How to Restore a Painted Slate Mantel

Slate is an attractive natural material that is often used for fireplace mantels. Through the years, different trends in home decorating may have led you or a previous homeowner to paint over the slate mantel. You can restore a slate mantel in your home to its natural beauty as a do-it-yourself weekend project. Lightly sand the painted surface and apply a special slate stripping solvent to remove the remaining layer of paint to restore the mantel to its natural surface.

Things You'll Need

• Fine-grit sanding pad
• Slate stripping solvent
• Solvent resistant brush
• Plastic putty knife
• Bucket of water
• Liquid dish detergent
• Cloth rag

Show More

Instructions

1. • 1

     Sand all of the exposed painted surfaces of the mantel with a fine-grit sanding pad to remove as much paint as you can without reaching the bare slate surface.

   • 2

     Apply slate stripping solvent to the mantel with a brush. Allow the solvent to sit on the surface of the mantel until the paint bubbles up.

   • 3

     Scrape away the excess solvent and paint using a plastic putty knife.

   • 4

     Pour liquid detergent into a bucket of water. Wash and rinse the mantel with a cloth rag. Allow the slate surface to dry before use.