NON-RESILIENT TILE: SLATE FLOORS

Slate is a fine grained metamorphic rock derived from clays and more often, shales.   It has a cleavage that allows it to be easily split into thin sheets.  Slate floors can be ground smooth, like a chalk board or rough surfaced when left unground.   Slate is  porous and must be sealed to keep from staining.  No more than two coats of seal should ever be applied to rough slate floors to keep from building up excess amounts in the lower valleys or depressions.  Ongoing protection should be with buffable polymers and buffed with a polishing brush.

CAUTIONS

• Avoid acids.  Acids will attack slate floors and cause pitting as well as loss of strength in the mortar joints.
• Avoid abrasives.  Marble is a relatively soft stone and can be permanently scratched by harsh abrasives like sand, some scouring cleansers and overly agressive floor pads, if used in a dry state.
• Avoid crystalline cleansers, such as Trisodium Phosphate - (T.S. P.).  Crystals formed in the pores of the floor upon evaporation of the cleaning solution exert a sufficient pressure to cause a spalling or chipping of the surface.
• Avoid wax.  Solvent or water emulsion waxes applied to rough slate floors can and will cause slippery conditions.