Surface coatings (also known as topical sealers) are often used on specific surfaces, including slate, terracotta and terrazzo, and very commonly in commercial or heavy-use environments.
When should you remove a coating?
Over time, coatings can deteriorate. It is quite common for a surface to have a 10-year old coating on it, and if it hasn’t been correctly maintained, or has been regularly recoated without stripping back, it can have a ‘thick plastic’ look, can discolour (usually yellowing), go milky-looking, or crack or peel. In these cases the coating cannot be salvaged and needs to be removed.
Chemical stripping to remove coatings
The thicker the coating, the harder it is to remove. However Slique has a range of chemical stripping processes that can be used, ensuring a good result.
It helps to know what products have been used to coat the floor so chemical stripping agents can be selected to focus on the coating’s chemical composition. However even without this information Slique’s chemical stripping processes have been able to completely strip coatings that other companies have been unable to remove.
Chemical stripping is designed to remove all traces of a coating, exposing the natural stone or tile underneath. Chances are the coating has been applied for a reason, so once chemical stripping has been undertaken, Slique recommends a Barrier-Coat Polishing treatment to apply a new coating to the surface.
