Slate has been a long time popular choice in residential and commercial flooring, until more man-made floorings came out that are slightly cheaper. Slate is still used often in flooring due to its attractive sparkle that is naturally given off because of the quartz and hematite minerals within the stone. It can be fragile due to the tiles being made out of these minerals, though most people feel that this brings character and history into the flooring. Like all stone flooring, proper cleaning and maintenance is a must to maintain and prolong the stone’s life.
Taking the first step into preparing your slate flooring for polishing is by sweeping and brushing the surface. Using a soft bristled broom to sweep up any dirt and debris is needed before brushing. Using a firm bristled brush helps remove the excess wax from the previous wax that was placed on your slate flooring. It is important to not leave any dust, grit, or dirt behind before mopping the floor, so taking a vacuum and vacuuming up anything left over would be an important step to take next.
Next comes mopping your slate flooring using just a soft cloth and some soapy water. Make sure to refresh the water periodically so you are not cleaning with dirty water and letting that seep into the stone. Thoroughly rinse out the mop, and use warm, clean water to rinse the floor of any leftover soap and/or dirty water. After rinsing, you must let the floor air dry. You will know when the floor is ready as the tiles will look dull from the cleaning process, showing it is ready for the next step.
The next step in this polishing process is to wax your slate tiles. There are various types of wax that can be used and can be applied. Some of the more popular ways are with waxes that are applied with a mop. Where you would take the mop and wax and spread it through the flooring. For slate tiles, it is best recommended to use a wax that is applied by hand with a soft cloth. This type of wax usually takes lots of patience and care to apply, but the ending result is worth it as the wax lasts much longer.
The final step in this process is once the wax has been applied to the flooring; you would take a clean and dry cloth and use that to polish the wax. This will make it beautiful and shiny. Once you do this, you would generally apply at least two more coats of the wax by hand, and going back with the clean and dry cloth rubbing it into a shiny coat.
One word of caution before ending this, throughout the internet, some would say to apply an oil to your slate flooring before finishing, but this is not the proper way to coat or cover slate tiles. Avoid doing this, and when picking out product, make sure that is it a recommended wax for the polishing.
Please feel free to contact us today to schedule your appointment or if you have any further questions.
Floor ReNew Houston
4530 W. 34th Street Suite C
Houston, TX 77092
(713) 418-9983
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