Slate Tile Cleaning

Tile Doctor was contacted by a homeowner in Penarth to see if anything could be done to salvage this multi-coloured Slate floor which had been revealed during a kitchen refurb. As the local Tile Doctor covering Cardiff and the surrounding areas, I was asked to get in touch.

I went over to the property to survey the floor, work out what needed to be done and put a quote together for its restoration. The slate was multi-coloured and didn’t look that old, however, it had been laid around the previous kitchen units and once they had been removed it left quite a few gaps in the flooring.

I managed to track down similar tiles from a specialist slate supplier and once I had all the prices, I was able to provide a quote for fully restoring the floor. Naturally the owner was keen to progress the work as soon as possible and it wasn’t long before the quote was accepted, and a date arranged for my return visit.

Cleaning and Repairing a Multi Coloured Slate Kitchen Floor

Work started with the repairs; the replacement tiles were bigger than the tiles laid on the floor, so they had to be trimmed by 10mm from two edges to make them fit correctly. Once cut they were fixed into place with quick setting adhesive and then grouted in.

My attention then turned to addressing the plaster and paint splatters which stained the floor from the previous decorating work. This proved more difficult than expected, but I persisted and managed to remove the debris with a sharp bladed tool taking care not to scratch the slate.

Once most of the plaster was removed, I set about with the next stage of restoration work, deep cleaning the floor. The products I used were Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed 50:50 with Tile Doctor Nanotech HBU cleaner, I’ve used this combination before as it results in a very powerful tile cleaner.

The solution was applied to the floor 1m2 at a time and scrubbed with a handheld brush, working it into the tiles and the grout lines also. I rinsed off the soiling with clean water and vacuumed off the waste as I worked.

Once completely clean, the floor was left to dry overnight ready for sealing the next day.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

The desired finish was matt, so I applied Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnator sealer. It works by soaking into the stone, occupying its pores, and thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

As well as adding durable protection the new sealer truly brought out the natural colours of the stone. Needless to say, the clients were delighted with the finish on their newly renovated stone floor and were relieved it could be salvaged as they considering having it replaced.

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning and recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is a mild yet effective tile cleaner that is safe to use on sealed floors, this is important as many of the cleaning products you find in supermarkets are simply too strong and will erode the sealer.

 

Professional Restoration of a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen in South Wales