Restoring Colour to Black Slate Paving with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal in Bedale North Yorkshire

A client in Bedale had a Black Slate Patio installed the previous year and was never happy with its appearance. The paving was quite extensive and included the main patio, areas around the property and its perimeter. The client understood the stone was Limestone however it was clear to us it was Slate, either way it had quickly lost its colour and now looked washed out and grey. Although the patio had been laid level it had been left with a thin coated of lime mortar following the installation which had further affected its appearance.

I visited the property, surveyed the paving and ran a couple of tests to work out the best way to restore its appearance and demonstrate what we could do. The testing worked well and our customer knew at that moment they could trust us with its restoration.

Having taken measurements, I worked out what products would be needed to do the work and later that day emailed over a quote which they were happy to accept.

Deep Cleaning Black Slate Garden Paving

To remove the lime cement hazing that was covering the Slate and generally clean the stone a medium dilution Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up was applied and left to soak in for ten minutes. This gives the product time to breakdown the lime cement before working it in with a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary buffer.

Grout Clean-Up is designed to remove light grout smears and mineral deposits and once done the paving was given a low-pressure rinse and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum. The Slate was now clean and clear of cement; it just needed to dry out before it could be sealed.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Patio

We have picked a good weather window for this work and fortunately after leaving it to dry for another day it was ready for sealing. We use a damp meter to test for moisture and this was used on our return to confirm it was dry.

Two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal were applied to seal the Slate and this being an oil-based sealer did a great job of restoring the black colour and deep rich finish to the stone. X-Tra seal is rated for external use and is an impregnator that soaks into the stone, occupying the pores and thereby ensuring that dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily rinsed away.

By the time we had finished the patio looked the best it had ever had and the customer was pleasantly surprised and very pleased with how it now looked, apparently it was just how she wanted it.

To keep the patio looking good it’s important not to clean it with a strong product that can damage the sealer. For this reason, we recommend using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is ph. neutral and sealer friendly.

Source: Slate Patio Paving Maintenance Products and Services in Bedale North Yorkshire