Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal Sealer used to Seal and Improve Slate Flooring in Wolverhampton

A client in Wolverhampton contacted me about the Multi-Coloured Slate floor in their Kitchen. They had a lot of building work done recently and so dirt had built up on the tiles making them appear dull and lifeless.

Happy to help I paid a visit to the property to survey the Slate floor and carry out some cleaning tests to work out which method and products would yield the best approach. The results from the testing came up well and they were happy with the quote I worked out, so we booked the work in.

Deep Cleaning a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

This was a straightforward job, the type of job Tile Doctors tackles every week, i.e., cleaning the floor tile and grout followed by sealing. Due to the big size of the kitchen and the utility area I decided to break the work in four sections rather than tackling the whole area in one go.

To start I sprayed a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove & Go to the floor and allowed it to soak in for ten to fifteen minutes making sure that it didn’t dry out. I then cleaned the area with a 120-grit silicon carbide brush attached to a weighted rotary machine which loosened up the dirt and followed with a stiff brush along the grout lines to give them a good scrub. Remove and Go was chosen for this floor as the testing I did earlier revealed traces of an old sealer and this product is ideal for removing old coatings whilst cleaning.

I then rinsed the floor using my Airflex Pro machine which deploys water at high pressure washes and then vacuums the soiling away. These machines are quite expensive but are a good investment as they make light work of cleaning floors and are very popular with carpet cleaners. This was repeated for all areas and once I was satisfied that we had achieved a good clean throughout the kitchen and utility it was left to dry off fully overnight. Before leaving for the day, I set up four air movers to assist with drying out the floor.

Sealing a Multi Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor

On returning the following day, the tiles were already looking so much cleaner that the day before. Before applying the sealer though the Slate needed to by dry so I tested the floor using the damp meter. If you try to apply the sealant before the floor is dry, it will not cure properly leading to a patchy appearance.

The readings were acceptable so I was able to move on to the final part of the renovation and apply a fresh sealer to the tiles. For this I selected Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal, this is a strong oil-based sealer, it does take a while for it to be absorbed especially on Slate as it’s not as porous as other types of tile. The new sealer will give the Slate a great durable stain resistant finish which should last for many years to come. It’s ideal for a kitchen which can experience lots of foot traffic and spillages. Only one coat of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal was applied and after a couple of hours it had dried out and could be walked on.

To finish off I buffed the floor with the rotary machine fitted with a White pad which removed any excess sealed and gave the floor a very subtle sheen finish. My client was very happy with the results and for aftercare cleaning I left them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This product is pH neutral and is mild enough to use daily without impacting the newly applied sealer which is the problem with the stronger products you find in supermarkets.

Source: Slate Tile Cleaning and Sealing Service in Wolverhampton