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how to clean slate stone sealer

10 years ago

my whole bathroom has been tiled with natural slate stone including inside the steam shower. It seems to me as though they used the wrong type of sealer as its flaking and peeling off. What product can I use to take all of the old sealer off? Also what new product(s) should I use to seal it since its a steam shower? Thank you so much!

Bryan

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Comments (12)

carolssis
10 years ago
I'd contact the contractor who did the work, ask him what they used and why is it coming off. Until you know what it was, you have no idea what to do to fix it.
PRO
Stoneshine
10 years ago
I agree,have the contractor come back and remove it.
Not an easy DIY job. It will require chemical strippers based on what product they used.
Topical sealing products shouldn't be unused in shower stalls.
Test the slate for porosity an that will determine if you even need a sealer.
Usually slate slate can br color enhanced using a solvent based color enhancer.
However in the shower stall it will degrade over time.
Sometimes quickly depending on product,application and surface.
Probably best to try and not use anything.
Slate is a varied product ,some slates like multi colored are very porous while other slates like roofing quality are not.
Roofing quality slates never need sealing and can protect a roof for 100 years plus.
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Thanks - the tile was pretty inexpensive (except for the deco pieces - $10 each) - the green one had already been discontinued when I bought it in 2007. I already called Marazzi a year ago looking for it. They only made it for Home Depot, didn't have any more of the decos. Though maybe they have some field tile left. I need about 150sf of it (10 cases) - I have 1 case left, and some that need to have thinset cleaned off them but if I do that maybe I can get by with less (maybe 20sf in basement? So 9 cases? Probably not worth it). It's called Antica Spagna. The white tile is also by Marazzi, it's Pietra in Alabaster color - I have 150sf of that left (bought last summer when we were replacing some, bought extra to do future breakfast bumpout). but I'd need about 200sf more (about 13 cases) - again, have some (maybe 25 sf?) downstairs we could clean up. That was probably also only made for Home Depot. I'd love to do travertine, but don't know if my structure will support it - Bill? Maybe do travertine-look porcelain throughout? I don't want to deal with this - am worried that demo will damage my BC floor in the DR (dust, etc. - will definitely have to get mew T-mold, not a problem) that I just had replaced in Sept (original 2007 floor defective - Home Depot reimbursed for materials, not labor), possibly kitchen cabinets, and now that we've moved in I have absolutely no place to store everything I have to take out of coat closets and pantry floor, all the appliances, we waited til all the ceilings were retaped and repainted to get new furniture, the sheetrock dust was horrible, concrete (grout/thinset)dust will be worse. I just hate this house! Our dream house has turned into a nightmare and a money pit between the DR floor, the ceilings, and now the tile! At least the carpet and the upstairs tile that was DIY are OK. As you can see, I'm still working on trim (won't put it up in tiled areas until this is resolved).
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bolivia310
Original Author
10 years ago
The problem is that I bought the house a year ago and was a foreclosure so I have no way of knowing who installed the tile. The slate is multi colored. :(
PRO
Stoneshine
10 years ago
Best thing you can do in my opinion is to hire a pro and get it done correctly.
Send us some pics maybe we can offer some more info.
bolivia310
Original Author
10 years ago
this is the tile.
PRO
Stoneshine
10 years ago
Looks like a polyurethane coating.
It really looks like a mess-will be very tough for you to remove. There are safe soy based strippers on the market along with lots of highly toxic ones. Your best bet would be to hire a seasoned pro. These type of situations even working with a pro may yield mixed results.
Get some quotes from several companies.
What part of the country are you in.
bolivia310
Original Author
10 years ago
Wow this sucks. I live in Los Angeles by lax airport.
bolivia310
Original Author
10 years ago
I called a local store and they recommended this product to remove the coating....any thoughts?

http://www.stonetooling.com/Aqua-Mix-Sealer-Coating-Remover-Gallon-p/30.00108.htm
PRO
Stoneshine
10 years ago
Well for 36.00 bucks you can certainly try it.
I use it on certain jobs-it needs a long dwell time to be effective to remove the coating. On a vertical surface gravity will fight you all the way. Its worth a try-you will need to paint it on and keep it wet for a good 30-60 minutes. Then the coating can be scraped, brushed and rinsed
Still think you are better off with someone who does this for a living. Believe me its nasty.
enduring
10 years ago
Maybe StoneTooling will have a list of contractors they can provide that could take a look and quote you a price. I have ordered online from them and have been very happy with their service.
bolivia310
Original Author
10 years ago
Wells guys, I attacked the shower last weekend and let me tell you how much of a paint in the @ss it is. On some parts of the shower the coating is thinner than others. I'm hoping to finish this up this weekend and give you guys an update. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for all your help and support.

Bryan
enduring
10 years ago
Yea Bolivia, can't wait to see what you've accomplished.

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