This question posted on one of the social networking sites had many international companies sharing their views on the best solution. While there are various strategic methods to address this issue, all agreed that there is no easy or quick solution to do this job, even with the best possible strippers and buffers.
“I would have to say that nothing will be quick. You will want to take your time and make sure that you down over saturate the slate once you get past the final coat of wax. If you do, make sure to dry it as quick as possible to avoid any mineral issues from a concrete substrate.” — Joe Bradley, Training Media Designer at Stanley Steemer, Columbus, Ohio Area.
“The coating on the slate is probably not really “wax.” Identifying exactly what type of topical coating is present is very helpful. Then you can choose a stripper that is made to remove that specific coating. Since you don’t know what the finish is, I would suggest trying a stripper made for VCT floor finishes. Most slate is not flat, so a brush under your floor machine will work better than a flat pad. There are stripping brushes with different lengths of bristles for stripping uneven floors.” — Scott Warrington, Director of Technical Support at Bridgepoint Systems, Greater Salt Lake City Area.
“A brush works better than a flat pad but it really does depend on how long the polish has been down, the number of coats and the time period. Also, if the surface has been sealed before or polished without a seal. Therefore, it is important to ascertain to what level the build-up has sunk into the surface. Before you try any quick fixes investigate fully what you are dealing with.” —Silvie McDonough, Regional Manager at Interserve FM, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom.
“I apply dry ice blasting for cleaning concrete of tough oil base deposits. If it’s in an environment that is sensitive to what you are going to apply, Dry Ice is very good. Its non-toxic, USDA and FDA approved for cleaning. It’s 100% dry with zero residue. There are contractors all over doing dry ice blasting.” — James Hoenscheidt, Owner at Swept Clean Dry Ice Blasting and Cleaning Corpus Christi, Texas Area.