I sealed our new slate floors (~1200 ft2) 10 years ago. Per the contractor's recommendation, I used Tile Lab Sureguard Sealer (Green Bottle). I can tell that it is time to do it again but now there are products that "Enhance" the Slate. Why would I want to use that?
I'm interested in matte finish and I want to avoid acrylic. I read the information on at least 6 different brands at Home Depot and, frankly, could not tell hype from fact. Any recommendations would be welcome.
I wouldn't recommend any topical finish sealers such as matte or glaze,and woulduse a water based enhancing sealer maybe Aquamix enhancer,or even an enhancing sealer fromTileleab to stay with the same product line.Although residual sealer that is still in the tile may reduce the effectof the enhancer and may need to be stripped to get a full enhancing effect..The reason these are used is they bring out the natural colors of the stone and penetrate not leaving a sealer on top to be worn off by foot traffic.
__________________ http://Davestonestile.com Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
I suggest you look into Surface Treatment Technologies CE. It can be applied with anything from one to multiple coats. Dupont's Stone Tech Enhancer Pro is also very good. Every product will yield different results.
The key is to TEST first. Contact each manufacturer, and see if they will be willing to send you a TEST sample. Most are willing to accommodate and earn your business.
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John Koessler Koessler Enterprises
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten."
I would stay away from anything home depot or tile lab has to offer. Get some shine and seal from this old grout. Has some enhancement and puts a nice high gloss seal on slate. I have never had any luck with any matte finishes. Any topical has limited lifespan and will have to be stripped and reapplied eventually.
Never tried miracle. I just generally stay away from HD or lowes tile sealing products. For me a lot of tile installers have passed down a lot of information that everyone seems to feed off of without ever testing. For example the use of impregnator 511. A lot of installers swear by it. Why? When I go to a house and I see how the dirt gets trapped in the silicone based 511 it is almost impossible to get clean. Even with a floor stripper the grout is very difficult to clean. I would say it is just better not to seal then to use the impregnator 511.
I've tried the Miracle brand products for many years. I've never liked their properties. Many people have over applied them, and even when applied correctly don't yield the same results as its competitors (my opinion).
As stated, many setters swear by their products. I definitely wouldn't put them in the same category as Tile Lab though.
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John Koessler Koessler Enterprises
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten."
Aqua Mix Enrich n Seal is a very high solids enhancer and will always darken porous materials much more than its competitors.
I usually have about 5 different enhancers to offer my clients with samples of each on their particular material. They choose which type of look they're trying to accomplish.
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John Koessler Koessler Enterprises
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten."
