Blog Stone Maintenance Tips & Information
Best Way to Take Care of Your Slate Flooring
Slate flooring in your home is among the most beautiful especially if you’re going for an earthy look in your home. Most Coloradans love the look of the outdoors and bring that into their home the best way that they can. Slate is a great way to do that because or the texture and tones. However, slate doesn’t come without its challenges. Slate can be a tricky stone to take care of properly. Most homeowners, if not all, would want their slate to last. Stone Restoration Works has worked with natural stone for years; thus, we know a thing or two about how to take care of slate flooring.
Cleaning Your Slate
Natural stone is very different from ceramic and porcelain tile, it is not able to take just any kind of cleaner. Cleaners that are acidic can damage your slate if not done properly. What happens if you do clean slate with an acid or alkaline cleaner? Typically, it causes etching on the surface. This may not be seen on natural cleft slate. However, if your slate is honed or polished the etching will be clearly noticeable. With slate it can be scratched due to the grit of dust and dirt that you bring in from outside. The best thing that you can do to prevent scratching on your slate is to sweep it regularly. When it comes to washing your slate, you want to use a cleaner specific for slate or a detergent with a neutral pH. Regardless of the route you choose you absolutely want to stay away from lemon and vinegar. After you have washed it you want to rinse it with clean water and then take a towel and dry off the tile. This is important if you don’t want water spots to develop.
Sealing Your Slate
You might be thinking that once sealed, always sealed, but this is not the case. A sealant has a life expectancy and with wear and tear everyday its not hard for it to wear off. How long your sealant will last is dependent on the type of sealer that you use. There are some that are certainly more durable than others. If it’s not sealed and taken care of properly it can absorb moisture and stain. To be able to tell whether your slate needs stained or not can be done with a simple water test. Pour water on it and after 10 minutes check to see if there is a dark area left. If there is a dark area, then your slate needs to be sealed but if not, then your sealer is still good.
These are two important aspects of taking care of slate flooring. Cleaning your slate should be routine maintenance items on your list of things to do. If your slate is not in great condition, needs sealed, has scratches or etching then call the professionals to help you get your slate flooring back to its original beauty. Stone Restoration Works wants to help you when it comes to all your natural stone. Give us a call today or fill out our online request form!
By Stone Restoration Works 6-26-2019