Slate tile & white film - please help

[lwhitten]

I have recently had a black Vermont slate tile floor installed in my kitchen. The contractor told me that he sealed the tiles, and it looked fine for the day that the floor was uncovered. There was still work going on in the house, so the floor was covered while puttying and painting proceeded on the walls.

When the plastic cover was taken off, some of the tiles looked fine but others have an uneven white film across them. We tried using AquaMix Deep Stone Cleaner (4 parts to 1) but had little success.

Can someone help me figure out what is wrong with my floor and how I can fix it? Could this be something that my contractor (who isn't used to working with slate) could have done wrong, could it be caused by the painters, or am I just unlucky?

Thanks.

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[doitright]

Hi lw, Welcome! :)

We need a first name posted in your thread, somewhere, anywhere... :nod:

Any chance you can post a picture?

Which sealer was used?

How soon after install?

How soon after grouting?

[lwhitten]

Sorry, the first name is Lori.

Will try to attach a pic, but file is too big.

The contractor told me that he used AquaMix sealer, don't know anything more specific. I believe they were sealed the day after grouting, which was probably 3-4 days after the tiles were laid.

After doing more research my guess would be effloresence, particularly since the white film got worse in a spot where the ceiling was leaking on the floor.
If that sounds right to anyone who knows this material -- what should I do to get rid of it?

Thanks so much for the help. I'm a skiddish new homeowner who has no clue how to approach this problem!

[Davestone]

Well, without a pic...slate is actually pretty resistant to moisture,and the sealer may not have soaked in, and hazed over,but if it was damp when the sealer was applied, or if it got wet later, the sealer may have clouded over also....especially since you say one spot got light after water dripped on it.After this much time i don't think it will dry, and may have to be stripped.It always helps if you give us as much info as possible.You could also still have a latex haze, or some efflourescence. Maybe John can add sumthin. :)Look in the liberry section for resizing info.

[GraniteGirl]

Try wiping a spot with a clean rag and some solvent like acetone or denatured alcohol to see if the film disappears.

I would agree with Dave - the Vermont slates are very dense as a rule and would not absorb any sealer - resulting in a layer of sealer on the surface of the stone. This could lead to some interesting problems.

[lwhitten]

Thanks for the input. My husband and I used Aquamix deepstone cleaner without dilution to strip the slate, and it worked like a charm. No more white film.

It sounds like sealer is not the way to go with Vermont slate. Do I need to do anything to protect it? It's inn my kitchen, and I expect grease and water to splatter on it regularly.

Thanks!
Lori

[doitright]

Hi Lori :)

I've had success sealing slate with Prosoco's SLX 100 (http://www.prosoco.com/Product.asp?ID=79) .

I have not tried any other sealers on slate. You may want to invest in a tile and stone specific high alkaline and neutral pH cleaners. They'll be needed for maintenance.