Old slate floor renovation help

17 years ago

Anyone have any suggestions how to clean up and repair the grout lines in an old slate floor? I had one floor cleaner professional remove the polyurethane or whatever is on the floor in one small section before he realized it was going to take a lot more work than we estimated. The removal is one thing, but how to repair/renovate the grout lines is another. There is all kinds of efflorescence and chips/holes in the grout lines. The floor guy says it was an old "mud job" with the slate laid into it.

Here are the pictures of it where you can see the before and after removal:

Slate Floor

Is this something that can be repaired? I hate to have to seal it all up and put another floor over it. All that mixed slate has so much character and it would look marvelous with clean lines after it has the shiny surface removed.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

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Comments (8)

rickw_2009
17 years ago
efflorescense is very hard to fix. may have to scrape grout joints and regrout. even then it may come back water may be pushed through the floor bringing it up.
swickbb
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm still looking for help with my slate floors. It seems to be an expensive and environmentally questionable situation to remove the polyurethane from the slate. Plus it needs to have the white efflorescence removed and holes repaired so it's not a simple job.

Another option that we were told was to put a leveler over the slate (breaks my heart to do that) and then I could put whatever flooring on top. What other options are there for covering the slate?
Would any stable flooring have to be drilled into the slate? Would some interlocking wood floor be able to be installed over it? The floor is approx. 650 sq. ft. so it's not a small area.
Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks!
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echoflooring
16 years ago
Its a bummer that you're not finding a good answer to restore what you have, and I would bring in a big time tile guy to look at it. With that said, you could put patch over the groput joints(fill them in to level the floor) and use either a cork floating, laminate, perhaps a floating wood floor, or Konecto floating if the slab stays at above 60 degees (for the Konecto only). You may even be able to install tile Or LVT or Duraceramic over it, but moisture test must be done and you may have to rough up the remaining sealer that is on it.Research will have to be done if one of the later floors are desired. Carpet could be done also by either gluing or tap conning the tack strips. A direct glue down carpet will require perfect leveling of the existing slate. Or ..you could tear it out..I take it it is on a slab.....
swickbb
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks echoflooring. I was wondering about the floating wood floor. I like the idea of floating cork as well except I had read that it discolors easily from the sun. And as you can see from the pictures below one wall is entirely windows. Earlier we were worried about adding anything that would rise higher than our sliding door but we are going to replace that now. Here's another picture of part of the room. In the mean time I will look for an opinion from a true tile guy. I have had three different floor cleaners look at it and one carpet/tile person. They all have an idea of how to clean it but fixing it and cleaning out the efflorescence is another story.
justme48
16 years ago
I have the same floor with the same problems!
I'm just starting research.
Here's one place I'll be talking with: Tile & Stone Restoration

I'm asking about DIY options as well.
I'll let you know what I find out.
glennsfc
16 years ago
There is not much you will be able to do to prevent the efflorescence from reappearing; moisture is working its way through the slab and to the surface. However, an experienced stone contractor might be able to suggest a sealer that could do the job. Regrouting with an epoxy grout might do it, but a real stone person would be able to advise you here.

You could remove the polyurethane and then apply a self-leveling underlayment. You could then install any flooring you want, but remember that moisture would still want to find its way out of the slab, which would interfere with any attached flooring material. You also must use the correct primer and apply the underlayment in a professional manner.

Or, demolish and remove the slate and then smooth the exposed substrate with the self-leveler.
swickbb
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks everyone for your advice. I had another company out of Danbury, CT take a look at the floor today. He'll be coming back to do a large test strip to make sure it will look acceptable after stripping the poly, cleaning the grout and resealing. I can make a better judgment on the finish and where to go from there. I'm liking the idea of doing both, refinishing the slate on one side of the room and floating wood on the other side!
Now I need to find the Brazilian Cherry wood floor...
johannafin
16 years ago
Wow. I can see why the OP don't want to cover up that slate. It is really beautiful and very fitting with the modern styling of the house. I love the staircase. Reminds me a bit of the house I grew up in, also in CT. If you are still here, did you find a solution and get the floors fixed?