Flagstone Tile Cleaning

These Slate flagstone tile were installed in a conservatory in the town of Fareham. The flagstones and grout were reasonably clean and in good condition but the previous sealer had all but worn off and they were looking dull and in need of revamp.

Slate Flagstone Cleaning

As the previous sealer had all but worn off I decided not to apply a dedicated coatings remover product such as “Remove and Go” but instead use a strong cleaning solution to remove the remaining sealer and clean the floor in one go. For this I choose a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with 50/50 with Nanotech Ultra-Clean which adds tiny abrasive particles to the mix. The cleaning solution was applied to the floor with a mop and then left to dwell for 20 minutes before being agitated with a buffing machines fitted with a black Scrubbing pad and stiff brushes along the grout lines.

The soiled solution was then removed using a wet vacuum and the floor rinsed with clean water and left to dry. We could see at this point that the job was a success and we had successfully managed to clean the floor and remove the sealer in one go.

There was no history of what had been used to seal the floor previously so it’s important to ensure all the old sealer had been completely removed as the old sealer could have been incompatible with the sealer we wished to use and resulted in an unexpected finish.

Sealing the Slate Floor

We sealed the slate flagstones with a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which really helps bring out the deep colour from within the slate. To finish and build up the lustre and richness of the colour we then applied seven coats of Seal & Go which add a nice low sheen to the surface of the tile.

For general cleaning and to get a long life out of the sealer we recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner, diluted 1:30 with water and applied with a microfibre flat mop, rinse with water and then remove with a clean microfibre flat mop.

Restoring a Slate Flagstone Tiles in Fareham