Slate pathway pressure washed

[mrsme]

Can anyone advise on this please?

Is it ok to pressure wash slate patios and paths? I'm not sure what type of slate it actually is but it was a darker grey colour and now after pressure washing it has lightened a lot to a very light whitish grey with almost a powdery look about it. It seems that all the beauty has been taken from it. Could the slate have been damaged in any way or would there have been a seal that might have been removed?

Is this normal after pressure washing slate and will it gradually go back to the darker colour or does it need some kind of re-sealing?

[Carberry]

You can pressure wash slate but have to be careful with it because it can peel and be damaged quite easily. You need to do it on lowest setting.

Sounds like it has been damaged, I'm not sure if / how you can repair it.

[London Stone Paving]

Sounds to me like there has been residue left on the surface after installation. When a patio is installed there are lots of particles of cement dust, cutting dust, sand etc hanging around in the air and they can settle down and can leave a filn on the surface of the paving

1. Where is the slate from (country)? The Indian slate is notoriously flaky and jet washing could damage the surface but if the slate is Chinese or Brazilian you will be able to jet wash without causing any damage.

2. Please post some pictures so we can properly diagnose the problem

3. If the issue is caused by a residue then you will be able to treat it with something to remove it.

Look forward to the photos

Steve

[mrsme]

I don't know where the slate was from its actually in my daughters garden and was already down when they moved in the house in January and it looked lovely, it made me want to have some in my own garden. It has been down for some time, probably years so it wasnt recenty laid, its been a very well planned and looked after garden by the previous owners who were in there for 12 years.

The pressure washer is a fairly strong one I think, although I don't know too much about pressure washers it does belong to me. I bought it from Aldi last summer and I know its stronger than a usual home pressure washer but not as strong as a professional one. Her partner borrowed it to do the block paving but did the slate aswell.

I will see if my daughter can get some pictures and post them although I wont know how to do it so will probably need some advice on how to

[London Stone Paving]

that makes more sense now. By jetwashing you have removed all the algae and dirt and what you are seeing is probarbly the original colour of the slate.

It would be good to get some photos anyway to confirm. You can email the photos to me and I will upoad them to the site

steven@londonstone.com

[mrsme]

Thankyou very much I will do that as soon as daughter can get some done. Shes away for a little while now though so it wont be straight away but as soon as shes back we will get to it

Thanks again