How to restore Black Slate Fireplace

I’m trying to restore a couple of 1880’s black slate fireplaces. It took about 2 weeks to remove the many layers of paint and now you can see the slate, but most of it is Green, with small patches of Black. My neighbor was in the same situation and his slate looks the same as mine, i.e. mainly Green. Picture here: http://imgur.com/a/bYsNX I’ve tried many methods to remove the Green – Paint Stripper, Mineral Oils, Hydrogen Peroxide, Shaving foam (recommended on some sites), Stone Cleaning chemicals suitable for slate, Vinegar, and a mixture of these with Baking powder left overnight. Nothing so far has worked. I even tried sanding (reluctantly) a very small part in a hidden area and no change. It is hard to tell whether the Green is on the surface or a stain. It feels slightly different from the Black areas to the touch. Does anyone know what causes the Green color? And is it possible to restore the Black? Thank you.

rcc147

in Renovation 11 years and 3 months ago

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NeoGrec | 11 years and 3 months ago

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I’m going to disagree with the others and say that, judging from your photo, it’s not black slate but paint residue that hasn’t been removed — and perhaps can’t be. We have green slate mantels and, while there’s some color variation, it’s nothing like what I’m seeing here. Stone mantels can be mystifying. If you can’t remove the black, you might want to consider painting them an interesting gray (like Farrow & Ball’s Downpipe) to achieve an even tone. You could also do gold gilt in the etched areas for more stylish look. It’s a tasteful approach — not “loud”.

cate | 11 years and 3 months ago

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Bond is correct but it was done at the factory in Italy. These pieces are heavy. I think a decorative painter could re-create the original marble finish for you. Or if you like the slate showing but just want to even out the color, check out this blog to see how contractor and cabinet maker Gavin Maloney refinished his slate mantel with Minwax stain. http://gavinmaloney.com/?p=414

BobMarvin | 11 years and 3 months ago

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“I think they used to use the same process to marbleize the end plates of books” I learned how to do that in Junior High School printing shop, c.1957\. Unfortunately I don’t remember too many of the details, but it looked beautiful.

Bond | 11 years and 3 months ago

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A lot of the original faux marbling was done by floating oil paints on a large tub of water that they would swirl just enough to intermingle the paint, but not really mix it. Then they would mask off the areas that they didn’t want to cover. Then very carefully, keeping the piece level with the surface, you lower it onto the floating paint, just enough to pick up the paint on the dry surface. Not an easy process to duplicate, but it does give a great faux finish. I think they used to use the same process to marbleize the end plates of books. Unfortunately I don’t remember the brand of stove black that I used, but I have a tube of it floating around somewhere. If I can track it down, it’s yours. You simply put some on a rag and rub it on, much like shoe polish.

rcc147 | 11 years and 3 months ago

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Thanks for the responses. Bond – how was the original faux finish done? Can you recommend a brand of stove blacking and the application technique?

Bond | 11 years and 3 months ago

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Because most slate mantles were made to have a faux finish, they didn’t obsess over color consistency. What you are describing is almost certainly part of the stone. I’ve seen lots of green as well as purple stone in slate mantels. I’ve had reasonable success covering using stove blacking, it comes out looking very natural. As always, test in an inconspicuous spot first.

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 3 months ago

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    ["user_url"]=>
    string(55) "http://bstoner.wpengine.com/forums/users/daveinbedstuy/"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 14:23:53"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(13) "daveinbedstuy"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(3864)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Use som mineral oil over it and all the colors will come out for you to see an it’ll be less patchy.

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 3 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#5118 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4911 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(4) "3864"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(13) "daveinbedstuy"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BtJYyObAQmff2MQp.qFP7/kmwU1bBZ1"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(13) "daveinbedstuy"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(19) "djl135e54@yahoo.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(55) "http://bstoner.wpengine.com/forums/users/daveinbedstuy/"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 14:23:53"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(13) "daveinbedstuy"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(3864)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

I believe it’s a natural color within the slate.