Tiling a Fireplace in Oyster Slate
The owner of this property in Wawne Village was keen to have their electric fireplace – which was built into the wall – spruced up with some patterned tiles. While at Tile Doctor we most often focus on cleaning and sealing tiles many of the team such as myself are fully trained tilers we are also carry out full installations where requested.
I suggested that the fireplace would look fantastic if tiled with the Oyster Slate and you may recall I did a similar fireplace in Hull which worked out really well. Oyster Slate is a natural stone that is especially well suited for giving feature walls, such as this built in fireplace, a really distinct, elegant look. My customer agreed with the suggestion, and I travelled up to the property to complete the work.
Cleaning and Sealing Oyster Slate Fireplace Tiles
Upon arriving at the property I spent a number of hours carefully fixing the Oyster Slate tiles and then grouting. Although the installation was new and looking very nice, it was necessary following installation to clean and seal the area, especially given the amount of loose dust particles and other general muck created in the process of cutting the tiles.
To clean the slate and grout I used a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean, our versatile alkaline cleaner. The great thing about this product is that it can be used to achieve reliable results on almost any kind of natural stone, from Victorian and Slate, to Limestone and Marble.
Once clean, the area was left to dry completely. As most tiled floor owners will already know, the drying phase is very important as even the smallest quantity of excess moisture left on the tiles can cloud any sealer you choose to use. When I was satisfied that the tiles were dry and therefore ready to be sealed, I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal, which is our premium, natural look penetrating sealer formulated to provide maximum protection against dirt and stains.
Both myself and my customer were very pleased with the results. The addition of the Oyster Slate tiles have taken the fireplace from being a relatively uninteresting feature to one that really stands out and adds character to the room. With a deep clean and fresh seal, it will also be easy for the customer to keep it looking fantastic in the future.
Source: Slate Tile Clearing and Installation Service in Yorkshire