Oil stain on on Slate??????? (how much, heat, refinishing, paint)

[dougnaie]

My sister's parked her scooter on my slate patio, and unfortunately it leaked oil all over it. Does anyone know how I can remove this without it leaving a stain? Thanks...

[K'ledgeBldr]

Find someone in your local area that does marble refinishing and/or soapstone. They can probably help. I'm figuring since you said "patio" its random pieces? If so, maybe you can just remove and replace if you can't get it out.

[sunsprit]

It's fairly easy to do if you have the right materials.

Wipe up any surface surplus with dry paper towels, then use a rag and acetone to pick up any oil that it will absorb.

Finally, you'll need acetone and a wicking absorbent material that you can spread onto the wet stone surface to absorb the oil and solvent as it picks up the oil, then dispose of the trapped oily solvent.

You'll have to repeat this as many times as needed until the stain is removed; in some cases, it may come out in one or two applications. It all depends upon how porous the stone is and how much oil was spilled. Acetone is a fairly slow solvent, so it has time to saturate into the stone, dissolve the oil, and carry it up to the absorbent material layer you've placed over it.

The best absorbents are sphagnum peat moss based ... they are heat treated/processed peat moss, shredded into a rather fine (but not dusty) mixture which is highly absorbent for petroleum products. There's several brands available, mostly sold industrially for spills/containment. Other absorbents that may work are rice hull based. A 2 cu ft sack (about the size of a 40 lb sack of cement mix) should cost around $25-40, depending upon your source. New Pig, and Gator are two suppliers that may be available to you, do an internet search for these companies.

You cannot do this with adsorbents, like the chopped clay granules that are frequently sold as "floor dri" oil pick up for shops. It must be an absorbent material that traps the solvent.

Of course, when working with Acetone, you'll want gloves and normal protective clothing ... long sleeves, eye protection, etc., and avoid the fumes as much as possible(or usea painter's solvent mask, disposable). No smoking around this stuff, either ... it's very flammable. So use common sense working with this stuff.

[dougnaie]

Thanks for the helpful information. It sounds like a task, but not an impossible one. I will make sure to take all the precautions. Our patio is one of the most expensive improvements we made to our home, and since we have put it on the market, I would like it to look its best...thanks again!

[riveree]

Kitty litter does wonders to soak up oil spills.

After the kitty litter did the best it could, I'd try some cornstarch (never had to go that far, the kitty litter always did the trick - buy the fine sandy stuff).