Quartzite Flooring
Stone floors are popular for a variety of reasons, durability and beauty being among the top reasons. But it's not a common stone flooring to install, so questions abound about what it is and how to take care of it.
Quartzite flooring is a beautiful, durable stone flooring. Quartzite is a metamorphic stone, one that started as one type of stone and was transformed by heat and pressure into another type over millions of years. Quartzite is a metamorphic combination of quartz, mica, and feldspar. Basically, quartzite is a metamorphosed sandstone, with a texture similar to slate.
Pure quartzite is grey to white. Often, quartzite is streaked and patterned with pink, brown, or red deposits, most often iron oxides. Other colors may appear in quartzite flooring due to different mineral deposits. The coloration can be fairly uniform or a bold, swirling pattern of streaks and lenses. These patterns form when sandstone undergoes great heat and pressure. The quartz and cementing material re-crystalize, while other minerals liquefy and flow before re-crystalizing into the patterns that we see.
Quartzite flooring is quite dense. Quartzite flooring typically comes in tiles ranging from one-half to one inch in thickness, and 165 square feet of such quartzite flooring can weigh a ton. Quartzite flooring is also extremely hard, ranking 7 on the Mohr mineral hardness scale (diamond is 10). In fact, crushed quartzite is used as railroad track ballast because it is so hard and durable.
There are two ways of finishing quartzite for use in home surfaces. Polished quartzite is very smooth and shiny. Polishing also emphasizes the color and pattern of the stone. Polished quartzite is often used in countertops, walls, vanities, sinks, and other non-traffic surfaces. But a very shiny quartzite is also a very slick quartzite, not well suited for floors.
Honed quartzite is a satin finish that glows gently. On floors, honed quartzite is preferred because it provides better footing and its finish will hold up better. It tends to get dirtier, or least show the dirt more, than polished quartzite because it is more porous, but it can withstand stronger cleaning agents without losing its finish. Like all stone flooring, quartzite flooring should be sealed when it is laid and every few years thereafter. Sealing helps minimize stains.
For cleaning quartzite flooring, use clean potable water and neutral (pH-7), mildly abrasive cleaners. Commercially available Soft-Scrub or other thick liquid cleaners and chlorine-bleach type scouring powders are ideal for this purpose. Simply mix in clean water according to manufacturer's directions. (Note: chlorine bleach should not be used on dark colored stone, as it may lighten the stone's color.)
Wet the quartzite flooring first, with hot but not boiling clean water. Then, using a mildly abrasive, alkaline cleaner and a medium bristle brush, wash in swirling, overlapping strokes. Suds can be left on for a while to allow bleaching agents to work on stains.
Rinse thoroughly, then mop dry with clean cotton, flannel, burlap, or chamois cloth. It is important to dry well to avoid streaks.
If extra-strength cleaning is needed on a quartzite floor, a paste of mildly abrasive alkaline cleaner and water, about the consistency of syrup, can be used. Apply the paste uniformly and allow it to dry. Then, use a medium bristle brush and clean water to scrub vigorously. Rinse and dry as described above.Quartzite flooring is extremely durable and beautiful. It's also expensive, but worth having in high-traffic areas and where appearance matter most.
Do you know of any floor scrubber machines that can be used on quartzite flooring?
Malcolm Gray at October 10, 2008 7:19 AMHi Malcom -
What are you trying to do? Are you wanting to clean it, strip it, or something else? What kind of problem does your floor have that you're wanting to use a floor scrubber?
Just asking, as an answer is most difficult to formulate without knowing what issues you are having with your floor.
The Flooring Lady at October 11, 2008 10:05 AMI have a floor scrubber for finished floor surface it is specific for cleaning with rotating brushs and sucks the ater up very good
andrea at April 1, 2009 2:22 PMGreat article! I have installed a quartzite tile floor several years ago that has a very rough, uneven surface. I did seal it after installation. The floor gets very dirty with food spills, etc and I find it hard to clean with just water. If I use Soft Scrub w/ Bleach or powder cleansers with bleach such as Bon Ami, will I have to reseal it afterwards? Is there any I risk discoloring the floor from the bleach? Thanks in advance.
Tom at June 23, 2009 10:49 PMHi Tom,
I believe this is covered in the article here: "For cleaning quartzite flooring, use clean potable water and neutral (pH-7), mildly abrasive cleaners. Commercially available Soft-Scrub or other thick liquid cleaners and chlorine-bleach type scouring powders are ideal for this purpose. Simply mix in clean water according to manufacturer's directions. (Note: chlorine bleach should not be used on dark colored stone, as it may lighten the stone's color.)"
The Flooring Lady at June 24, 2009 9:49 AMI am putting polished quartzite on my kitchen counters. someone told me that it is very porous and need to be sealed every 3 months. I understood that it was better at withstanding abuse than granite. From reading this article it does not have to be sealed but every few years and does not stain easily. If it does can I clean with soft scrub to get the stain out, because I will be using it on my center island for chopping and not loose the shine. It is a green color cut across.
Joy Gremillion at July 30, 2009 6:10 PMJoy Gremillion
I am putting polished quartzite on my kitchen counters. someone told me that it is very porous and need to be sealed every 3 months. I understood that it was better at withstanding abuse than granite. From reading this article it does not have to be sealed but every few years and does not stain easily. If it does can I clean with soft scrub to get the stain out, because I will be using it on my center island for chopping and not loose the shine. It is a green color cut across.
Joy Gremillion at July 30, 2009 6:10 PMJoy Gremillion
Joy,
Routine cleaning may be done with a damp cloth or paper towel and, if necessary, a small amount of non-bleach, nonabrasive cleanser.
The Flooring Lady at July 31, 2009 1:10 PMHow do you install the quartzite. We want to install 1500 sqft on the 2nd floor in the kitchen ,living room and more. Using a 1 1/2 " - 2" motar bed will add a lot of weight. We have @1" thick quartz could we use thin set?
Scott at August 6, 2009 10:27 PMI am putting in a soft water system (potassium). Do you know if this will damage my quartzite flooring? We live in Arizona and the PH is above 10-13 . I am wondering if not putting in a soft water system is damaging the floors.
Let me know Mike
Mike York at October 1, 2009 11:34 AMMike,
Water softeners are a good addition to a home. The softened water should not damage the quartzite.
The hard water would not necessarily damage the quartzite, but it could cause build up which will be harder to clean.
The Flooring Lady at October 5, 2009 1:05 PMI have a field stone entrance hallway (8'x 8')and keep stubbing my toes because it is uneven. I would like to replace it with quartzite if possible. The house is in an area where there is at least 6 months of snow. Do you know if this will damage the quartzite flooring. Thank you.
Marilou at October 8, 2009 12:55 AMMarilou,
The water from the snow should not hurt the quartzite. I would make sure that the floor is level and that it is sealed correctly.
The Flooring Lady at October 9, 2009 12:22 PMI am thinking of using engineered quartzite tiles for redoing my bathroom and kitchen floors. I understand that I should use a non- polished finish e.g. honed to maximize slip-resistance.
But are there special installation or floor preparation directions that I should be aware of, e.g., using only a particular kind of base (backer), mastic/thinset mortar, or grout? If so, what is the best type of base, sealer, adhesive, and grout to use for this application? Any special techniques? My main concern is preventing the tiles from shifting under pressure or popping off when walked on.
Additionally, are there issues with hardness of engineered quartzite when used as flooring, and its ability to withstand pressure and wear, humidity, temperature changes, etc. that I should be concerned about?
Any particular brands of quartzite tile that you would recommended more than others?
Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate it.
jpper at October 22, 2009 3:36 AMJpper,
Sorry, I do not have a brand to recommend on this product. An article that will help answer these questions for you is Installing Stone Flooring. I would also contact the manufacturer of the quartzite to find out their recommended base, sealer, adhesive, and grout for your item.
The Flooring Lady at October 23, 2009 7:13 AMWe have Quartezite on an outside Patio. It's has turned a dull gray. What can we apply to make it shine?
Vito at November 8, 2009 5:37 PMVito,
I would clean the quartzite as described in the article above, and then apply a stone sealer to protect it.
The stone can also be polished to bring out the shine.
The Flooring Lady at November 13, 2009 9:39 AMIs there a web site that can be trusted for properly naming slate and quartzite stone?
andrew g at November 19, 2009 8:57 PM