate. After 10 years, the tiles had lost their sheen, the grout looked grubby and…
Slate Floor Cleaning Hitchin Hertforshire
This slate floor cleaning Hitchin project came about because my client was looking for a long term cleaning solution for her slate floor tiles. The tiles were originally sourced from Fired Earth over 15 years ago. My client had regularly cleaned and sealed the tiles…
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Our Stone Floor Restoration Experts Will Make Your Floors Look Beautiful!
Looking After Your Slate Floor
Slate is a relatively soft stone. So walked in sand and grit can scratch the Slate surface like sandpaper. Unprotected furniture legs can cause deep scratches and even gouges when dragged across the floor. Some slates can be extremely porous and can easily be stained by food, plant pots, metal furniture legs, oils, ink, water etc. You can greatly extend the life of your Slate floors by following a simple maintenance program and following the tips below.
Slate Cleaning Tips
The surface should be protected with a quality penetrating Slate sealer to help prevent staining.
Barrier matting is essential to prevent walked in sand and grit from spreading onto the floor and causing scratches and dullness.
Furniture legs should be protected with felt or plastic pads.
Standing objects and especially plant pots should be placed on special bases to prevent scratching and staining.
Cleaners specially formulated for natural stone should be used for cleaning.
Slate floors should be vacuumed or dust mopped with dry microfiber mop daily or at the least weekly to remove surface sand and grit and reduce the chance of scratches.
Slate floors should be damp mopped once or twice per week, and daily on heavy traffic areas to remove surface dirt and soil. Only use cleaners specially formulated for natural stone.
Spills should be removed immediately. Always blot, never wipe as the act of wiping can spread the spill.
Traffic areas should be professionally deep cleaned, resealed or polished where necessary on a yearly basis.
When regular Slate cleaning procedures fail to return an adequate surface, complete restoration may be necessary. Loose or chipped tiles, cracks, dislodged filler, difficult stains and poor maintenance may only be rectified by surface grinding, colour matched filling and other intensive restoration techniques.
from Abbey Floor Care : https://www.abbeyfloorcare.co.uk/slate/