slate shower floor

[feihin]

Hello Folks, I have a 2 year old multi colored slate shower that I need help with.

The bottom 2 courses of tiles and the floor are becoming discolored and appear to have hard water stains.(we have hard water) I would like to clean and reseal/polish. I'm also getting some type of odor that I've never smelled before. The odor seems to be stronger on humid days. One or two of the tiles have developed soft spots and some material can be scraped off with your finger nail.

I was going to bleach, powerwash and fan dry for a few days before resealing, but, after reading here that doesn't seem right!!! I look forward to your knowledge and thanks for your help!!!!! Great Forum!!!!!

ETA: I took pics,but, I can't upload them for some reason.

Pics can be seen here. If you click on them it will enlarge!!!

couldn't link to pictures, need mods help please

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[Stone Dude]

Unfortunately, slate is not considered to be an acceptable stone for use in wet areas like a shower.

a sure and permanent fix? replacement.

If that is not an option, you need to do a carefull inspection;

is there any grout missing? I mean ANY, little spots can cause huge problems if neglected.

if so, that is most likely your root cause of the smell. when the water gets in behind the sruface it festers, creating mold/mildew and all that fun stuff.

as far as the soft spots, it is what it is. some parts of the slate can act just like soft clay, and can be picked out with a finger, especially after being saturated.

your hard water "stains" are most likely build-up that wont want to come off. hard water is nothing short of a nightmare.

slate is a clefted stone, so powerwashing would not be adviseable as it could remove large pieces of the stone. some good old hand scrubbing and elbow grease will get the job done. this is the type of job that is absolutely worth every cent a professional will charge you when you realize how much work it will be.

if you decide to go ahead with this, do a test. some slate is acid sensitive and some is not. if yours turns out to be acid sensitive, then choosing the appropriate cleaning chemicals will be more tedious.

it is hard to judge exactly where to start without seeing it, so if you can get those pictures up it would help tremendously.

I am new to this particular site as well, so a moderator may have to help you upload your pics.

keep in mind that 99% of the time stone can be fixed or repaired, and it is possible your situation may fall into the 1%. once this stone gets to a certain point, its over. Not trying to be discouraging, but want you to have realistic expectations.

[feihin]

got it

[Davestone]

You may need to make another post or two to have permission to post pics...keeps the riffraff out.

[feihin]

Thanks I had to down size it. Found a thread on it. Thanks

[Stone Dude]

not too bad actually.

most likely, if you carefull run your hand from to to bottom, you'll notice it feels significantly more waxy towards the bottom. this is soap scum that splashes off your body and basically sticks to the surface. Combined with hard water its no fun task to clean.

Like I said before, your first concern should be locating any holes in your grout.

I would start with an alkaline cleaner, like Stone Tech's "alkaline cleaner". Stone Tech is a sponsor on here, so you can click their link and find it that way. This particular cleaner is part of their professional line and it is very unlikely you will find it at any local stores, other than a tile contractors' supply store. If the alkaline cleaner is not available, get the "klenzall", its a good product and is a good place to start.

there is also a product called MB-3 soap scum remover which works wonders, but I am not sure if it is available to non-contractors. check it out at mbstonecare.com

Titan labs makes a product called A-1 spot and stain remover which will work well for the hard water, even on your glass. I dont have a website, you can google titan labs, or A-1 spot remover.

go to Home Depot and get yourself a deck brush and a handle, also a nylon hand scrubbing brush.

these previous mentioned chemicals work best with HOT water. remember pour the chemicals into the water, not the water into the chemicals. the chemicals also need time to dwell, I like to let them sit for 10-15 minutes or so.

also open a window or a door or something. these chemicals dont smell that bad, but the fumes are there.

the most effective element in the equation? patience and muscle. this is no easy task, but youre not starting out in that bad a shape either.

regarding the grout, if you need to replace or repair it; find the best match you can and get some at home depot. the smallest BOX (not bag) is sanded grout, thats what you want. the slightly larger box in NON-sanded, you do not want this.

[feihin]

Thanks Stonedude and all, What do you guys recommend for a sealer and how do we keep it clean going forward. Thanks again for all you guys efforts!!!!!

[Stone Dude]

I wouldnt get too crazy with a sealer, but a good color enhancer would make it look nice, just to bring out the color.

I would recommend Stone Tech's Enhancer Pro. It does a decent job sealing and a pretty good job with the color. A light coat can be achieved with 1 quart. If you want to have some around for the future get two quarts.

use a heavy duty teri towel or microfiber to thoroughly wipe the excess off. you can use a shure line paint pad from home depot to apply it.

[feihin]

is there anyway to keep it from getting that way in the first place?????

[advertguy2]

I've got a honed slate shower and we've been using it for 4 or 5 months so far. I made sure to not use bar soap in there. Liquid soap only. Haven't had a problem with it getting dirty looking yet. Only had a problem with my (topical) sealer and my cleaner, but thats a different story altogether...

[Stone Dude]

good point! bar soap is a killer. its designed as a solid form and after it runs off your body and settles, it re-solidifies.

as far as a topical coating in a shower? :bang::suspect::corn:

the best way to keep this from happening again is routine cleaning. do a light scrub twice a month.

[ccarlisle]

Hand soaps in bar form, once solubilised with warm water, do not re-soildify; they become a solution of the fatty acid salt in water and remains in solution until it is runs away down the drain or is precipitated out of solution giving back the original fatty acid.

Besides, most bath "soaps" are detergent bars.

Another thing is that when you constantly wet certain slates, the stone leaches out a white substance that looks like soap scum - but it's not. That white stuff is hard to get off.

[Stone Dude]

Charles thank you. What about when there is poor drainage, and the soap just sits in the nice fat joints?

I have noticed that where there is bar soap there is far more buildup in the joints.

[ccarlisle]

There are a few types of what is commonly called 'soap scum'; one is the insoluble neutralised salt of a fatty acid soap molecule with calcium ions in the hard water, and another is just soap molecules doing their job which is to carry away dirt. It's a 'micelle', a bubble, in solution.

In your hand, that micelle is warm and surrounded by other micelles and by water - but near the drain, the temperature is colder and the concentration of the soap+dirt is less. It falls out of solution and deposits near the drain. Ditto for the first soap scum type...

This second type is however reactive (compared to the calcium-based soap scum above) and therefore can be removed by alkaline cleaners. Probably also by acidic cleaners and agitation.

[Stone Dude]

so the first type is insoluble? this must be the one that doesnt like to come off.

is there anywhere where I can get more info about this?

thank you for your help.

[MDS]

The way I tell the story about bar soap is that it contains sodium stearate which is water soluble. When sodium stearate comes in contact with calcium, usually from hard water but also from grouts and some natural stone, it turns into calcium stearate. Calcium stearate is not water soluble and is in fact what (some) crayons are made from.

So removing soap scum is like trying to remove crayon marks or wax from the surface. Not so easy.

Semi-technical answer and doesn't make them feel like scummy slobs that don't clean their shower.

[Stone Dude]

i use a few products specifically for soap scum and when cleaning walls and the stone surface, it falls right off. When it comes to the grout its a whole different story.