[gwrightson]

I have been asked to clean a slate floor in a cottage, I dont advertise this type of cleaning but the custy prefers I do it as I am cleaning all of his carpets, his suite and a general house clean .

He wants his home looking spick & span for his wife coming home from New York, suite and carpets not a prob , house clean not a prob, I have a couple of polish girls who do an excellent job, and cleaning the slate floor I dont really envisage any problems . I tried an area with an acidic cleaning solution , rinsed and it came up a treat, however he requires a finish on the floor, initialy he requested a high gloss, I managed to disuade him from this route but he does want some type of lustre or semi sheen on the finish.
Can anybody suggest a product that will do the job ?

Geoff

[richy27]

i have no experience with cleaning slate floor but i do know the best thing to clean slate work tops is olive oil not much just a dab gets it gleamin

[sherco]

I would use Aqua Mix Phosphoric cleaner for slate, and i would seal it with Aqua mix ultra solv premium. Andrew

[gwrightson]

tks Andrew ,

where can these products be bought and does the sealer have a lustre to it , seems to be important to custy to have some sort of sheen .

geoff

[sherco]

If he wants a sheen then try Lithofin slate seal, they also do floor cleaners. If you google it you should find a supplier or even your local tile shop might keep it in stock. Andrew

[Jim_77]

You seriously rate Lithofin products Andrew?  I'm a bit shaky about using products that Joe Public can just pick off a shelf in any shop.  I've used their Wexa cleaner and it was pants, doesn't rinse very freely at all and certainly no more cleaning power than anything I've used previously.  I've also used the terracotta sealer which is like normal sealer thinned down to a third of its density!  That was working on a floor where the customer insisted I used what was put on it before.  Never again!

I've also seen a 20 grand flagstone floor that was knackered, covered in water marks and grease spots.  It had been treated with lithofin stain stop, the boss of the firm who fitted the floor and sealed it swears his guys let the floor dry sufficiently and did it properly..... obviously I don't knoew that for sure, but I've had a very similar experience with HG impreg sealer, never got paid for it and didn't go banging the door for the money either!  Again, that was my mistake letting the customer have too much control over their own floor

Geoff, get 4 coats of Xcalibur on it, he'll be able to see up her skirt when she walks through the door

[sherco]

I prefer Aquamix but they don't do a high sheen sealer. I have just layed a 95sqm slate floor and sealed it with lithofin slate seal, it looked fantastic, there is a bit of a knack to sealing floors i use a paint pad to apply the sealer, only do a couple of metres at a time then after about 5mins wipe any surplus off with a terry towel. Wouldnt touch HG products.

[Cathedral Floorcare]

I'm with Sherco, HG are rubbish. I don't generally use Lithofin because their products are heavy on the solvents and generally stink to high heaven. 

For a high gloss finish there are two options with Aquamix;
1. A two step process with a sealer and gloss finish - Seal and Finish Low Sheen and Floor Shine and Hardener. It looks mint when it's done well.
2. High Gloss Sealer - does what it says on the tin but needs plenty of texture to grip, best on riven surfaces.

I also use a paint pad - lots of really thin coats, take your time, jobs a good un. 

[Cathedral Floorcare]

Geoff, get 4 coats of Xcalibur on it, he'll be able to see up her skirt when she walks through the door

Jim, what's the Xcalibur stuff like? Does it need much maintenance once it's down? And do you need to burnish it for a high shine?

Chris

[gwrightson]

really spoilt for choice now, xcalibur  sounds good !!!

can this be bought localy or has to be ordered

geoff

[Jim_77]

Speak to the cornish pixie

Never used it, but it's 26% solids, 1% higher solids than the stuff I use and you can get a floor like a mill pond with that

Never used aquamix so couldn't make any comparisons

[Andrew Briscoe]

Heard good things about xcalibur, must try it in the new year

Andrew