Does your slate flooring look dull? Does it annoy you that all of your houses are shiny and the kitchen with slate flooring is dim and dull? This article has got you covered with a detailed guide to making your slate shine like a diamond. So, without further adieu let’s get into the details.
How to Make Slate Shine Quickly?
What is Slate and What is Slate Flooring?
The slate itself is a solid, porous stone. It is a fine-grained material typically used in roofs and kitchen surfaces, at times in washrooms and whole-home surfaces. Slate flooring is a type of natural flooring that is usually done in high-traffic areas. It comes in a variety of colors and contrasts. It has different styles, one that comes from the top surface of the earth with no deep mining procedures and is affordable, whereas one which comes from extreme depth is quite expensive.
It is highly durable and long-lasting. Unlike other floorings laminate, vinyl (see here for more vinyl floor maintenance), hardwood, or tile floor, the slate flooring requires less maintenance as well as cleaning procedures and you can even use a mop to clean slate floors. Slate does not have a natural shine like marbles, but with regular and proper cleaning, it can give you the desired results.
How to Clean and Polish Slate Surfaces?
You have to make sure you are using the correct procedure to clean your slate flooring and you are not harming the floor. To get the wanted results, you can make sure your slate flooring is appropriately cleaned and polished with proper techniques. Here in this article you would be getting all the needed information regarding cleaning and polishing your floors.
Dry Cleaning of Slate Surfaces
Start with removing the removable furniture from the floor. Make sure you have no extra thing on the floor that would cause any hindrance in cleaning. Cleaning means you should remove any dust, dirt, and debris from the surface. Sweep your slate floor using a broom that has soft bristles. Make sure to remove all the junk from your slate floor. You can use a vacuum if you want to but be careful to use soft bristles as the harsh sweeping or vacuuming can damage the floors.
Deep Cleaning the Slate with Soap Water
After the dry cleaning procedure, follow it with soap water cleaning. This soap water can thoroughly clean your surface’s dirt and hard stains on it. Plenty of soap, when added to warm water is enough to remove the sticky mud. Rinse thoroughly and make sure to dry it after moving to the next step.
Suppose there are tough stains still left on the slate floor. It would help if you cleaned it again differently. You need to use alkaline high pH ammonia-based cleaners or specific slate cleaners available at the market. Make sure to test all floor cleaners at the corner of the slate floor to see either they are effective or they are causing any harm to the surface.
You can use peroxide and baking soda mixture to clean stains if you are not willing to use the market-based products. Take both the ingredients equally in a pot, mix them well to make a mixture. Apply the paste to the stain. Leave it for a while and wipe the mixture away. Your stains would be removed by the procedures mentioned above.
Polishing of Slate Surfaces
Slate surfaces are polished and made shiny through the application of sealers. There are different types of sealers available in the market. The most commonly used sealers are acrylic sealers. They can be purchased at home cleaning products shops.
When the surface is arid, you can apply the single layer of acrylic sealer with a thin layer to the slate floor. Let the sealer dry completely. It may take up to 2 to 4 hours. If you feel like your shine is not entirely enough, you can apply another layer of sealer on it. Make sure to dry it again thoroughly. If still, the brightness is not up to your expectations. You can have several layers of sealers on it.
Wait for at least 48 hours to shift the furniture again on the surface you have recently shined.
Things You Need to Keep in Mind
- Make sure not to use any acidic cleaner on your floors. It will damage the top layer.
- You should not use any abrasive cleaning chemicals on the slate surface as it can open pores for more strong dirt and stains.
- Oil-based cleaners are not recommended to use on your slate floors, as they do make the surface shiny but make it slippery.
Related Shinning Guides: How to shine Laminate floors
FAQs
Can you use vinegar on slate floors?
No, vinegar is not allowed to be used on slate stone floors because they contain acetic acid, and any acid is dangerous for the color and top layer of slate.
How do you make slate shine?
Use a topical glassy sealer for your slate floor to look glossy and sparkling. You can go with dry cleaning to deep cleaning methods and polishing by applying sealers, most appropriately the acrylic sealers.
How do you bring slate back to life?
To get all the colors of the slate tiles back to life, you need to start with removing all the dirt and debris from the floor. Follow it with a wet mop of warm water and soap or a steam mop (see how they work here). Then finally, apply the shiners to get an overall healthy look.
Final Thoughts
Suppose you are looking for a perfect slate floor with a neat and clean look and perfectly shiny. Make sure to learn everything about your slate floors and their maintenance. It would help if you kept in mind all of the procedures mentioned above and practices to ensure you are working correctly with your foot without damaging it further. Proper procedures that are followed for anything will have the desired results. Good dry cleaning, deep cleaning, and then shining the slate floors makes your floors glossy and sparkling.
