I recently visited a client’s house in the small town of Okehampton, an area with a lot of heritage. It was first settled by the Saxons, and like many other towns in the South West, grew as a result of the thriving medieval wool trade.
The client asked me to take a look at the black Slate tiled floor in her kitchen, which she noticed had gone quite dull in a short period of time. She mentioned that the sealer she had been sold and subsequently applied two years ago had completely gone, even though she believed it was supposed to last ten years. This is a common misconception in the tiling world; it seems that the tiling company my client had previously consulted did not sell her the appropriate cleaner, nor did they mention that sealer should, in fact, be topped up at least once a year.
Cleaning a black Slate tiled floor
I cleaned the floor using Tile Doctor Remove & Go, which can be used not only on Slate, but also on other types unpolished natural stone. This product is a multi-purpose stripper which will remove the old sealer from the floor whilst also lifting out any ingrained dirt and stains.
After applying a layer of Remove & Go, I left it to dwell for 20 minutes. I then used a black buffing pad, which is suitable for heavy duty wet scrubbing, to work the product deep into the tiles. After cleaning, the old sealer had been completely removed and the floor was ready for a new seal. I rinsed the floor several times with clean water to remove any trace of cleaning product, before leaving it to dry overnight ready for sealing the next day.
Sealing a black Slate tiled floor
Tile Doctor Seal & Go was my choice of sealer for this floor, as it is designed for use on internal unsealed porous surfaces like Slate, as well as textured Quarry, Sandstone and Victorian tile. I applied four coats of Seal & Go for a stain resistant surface seal along with a high quality, low sheen finish.
After cleaning and sealing, the floor was no longer looking dull – instead the fantastic shade of black was really emphasised. Both myself and my client were very pleased with the results. I hope to be back at some point within the next year to top up the seal (as is recommended) and maintain the condition of the floor in this high-traffic area of the house.
Source: Professional Tile, Stone and Grout Cleaning service in Devon
