slate floor

12 years ago

I've read some older threads about the pros and cons of slate flooring as well as the aesthetic considerations of floors in old houses. My 1837 post and beam brick-sided Georgian style home has "random" patterned dark gray slate in the kitchen, laundry, pantry, powder room and adjacent hallway over plywood and fir flooring original to the addition built in 1840 or thereabouts, as well as an interior hallway and foyer. About 500 s.f. just in the kitchen and adjacent areas.

I do find it difficult to keep clean. It's been sealed a number of times, but I have dogs, and any spills or accidents seems to remove the sealer and leave the area dull and mottled looking. Also, repeated washing seems to remove the slight sheen of the sealer, which is more of a surface sealer rather than a penetrating sealer. It always looks dirty, and every speck of dust or lint shows on the dark tiles. The grout, a light gray, also gets really dirty in the high traffic areas.

The PO who installed it told me that the original wood floor, probably fir installed in the mid 1800s along with the rest of the house, was in bad shape. I can see the bottom of the boards by sticking my head into the crawl space under the kitchen wing. The rest of the house has fir installed over the original wide board floors.

While the slate is fairly indestructible, I find the maintenance a pain. I have to scrub the grout with oxyclean and a stiff brush to get it clean, and the floor looks clean for about a day after mopping it.

If anyone has any suggestions on making it easier to maintain, or products to darken the grout to show less dirt, I'd appreciate it.

I've been thinking about pulling up the slate and plywood to see what kind of shape the fir floor is in, and either repairing it or flooring over it with another wood floor. This will be a costly project, and I could be opening a can of worms. Plus the cabinets installed about 12 years ago by a PO are on top of the slate, which means we'd have to cut the plywood around the cabinets and the floor level will drop about an inch. Maybe I should leave well enough alone. I'd also like the slate better if it was rectangular tiles instead of the random pattern, which I think really dates it.

Here it is in the middle of repainting the walls.

And shortly after scrubbing the grout on my hands and knees.

Comments (6)

columbusguy1
12 years ago
Since you really hate it, then I'd remove it. If the floor underneath is in too bad shape, you can put new fir flooring down over it.
If you can stand it, try a different sealer, and replace the grout with something closer to the slate color itself--it will make the lines 'disappear'--I'm pretty sure grout can be colored to any desired shade. Unless you recolor it, grout will never look clean, so you will just have to accept that.
As you might guess, I am not a fan of slate or tile. :)
Saypoint zone 6 CT
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks. Do you know of a sealer that might hold up better than what I've used in the past? I've stripped it twice since we've been here, and sealed it the first time with a couple of coats of Tile Lab stone sealer. The second time I used Bona Stone Floor Polish. Neither held up very long, but I think the Tile Lab looked good longer.
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columbusguy1
12 years ago
Not tried sealing any sort of tile, but the link below has some good advice. A penetrating sealer seems best, and she advocates water-based ones due to v.0.c.s...also, allow at least 24 hours before walking on it...and clean with mild soap and water when needed.
I'd wager you are using too strong a cleaner...but check out the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sealing Slate
slateberry
12 years ago
Try posting this on the bathrooms forum. I'm sure someone will pipe up with the best sealer for your situation. You might just search that forum for slate sealer and see what comes up.

Below I linked to Bill V's FAQ. He's a frequent and helpful pro poster on the bathrooms forum. if you scroll down the FAQ to the "What is the difference between a water based sealer and a solvent based sealer? How do you know which one to use?" question, you might get some clues as to why your current sealers are not performing well for you (then again, they might be solvent-based too, in which case I don't know what to tell you). If you continue scrolling down to his links button, you will see on the links page that he lists Miracle Sealants and Stone Tech Sealers, so those might be places to start with.

You have two separate problems: you don't like the performance of the tile, and you don't like the appearance of the pattern/grid. It's possible that if you fix the performance problems, and maybe find a way to darken your grout, you can live with the tile. Personally I really like slate. But it's your house and if you hate it, do what you have to do. If you remove it you might be able to get it collected by a company that crushes slate for landscaping, rather than having it go in a landfill.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bill Vincent FAQ
Saypoint zone 6 CT
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, I will check out the FAQ you linked. I'm sure the sealers used by me and the PO were water based, not so sure about the original installer, who was two POs ago. I could live with the tile if it didn't always look dull and dirty. There are two other areas, the foyer and an interior hallway on the first floor done in the same slate, and it looks better than the kitchen area. Less wear? Different sealer? Not sure. I'll try to remember to come back and post if I find a solution that works for me.
Ina Plassa_travis
12 years ago
I grew up with rustic slate floors, and love the velvet surface of raw slate.

I think, if you don't love the stone for itself (and the stone is fine-grained and porous) then you should consider replacing it - if you don't like it, and think it needs more than a seasonal oiling, then it's not the stone for you.

I'm sure, if you offer up the broken tiles on Craigslist, someone will take them off your hands, and put them to good use.