Flooring Tile - Cleaning slate floor tiles
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01-13-01, 05:16 PM
I'm trying to salvage 9" slate floor tiles and would appreciate any advice on removing the old adhesive. I've tried soaking it in water and then trying to remove the adhesive with a floor chisel. This works okay but is quite time consuming. My question is, are there any solvents that I could use which would speed up the process without harming the slate?
arkayassoc
01-13-01, 07:34 PM
I have not used it, but seen many posts extolling the virtues of a product called CitroSolve or CitriSolve.
Not sure if that helps, but try a search and see what you find.
Not sure if that helps, but try a search and see what you find.
John Bridge
01-14-01, 08:06 AM
Hi Rick, Max,
Sounds like that might be acidic. It might do damage to the slate. We just recently had a woman who ruined a marble top by putting lemon juice on a stain.
I suspect the "adhesive" is portland cement based. If this is the case, knocking it off is about best thing to do. Sort of like cleaning up used bricks.
John
http://www.johnbridge.com
Sounds like that might be acidic. It might do damage to the slate. We just recently had a woman who ruined a marble top by putting lemon juice on a stain.
I suspect the "adhesive" is portland cement based. If this is the case, knocking it off is about best thing to do. Sort of like cleaning up used bricks.
John
http://www.johnbridge.com
01-14-01, 02:03 PM
John,
slate is a sedimentary rock as opposed to metamorphic marble which is mostly calcite (based on limestone). The two have very different properties,and to the best of my knowledge slate is resistant to acid. I did try muriatic(hydrocloric) acid which softens the mortar but its a pretty slow process. So far the easiest has been to chisel it off.
Matt
slate is a sedimentary rock as opposed to metamorphic marble which is mostly calcite (based on limestone). The two have very different properties,and to the best of my knowledge slate is resistant to acid. I did try muriatic(hydrocloric) acid which softens the mortar but its a pretty slow process. So far the easiest has been to chisel it off.
Matt
John Bridge
01-14-01, 04:22 PM
Hi again, Matt,
Don't mean to get into the finer geological aspect of things, but even though slate is sedimentary, I'm sure you know that sundry of its strata contain or are mostly composed of oxides, which in my book are highly succeptible to acids, including muriatic. Of course, I don't know what type of stone we're dealing with here.
Our very simple non-technical rule is to be careful when using acids around any type of natural stone, except maybe river rocks, and some of them can be affected.
John
Don't mean to get into the finer geological aspect of things, but even though slate is sedimentary, I'm sure you know that sundry of its strata contain or are mostly composed of oxides, which in my book are highly succeptible to acids, including muriatic. Of course, I don't know what type of stone we're dealing with here.
Our very simple non-technical rule is to be careful when using acids around any type of natural stone, except maybe river rocks, and some of them can be affected.
John
01-15-01, 09:00 PM
Hi John,
Not trying to be a smart-ass, but in this case the first suggestion was the correct one. I spoke with VT Structural Slate who advised me that muriatic acid is an excellent way to clean slate. My results; after leaving several tiles in a pretty strong solution of acid and water (about 2 to 3 mixture) overnight, the mortar came off with a putty knife. Its messy and nasty but it does make the job easier, and reduces chances of breaking the slate. Thanks for the input!
Matt
Not trying to be a smart-ass, but in this case the first suggestion was the correct one. I spoke with VT Structural Slate who advised me that muriatic acid is an excellent way to clean slate. My results; after leaving several tiles in a pretty strong solution of acid and water (about 2 to 3 mixture) overnight, the mortar came off with a putty knife. Its messy and nasty but it does make the job easier, and reduces chances of breaking the slate. Thanks for the input!
Matt