Sandstone & York Stone Services

When it comes to the honing of slate it is important to understand that there are only a certain few types of slate in which honing is possible. Generally, you wouldn’t hone slate tiles that have a riven or split surface as the material is too uneven and therefore cannot be consistently resurfaced. On the other hand, if your slate tiles have a smooth texture to the touch with minimal ridging, the honing process can be applied. Just like with all of our projects, the first stage is to ensure adequate protection is applied to the surrounding areas. We cover all delicate surfaces that may surround the work area with protective plastic sheeting ensuring that your home is left in exactly the same condition in which it was found. Once protection has been applied, we can begin to make a start on the honing itself. The first stage of the honing process is to resurface the slate tiles down to below the level of any damage, for example etch marks or scratches. To achieve this, we use our specialist Hyper Grinder floor equipment equipped with resin bonded resurfacing plates to slowly remove layers of the slate without damaging the tiles themselves. This also creates a blank canvas for us to progress onto the next stage of the honing process which is to increase the sheen of the slate. Once we are happy that any scratches or damaged areas have been removed, we can swap our resin bonded plates for some finer grit polishing pads. By passing over the floor with the finer polishing pads we can begin to close the pores in the slate that have been opened up by the more aggressive resin plates. This will in turn create an increase in the level of sheen on the tiles as the pores become more compact. This then leads us onto the sealing aspect of the project. No matter what material you have in your home, it is vitally important to ensure the correct sealing process is being followed post honing. At Stonelab we have a wide range of premium sealing products available and so it is very important that we provide you with the most appropriate sealing service for your floor. For more information on our different sealants, you can find a breakdown of our sealing products on our Sealing and Surface care page.

When it comes to the polishing of slate it is important to understand that there are only a certain few types of slate in which polishing is possible. Generally, you wouldn’t polish slate tiles that have a riven or split surface as the material is too uneven and therefore cannot be consistently resurfaced. On the other hand, if your slate tiles have a smooth texture to the touch with minimal ridging, the polishing process can be applied. Just like with all of our projects, the first stage is to ensure adequate protection is applied to the surrounding areas. We cover all delicate surfaces that may surround the work area with protective plastic sheeting ensuring that your home is left in exactly the same condition in which it was found. Once protection has been applied, we can begin to make a start on the polishing process itself. The first stage of the polishing process is to hone the slate tiles down to below the level of any damage, for example etch marks or scratches. To achieve this, we use our specialist Hyper Grinder floor equipment equipped with resin bonded resurfacing plates to slowly remove layers of the slate without damaging the tiles themselves. This also creates a blank canvas for us to progress onto the next stage of the polishing process which is to increase the sheen of the slate. Once we are happy that any scratches or damaged areas have been removed, we can swap our resin bonded plates for some finer grit polishing pads. By passing over the floor with the finer polishing pads we can begin to close the pores in the slate that have been opened up by the more aggressive resin plates. This will in turn create an increase in the level of sheen on the tiles as the pores become more compact. By passing over the floor three times using three different levels of polishing grits, we can further compact the pores of the slate to further increase the sheen of the slate to closer match a polished shine. This then leads us onto the final stage of the polishing process. The sealing. No matter what material you have in your home, it is vitally important to ensure the correct sealing process is being followed post honing. At Stonelab we have a wide range of premium sealing products available and so it is very important that we provide you with the most appropriate sealing service for your floor. For more information on our different sealants, you can find a breakdown of our sealing products on our Sealing and Surface care page.