On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 16:50:14 +0100, "Jim Reaper"
wrote:

The surface now looks dusty and very dull.

If it's slate, then a coat of wax polish is the best. You should get a
lovely result for just a little effort.

You need the right polish - ideally a stone polish rather than a wood
polish. This is a hard but not too shiny wax polish, with maybe 15%
carnauba wax in it. Mary can tell you the rest, or I've got a few
recipes he
http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/.../waxpolish.htm
If you want it in a can, Liberon's Black Bison in neutral will work. You
might find Goddard's stone polish somewhere too.

Don't use a "liquid wax" They tend to give dark splotches on even
slightly porous stone. Mr Sheen is definitely the wrong thing.

Apply it with a nylon bristled "wire" brush. Work hard, along the grain
of the stone. A plastic wire brush in an electric drill can save a lot
of effort.

You might want to work it with a soft (stainless steel) wire brush dry
first, in case there's any Vim dust left behind. Some people use a
bronze brush, but these can sometimes cause "bronzing" on darker slates.

If you've had problems with soot stains from an open fireplace, then you
might want to apply a sealer before the wax. Those sold for sealing
stone floors are good. However these don't leave such a natural stone
look as wax alone.

--
Cats have nine lives, which is why they rarely post to Usenet.