How To Remove Sealer and Sealing Residues?
By Ian Taylor on Nov 28, 2008 in Sealing
Most weeks I receive calls from people asking how to remove a sealer residue. Sealer residues occur when an impregnating sealer is incorrectly applied. Impregnating sealers (or penetrating sealers as they are sometimes known) are intended to be in or below the surface of the stone rather than ‘on’ it. So, the correct application involves applying the sealer to the surface, allowing a short time for penetration (this might be around 5 minutes, depending on both the sealer being used and the material being sealed) then any surplus sealer, remaining on the surface should be removed with something absorbent, ideally a white paper or cotton towel.All too often though, for various reasons this cleaning away of surplus, whilst still wet, does not take place. Reasons include not reading the instructions and my favourite: “I’ve been using sealers for years, always done it like this and never had a problem.”
A sealer residue can appear in a number of ways: as a dry, white powdery deposit; streaky marks or shiny spots; with some sealers, the residue can take the form of a wet or greasy coating. There are a number of ways in which the problem might be rectified, depending on the circumstances.
For example, if a solvent sealer was used, it is sometimes possible to use a little more of the actual sealer, the solvent carrier-fluid it contains can sometimes re-dissolve the residue allowing it to be wiped away with an absorbent cloth.
For other residues, we would recommend the use of Nanoscrub. First apply a little water to the affected area, and then add a little Nanoscrub and scrub. Rinse well and dry down with paper towels. For really stubborn or thick residues that have been left for some time, a stripper may be required. In such situations we would recommend Sealer & Coating Remover, applied neat and left on for a minimum of 30 minutes before scrubbing with a white nylon pad.
Apart from the last remedy (using a stripper) the others should not result in the need to re-apply more sealer afterwards. So, it need not be the end of the world if a sealer residue is left on the surface, but it is of coarse better to avoid the problem altogether, by applying the sealer correctly in the first place.
Yvonne Hicks | Nov 21, 2009 | Reply
During recent bathroom renovation my tile guys failed to remove all of the grout and adhesive marks from my beautiful cream-colored limestone tile floor before applying two coats of sealer to the floor. For a few months I’ve been trying to get the guys who laid the tiles to come back to remove the sealer and the grout/adhesive. They have tried everything they could think of: acetone, paint & varnish stripper (“Rock Miracle”), cleaners like Pine Sol & Spic & Span, but nothing has succeeded in removing the sealer or the grout/adhesive residue. It seems that nothing has been able to penetrate the limestone! Do you have any suggestions for what can be done to remove what is trapped beneath the sealer? In daytime light you can really see the grout/adhesive residue on the stone. It is, needless to say, most unsightly!
Desperately hoping you can help me with this!
Thanks,
Yvonne Hicks
donna | Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
omg…me too…i have tired everything to remove the grout sealer and nothing i mean nothing works if you find a solution please let me know
Theresa | Jun 23, 2011 | Reply
I have blue stone tile around my pool. After reading your blog I realize that the application of the sealer was wrong. I now can see leftover residue all around. How do I strip the sealer from my blue stone? Can I do it by pressure washing??
Ian Taylor | Jun 24, 2011 | Reply
Hi Theresa,
As you are stateside, I think you are referring to a kind of sandstone (in the UK bluestone means something else) either way, I am not sure what type of sealer you used, but as coating sealers are intended to be left on the surface, I am assuming you have used some kind of impregnating sealer.
Your success is going to depend on whit type of sealer, how much residue you have, and how long it has been down for). As with everything, I always try the least aggressive way first. I would try a dilute alkaline cleaner, left on to dwell for about 15 minutes, keeping it wet with fresh solution as you go. Then scrub with a scrubbing brush or a rotary machine, wet vac the solution then rinse with water. Let it dry and see how it looks.
If no success, try adding a safe cream cleaner like Nanoscrub by Aqua Mix (you can still get that in the US) add this to the detergent on the floor just before you scrub. You will have more rinsing to do as a result.
If none of this works you are going to have to resort to a solvent type stripper – there are plenty of sealant strippers available- follow the on bottle instructions. Yo will need to check the integrity of the sealer when you are done, and maybe reapply, or at least top it up.
Hope this helps
Ian
bethan pugh | Aug 6, 2011 | Reply
hi hope you can give me some advice. we have a slate tiled floor in the bathroom which has been sealed but water marks have appeared on the floor by the basin. the water marks are very noticable and have a white rim to them, i have tried to clean them off but once the floor is dry they appear again. how can i get rid of these marks?
do i need to strip the sealent and if so how?
thanks
Ian Taylor | Aug 8, 2011 | Reply
Hi Bethan,
I cannot be 100% sure but this sounds like surface deposits to me; the sealer has kept the water drops at the surface, the water then sits there, and slowly evaporates. The problem is that most water is not 100% pure, there are usually some trace minerals in it (water treatment chemicals and other impurities) if you hapen to live in a hard-water area then the water will be loaded with soluble caclium (limescale).
So, somthing in the water that is splashed ontot he floor, is left behind as a residue once the water has gone. I would try a mild cream cleaner, something like nanoscrub woulbe be great if you can get it. It is my opinion that whatever it is, is on top of the sealer and sould come off with the right approach.. Try the cream cleaner, if you have no luck, try a slightly acidic cleaner, (not a strong brick acid) this should not damage most sealers. Rinse and then dry withg a towel.
Best of luck
Ian
candace | Feb 1, 2012 | Reply
I recently resealed mt slate tiles and applied it wrong. Now the floors are sticky, can I use a sealer remover and will this harm the slate?
Thanks,
Candace
Ian Taylor | Feb 6, 2012 | Reply
Hi Candace,
A good sealer remove should not danage the slate, suggest you call whichever brand of sealer you used for their advice on the removal
Hope this helps
Ian
Heather | Mar 25, 2012 | Reply
Hi! We just had this beautiful white/ light grey natural stone backsplash installed in our kitchen. I put on a sealant(quite a few coats) and overtime it has left what looks like a cement residue on the tile plus it has actually left a yellowish cast on my tile. I am actually sick to my stomache over this considering the cost of this tile and the fact the stone runs the entire wall up to my ceiling. Please tell me if there is a solution other than tearing my once beautiful tile down.Thank you!
Ian Taylor | Mar 28, 2012 | Reply
Hi Heather,
not 100% certain what yo have done as you do not gie details on the actual sealer, but, it sounds like you have over-applied an impregnating sealer, left residue on the tile surface. Most sealers of this type are intended to be applied by allowuing them to soak in, but have and surplus removed and rubbed dry within a few minutes of application – so they end up ‘inside’ the stone, not ‘on top’ of it. THis residue couls also cast a yellowish hue.
OR, it is a coating sealer that is not so good, and again has been possibly over applied and yellowed in UV light.
Either way you will need to get a proprietary sealer remover/stripper and take it off. This should be straight-forward and not damage the tile
Hope this helps
Ian
Karen | Mar 28, 2012 | Reply
My company had been asked to remove a sealer on a natural bluestone floor in a local bank that had been flooded recently. The product that was recomended was Sealer & Coating Remover. The fumes were very bad….. I was wondering what you would recommend. IS there any such thing as a Circular Mineral Disk.
Thanks,
Karen
Ian Taylor | Mar 28, 2012 | Reply
Hi Karen,
I know that product quite well, and yes it does have a smell. However, I have to say that to my knowlege it is one of the least smelly strippers out there. If you need a good sealer removing stripper, then I think you will be hard pressed to find one that is not in fact even worse in terms of fumes and odour, plus many are not so nice to use as they contain methyl chloride and other harmful ingredients.
As to whether you can mechanically remove the sealer, this may be possible it depends; of the sealer is thick it may just get chewed up and clogg any abrasive disc you use, or if the bluestone is soft then you might damage it through abrasion.
You could try an abrasive cream cleaner like Microscrub, btu this will only help on very thin coatings
Hope this helps
Ian
Kim Learn | Apr 29, 2012 | Reply
Hello
I just finished doing a stone fireplace wall with amazing oxford ledgestone and loved it . I was not sure if I should use an impregnator (colour enhancer) , tried a piece and thought it was okay. I loved the natural stone look, now with the colour enhancer it looks too uniform . I feel that the enhancer took away the subtlety of the different earthy tones. I am so upset about this. Can I get rid of this impregnating colour enhancer? Is there a stripper that will get rid of the colour enhancer? I read that Drano may work.
Please help
Ian Taylor | Apr 29, 2012 | Reply
Hi Kim,
OK, you don’t mention which brand of enhancer, but you should know that some are incredibly difficult to remove. There is one popular brand that needs an industrial stregnth solvent to stand any chance of removal, and in all honsety it is not always 100% successful
My best advice is to contact the manufacturer of the particular enhancer you applied and ask their tech services, they may have a recommended stripper that they ahve found successful.
Be prepared though you may not get it all out. It is possible that you could significantly reduce reduce it’s colour enhancing effect, and so greatly subdue the effect and this may be acceptable – good luck
Hope this helps
Ian