How to repair a damaged slate tile?

[skris232]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some advice on how to repair a slate tile that's starting to flake and peel, as you can see in the attached picture, the top layer is coming away.

I'd love to restore it rather than replace it if possible. Has anyone had experience with a similar issue? What are the best methods or products for this kind of repair? I'm open to both DIY suggestions and recommendations for professional services if that's the best route.

Any tips, tricks, or product recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Dave-1 · Accepted solution]

Good Evening @skris232 

I have the same type of slate in my sunroom so feeling your pain. 

Do you have any spare slate tiles around? As one option in my head is removing and replacing it with another (I found a bunch of broken tiles in the backyard ages ago (shaking my head at previous owners) Potential problems would be cracking other existing tiles as slate tends to wantto do that.

I wonder if you resealed it with varnish, would it look the same as the others and stop shearing off. I kind of like this option as it being the easiest and least invasive one. Maybe seal the tile first with a product but I will let @EricL or @JacobZ  suggest the best type as its outside my knowledge I have two seperate floors with the slate tiles covering the join and they have a crack down the center, I havnt replaced any tiles as yet but thats where I will end up going.

Dave

[JacobZ]

Hi @skris232,

Unfortunately, when sealers wear off, slate does have a tendency to delaminate, especially when it is in a high-traffic area such as a doorway.

Outside of replacement, @Dave-1's recommendation of resealing your slate is likely your best option. A sealer won't fix the delamination issue, but it will offer some protection and a slight binding effect that could help prolong the life of your slate.

Start by giving the affected tiles a good clean with a soft brush to remove any loose chips or dirt, then mop the tiles with some Feast Watson Floor Clean.

Once dry, apply a coat of Feast Watson Slate And Pebble Sealer using a 100mm Roller Frame with an 11mm Nap Concrete & Paving Roller Cover.

This should help prolong the life of your slate tiles and will hopefully blend in well with the existing sealer.

Let me know what you think, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[skris232]

Unfortunately, I don't have any spare tiles but then if I did replacing it would have a been a difficult task.
I do like the idea of resealing it (easy and least invasive ) that's a brilliant suggestion. Thanks

Hope it works out with your tiles as well. 

[skris232]

Yes I'll be going with resealing the slates that sounds doable. 
Thanks, for the product recommendations!