www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Hi, we had our kitchen done about a year and a half ago. At the time, we went for uncalibrated slate tiles. They look great but, over time, we've come to find them a little. ..... impractical. Difficult to clean for one thing and although I've probably never stubbed my toe, I often worry that somebody in the family might! Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any treatment that could be carried out on them to make them even, or closer to even. Something like a heavy scouring or polishing of the surface perhaps?

Thanks for any advice

Pete

First you need to deep clean the floor with dedicated stone cleaners, look at lithofin products, then if you do have any high sports these can be chipped off (if you have any spare tiles practice taking slices off these with a hammer and bolster. clean again. Then seal the tiles with an impregnator, different levels of finish from matt to gloss depending on what you like, look at universeal products http://www.universealsealants.co.uk/

Then as aftercare, don't use any harsh cemical cleaners like flash... as these will strip the sealer over time, just mild detergent.

Of course the above is just a simplified version, how easy or hard it is will depend on the state of the floor. But essentially, yes it can be restored.

OK, many thanks for that, good to know.

Yer used hammer and bolster and chip into the tile not out

Uncalibrated will still be flush on the surface (leaving any delamination out of the equation).

Sounds like an inexperienced tiler has done the work.

What should have happened was that the tiles got sorted into thicknesses and then laid thickest first and finishing with thinnest last. This way they would have been flush at the top surface.

As has been said in earlier post, look for Lithofin products. Stay away from Topps tiles and the utter 5hite that they sell.