Cart 0

Removing Sealers from Natural Stone Floors

How To Remove Sealers and Waxes from Slate, Granite & Marble
(and other stone)

***If you recently sealed your stone and don't like the look or finish, we recommend you contact the manufacturer to see if they have recommendations. We get numerous calls about other sealers and we suggest starting the process by contacting the other manufacturer*** 

If you still need assistance
Please Call us at 800-380-6881

Sealers and Wax Removal - Old sealers, waxes, polishes and cleaning products can build up over years and become quite unattractive. The question often is, "How difficult is it to Remove Old Sealers?" 

If you know the sealers or products used, it may make it easier to answer this question. If the products used are Water Based, then it is quite possible that they may be removed using an industrial strength cleaner like our R155 Intensive Cleaner as discussed here.

 

For Acrylic or Solvent Based Stone Sealers or to remove deeply Penetrated Stains, particularly Oils, Grease, and Wine, it may require a Professional Grade Solvent Cleaner. In this case I suggest using our Solvent Stone Stripper/Stain Remover R154. (See below)

 

Cleaning water based sealers with

                   HMK R155 Intensive Cleaner


Mix a solution of R155 1:1 (1 Part HOT Water to 1 Part R155) 

Apply to Stone with a Sponge. Allow to dwell on surface for 15-20 minutes,
then scrub vigorously for 5-minutes. 

Rinse area with Clean Warm Water and allow to dry. 

Repeat process if necessary. Apply new coat of Water-Based Stone Sealer like HMK S232

 

 Removing solvent based sealers and waxes with 
 HMK R154 Stripper Stain Remover

Apply a generous coat of HMK® R154 undiluted onto the dry surface using a stiff brush, scrubbing brush or suitable pad and let soak in. Do not allow to dry. After 10 to 15 minutes, scrub the area again vigorously, applying more R54. Wait for 15 more minutes, allowing product to activate. 

Wipe product off with paper towels or clean white rags and IMMEDIATELY clean the area thoroughly with HMK® R155 Intensive Cleaner, diluted about 1:4 with clean water. Remove the dirty liquid and rinse the area again with a clean solution of R155 and water.

Rinse with clean water. If patches remain untreated after drying, repeat the treatment as necessary.

For Floors with NUMEROUS coats of old Waxes and Sealers, you may need to apply multiple treatments

*Using R155 is necessary to Neutralize the Stripper-Stain Remover
and preparing surface for re- sealing or impregnating.
 

Using the HMK R154 and R155 products will remove old sealers and restore stone to nearly new condition. At this point the stone will be in a "raw" condition, and may be susceptible to staining. At this point it is recommended that you Protect the stone with either a Topical Sealer, or Impregnator (penetrating)

   

If you have deeply imbedded stains, you will need to use a Stain Removing Poultice (see below)

 

For your convenience, we offer a money saving Combo-Pack including R154 & R155

 

If you need assistance selecting the correct product for removing old sealers from your stone, please give our experts a call 800-380-6881

  

Remove Extremely Deep Penetrated Stains in
Granite, Marble and All Natural Stone 
using HMK R152 Stain Extracting Poultice 

Instructions:
Apply R152 onto the surface with a putty knife or spatula and work into the surface with a brush. Thereafter add more HMK® R52 to ensure that there is a layer of at least 5mm of poultice. Cover with plastic wrap and tape down edges. Allow to dry for 12 hours. After 12 hours, remove plastic and continue to allow to dry for 12-24 hours.

Once completely dry brush off the hardened poultice or lightly scrape off using a plastic paint scraper or spatula. Do not be alarmed if stone beneath and surrounding Poultice remains darker for several hours or days. The moisture may cause it to appear darker, but once dry it will return to previous appearance.

 

After removing all the poultice scrub the area  with HMK® R155 Intensive Cleaner diluted about 1:10 with clean water, using a scrubbing brush, stiff brush or a white/tan pad. Remove the dirty liquid and rinse the area thoroughly with clean water.


For deeply penetrated tough stains a second or third treatment may be necessary. 


If you need further assistance, please CONTACT our Stone Care Experts

Call 800-380-6881