Slate floor difficult to keep clean- Help!

[Neil_S]

Over the 3 years I have tried the following:-

HG Impregnator Sealer

HG Impregnator Sealer + HG Golvpolish Satin Gloss Polish

Fila Slate Impregnator Sealer

Fila Slate Impregnator Sealer + HG Golvpolish Satin Gloss Polish
​

It looks great for a few days until after a day or two it starts to look a bit mucky with all the things you would expect on a kitchen floor; crumbs, bits of vegetable peelings, splashes and splops, bits of cat food, cat hair, red wine, fragments of broken glass, stray peas all trodden in by a three year old in muddy boots!

So you think a quick sweep and a mop down with a proprietry floor cleaner should bring it back to its former glory. To an extent it does but the nooks and crannies hold on to all that detritus and over a period of time it just looks 'orrible. Then you spend an hour on all fours with a scrubbing brush trying to get it clean. It looks OK for a bit but now the Golvpolish has taken a bit of hammering and the slate starts to absorb the grease deposited around the oven and the grout becomes dirty looking. So its back to the acid cleaner/impregnator/Glovpolish and we start all over again.

I don't think it will ever be an easy maintenance floor due to the nature of the rivened surface. Have a look at these!!!!

Neil's space

 

[wetdec]

Aw m8 you have China Black the easiest riven slate out there😉


Get some Lithofin Stain-Away to clean the surface properly. Put SA on without diluting it leave it as per instructions then clean off.

When clean and dry give it 2 coats of Lithofin Slate Seal.

Job done


tiler

..

 

[TilingLogistics]

Why not strip the floor of all topical sealers and waxes etc. Scrub the floor clean and seal with a colour enhancing impregnating sealer. It is difficult to get it in but it can be done.

Alternatively invest in a secondhand rotary scrubber and a wetvac and the floor will be done in minutes without getting down on your hands and knees. It has to be cheaper than ripping the floor up and relaying.

Kev

 

[Neil_S]

OK I'll give it one last go. I wish I'd found this forum 3 years ago. At least I now know how to store photos on Windows Live Spaces and on under an album in my profile...if any one else is interested and would like to take a look at my dirty floor ...

tilersforums.com Tiling & Tile Forum (Tilers Forums) - Neil_S's Album: Slate Floor


http://cid-0395ad4a3a575872.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!395AD4A3A575872!111

 

[MICK the Tiler]

You could also test an area that is out of the way with some pool chlorine mixed 4:1 with water as a start then go stronger if stains persist.

This is a pro tiler tip so if you don't feel right about this then stick with the above mentioned products.

 

[Neil_S]

I don't know! Just as I was set on ripping it up I'm getting lots of tips on how to rescue the slate! Thanks for all your advice:regular_smile:

 

[MICK the Tiler]

We don't intend to confuse you neil, It's just that cleaning natural stone can be through trial and error, every problem has no one silver bullet solution, try the brand name products listed above. Do a small test peice first, don't just race in and do the whole thing without thinking about what you are doing and why. Stone will soil heavier in high traffic areas like kitchen floors and foot traffic areas hallways and such.

the tip I gave is for use after you try the brand name products after all they are tried and true. It's just that working down here in Oz we certainly don't get the range of cleaning products available overseas so we have to get a bit creative sometimes.

Cheers Mick

 

[Neil_S]

With more swimming pools per square mile in your neck of the woods, you've probably got easier access to chlorine than us poms up here:lol:

 

[MICK the Tiler]

GOOD CALL!! Neil :lol: I didn't see that coming :lol:

 

[James Spelrem]

You said the shean is lost in a couple of days how hard is your water black slate shows everything using soaps causes build ups I saw the pictures the white haze looks like mineral or dirt settling in the crevises of the slate.when you wash the floor the color of the water will be the film color on the slate if you are having troble things sticking to the floor or diffuclt to come off it is time to reseal using a good quality sealer petrolium base sealers are tougher but take longer to cure.