Whilst interior trends can be fickle things, natural flooring has proven to be timeless. There’s always plenty of coverage in the glossies celebrating limestone and wood, with colour preferences changing a little with the seasons, from pale Scandi tones to ruddy autumnal shades. Pattern’s also creating quite a stir this year but one material that seems to be a little under the radar is slate.
We've always been big fans of slate tiles because they’re so practical and versatile. Ever popular on our roofs, they’re also great for floors and walls and are offered in many more shades than matt black, including fabulous multicolours that mix all sorts of colours, like chocolate, ochre and rust. Different surface finishes expand options further, from uneven ‘riven’ surfaces and softer brushed finishes, which provide good grip under foot, to smooth, honed tiles. There are also some really inventive products out there, like ZClad™ - a natural stone cladding system made from modular z-shaped panels.
Slate is very hardwearing and it’s generally far less porous than natural stone. It is, however, vulnerable to oil and grease, so it’s important to protect tiles as you would limestone. There are lots of different options which can be used to enhance the slate’s appearance or create a natural finish. Wax finishes are popular because they replace the slate’s naturally dusty appearance with a sheen. Our range includes two wax treatments which protect internal installations against staining and dirt: Ironwax Satin and Ironwax Gloss. The waxes are applied onto clean tiles in thin even coats until the desired finish is achieved, to a maximum of six coats. Both are self-shine finishes, so no buffing is needed. They’re great for areas with lots of foot traffic and where there’s a risk of oil spillage, like kitchens and dining rooms, but aren’t recommended for wet rooms and shower enclosures. The sheen that they create also makes ongoing maintenance easier.
For a more natural look – and for external slate – we recommend LTP Mattstone H2O (or its spirit-based equivalent) or Colour Intensifier & Stainblock H2O. Both are water-based impregnators and, like the waxes, strongly repel water, oil and grease. Whilst both enhance colour tone, we describe Mattstone as creating a finish that looks like the ‘dry end of the beach’ and Colour Intensifier & Stainblock as the ‘damp end of the beach.’
The impregnators can be applied in a single thin layer or, multiple thin layers, for stronger colour enhancement. For ongoing maintenance, we recommend our LTP Waxwash for floors and Stonewash or Multipurpose Cleaner for walls internally and Grimex externally, to protect the stone and the protection applied.
To find out more about protection and maintenance, please visit https://www.ltp-online.co.uk or contact the LTP team on tel. 01823 666213 and email [email protected]. Also, for online help on-the-go, visit LTP TV on YouTube and Product Selector at https://ltp-productguide.co.uk
