Slate tiles are a highly durable substance, and this durability is often mistaken by people to mean that the tiles on their floor will be easy to maintain and clean. Cleaning is usually done with a mop and a little water, and sometimes a little detergent - but maintenance of such a floor involves more than simple washing once in a while. It is useful to divide the maintenance of this type of floor into two elements - the slate tiles and the grout.
The tiles themselves are highly durable, but can break easily during cutting, so it is always recommendable to have the slate professionally installed. Slate doesn't stain easily but certain types of food and drink can stain slate, so one needs to be careful.
One area where slate can be affected is with surface scratching and abrasions, which can occur from dirt and grit walked in on the soles of shoes. These scratches can affect the surface of the slate and it is in these places that staining and layers of bacteria can build up to form a stain which cannot be easily cleaned. Placing doormats at entrances will help control the amount of dirt and grit being introduced while regular sweeping and vacuuming will also help.
Heavy objects, furniture and chair legs can also cause scratching and care should be taking when moving such objects. Felt pads can be applied to chair legs and sharp corners to help reduce the risk of surface scratching, but taking care when moving these objects is the best way to proceed.
The grout is somewhat more complicated to keep clean, and without an effective sealer, can be almost impossible. Grout is a construction material and is composed of a mixture of sand, cement and water and is used to fill spaces, such as those between slate tiles. It is a notoriously porous substance and stains very easily. Due to the way it is applied - it is usually recessed lower than the level of the tiles, which means that spillages which naturally gravitate towards this area.
The key to maintaining grout is the application of a quality sealer - and a professional company specializing in cleaning slate floors will be able to recommend one for you. Without a sealer - the grout will begin to take an uneven appearance and can affect the whole aspect of the floor.
There may come a time when, even with the application of a sealer, that through general use and traffic, a floor starts to become dulled or marked and you may find that general cleaning ceases to be effective. When this happens it is recommendable to contact a company which focuses on cleaning slate floors and can take advantage of modern technology to leave the floor looking like its original state.
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