Slate Tile
How to:
Seal | Clean | Repair | Protect
Strip & Restore | Easy Care
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Indian Slate (gauged) Indian Slate (ungauged)
Brazilian Slate Vermont Slate
Quartzite (see in "discussion" section below)
Traditional beauty with a great variety of colors, finishes, and shapes allow for a wide spectrum of rustic to sophisticated design options. Also used for wall cladding. For large commercial projects wall cladding that will be caulked, click here.
Further discussion about "Slate":
Quartzite stone is very dense and can sometimes be found mixed in pallets with the softer slate pieces. See the Quartzite page for more detail on this harder stone. Choose the sealer based on this less absorbent stone and let the more absorbent stones have more sealer. Some Indian and Chinese slates will flake and powder from foot traffic. This is not rust or other minerals coming to the surface. These are spots of softer material becoming loose particles. To see how to deal with this problem, click here.Some slates may be quite hard, but have a soft spot that can powder out. The powder residue is the same color as the slate. This is not efflorescence as that is a white powder. To prevent this gradual removal of slate that turns into a bigger and bigger hole, choose a sealer here that is classified as "strengthening".
Cement residue from grouting is difficult to clean from slates with ridges, crevices and holes. Do not use a sealer as a grout barrier (pre-seal). Prevent grout smears, surface scratching and keep grout residue out of surface texture by coating with Aldon "Grout Easy" before grouting. "Grout Easy" is a water soluble coating that comes off easily while grout is being cleaned up with water and a sponge.
Some Indian and Chinese slates will flake and powder from foot traffic. This is not rust or other minerals coming to the surface. These are spots of softer material becoming loose particles. To see how to deal with this problem, click here.
Some black and brown slates (if unsealed) can lose color from aggressive cleaning. Click here for color restoration.
Some slates have almost zero absorption and a surface that can darken in patches from cleaners, chemical action, and/or scrubbing action. This can be prevented by sealing with S-B-S Sealer.
Advantages of Slate tile:
- The products you may need for surface Preparation before sealing.
- Pictures of each of the recommended sealers for this surface type. Click the sealer's picture for it's full description.
- Handy tips to prevent issues that others have had before coming to Aldon.
- Perhaps more information than you need now, but might be of interest later.
Surface Preparation before sealing grout
What you need for your Slate project
You have 1 of the 3 possible situations that follow. The products you need are listed in the sequence that you would use them. Click the picture to add a product to your list.
#1. If the Slate tile is not yet grouted
| Use 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|
 Grout Easy
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 *Grout Residue Remover |
 *Efflorescence Treatment |
#2. If the Slate tile is grouted, but grout is not sealed.
| 1st | 2nd | ||
|---|---|---|---|
*Grout Residue Remover |
**Efflorescence Treatment |
 ***Grout Restoration |
** If you have white powder (efflorescence) stains.
*** If your grout is badly stained.
#3. If the Slate tile has been sealed in the past.
| Use 1st | 2nd | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Premium Stripper |
*Grout Residue Remover |
**Grout Restoration |
** If your grout is badly stained. Regular stains are usually removed by the stripping process.
Your Choices for Sealing
But First - click here to remove the guess work about sealer results on your project:
Most people have no idea about the history and characteristics of their flooring. You can click this link to see how to easily test with water drops and understand which sealer is most appropriate for your goals.
Some questions you may not be thinking to ask right now that could become important:
. Was it sealed in the past? Does that matter?
. Will a new sealer be compatible with whatever was used before?
. What Aldon sealer will give the visual results you want?
. Will you also be able to have an Aldon sealer solve problem(s)? ( Answer: yes. Just know which to pick.)
Add to Project List
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Green Vermont Slate with 1 application of Same Day Sealer
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Add to Project List
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S-B-S Sealer is a low solids sealer that is perfect for Slate tile projects. In addition to sealing and protecting, it creates some color enhancement and an easier to clean surface.
Green Vermont slate with 1 application of S-B-S Sealer
Brazilian Slate with 1 application of S-B-S Sealer. S-B-S Sealer has the best ability to penetrate into this very dense, low absorption slate.
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Add to Project List
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"Crystal Glaze" provides a high gloss, very tough finish in one application.
Indian Slate with one application of Crystal Glaze. Some color enhancement and a high gloss tough coating. |
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Easy Care Products: for a Slate floor or wall.
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"Maintain" - for no streak wet mopping of Slate and all other types of flooring.
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"Dust Whiz" - easy dry mop dust pickup at 1,000 sq. ft. in 3 minutes.
Items of Interest
How to select a sealer
An Aldon sealer does far more than just bead water and look pretty! To see what that is click here.
Your results may vary somewhat from these pictures due to variations in computer display and the surface materials themselves. Nevertheless, you will be able to see the differences well enough to make good choices.
Important: If your project has had any sealer applied in the past, it must be evaluated differently. To see why, Click here!
Sealer "solids" levels?
Here are the relative solids level of our petroleum solvent based sealers:
Lowest: SBS Sealer
Next level Higher: Penetrating Paver Sealer
Another level higher: Porous Stone Sealer
Highest level: Mexiglaze
A porous surface will require more gallons (more money) of a lower solids sealer than using a higher solids level sealer. That, plus different surfaces have different requirements, is why we make the different solids levels. They all work as described, so it is only a matter of which is best for your needs.
The more porous the surface, the more solids will be required to achieve the desired effects of gloss, strengthening, stopping efflorescence, etc.
The more porous the surface, generally the greater the need for the sealer to create a stronger surface.
An old sealer below the surface, even after stripping, will lower the absorption and porosity to some degree. Sometimes it is uneven below the surface and can create an uneven coloring effect with a color enhancing sealer applied later. Another reason to test first.
To see more of why the price per gallon has little to do with what will be your total project cost, click here. For other questions about sealers, see the FAQ Sealers link on the slide out menu.
Do not believe yet that you have the type of surfacing you were told:
Do not "pre-seal" - apply a sealer BEFORE grouting.
Colors fading?
You can stop efflorescence (white powdery stains)
Efflorescence (subsurface originating white powdery stains) is common with many surfaces. This can even occur before installation. However, it is easily made to disappear without scrubbing by using Aldon Efflorescence Treatment. If the white powder is old and is now "crystalline" that is bonded to the surface - it can be eaten away with Aldon Grout Residue Remover.
Renew a glossy finish
Aldon Sealer applications can be made hours or years later, but do not apply thin layer upon thin layer. Apply a sufficient quantity to insure below surface penetration & bonding. Or, for the solvent based penetrating sealers, test spraying lacquer thinner as an alternative to slightly melt and reform the surface and not build too much gloss or create sealer "layering". A layer of sealer on top of another layer of sealer can result in poor bonding between layers and that can cause separation peeling that looks grayish.
Concerned about Doing It Yourself or what your contractor says?
If you are concerned about doing it yourself - consider that the satisfaction of a project is directly related to YOUR knowledge of what needs to be done and how. Who actually does the work is less important. We estimate that 50% of the usage of Aldon products is by "do it yourself" homeowners and we know they are happy because we hear from them.
Our goal for our contractor customers - NO CALL BACKS. A good contractor will understand the logic of Aldon application instructions on the labels and will not take shortcuts. If a contractor does not agree, feel free to let us find out what is so unusual about this particular project so the contractor does not have to return.
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Aldon Corporation and protected under applicable USA and international intellectual property law.
Our goal for our contractor customers - NO CALL BACKS. A good contractor will understand the logic of Aldon application instructions on the labels and will not take shortcuts. If a contractor does not agree, feel free to let us find out what is so unusual about this particular project so the contractor does not have to return.
Aldon Corporation and protected under applicable USA and international intellectual property law.