Slate everywhere! Maintenance?

[Leigh]

Just bought a house last August. Slate everywhere. Kitchen, 4 bath/powder room floors, entryway, 2 bathtub/shower surrounds, jacuzzi surround, and yes, the master shower base and walls. Hard to clean, rust running down in shower, toe stubbing stuff. Hate it but the house was purchased in a hurry in the midst of a health crisis. So, now what? Yes, ripping out would be my choice but that is not an option at this point.

Previous home owners we're please to tell us they had laid it all. Yep, it shows. In their rush to sell, they sealed over drips and spills in the kitchen and now they are preserved under a layer of sealer. The master shower is in desperate need of sealing. Last August it looked decent so obviously the sealer didn't last long.

The bottles of stuff they left are Miracle Mira Matee Natural Stone Color Enchancer and TileLab #4 Care Gloss Finishing Sealer and Finish.

Again, we can't rip it out, at least not now so what is the best way to deal with what I have?
Best sealer for the floor?
Best sealer for the shower?
How do I at least lighten the few rust spots in the shower?
If I get ambitious and decide to strip off the sealer in the kitchen to clean the floor the right way, what should I use?
Are either of the products they left any good?

Thanks in advance,
Leigh

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[bbcamp]

Leigh, it sounds like you could be our poster-child for why you shouldn't use the cheap slate tiles from the big box stores.

Contact the tech support folks for those two products and get their recommendation for a stripping agent. Make sure they know you have slate, in case it makes a difference.

As for a replacement sealer, I'll let someone more knowledgable opine.

[Leigh]

Yes, I feel kind of like a poster child. Moral of the story is don't let your tired, really ill husband buy a house in another state without seeing anything but a couple of videos and a realtor website. We didn't have any choice and it was a frantic move that we both agreed to. Now I just have to deal with the deck we've been dealt (or perhaps I should say the slate we've been dealt...)

I will await further instructions. Thanks, Leigh

[Davestone]

Aquamix sells a sealer stripper,as do most sealer manuf.any of them should work..but, the enhancing sealer is pretty well permanent.But it isn't your problem i don't think.The rust may be removed by a rust remover,it shouldn't hurt the slate but it is acidic so be careful,then rinse the area with some ammonia diluted in water, maybe 1 part to 20.For further sealing i would use an enhancing sealer,the one you have is fine.

[GeorgeT]

Leigh -

I believe that both of the product you have may be topical... The Tile Lab product is and I think Miracle's Mira Matte is a semi gloss product.... So every thing has a sealer that may be gloss or semi...
Dave is right about the shower rust and cleaning it.. I would add that the rust probably won't stop. The slate you have has a lot of iron in it and will continue rusting because of the water...Stripping any gloss coatings from the shower walls and sealing with impregnating (penetrating, no shine) sealers may help slow that way down.
Anywhere there is no gloss sealer clean it very well and seal with an enhancer like Dave mentioned...
Good Luck!

[Leigh]

Right now the tiles in the base of the shower look kind of hazy when dry, almost dry looking, if that makes sense. Thought it was soap haze but I've scrubbed and scrubbed and only the first scrub made a little difference. The extra elbow grease made no difference. Looks much better when wet. Will a penetrating sealer make it look like it does when wet or just as it does now? I want it to be sealed AND look better. If not, can I use a penetrating and then a topical on top of that to make it look better and aid in cleaning?

Thought I would try Wink on the rust spots. Will this work?

Thanks, Leigh

[GeorgeT]

Leigh -

I would not use Wink on the stone. Wink is a chemistry that can form a very strong acid called Hydroflouric...this a dangerous compound and can cause you and your stone damage....it etches granite and may do the same to the slate.....
If you wish to use acidic cleaners try an acid cleaner designed for stone and masonry that you dilute with water.... most are sold as grout haze removers and they are worth trying ...still strong, so protect yourself...gloves, ventilation etc.
You may lighten up the rust staining but it will not go away completely as the slate you have has iron oxides in it and will continue to rust when it gets wet...
The hazy whiteness on the shower floor may just be the slate with no sealers on it that are still active... that would account for the "better" look when it is wet. Maybe it just needs to be enhanced and its done....

[GraniteGirl]

Hi Leigh

As the others have already said: You have tile and sealers that are not suitable for the installations in question.

Best route to go would be to strip off all existing sealers, thoroughly clean your stone with an alkaline stone specific cleaner like KlezAll and to reseal the tile with an impregnating sealer or impregnating enhancers if you like the darker colors.

I would be more concerned about the construction of your shower than the actual quality (or rather lack of!) of the tile installation. If they built the shower like they installed the tile - i.e. badly - your troubles might be bigger than any that could be solved by the application of sealer and caulk.

[Leigh]

Thanks all.

We have also wondered about the construction of the shower. I'm just hoping that while the previous owners failed miserably at the craftsmanship, they did the underlying construction by the book. I really hate doing shower floors and after the last one I said I was retiring but I'm sure it won't be long before I'm standing in the shower and a tile just pops off in my hand (after I hit it with something hard and sharp of course...).

For now, we'll get it sealed and start trying to find something to go with all the other slate we have so we don't have to go rip everything out all at once.

George, thanks for stopping me from using Wink. I'm actually not that worried about the rust. I've found that if I shower in semi darkness, the quality of the tile job and the rust running down don't really bother me much!

You all are great!
Leigh

[sparkyfish]

:topicoff:
holy cow batman...theres a
cleaning product that turns to hydroflouric acid ????????

AS a now " retired" Union Commerical Plumber,,i can tell you guys this,,if you didnt already know...
Hydroflouric acid is DEADLY.
It does not burn, it does not react in any noticeable way with the human body. It look like water, feels like water.
What it does do is enter the body easily and attack calcium...ie,,your skeleton. The acid dissolves bone and it does so quickly.
In my old jursidiction, much of our work was in research and development labs of computer chip manufacturing. We always carried litmus stripes and had to test ANY thing that looked like water,,then get the haz-mat teams into remove the stuff.

This isnt something to take lightly. 2 very experienced plumbers in my local were exposed in 2004 and despite heroic efforts to save them,,both died very hideous slow painful deaths. This is one of the reasons I gave that line of work up.

are you SURE its hydroflouric acid ?? IF SO ,NEVER use that stuff