Slate Tile Cleaning Archives - Leicestershire Tile Doctor

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 Leicestershire

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.

Renovating a Large Yorkstone and Slate Patio in Hinckley

Last year we visited a client in Hinckley who needed help renovating the stone patios at the rear of their property. The stone was in good physical condition but had darkened with the usual combination of ground in dirt and algae that common in wet counties like the UK. Additionally, some of the mortar between the flagstones had cracked and need replacing.

An initial visit was useful for surveying the condition of the stone and recommend the best methods and products to restore its condition. The main patio comprised of Yorkstone flagstones and the lower patio of rustic semi-riven Slate however I could use the same system to clean both.

Yorkstone Patio Flagstones During Cleaning Hinckley

I was confident the job would be completed in a day worked out a price for the cleaning the stone and replacing the pointing with a modern durable resin-based product that could resist the UK weather. The quote was accepted and a date was set.

Deep Cleaning Stone Patios in Hinckley

It was a large area to cover so I had some help from another Tile Doctor who popped over for the day with his own equipment to help. Then after splitting the job into several areas work started with a general clean of the patio to remove loose stone and cracked or loose mortar.

Next the stone patio was sprayed with a combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with HBU Remover for added cleaning power, HBU stands for Heavy Build-Up. This was left to soak into the patio for a good ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. I had to use a strong dilution of both products as it was raining that day and I didn’t want the solution to dilute too much before it got chance to work.

Yorkstone Patio Flagstones During Cleaning Hinckley

Yorkstone Patio Flagstones During Pressure Cleaning Hinckley

I also used a van mounted spinner tool to help with the cleaning and rinsing, this tool generates high pressure to deep clean the stone and is far more powerful than the Karcher machines you find in garden centres.

Re-Pointing Stone Patios in Hinckley

Once the stone was clean, the process of repointing the patio using a colour matched resin jointing compound that matched well with the patio. These modern products are far more reliable than the usual sand and cement and should stand the test of time.

Once complete the patio looked great, especially when wet. We had discussed sealing the stone to protect it from staining and make it easier to maintain but my client was happy to leave as it was. Should they had opted for sealing my recommendation would have been to apply Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal as it’s an oil-based sealer that’s rated for external use.

I also advised the customer to use Tile Doctor Stone Soap cleaner to periodically clean the flags as it will help prevent moss and algae build-up.