Why? When? With what? How? These are common questions that homeowners with slate tile floors face. It is not mandatory to seal a slate tile floor. The decision to seal or not is dependent on the source and nature of your slate tiles, room where you want to use it and user behavior. Sealing is required to protest porous varieties of slate or to obtain a shiny surface.
What is Slate? Slate is a metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks are those that started life millions of years ago as some other rock. These rocks when exposed to high temperature and pressure for millions of years turn into metamorphic rocks. Thus marble is a metamorphic rock that is formed from limestone.
Slate is formedrom a Shale like rock composed of clay and volcanic ash. Slate consists of a variety of minerals including zircon and quartz. The color of the slate depends on the color of the source clay and may vary between black, grey, and have shades of purple, green, cyan and light brown depending on its mineral composition.
Sources of Slate and their Properties
Once you know the source of your slate and its properties you will be in a better position to make an informed decision about sealing the floor.
Slate is sourced from Brazil, China, India and Vermont in United States.
Brazilian and Vermont slate have low absorption indices, while the absorption rates for Indian and Chinese slate vary.
Brazilian slate is hard, has low porosity and has a variety of colors.
Vermont slate is uniform in color, dense and has low porosity.
Indian and Chinese slates have variable colors and are relatively more porous. Porous, soft slates need pre-sealing with a suitable sealant.
Water based polyurethane sealant penetrates the porous slate, seals cracks and openings, is low in volatile organic compounds and gives a beautiful sheen to the stone.
Installing and Sealing Slate Floors
Clean the floor surface to be covered with slate tiles.
Clean the tiles and apply two coats of the sealant at an interval of approximately two hours between each application. Penetrating sealants provide better protection than surface sealants.
Lay the tiles and wait for the mortar to dry completely. The stage is now set for grouting.
You can mix Polyurethane sealant instead of water with the grout to improve its performance. A latex based grouting product provides better flex and tensile strength.
After grouting, let the floor dry for a week, then clean the excess grout and t
he floor thoroughly with water. When the slate and grout is dry, apply two more coats of the sealant. Let the floor cure for 24 hours for optimum results.
You can ask your flooring installer for different finish options for a slate floor including natural look, wet look and glossy look. A highly reflective finish looks great but also requires careful maintenance as scratches and dust are more visible on a high gloss floor.
Slate is a natural stone tile floor that is easy to install and lasts a very long time. Slate tiles can be installed in
almost any area of the house. If you so desire you can even use slate tiles to create a feature wall in your house or pair it with another suitable stone to create patterns and designs. Sealing a slate floor is not mandatory but does help in increasing the life of a floor, improving its appearance and making it stain resistant. Slate tiles have a natural warmth and fit in well in both traditional and modern settings. They can also be paired with natural floor rugs like seagrass, sisal and coir and green flooring options like cork flooring for stunning visual appeal. If sealing the floor appears to be chore our professional installation services are just a phone call away.
