How To Rejuvenate Your New Home's Stained Slate Floors
If you recently purchased a home with slate flooring that has seen better days, then you have come to the right place! Below is all that you need to know about caring for your slate flooring to keep it looking wonderful for years to come:
Slate Stone Characteristics
One of the biggest misconceptions about stone building materials is that they are impervious to damage. While marble and quartz are very hard stones, slate is not. Slate is a metamorphic rock that is formed from sandstone that is heated by volcanic eruptions. This makes slate a very porous stone that can absorb stains, and it can easily break if you drop something heavy on it.
Slate Stone Resurfacing
Since your new home's slate floors are visibly dirty and stained, you need to have the floors professionally resurfaced. The flooring technician will come out to your home armed with all of the necessary tools to safety strip your floors and resurface them.
To strip the floors, the technician will first apply a special stripping agent. Once the stripping agent has had time to dissolve any old floor wax and dirt, then the floors will be cleaned with a stripping pad mounted on a floor buffing machine. Once the floors have been stripped, then they can be sealed.
Slate Stone Sealing
Sealing slate flooring will prevent moisture from soaking into the stone. This is ideal because it prevents staining from spilled foods and drinks. Once your floor has been stripped clean, it will be allowed to completely dry. Once dry, then a sealant will be applied to the entire floor. There are two types of sealants that can be used:
- surface sealants
- penetrating sealants
Surface sealants sit on the surface of the slate and prevent moisture and dirt from entering the pores of the stone. This type of sealant typically lasts for about a year and then needs to be removed and reapplied.
Penetrating sealants are longer lasting and actually soak into the pores of the stone and completely seal out any moisture.
Slate Stone Cleaning and Maintenance
Once your floors have been resurfaced, all you will need to do is mop them each week with a damp mop. You can also use a steam cleaning machine on your sealed slate floors. You should not use a steam cleaner on any slate that has not been sealed because it will drive dirt and staining moisture down into the pores of the stone.
Final Thoughts
Now that you understand more about your new home's slate stone floors, you can better care for them. By deep cleaning, sealing, and maintaining your slate flooring, it will last for many years to come. For help deep cleaning and resurfacing your floors, you should contact a flooring contractor in your local area, such as Marble Tec Systems.
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