How to Properly Polish and Maintain Slate Flooring
Slate flooring has become quite popular for the past years. With over hundreds of colours and textures to choose from, you can find slate flooring to perfectly match your interiors. Although slate floors add a sophisticated touch to your home, they require proper maintenance to avoid scratches and dirt build up. Here’s a short guide on how you can properly polish and maintain your stone slate tiles, minus the hassle.
But first, in order to know how to properly maintain slate flooring, we need to understand what exactly slate is. Slate is a stone material that is mostly made up of quartz, minerals and illite. Slate has a sheet like structure that can easily flake, if you don’t give it the proper care. Since it is made from natural stone, there can be a noticeable difference in quality, depending on where the slate was quarried. So before buying, make sure to examine the slate carefully to see if you’re getting your money’s worth.
To clean and polish slate flooring you’ll need:
- soft bristle broom
- non oil based dust mop
- wet mop
- bucket of warm water
- mild detergent
Easy Instruction:
- To get started, sweep the floor to remove dust and debris
- Go over the floor again with a dust mop to pick clear small particles off the surface. Avoid sweeping the mop in a back and forth motion. Make sure that you move the mop in one direction.
- Add detergent to the warm water and dip the mop in cleaning solution. Wring the mop thoroughly.
- Mop the area using slow smooth strokes. Rinse and wring the mop often to get rid of the collected dirt.
- Although rinsing is not necessary, it’s important that no soap residue or suds is left behind. Refill the bucket with clean warm water and mop again if you need to.
- Allow floor to air-dry.
Tips!
- Always check the labels of the cleaning solutions. Avoid acid based cleaners if you don’t want to ruin the slate. Check if your chosen cleaning solution is alkaline PH balanced.
- Do not place rubber mats on your slate flooring. Rubber has the tendency to stick to the slate and cause damage to the surface.
- Be careful when working with the vacuum cleaner. Slate can easily flake and chip if it gets knocked with a hard enough object.
- Apply sealant to slate floors to keep it looking good as new. Apply 2 to 3 coats of sealant at least once every month. Stone and tile sealant can be bought at most tile suppliers.