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I tried to clean part of a slate foyer that appeared to have mineral deposits from a planter leaking. Used grout cleaner that I had on hand. When I then sealed and dressed the surface the “cleaned” part cleaned looked dull, streaked and was not dark or glossy like the rest of floor. Looks almost etched in appearance. Any ideas why this occurrred or how to repair?
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Replies
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Tom, all I can think of is to ask more questions. Like, what kind of grout cleaner? Who made it? What sealer did you use? Who made it? Was there moisture on the floor when you sealed it? How many coats of sealer did you apply? When did you first notice the streaks--how far along were you when you noticed? Is the floor interior or exterior? Is it exposed to full sun? Is there anything else that you did, or other chemicals that you used? What color is the slate? What color are the streaks? What do you mean by "...dressed..."?
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The grout cleaner and sealer were the Color Tile brand. Its been awhile and I don't remember how many coats were applied. In a previous home we had used Amway tile dressing w/o problem. Used that here also. Sequence was cleaner, water rinse, dry, sealer, dressing. No moisture when sealer was put on. No other chemicals were used. Floor is black slate, interior, little exposure to sun. Floor didn't seem to be cleaning evenly after using the grout cleaner but not to the degree that I was concerned.
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I tried to clean part of a slate foyer that appeared to have mineral deposits from a planter leaking. Used grout cleaner that I had on hand. When I then sealed and dressed the surface the "cleaned" part cleaned looked dull, streaked and was not dark or glossy like the rest of floor. Looks almost etched in appearance. Any ideas why this occurrred or how to repair?
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Well, I suppose the gloss look you want to match is from a top soat sealer used after a penetrating sealer. Test in a small area first. Are the streaks whitish and flaky? If not, I would think the streaks would somewhat disappear when the penetrating goes on. I still do not understand what "dressing" is or the "etching" you described.