1. Enhancing Sealer
2. Natural Sealer
3. Topical Glossy Sealer

The first type and most widely used nowadays is the enhancing sealer.  There are two types of sealers, one being a water carrier and the other a solvent carrier. This can be confusing because technically any carrier is a solvent, thus water is really a solvent.  The difference here is renewable carriers are called water carriers, and non renewable (petroleum carriers) solvent carriers.  Both will enhance the tile as you will need to do a test on a piece that is not installed to see if you like the color.

A significant amount of time the solvent enhancer will darken or blacken the slate to a degree that what you really have is a black slate.  A water enhancer will typically bring out more natural color.

Another issue is residue.  Enhancers in general take a little more expertise to apply due to residue issues.  A solvent carrier, besides the issue of the environment and your health, can have major issues with residue, while a water enhancer may have an issue also, but typically they are minor and easily fixable.

It is recommended for ease of use to always use a water carrier over a probable toxic solvent carrier.  Before you use or a contractor uses any product in your household, please read the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).

Every products directions will vary some, with a water carrier typically requiring more dwell time for effectiveness.  Please read the directions carefully and test before use to make sure you approve of the color.

The second type of sealer is a natural look sealer.  A good impregnator will protect the slate and grout from stains.  Unlike the enhancer, the sealer will not change the color of the slate as you will not even know it is there except for when you spill something on the tile, it will repel instead of penetrating.

As above discussion between solvent and water, it is same except there are less residue issues with natural look sealers.  In both cases, just do not let dry on surface.  Follow directions for product and read the MSDS before applying.

The third type of sealer is a topical coating.  This is usually applied when you would like the “wet look”.  Right after this is applied, the tile typically looks great, until you have some wear on it.  It will scuff, have less slip resistance, and be a more more of a maintenance issue as you will need to clean and reapply often, especially in a high traffic area.  These are the reasons we do not recommend a coating.  If you do choose to apply a coating, please read the directions throughly and do a test in an inconspicous area.

Please use our product advisor for recommendations on how much and what product to use.