Slate Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Slate flooring carried out in South Essex

Cleaning and Renovating Slate Floors

Slate is a very popular floor and wall tile due to its low porosity; there are many varieties and textures of Slate available as such Tile Doctor has spent many years researching the best cleaning and sealing methods and products. The semi-riven tile is particularly easier to maintain compared to the rough textured Slate commonly available due to its cheaper quarrying cost.

Porosity however small, is the main issue when maintaining Stone floors as dirt can easily become trapped in the pores and once that happens it becomes very difficult to clean. The solution is to prevent the ingress of dirt in the stone by applying a sealer such as Tile Doctor Seal and Go which works very well on Slate. However sealers do wear down with use and the application of unsuitable cleaning products, and so unless regularly maintained the floor will need to be stripped, deep cleaned and then resealed again every three to five years.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Multicoloured Slate Floor Renovation Stock Essex

New Sealer adds Life to a Dull Multi Coloured Slate Floor in Stock

1 Comment / Brentwood Tile Cleaning, Chelmsford Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning /

This multi-coloured Slate kitchen floor had been laid fifteen years prior and although in very good condition the owner was unhappy with the finish. Basically, it looked dull, un-inviting and the owner wanted some life putting back in the stone.

It was clear to me that the sealer that had provided previously provided the sheen finish had simply worn off with use. Without a sealer in place dirt was now becoming ingrained into the pores of the slate making the problem worse.

Multicoloured Slate Floor Before Cleaning Stock Essex

I visited the property to survey the tiles and provide a quote for renovating the floor. The work would take two days and would include removing what remained of the old sealer, deep cleaning the Slate and then re-sealing the tiles with a sheen finish sealer. The quote was accepted, and a date arranged to do the work.

Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Floor

I started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and let it soak into the stone for ten minutes. This product is a coatings remover and cleaner that is safe to use on all type of stone or tile. Then using a 200-grit milling pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer the solution was worked into the stone to strip off what remained of the remaining sealer and pull the dirt out of the stone. The floor was then rinsed, and the soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum.

Next, I treated the floor to an acid wash using another Tile Doctor product called Grout Clean-up. This is great for removing grout smears left over from tiling and neutralises the pH level of the floor after the use of Remove and Go which is alkaline. After scrubbing in the solution with a deck brush the floor was then rinsed and extracted again with the wet vacuum.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Floor

I left the floor to dry out overnight and returned the next days later to apply the sealer. Before doing so I checked the moisture level of the tiles with a damp meter to ensure they had dried sufficiently. This is always worth doing as applying sealer to a floor that is still damp can lead to an inconsistent finish.

All was well with the readings so I started applying the first coat of sealer which for this floor we used Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This product will protect the stone from ingrained dirt and adds a lovely subtle shine to the floor which matched the customers’ requirements exactly. After about forty minutes of drying time, I applied a second cost and as expected this resulted in a healthy sheen.

Multicoloured Slate Floor After Cleaning Stock Essex

My client was very happy with the result and left 5-star feedback along with the following comment.

Very Professional

For the aftercare cleaning of sealed slate floors, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective product that won’t upset the sealer like many of the bleach based products you find in supermarkets.

 

Professional Restoration of a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen, Hallway and WC Floor in North Lincolnshire

New Sealer adds Life to a Dull Multi Coloured Slate Floor in Stock Read More »

Slate Floor Cleaning Chapel Market

Slate Tiled Floor Cleaning in an Islington Phone Shop

Ilford Tile Cleaning, Slate Tile Cleaning, Work History /

Shop floors see a lot of foot traffic and this Slate Tiled floor installed in a mobile phone retail outlet Chapel Market, Islington was certainly no different resulting in the floor becoming dull and tired over time. Were happy to cover Residential and Commercial property however in this case we had to wait until the store had closed for the evening before we could get to work.

Cleaning the Slate Tiled Floor

The first step was to clear the floor of any moveable displays and anything we couldn’t move was covered in a plastic sheet to protect it from splashing. We then set about cleaning the slate tiled floor by applying Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted one part Pro-Clean to four parts water, this was left to dwell on the floor for a short while before working it into the floor with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. We used a grout brush to clean out the grout lines and then removed the soiled cleaning solution with a wet vacuum to see how it looked.

Slate Floor London Phone Shop Before

A quick inspection revealed more work was required, there were a few areas of ground in dirt and a stronger dilution of Pro-Clean was applied to clean these up, a number of these areas were proving stubborn so we mixed the Pro-Clean with NanoTech Ultra Clean which adds tiny abrasive particles to the cleaning agent which makes for a very effective cleaner.

The wet vacuum was brought in again to remove the soiled cleaning solution and we inspected the floor again. We were happy with the results so we rinsed the slate tile and grout down with clean water a number of tiles to wash away any remaining cleaning agents and neutralise the floor before sealing. A number of fan blowers were then switched on to help the floor dry and we took a break.

Sealing Slate Tiled Floor

Once the floor was dry we proceeded to seal it with Tile Doctor Seal and Go which provides good stain protection with a low sheen finish, slate is quite porous and it took five coats before it was fully sealed.

We managed to complete the job in a single evening and the shop manager was very pleased with the results.

Slate Floor London Phone Shop After

 
 

Cleaning and Sealing a Slate Tiled Floor in a London shop

Slate Tiled Floor Cleaning in an Islington Phone Shop Read More »

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