Matt Wood's slate shower project

Mikey P

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I suggested Prochem Professional acid..

forgot to mention a resporator and a tetanus shot.

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BIG WOOD

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These are the two products she’s used to clean it. The contractor told her to use the CLR product

For the record, she’s not a dirty person. It’s soap scum

279F8797-ACC9-47A6-BB65-3FE1DE34E5BA.jpeg 883AF038-91C4-40F3-8017-9A99D3E302CF.jpeg
 

DAT

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Is texture smooth enough to use razor to get majority of gunk off?
 

Hack Attack

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That floor is big enough to put a 175 on to get the bulk of the area scrubbed. If I did that, would the green pad be good enough? And for the areas where a 175 won't work, what type of brushes should I use?
if its soapy scum not hard water deposit I'd think the green pad should cut it
 

steve_64

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All natural bar soaps will do that.

Had a customer with travertine in the bathroom, def not a good idea lol

View attachment 91986
I use bar soaps and I don't have this issue. I've seen conditioners muck up showers because it's not rinsed with each use. And ladies like their body oils in the shower too.
 

steve_64

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That floor is big enough to put a 175 on to get the bulk of the area scrubbed. If I did that, would the green pad be good enough? And for the areas where a 175 won't work, what type of brushes should I use?
I have a lot of different hand brushes. I use 3 or 4 on most jobs. Agitation is more important than product at the beginning imo but I experiment with those too as I'm going. It usually takes a few different products because of the various soils and it comes off in layers.
 
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J Scott W

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Mikey hit on a key point - The Enhancer is going to need to be stripped away. It leaves a polymer coating behind.

Slate is generally not acid sensitive.

I think maybe 2 or 3 step process:
  • Solvent stripper to remove the Enhancer build-up
  • Alkaline cleaning
  • Acid cleaning
  • Rinse and neutralize
Maybe able to combine solvent stripper with alkaline cleaning.

I would not run, but I would charge enough to make it worthwhile if I took on that mess.
 

BIG WOOD

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Mikey hit on a key point - The Enhancer is going to need to be stripped away. It leaves a polymer coating behind.

Slate is generally not acid sensitive.

I think maybe 2 or 3 step process:
  • Solvent stripper to remove the Enhancer build-up
  • Alkaline cleaning
  • Acid cleaning
  • Rinse and neutralize
Maybe able to combine solvent stripper with alkaline cleaning.

I would not run, but I would charge enough to make it worthwhile if I took on that mess.
Thanks Scott. I'm assuming it'll need about 2 different treatments of the alkaline/stripper to get the layers off. I look forward to seeing what this will do. This lady is a repeat customer, very understanding and knows that it can't get any worse, so I"m not too concerned with liability. I think I'm not going to give her a price up front. But I will reserve the whole day to do it
 

steve_64

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I don't like solvents in a shower. The enhancer may come off with just a high alkaline cleaner and green pad.

I start mild and increase strength as I go if needed.
 

Fat Mike

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I use bar soaps and I don't have this issue. I've seen conditioners muck up showers because it's not rinsed with each use. And ladies like their body oils in the shower too.

Are they all natural handmade soaps? These ones have more oils and lead to more soap scum.

There’s a local shop that makes soaps in-house they’d awesome but that does happen
 

steve_64

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Are they all natural handmade soaps? These ones have more oils and lead to more soap scum.

There’s a local shop that makes soaps in-house they’d awesome but that does happen
I've used them in the past and yes they can leave an oily film. My point is soft soaps and other products are just as bad if you don't rinse your shower after each use and clean it occasionally. It's a maintenance issue more than a product issue.
 
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Jimmy L

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Would one of those steamers work at stripping the enhancer?
 

Mikey P

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Mikey hit on a key point - The Enhancer is going to need to be stripped away. It leaves a polymer coating behind.

Slate is generally not acid sensitive.

I think maybe 2 or 3 step process:
  • Solvent stripper to remove the Enhancer build-up
  • Alkaline cleaning
  • Acid cleaning
  • Rinse and neutralize
Maybe able to combine solvent stripper with alkaline cleaning.

I would not run, but I would charge enough to make it worthwhile if I took on that mess.

I've yet to see a Enhancer that was a topical.
Typically they are a penetrate live with a wood stain like additive, which make them oily. They need to to be wiped or buffed off after a few minutes of saturation.

Looks like this owner didn't do that properly
 
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Mikey P

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But that being said the chances of that slate having a topical on it are very high. If water is getting into the stone through cracks on the floor to wall joint creating efflorescence that could be a lot of that white you see with that fluorescent actually being trapped underneath the topical coating bring some stripper with you if you go to test it and yes you can run stripper through your dirt dragon
 

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