Most weeks I receive calls from people asking how to remove a sealer residue. Sealer residues occur when an impregnating sealer is incorrectly applied. Impregnating sealers (or penetrating sealers as they are sometimes known) are intended to be in or below the surface of the stone rather than ‘on’ it. So, the correct application involves applying the sealer to the surface, allowing a short time for penetration (this might be around 5 minutes, depending on both the sealer being used and the material being sealed) then any surplus sealer, remaining on the surface should be removed with something absorbent, ideally a white paper or cotton towel.All too often though, for various reasons this cleaning away of surplus, whilst still wet, does not take place. Reasons include not reading the instructions and my favourite: “I’ve been using sealers for years, always done it like this and never had a problem.”
A sealer residue can appear in a number of ways: as a dry, white powdery deposit; streaky marks or shiny spots; with some sealers, the residue can take the form of a wet or greasy coating. There are a number of ways in which the problem might be rectified, depending on the circumstances.
For example, if a solvent sealer was used, it is sometimes possible to use a little more of the actual sealer, the solvent carrier-fluid it contains can sometimes re-dissolve the residue allowing it to be wiped away with an absorbent cloth.
For other residues, we would recommend the use of a micro-abrasive cleaner like Microscrub. First apply a little water to the affected area, and then add a little Microscrub and scrub. Rinse well and dry down with paper towels. For really stubborn or thick residues that have been left for some time, a stripper may be required. In such situations, we would recommend a solvent based sealer stripper or remover, such as Strip_it applied neat and left on for a minimum of 30 minutes before scrubbing with a white nylon pad.
Apart from the last remedy (using a stripper) the others should not result in the need to re-apply more sealer afterwards. So, it need not be the end of the world if a sealer residue is left on the surface, but it is of course better to avoid the problem altogether, by applying the sealer correctly in the first place.
Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.
Hi Ian
I came across this blog and I hope you can help me. We had an indian sandstone patio laid last year. Our landscape gardener advised us to leave the patio a few months before sealing. Because of our lovely english weather last year we only just managed to seal it a couple of weeks ago. It was pressure cleaned a week or so before we sealed it. We went to B&Q and used product called crementone and followed instructions on the tin. Patio looked fab but then it rained a few days later and now its very patchy and has white streaks and looks like in places that it has greasy marks. Reading your comments from above I now wonder if we were over generous with the application. Can you suggest how we can rectify the the problem. Kim
Hi Kim,
You may have over applied a little, that may account for the streakiness. However the white marks are most likely to do with the sealer reacting with moisture. Some sealers can do this especially if the get moist whilst they are trying to cure. However some will turn white even after cured. best bet is to try to contact the manufacturer for advice but I suspect you will need to strip the sealer and start again
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
I am so glad to come across this blog. you see we just installed natural copper stone bricks on a 6 meter high wall. It is in shades of light golden brown and green. It looks fine when done but then when we applied 1 coat of the acrylic sealer, the color changed! now it all looks muddy brown. I am so depressed just looking at it. We used the brand StoneRocks acrylic sealer. I dont know if your familiar with that brand. Is there anyway I can get the original color back? I am worried because the stones may be smooth but they are very porus.
Hi Michelle,
OK, I do not know the brand, but I just had a look at the literature they have (not very detailed) but, it is an acrylic coating, that has some resistance to alkaline cleaners.
I suspect that the darkening is only as permanent as the sealer itself, so, if you can remove the sealer, you should be able to get the colour back.
My gut feeling is that you will need something a little stronger than an alkaline cleaner. So most likely you will need some kind of solvent based stripper, designed for removing sealers and or paint finishes. I would contact the sealer supplier for their advice, they may even have a stripper of their own.
Hope this helps
Ian
I had granite counter tops installed today and I am concerned about the sealing process that was done by my contractor. They used Dry Treat Original on two surfaces. Which was apparently a mistake as they were suppose to use an enhancer due to the lighter edges on the granite. They did the 3 remaining surfaces with Ager and also used Ager on the first two surfaces that were had already been done with Dry Treat. I didn’t see how the Dry Treat was applied. However, the Ager was applied by the first person spreading the product and the second person followed immediately wiping the product with a rag that had the consistency of a sheet. The Ager was not totally dry. Later this evening I noticed a smudgy look on the counter tops and then read online that the product should have been applied, allowed to sit for 5 minutes and the completely dried. My husband and I have spent the last 2 hours trying to get the sticky off the counter tops. They look okay but are still a little sticky. Especially the two counter tops that had multiple products applied. Any advice? Thanks, Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
OK the sticky is clearly excess sealer residue.
I am concerned that the ager (a colour intensifier) will have had little effect on the sections that were first impregnated with the sealer but not much you can do about that.
OK, they have simply left too much product o the granite, and not wiped it sufficiently dry, whether they left it long enough to penetrate and become properly installed a s a sealer I cannot say, but if not, then you can just add more so no big problem.
You need to remove the excess though, and you may have to use a stripper for this. However, first there is something you might try; the sealer is most likely a solvent based one from that company, the solvent is used to delivery the sealer into the stone, then it evaporates, allowing the sealer particles to form a chain/link system, this ‘curing’ or setting process takes a little time as the bonds become stronger, the longer you leave the residue, the harder it will become to remove – so act now.
There is a chance that the same solvent might be very effective to remove the residue, so try a little test, if you have any of the sealer left, dab a little on a cloth-cotton flannel etc, and rub it on a small test area of residue – it may well break the sealer back down again and remove it. If it does, then it is also the same sealer, so you will be topping up the sealer at the same time, leave it to penetrate for a few minutes then with fresh absorbent towels/tissue, remove ALL of any trace of wetness – buff it completely dry – this is removing the surplus sealer from the top before it dries, but it wont pull any sealer out of the stone.
If this does not work, you will need a proprietary sealer remover, there are several on the market, (you could contact Dry Treat and ask their recommendation) then you would need to re seal after.
Hope this helps
Ian
Had sealed flagstone with techniseal glossy sealer , after three days spots of water got on few stones and turned white , what can I do ??? It’s like a Dalmatian spots but white .
Hi Tony,
OK, I don’t know that range of products but; many coating sealers do this. Some coating sealers are fine and will not react with water like this. Others, will, if they are allowed to com into contact with water while they are curing, but once cured, they are ok. If your sealer was not subjected to water until 3 days after (and you appear to be in a warmer climate) then either, conditions at the time slowed the curing (for some reason) or, you have a coating sealer that can still react with moisture even after curing.
Just occasionally these white spots will fade to clear again when they are dry, however in most case they won’t, as the water has irrecoverably ‘changed’ the sealer. IN this case the only answer is to strip off the affected sealer, rinse and allow the floor to dry, then re-apply.
However, you may want to call the technical dept of the company to get their view as to why it went white, my feeling is that if it did not get wet until 3 days after application (by which time it should be set/cured properly) then it will always have the risk of whiting out.
Hope this helps
Ian
Help. Had a new black limestone patio laid and just had it sealed with resiblock Indian standstone enhancer. The finish is really very very streaky with what looks like over application all over the patio, it’s a large area. What’s best to do?
Hi Steve,
It does sound like over-application or not cleaning off the surplus. With most sealers of this type, getting that surplus off as soon as you can is important. The longer you leave it the more it will cure/set and the progressively harder it becomes to remove. I have not used this particular sealer but looking quickly at their web site, it is clearly a solvent based product, and it may be that you need a solvent cleaner/stripper to remove set/cured over application.
Sometimes it is worth trying the same sealer ( as the solvent used to disperse it will sometimes re-emulsify the dried sealer – apply it, leave it a moment or two and rub with a cloth. then rub dry with cloth and or absorbent paper. If this works it also means you won’t have to reapply the sealer – which may not be the case if you have to strip. For more advice I would suggest you contact their tech support for their recommendations
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian! Thankful I found this blog with comments. Long story short – we attempted a DIY complete renovation of an old (1940s) bathroom. While sealing our honed carrera marble tile I was unable to keep it from drying on the surface. Some of the tiles are cloudy and streaky following the exact lines I applied the sealant. I used a water based DuPont 5-yr sealant, and contacted DuPont who recommended their heavy duty cleaner and it did not work. Is NanoScrub my best bet? How likely it is to be effective? Thanks you!
Hi Ian. We had a patio sealed applying Adseal Stone and Slate Protector using an airless spray. The patio slabs used are Marshalls Yorkstone effect concrete riven flags. Due to the riven finish and the application method, some pooling occurred and although one coat is meant to give a Matt finish, it is also very shiny. Would widespread use of a re-emulsifier and use of a dry absorbent roller help to remove the excess and take off some of the shine? Or is it more likely to result in a patchier finish?
Hi Mary,
I am assuming that the cleaner was an alkaline one and that maybe you you did not allow it to dwell for long enough (not easy on vertical surface) – one way is to put it in a spray bottle and keep misting the surface for say 10 minutes then scrub.
IT is well worth trying the microabrasive cleaner you mention, I have had great results with that, and it wont harm either the marble or the sealer.
If this does not work then you may have to use a solvent based stripper.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Chris,
I don’t know the product but it looks like a coating sealer. The pooling will mimic more coats, and simply leave a greater amount of solids on the surface, creating the glossier finish. If it is shiny all over then the application method has delivered too much product
By re emulsifier do you mean a solvent stripper? if so it may well strip the excess but it may also strip some actual sealer too – but then you would just need to reseal, more carefully this time.
I am not sure if this is water based or solvent based product? Some of these products do not take well to trying to trying to remove excess with a roller. In my experience applying with a sponge mop, lambs wool applicator or paint pads is best, ‘pulling’ excess to other areas whilst still wet, and avoiding pooling. I am not sure that re emulsifying and trying to do the same will work quite as well.
I think this is one where you would be best advised to contact the manufacturer and seek their advice.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
My contractor just installed Chennai White Marble on my bathroom and shower walls. This is a natural stone that is very textured and porous. They used some type of non-glossy and non-water based sealer on it that changed the color a bit. I was wondering if there is anything I can do to remove this. I heard there are sealer products that do not change the color and I would prefer that. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
OK, many solvent based sealers will darken stone, especially if it is a light-coloured stone. Generally speaking most premium water based sealers will not significantly darken the stone.
You problem now is getting the solvent sealer out.
You will need a good quality solvent stripper.
You appear to be in Miami, I would suggest you contact Mapei USA, they are based in Deefield Beach FL, call their tech services department, they have just launched a range of cleaners and sealers etc. Called Ultra Care They have a good stripper (Heavy Duty Sealer and Coating Stripper) and a good water based sealer also called Penetrating Plus.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
I installed ivory sandstone and black limestone pavers outdoors and used a water-based penetrating sealer (Crommelin). Used a garden spray to apply it (as recommended by the company). The sandstone is fine (perhaps due to its light colour and higher porosity) but the limestone has white patches all over. Reading through your comments, it appears that I over applied the sealer, and made the mistake of waiting instead of wiping off the excess. It has almost been 10 months since the sealer application. Do you have any suggestions as to how these white spots can be removed? Will a solvent-based stripper work on a water-based sealer? Thank you.
Cheers,
Ash
Hi Ash,
I think you have really answered your own question. You might not need a solvent, you could try an alkaline cleaner first, that and a scrub pad or brush might remove the spots. If not, then pretty much any solvent paint stripper, acetone, nail varnish remover, sealer stripper should do it quite easily. If you have just a few spots them deal with them locally, rather than stripping the whole floor. You may need to top up the sealer where you strip.
Hope this helps
Ian
HI Ian, I just saw this response. Thank you.
Hi Iain,
I wonder if you can help. Our tiler applied a water-based sealant we bought after laying a black slate floor in our bathroom. It has left milky/chalky/salty looking stains and patches all over the tiles. I have tried washing with clean water, and removing with white spirit (a small test patch only) but no joy. The slate looks even and clean when wet, but the same marks reappear as it dries.
Do you have any tips for how to remove these marks as they appear to be below the surface?
Many thanks!
Hi,
OK, from what you have said, it sounds like sealer residue. You don’t say if it is a coating/topical sealer (one that sits on top that is supposed to leave a satin sheen) or an impregnator (one that is meant to sit below the surface as an invisible protection).
If it is a coating, then the patchiness could be simply that not enough has been applied – and a second coat may even things up.
HOWEVER, my feeling is that the issue you describe is more like the surplus sealer residue that is common with an impregnator. This is especially common with a water based sealer on black slate. the dense stone surface, is not easily penetrated by the the larger polymers found in many good quality water based sealers. This is not a problem and the sealer is fine, it is just that the normal rules of impregnating sealer application are critical here. This means that the sealer should be applied, left to soak in (penetrate) for a few minutes, no more, then it should be buffed off using absorbent paper/cotton towels and the surface should be left dry. The white residue is sealer that has dried ON the surface, where it is not intended to be, against the black background of the slate, it is of course, extremely noticeable (imagine the same thing on limestone – you would barely be aware of it).
If you have tried a spirit already, I suggest you contact the supplier of the actual sealer nd ask their tech team what they recommend for its removal.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
thanks so much for your advice! I contacted the manufacturer of the sealant, and they recommended a restorer that would remove the residue. It’s a labour intensive process but seems to be getting most of it off – phew!
I guess the question now is whether the slate needs to be sealed (re-sealed!)once it has been stripped back. What are your thoughts on this? I am not bothered about having a particular finish on the stone, so would be happy to leave it in its natural state, but don’t want it to be vulnerable to water damage.
If you do think it should be sealed, is there a product you can recommend? This experience has made me a bit wary of some of the products out there!
Many thanks again 🙂
Hi
I am at a bit of a disadvantage in that I do not know a) precisely what slate you have, nor it’s finish, and b) I don’t know what sealer you used nor the product they recommended for its removal.
However, I will assume it is an impregnator, that the remover is a solvent of some kind (but it could just be a cream abrasive) and that the slate is of good quality and low porosity.
If you are using a chemical to remove the sealer, then it will remove some of the sealer from within the tile. Given that I think the slate to be dense, then the depth of penetration, and therefore the amount of sealer actually in the slate is going to be quite low so in theory you could remove most of it in the process. (If an abrasive cream cleaner then it will only remove what it can physically touch – from the surface, leaving whatever did manage to penetrate beneath the surface in tact).
Either way, when you are finished, ie all residue removed and the floor rinsed and allowed to dry, then, and only then conduct a water drop test – drop some clean water onto the slate, let it sit for 5 minutes then wipe away. Has it left a dark spot that hangs a round for more than just a few moments, 20 to 30 seconds or more – or does it seem to visibly dry out before your eyes? If it stays moist for a while then a sealer will help reduce this [small] amount of porosity. If it dries out fast, leaving no mark or trace of the water, then there is arguably either some sealer left OR no need to seal.
If you do think there is room for a sealer – but the slate is very dense and you used a water based sealer (I am not having a go at WB- I am a big fan of them, on porous surfaces) you might be better with a solvent based one (they simply penetrate the dense stone easier – they are not necessarily better sealers). However the one you had should be fine, it is most likely the application that was wrong.
Try a test:
when clean and dry, apply a little more sealer to one tile/slate with a paint pad or lambs wool applicator (or a cotton cloth, or sponge-cloth – but ideally NOT a roller or regular sponge).
leave it for barely a few minutes, wait until you see it BEGIN to soak in but DO NOT wait for it to start to dry – at the edges, if you see the beginnings of white ‘tide-marks’ it is time to remove it – as it has now reached the point where the water or solvent on the surface has begun to evaporate, leaving behind sealer ON the surface, where it is NOT intended to be. So at or just before this point, use a fresh cotton towel (or paper towels) and rub and buff the ‘surplus’ sealer from the surface. the important thing is that you have to leave the surface DRY as a result of YOU removing the remaining moisture – not, as a lot of tilers will do, by simply allowing it to dry itself. If it seems counter productive (to wipe something off only moments after applying it) try this:
Go outside, find a rough bit of concrete, a flagstone, patio slab or similar, or even a house brick. Pour some water on it, wait a minute or two for it to thoroughly wet out (saturate) then with a towel, wipe the surface dry (remove the surface water) – the slab is still dark right?- showing that you have removed unwanted water from the surface, but not pulled out any water that managed to soak in. This is what you are doing with a sealer: Using the liquid (water or solvent, it does not matter) to ‘deliver’ the sealer (that part that gets left behind when the liquid carrier evaporates) INTO the stone, you do NOT want it to sit ON TOP of the stone.
So, do small areas at a time keeping it buffed as soon as you are happy it has saturated.
In truth this type of dense stone may not take much sealer at all, you may end up wiping away 80% of what you apply (actually, you can wipe it across the next tile to be sealed etc, so you wont waste as much as you think) – but ‘the stone will take in what it needs’ in other words it will absorb it only where there are pores to fill – but that is fine, it is just there are less pores to try to fill than in a much more porous stone.
Hope this helps
Ian
I’ve had a black limestone fitted driveway laid couple of years ago I used a bloom remover to get all tyre marks and any deposits off it seems patchy but I did the full drive 2 days ago cleaning it up ready for it first ever seal how long does the bloom remover take to dry before I can seal these porous limestone Indian flags all marks have come off I d aprec some advice kind regards mark
Hi Mark,
Apologies, I missed this one. Sounds like you are happy that you have the stone clean enough and are only asking how long to leave them before you seal?
I don’t know what sealer you are using but, most sealers are best applied with minimal moisture still in the stone. The issue here is that it is in the UK, and outdoors. if you have had a couple of dry days after cleaning, or subsequently after rain etc, esp in the kind of sunny weather we have been having recently, then you should be fine.
if in doubt, you can hire a damp meter and check to see if you are below 5-10% moisture content
hope this helps
Ian
Thanks Ian yes I used an Indian limestone sealer on stone it was ok for 5 days the tyres on car seems to mark the stone even when sealed and now I watered the plants in garden and the excess water has left white marks all over seal water seems to stain the seal on top of stone it looks a mess now with water marks all over it I thought seal would stop ( act as a barrier) any stains Ian have you any ideas why water would stain these flags and what can I do in the future and what will get these marks off seal appreciate any advice ian
Hi Mark,
OK, your sealer is likely to be an impregnator, I think maybe you have unrealistic expectations for what this type of sealer can do. Its job is to sit below the surface and act as a barrier to deep stains, that is to say it will help reduce the amount of liquids that can pass through the stone and help to strain contaminants out, and keep them near the surface. What it will not do is prevent material from lying on the surface. So for example, tyre marks, are not stains; most cars weigh a fair bit – maybe 1.5 tonnes on average? All that weight is spread over 4 relatively small tyres, turning under that weight, which is what happens on a drive, puts a lot of stress on the tyre and it deforms and tiny pieces get torn off.
We see this all the time in car showrooms, even on glazed and porcelain tiles, with zero porosity and no discernible texture. A natural stone will have some texture and this will rip minute pieces of the rubber off the tyre. Also the pressure involved can almost fuse the tyre particles to the surface -so this is a deposit of solid particles on the surface, not a stain – your sealer will make no difference to this, as it is not a liquid contaminant.
As for the white marks, well the sealer might actually be causing this; the sealer will be repelling some (not all) of the water, so more of the water will sit at and on the surface for longer than if it were not sealed. This means that as the water drains or evaporates away, any dissolved minerals in that water will then be left behind on the surface. So, if your water is on the hard side, it may have calcium in it, or what ever you feed your plants, or whatever is in the soil that the water washes out etc – gets left on the the stone.
2 more things, 1, if it is calcium from the water, it will have a natural affinity with the limestone (which is also largely calcium) and so it may well bond to the surface. Lastly, it is a whitish grey in colour, this is going to stand out against the dark colour of your stone.
This is still preferable to an unsealed stone, which could very quickly become deeply ingrained with all kinds of stains.
You may need to adopt a more aggressive cleaning regime, occasional use of a pressure washer, or certainly a deck brush to help get into any fine texture and help to mechanically remove and determined rubber marks.
Suggest you try to brush away any water that washes back onto the stone from the watering, use the hose and then brush – so that you don’t leave pools of water that have washed back onto the drive from the soil if you can.
Hope that helps
Ian
I have applied limestone sealer to my new fireplace but very patchy and maybe residue on the brush. How can I remove? thanks
Hi Sophia
One quick thing you can try is, if you have a solvent based sealer, try dabbing a little more of the sealer over the patchy parts (i.e where you think there is residue, or too much applied) I know this sounds counter-intuitive but the solvent in the sealer may help remove the surplus sealer that you applied. Then rub dry with a towel.
If this does not work you may need to try a sealer stripper, you could contact the company who made your sealer for their suggestion. Or you could try a microabsrasive cleaner like Microscrub.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian,
I hope you could help me to identify what is wrong in my project.
We installed honed marble tiles on the drywall using MAPEI Ultraflex Tile Mortar with Polymer
http://www.lowes.ca/mapei/mapei-ultraflex-2-227kg-tile-mortar-with-polymer_g1192651.html
After installation I applied STAIN-PROOF Original™ sealer
http://www.drytreat.com/Products/Protection/STAIN-PROOF-Original
Now tiles have this “wet” look you could see on the picture below
https://plus.google.com/105204300419352550091/posts/THt7xmcsxQ1
I was wandering if it is possible to fix this problem, I don’t want to remove tiles and start from the beginning.
Thank you,
Vadim
Hi Vadim,
I see the issue, first observation is that there appears to be a concentration of the staining at the edges, (especially the short edges) this is giving a picture framing effect. This suggests that something is leaching in from the edges. This can be coming form the grout, the cut edges of this stone are effectively more porous than the honed surface, the grout has a lot of moisture so it could be that the tiles are drawing in this moisture from the grout – I think this more likely than any migration fro the adhesive. In theory, this could dry out over a short period of time and the tiles could return back to normal. However sometimes the moisture may contain some other impurities or maybe pigment or polymers from the grout, if it has managed to carry these into the stone then it may be permanent sadly.
The other possibility is the sealer, which to my knowledge is solvent based and may be quite oily? – if the sealer was applied (or over applied) prior to grouting, and a lot was allowed to pour into the grout joints, then this could have leached into the stone form the edges. Again it is possible that this might dry out over the coming weeks.
Suggest you let it continue to dry out for a few weeks and see if it lessens any. If not you might want to call mapei’s tech services and ask their opinion (assuming it was a Mapei Grout)
Let me know how you get on
Ian
We have just had new bluestone tiles laid in our apartment. The grinding guy was due to come in today but when he came in we realised that the painters have not properly protected the floors and there are paint spots all over the new unsealed bluestone tiles. My grinding guy has said it will now cost about $5k (instead of less than $1k) to do extra grinding to remove the paint spots. I feel like I am being taken for a ride. Are there any other ways to get paint off unsealed bluestone? Or am I dreaming. Thank you. I have read the whole blog here and can’t seem to see anything relating to new unsealed bluestone. And obviously I don’t want to potentially spot clean 30 out of 100 tiles so these tiles look completely different when sealed as a result of the scrubbing. Feeling frustrated. Thank you.
Hi Kristy,
OK, first of all I think they are trying to suggest that the paint may have penetrated deeply and the only way to remove it might be to grind below the stain. If that were true, then I understand the increase in price, as they would have to use more grits of diamond and make several more passes.
However I am pretty sure there may be a way of removing the paint safely so that this would not be necessary – it is certainly worth trying a few things first.
Secondly, I have to say, as people read this blog from all over, that ‘Bluestone’ means different things in different countries. Even in Australia it can be more than one thing – the point is if it is a very porous sandstone then the paint ,may have got deeper than if it was a slate or something less porous.
So, I would try some tests, paint may be removed with a solvent paint stripper – so try a little, in an inconspicuous area. The worst that can happen is that some of the paint is removed but it leaves a shadow that can be driven a little deeper. If this happens, and you feel it is now worse, well you have not lost anything and can always change that one tile. If you have a few spots dotted here and there (so not whole areas of the surface covered in paint) it is well worth a try. Also conducting a test on one or two tiles will tell you if they end up discolored or altered in any way compared with the rest (they may just be cleaner, in the process of removing the paint, you will be removing other dirt/cement residue etc and the $1K grinding job you were planning any way should sort that out or make it all even.)
One trick you ca try to help prevent driving a ‘solvent-thinned’ stain deeper into the stone is this:
On your test tile, get some warm water, saturate the stone – the whole tile (if this works you can simply scale it up to the whole floor). The idea is to ‘fill up’ any pores in the unsealed stone. They want to be well wetted, but not flooded, you don’t want a film of water floating on the top. Then, while in this wet condition, apply your paint stripper to the paint, leave it for a few minutes before scrubbing with a nylon scrub pad or brush. As the paint starts to emulsify, wipe away with absorbent paper towels or terry towels etc. Then rinse with clean water. The solvent will not be able to dive into the tile as it will be repelled by the water that is already there.
See how it looks when dry, repeat if necessary. You could also try adding a microabrasive cleaner that may help if you have any texture in the stone’s surface (just add this at the same time as the stripper for a little added abrasive boost).
If this works you can scale the process up for the whole floor (then it will be even in appearance) you can hire a rotary scrubbing machine and a wet vac to make the job much easier.
After this you should be able to proceed with the original $1K job, then sealing.
I can recommend a good friend of mine for a range of good products including Strip-It (stripper), Microscrub (abrasive) and a range of high quality sealers; look up ‘aqua-seal.com.au’ (this is not a live link as I have found live links affect the site’s ranking with search engines).
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian
You are just about the kindest person I’ve known. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and help me. I’ll do all as you suggest and will let you know the outcome. A brilliant idea using the water on the tile too. Thank you!! Best regards
Kristy
Glad I could help
Ian
Hi Ian,
I hope you can help. I recently installed graphite colour Brazilian slate to my front garden and sealed it with Larsen impregnating sealer which initially looked great. I finished at 6.30pm and at 12.30am wiped all excess sealer from one or two places. It then rained overnight around 4am. At 11am the next day I mopped up the beaded water on the tiles, but they now looked mottled/spotty. See pics:
http://tinypic.com/r/2usvsq8/8
http://tinypic.com/r/2nl4sbd/8
I am very upset after all the cost and attention I put into getting the tiles looking so good. Can you advise whether a) a second coat of the Larsen impregnating sealer might cover/get rid of the mottled look or b) any other method to get rid of the mottled look.
Your feedback and advice is very much appreciated.
Best Regards,
Ishmael
Hi Ishmael,
Sorry to hear this. I have not used this product so I do not know how it responds to water before it has cured. I would say that leaving it as long as you did before removing the excess suggests that there was a film of residue left on top. This may have been removed by the rain in places leaving the dull blotches (it is less dull where the film remains).
I would suggest you call Larsen’s tech department for their suggestions. However you may try dabbing a little more product over the spots – to see if it removes them, (adds back a bit more sealer) and evens out the look.
Worst case you may have to strip back and re apply – but protect from rain until fully cured.
Hope this helps
Ian
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.
hi,i read ur article & I really wish u can help me.I am from India & i recently i.e 1yr back renovated my house completely and added a second floor to my existing grond floor.The renovation included the flooring as well.Earlier the floor was done in mosaic tiles but i got it pulled out re did the floor base with a layer of concrete and then lay granite floor.But after about two months or so the granite started to flake in tiny dot pattern sort of like glitters.Now its been one year and the entire ground floor looks as though a fungus attack has taken place.I reported the matter to the granite dealer but he says that it must the fault of our ground.does granite create such faults normally.Please suggest a remedy if possible or else kindly let me know what the cause maybe.Waiting eagerly.
Hi there,
Just to be clear, are you saying that there has been a fungus attack? Or are you simply describing the look of the floor, with all the pits and holes due to flaking, as being ‘similar’ in appearance to a fungus attack?
I ask because fungus is not uncommon, especially in warmer/ more humid countries and environments. Fungus would also indicate the presence of moisture and if you have rising moisture from below the concrete slab this can cause flaking as you describe. There are many things that could be causing the problem, but ultimately some force is acting upon the granite to cause the flaking.
Granite is usually very tough but it is made up of a mixture of different minerals – orthoclase feldspar for example, and it can have many different crystals within it, these all have different hardness and other properties and react to different forces in different ways. For example if you hit the surface with a hammer maybe the harder, more shiny crystals will chip out before the finer matrix that surrounds them.
So, something is causing these parts, maybe crystals to come away. Perhaps the particular granite is susceptible to this kind of flaking under certain conditions, or perhaps the conditions are too harsh for many granites and under different circumstances it would be ok.
There are a couple of things you can look for – one, force from above – is any thing happening that would cause the flaking from above, any unreasonable traffic being applied (sounds daft but something as simple as stiletto heels can cause havoc, admittedly on granite, but if the stone is more prone to flaking for some reason) trollies or other heavy equipment etc can also have a damaging effect.
The other possibility is moisture from below. If the new concrete floor has no damp course or of the concrete was not fully cured before installing the granite and significant amounts of moisture were trapped beneath, then this moisture may be trying to escape through the granite, and could be bringing dissolved minerals with it. This can lead to minerals growing as crystals in the stone causing pressure that eventually leads to parts of the stone surface being forced off – it is known as spalling. It can also be moisture reacting with soluble minerals already present in the stone and causing them to expand etc, less common perhaps in granite but still possible.
If you can get a moisture meter you could check for this. If this is the problem then I don’t think there is much that ca be done to prevent it- it may settle down after a while though. You may then be able to have toe stone diamond ground and resurfaces but it might need to be quite a dramatic grinding to get below the damage
Hope this helps, do you have any pictures you could send me it may be easier to see that way?
Ian
Ian,
You seem so knowledgeable with this stuff.
I recently had a paint apply Thompson’s wood waterseal to my wood deck, but he left splotches of it on my new limestone deck.
There are now lots of greasies stains on the limestone and it hurts to look at???
Anything you can suggest???
Ken
Hi Ken,
OK, I would think they will be more than greasy, the waterseal will also have set so you may need something strong to remove it.
I would try a high alkaline cleaner first although you may need a solvent stripper.
I don’t know if your limestone is sealed, but let us assume that it is not (if if is then the process may be easier, but it may also result in you needing to top up or replace the stone sealer you used afterwards).
Pre wet the stone – this is really helpful if the stone is not sealed and is quite porous – basically fill up the stone with water, warm also helps. This is to do a couple of things, 1) to help stop the cleaner you are about to use from diving into the stone, so it is kept where it needs to be and 2) it also stops the stains, from being driven deeper.
Mix your high alkaline cleaner in accordance with the instructions, apply to the deck and leave for a good few minutes, keeping it wet (with more solution) for the duration. Then lightly scrub the spots, rinse with fresh water and mop up, buff dry also or rinse away with a hose.
You can also try spot cleaning with a stripper of even some nail varnish remover (acetone) on a cotton pad
Hope this helps
Ian
Hello Sir
We recently had a 2000 sq ft limestone pool deck installed and then sealed. But the company used the wrong sealer (stone teck concrete paver sealer) topical sealer which is only to used on concrete and brick pavers.
long story short: my limestone became extremely slippery and shiny!! It has taken the company 6 months to take off the sealer. They tried to pressure wash it off but no luck, clean with hot water and no luck. Finally they just used a stripper and luckily it has come off.
But my question now is CAN WE USE THE MIRACLE 511 POROUS PLUS SEALER NOW THAT THE ORIGINAL SEALER HAS BEEN STRIPPED??
Will it harm the stone in any way? What precautions should be taken?
I live in South Florida, USA. PLease advise asap as the limestone is very porous and it is will soak up everything so we need to seal asap.
Also please tell me how the sealer should be applied. Thanks in advance!!
Hi Sam,
OK, there may be some remnants of the topical sealer still present but basically you are asking if you can switch to a below surface impregnating sealer (does not matter which brand). As long as there is now a porous stone surface then it should be able to penetrate.
As you are not looking at an enhancing sealer (for which you would need to guarantee that it could get in 100% evenly in order to colour the stone evenly), but instead looking for a sealer that will not alter the colour, or the finish, then it should be fine – if water gets in and darkens the stone evenly then this is showing you where a sealer will go. This type of sealer should not harm your stone – always do a small test area first just to be sure but it should be fine.
The only other thing I would add is that for a porous limestone, choose a premium quality, WATER-BASED impregnator – it will colour less and in the case of this stone, it should also out-perform a solvent based one (which would excel on a more dense material). There are other brands out there, a good one would be Ultracare Penetrating Plus by Mapei USA, they are USA-wide but they are based at Deerfield Beech FL – just down the road from you I think?
Suggest you call their tech support division, I have worked with them, they are good folks.
Hope this helps
Ian
Sam, I forgot about the ‘how to apply’ part – most sealers have instructions on the bottle but for this type of product Say the Mapei one I mentioned)
basically:
1. Clean the floor and allow to dry
2. Pour sealer into paint tray or similar
3. Using a paint-pad or lambswool applicator, apply even coats over the tile and grout joints. Do a small area at a time, about as far as you can reach, move onto next area of same size, then go back to first.
4. After about 5 minutes (in your part of the country it might take less time) – basically when the sealer appears to have penetrated and wet-out the stone, remove excess sealer (squeegee or use paint-pad to move onto adjacent area etc).
5. DO NOT ALLOW THE SEALER TO DRY ON THE SURFACE – buff dry with clean terry or paper towels, cotton or microfibre cloth (preferably white or with no dye that can come out).
6. Leave whatever time is recommended on product instructions for product to set before applying a second coat. In many cases the longer you leave the first coat the better – in a few cases the sealer may be designed to have the second coat applied while the first is still wet – but this is not the norm – so check
7. Follow same procedure for second coat
8. After a few hours do a water drop test: if water is held at surface for a good few minutes (it does not have to show perfect round beads or balls of water – that is only a temporary phenomenon and not indicative of how well the stone is sealed) – when wiped away there should be feint darkening of the surface that dries quickly to leave no mark – this is called surface wetting and is normal – it is the portion of the stone above where the sealer is installed just wetting out for a few moments. If however the whole stone wets out and darkens significantly (unlikely at this stage) it may require a third coat.
Hope this helps
Ian
Mr. Taylor
Thank you so much for your detailed reply.
I think we may seal with the Miracle 511 porous plus sealer (as recommended by the stone supplier)
The only other thing I forgot to mention is that the limestone pavers have started to crack in so many places after using the original sealer. I am assuming because the particular sealer used did not allow the stone to breath since it is very porous. Do you think the stone will stop cracking and chipping after the sealer has been stripped and the correct sealer has been put down? Thank you again.
Hi,
No Problem, glad to help. In my opinion most stone suppliers will recommend the sealer that they sell 😉 – I maintain that a water based impregnator will be better in your particular circumstances (porous limestone) – Also some solvent based sealers will darken the stone a little. The brand you mention do have a water based version of the product – up to you though.
The coating sealer did not cause your stone to crack and chip, so, changing the sealer will not make a blind bit of difference. The stone is cracking and chipping because it is either weak (contains weak points along veins etc) or it s not laid/installed correctly, Limestone is a relatively soft stone so it can chip quite easy, just like a wood deck can pit, scratch and wear, so a limestone can chip if hit hard enough or with enough point loading – drop any [relatively] heavy, or pointed, (or both) object and it can chip (BBQ tools, stool legs, even stiletto heels) a poorly installed stone will chip even easier.
Even the coating sealer was most likely breathable and even if it was not, it would could cause different issues, not cracking and chipping.
It could be a combination of any of those things, you need to investigate this and fix it first before worrying about a sealer.
Hope this helps
Ian
Hi Ian
We have recently sealed our new floor with Kleerseal but forgot to wipe off the residue! We have scrubbed with hot soapy water but can’t seem to shift all of it. The tiles have gone from having a nice shine to looking dull and patchy.
The tiles are marble conglomerate.
What would your recommendations be?
Thanks for any help.
Oh wow. How can I be sure that the stone was installed properly?Looks fine but some of the pavers are sinking and the installer has agreed to fix that. But how exactly does the install effect the wear of thestone i.e. Chipping and cracking at the veins?
This a very stressful situation for me. We spent a good amount on this 2000 sqft deck and I am disappointed with the finishing.
Not quite sure how to remedy the cracking/chipping of pavers. Any suggestions would be helpful. Should we have the holes filled?
Hi Jason,
OK I think your sealer is a water based one so unlike with a solvent one there is little point trying to use more sealer to break down the residue. As it is a polished marble type stone, you need ot try an abrasive cream that is designed not to scratch. If that does not work then you may have to try a stripper – but I would check with the stone suppliers first as the resin in the conglomerate may be affected.
I have a cream cleaner called microscrub (by all for stone), you can look it up on Amazon – I am not posting links anymore a sthey play havoc with the web traffic. Or contact me via the contact page for more info.
Hope this helps
Ian