How to Make Cheap Slate Tiles Shine

If you have cheap slate tiles on your floor and they have lost their shine, don't give up. There are a couple of easy fixes for this problem.

Step 1: Cleaning Slate Tiles

Clean slate tiles will have a natural shine. The best cleaners for slate tiles are ones that have no acid in them such as lemon juice, vinegar or ammonia. Don't use any of these on slate as it will etch it and make it dull. It is very difficult to restore the shine to an etched tile floor, replacing it may be your only option.

Simply mix the amount recommended on the label of the product in warm water and mop as you would any floor. You may want to towel or rag dry the floor to prevent streaks that air drying may cause. If you see streaks, try rinsing with clear water only.

Step 2: Shining Slate Tiles

If your cheap slate tile is dull or etched the best fix is to first clean it well with a mild household cleaner. Rinse thoroughly with warm water to be sure all residue of soap is gone. Then apply a cleaner-shiner product such as Mop and Glo or Orange Glo to the tiles per manufacturers instructions. This will temporarily fill scratches and restore a lustre to the floor, but will need to be repeated with each cleaning.