How to fix flaking slate floor?

[Romain]

 

  

Half the floor in our new house is slate stone. Has been sealed using an acrylic based sealant. 
The sealant is flaking away in patches in the main traffic areas. 
I would like to fix this myself but the acrylic based sealant is only sold to tradies and having a baby at home, it seems that the water base sealant would be a better fit for us. 
Should I try to remove the top layer of the old sealant first before applying the new water based one? 
or only cleaning the flaked areas before applying the water based one? 

if choosing the same finish as the current acrylic base, would we see a different between the 2 sealant? 

I am planning on trying in the dressing room first so if finishes are too different it would not be an issue as only us will see this. 

thank you 

[EricL]

Hello @Romain 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your slate flooring.

We had a similar query asked a while back and I suggest having a quick look - How to re-seal slate floor with a different brand by @Plodder. Removing the seal of the slate flooring is an involved and messy process. If chemically stripped all that chemical residue will need to be properly disposed of and if mechanically stripped it will create a large amount of sanding dust. All that dust must be kept at bay by using a shop vac and the rooms sealed from each other with painters drop sheets. 

In regards to compatibility, it will be difficult to tell if the new sealer you'll be using will have the same sheen and finish as the old one. But the odds are that they will have different finishes as the old sealer has already been weathered and exposed to UV. Because it is an involved process, I propose getting a quote from a professional slate sealer (make sure it us a detailed quote). You'll get a bird's eye view of what is involved in stripping and re-sealing your slate flooring. 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Good afternoon @Romain 

I have the same type of slate floor in my back room, plus a large crack between two sections from the dodgy bro home renovators before me lol

Id be tempted to work on it slowly, as in as parts deterioate (loose their seal) then seal each section as needed. Feast Watson 4L Gloss Clear Slate and Pebble Sealer 

So pretty much, do it in small areas, see if it looks ok and blends. 

The only downside is a couldnt find a smaller sample pot.

My slate has held up fine sealing wise, crack wise yeah thats going to be a large issue, at the moment its "fixed" under a rug.....shhhhhh

Dave

Dave

[Romain]

Hi @Dave-1 

Thanks fully I don’t have to replace any, yet, only minor peeling and flaking but I don’t want to wait until it’s too bad of course. 

Feats Watson is a good brand. I have used it for my bathroom wooden counter top to treat it for water. Used the boat one but worked perfectly. 

will see if I can find small pails of different sealant and they then before deciding the winner. 

please post pictures of the results 

thank you 

Romain