New Slate Floor

[ocemeer]

Our renovation project in Cornwall is going to have natural slate flooring through out the ground floor, its approx 40m2. I’ve tiled walls and a few square meters of floor using standard ceramic tiles, is there a specific technique for laying cutting : , recommended cement to use etc to complete this “little jobâ€

[tim'll fix it]

i laid a kitchen floor in natural slate 300 x 300 x 10 mm from homebase it was £11 sq/m, see link

http://www.timmayservices.co.uk/Photos/Tiling7.htm

I laid it on unibond rapid set adhesive and grouted it with bal grey wide joint grout. I sealed the slate before grouting to avoid staining.

What you have to be aware of is that as it is a natural product is not a constant thickness and as such you have to compensate for this when laying and be prepared for some of the corners not to be perfect

[Mudster]

Rapid set makes life easier if you're confident enough to use it,

BAL Rapidset grey
Ardex S16 Grey are two of the better brands,

Lay the slate raw (Don't seal it first) and allow it to dry for at least 24 hrs, during this time if any white residues appear on the surface of any of the tiles, this is effloresence, there are ways of removing it, but over the years I found it was far less hassle just to chop the tile out and replace it at this stage.

Once it's all dry (and before you grout) seal it thoroughly, If you want a dull dusty finish as the slate appears raw then a product called Lithofin Stain Stop MN is your choice.

If you prefer the enhanced colour of the slate as it appears when a damp cloth has been wiped across the surface, then Lithofin Slate Seal is the product you need instead of Stain Stop.

Grout with your choice of colour, with a black slate grey looks good, either BAL wide Joint or Ardex C2.

However you might want to consider black grout or Ardex C2 Anthracite, which give a very nice appearance to the overall floor, and hide far more imperfections than a grey grout would.

If the slate is machine cut give yourself at least 5mm joints, at £10 sq/m it isn't going to be calibrated stone.

If the stone has split or rustic edges you'll need upto 20mm joints, in which case use Ardex C2 grout as it sets far harder than many alternatives and goes as wide as 25mm without a problem.

Once grouted clean the surface with an emulsifying pad (Big plastic pan scourer) let it dry at least 24hrs and the reseal the whole lot again including the grout.

Any further questions just ask.

[m3 fitter]

if some of your slates are lipping or kicking after installation, you can flush them off prior to sealing with a sharp wide flat chisel as slate naturally shards off in slithers, practice with a spare tile before you attempt this on your newly laid floor.

[ocemeer]

Where is the best or should I say cheapest place to get lithofin and ardex grout from. I've seen a wide range of prices all of them quite scary .

[ultimatehandyman]

It is not cheap stuff unfortunately!

You can try Here

Mudser will know where to get the grout from

[Mudster]

Where is the best or should I say cheapest place to get lithofin and ardex grout from. I've seen a wide range of prices all of them quite scary .

UHM has put in a link directly to the Lithofin distributor, you won't find it cheaper than that anywhere. Don't be tempted to use alternative products, Lithofin really is head and shoulders above most of the others sold in this country for both quality and longevity.

As for grout, I assume you're looking for Ardex C2, and the price on this varies tremendously with colour, for a standard Grey you shouldn't be paying more than £6-£7 for an 11kg bag, for anthracite, that's closer to £35 a bag simply because it costs so much more to produce (and varying prices in between for different colours).

Phone Ardex for a local stockist and get some prices.

[peteyweakstraw]

You have to be careful what you use on it or you'll strip the finish. It sounds like the floor looks dull instead of having a shine to it which means the finish was striped off the floor. You have to call a professional and have the floor refinished. After it is refinished just use something like pinesol on it to clean it and you won't restrip the finish, but the floor will keep a nice shine.