Effective guidance to maintain the stage of Stone Floor Care

Upkeep for your flooring

 

Whether you are considering the purchase or you already have it, proper stone floor care will help keep your flooring selection beautiful and protected. The better you protect it the longer it will last. Depending on the amount of traffic, the type of stone floor, as well as the area in which you live, there are a variety of options for you to take into consideration.

 

In some cases, taking care of these floors is difficult. In others, it is quite simple. But, regardless of what you need to do, doing it will allow your stone floors to last a lifetime and longer. It will help you in keeping the beautiful look of your flooring for a little longer. If you are just considering to make the installation of the stone tile flooring for the some of the additional places in your home like the washrooms, porcelain or in the area of the ceramic tiles on the floors, then you must need to make sure to use some effective usage of the cleaning the tidy areas in the slabs.  The use of the rock, ceramic tiles is the best options to use on the floors. It is easy to maintain and very durable.

 

Installation Right First

 

The first step in caring for stone floors is ensuring proper installation. When it is laid properly, it will look beautiful, but more importantly, it will be less likely to crack, slip, or become uneven. It is always wise to have a professional do the work. But if you are willing to do it on your own, make sure you have the basic guidelines and required tools. A handy person with basic knowledge can do it with the proper tools for the stone tile flooring. There are many online tutorials available to guide you. But, remember that this type of flooring is quite expensive, so you may not want too many wasted pieces! If you are just considering to put the natural types of the stone floor tiles in your home, you just need to make a plan to make use of more than 10% of the budget allocated to make the levels.

 

Stone Sealers

 

When you think of a stone, you think of a porous material. The problem with most stone flooring is that it is susceptible to staining. Some spots can be removed easily and some stay for a long time. In porous stones like marble, you will find that even a little bit of water can cause the floor to spot. Other very porous flooring choices for the stone tile flooring includes limestone and sandstone. Slate is a porous stone, but more water resistant than the previously mentioned flooring materials. Granite is a very hard, non-porous surface, good for flooring; it’s still wise to seal it so that it doesn’t stain.


But, there are ways that you can protect the flooring from these stains. Most individuals will use a stone sealer on the floor. Sealers range of differences depending on the type of floor, the texture of the flooring as well as in quality. When properly sealed, they can help to protect the stone tile flooring from easily staining. But, even with them applied, your stone flooring can become stained if a spill, especially those with acids in them, is left on the floor for very long. Anytime something is spilled, it should be cleaned up as soon as possible. This can prevent the permanent discoloration and protect your floor from getting spoilt.

 

Regular Care of Stone Flooring

 

When it comes to stone flooring cleaning, there are some basic things to remember.

 

  • The first course of action is the dust mop. A dry mop that removes debris gently is needed. This is necessary because dirt, for example, left on the stone flooring can be abrasive to the flooring material and therefore damage it. To help in this type of prevention, use a carpet near the entrance to help trap these particles before they even get into the room.

 

  • When cleaning stone flooring, excess water should not be used. Take a mop and wring it out, then wipe the floor. You should not use any chemicals on stone floors, especially those with acid in them. Any hard substance should be avoided for such kind of floors. Once the floor is clean, those who have a marble surface should take a dry towel to immediately dry the flooring. Most other types of flooring do not require this attention.

 

  • Removing stains from grout will be necessary at times.

 

  • Regular polishing may be necessary for high traffic areas. Have a professional polisher come in to do the work and ensure that the stone flooring is not damaged.

 

  • Lastly, stone flooring care will require that you reapply sealers to the flooring Marble should be more frequent, like every nine months.

 

Taking care of your stone flooring will keep it looking beautiful. Your home is your castle. And as with European castles that often have stone floors, taking care of them will let them last a long time. This will help you to maintain the beautiful outlook of your designed floors for a very long time.


40 thoughts on “Effective guidance to maintain the stage of Stone Floor Care”

  1. The cleaning service now admits they used a mild vinegar/water solution as I suspected. I count that they were at the house 6 times over a two month period.
    The installer applied the travertine sealer that the store the travertine was purchased from strongly recommends. The sealer is Superior Premium Gold for Travertine. The really interesting thing is that I was searching the internet to find out more about this product and I saw a note that it was made by Aqua Mix and sold under this label in some tile stores. I didn’t find this on the AquaMix site so I don’t know for certain if this is accurate.
    The installer applied the sealer according to package directions and applied two coats of sealer. The installer checked to see that the tile felt consistently smooth from the sealer and checked to ensure that water beaded on the floor after sealer application. The installer has been around a long time and has a good reputation. He doesn’t have a lot of experience with stone (mostly just porcelin and ceramic tile), but I do trust that he applied the sealer correctly and that he is being honest with me.
    The tile store tells me that they own their own quarries (outside of this country) and inspect all shipments before they are delivered to customers. They insist they sell the highest quality travertine and haven’t had any issues with quality as long as the tile is properly cared for.
    Here’s something else interesting, I can’t be a 100% certain, but a good part of the pitting/holes seems to be occuring where the tile was filled. It looks like the fill is disolving in places. I called the tile shop and they tell me that the trvertine is filled with epoxy. I don’t know what epoxy is, but is that something that should be able to be disolved by vinegar and water? I only wash the floor with hot water on a damp mop (given our issues, I’m afraid to use anything else) and I’ve released the cleaning service.

    Reply
  2. Well, all I can say is this is really a mystery. If the floor was properly sealed (and it seems that this is so), then a mild vinegar/water solution shouldn’t have hurt anything – seriously! The sealer would protect the stone. On the other hand, if it seems that the epoxy fill is coming out, then apparently it didn’t adhere properly to the stone – again, vinegar wouldn’t hurt it. Epoxy is super hard stuff, vinegar isn’t going to budge it. While it’s true that anything acidic is NOT recommended for cleaning travertine (or any other stone), it’s a pretty common practice and usually not problematic if the floor is sealed well.
    I’m presuming the water still beads?
    Wouldn’t hurt to find out what the ‘recommeneded’ cleaning process is for this stone and what the warranty exclusions are. I sure can’t see how a mild vinegar/water solution on sealed stone could cause the pitting, or even cause the epoxy to come out. If the epoxy really is coming off, despite being sealed…….. just sounds like it didn’t adhere to the stone – could be the epoxy was defective. Something’s not right and I surely hope this company that also owns the quarries stand behind their products. Hopefully, using a mild vinegar/water solution doesn’t void any warranty.
    Oh, I have found thru a google search where AquaMix Sealer’s Choice Gold IS rebranded as Superior Premium Gold – so it sounds like your installer knows what he’s talking about.
    Summary: I think that it’s likely there was something wrong with the epoxy filler since it appears to be popping out of the travertine. In short, that still means that the tile product is defective. Could be a ratio (measuring) error when mixing the epoxy??? Epoxies are usually 2 part, one part is the hardener. It’s crucial that when you mix the two parts together (commonly referred to as ‘Part A’ and ‘Part B’), that the ratios are exactly correct or the epoxy won’t set right. It’s possible that the cleaning service could be held liable, especially if it violates the warranty of the stone because of the cleaning service’s cleaning method.

    Reply
  3. I’ve just bought a house that was recently remodeled with granite floors and countertops. I have no way of knowing if they were sealed or not.
    Is there a way to tell or should I just apply sealant to be sure?

    Reply
  4. We just have travertine installed and sealed in our bathroom a couple of weeks ago. Someone accidently used lysol to clean an area of the travertine which left spots all over the tile. They tried to wipe it up immediately but did more damage by wiping. The tiles look scratched and spotted. How can I get them looking new and refreshed again? Should I try resealing them? If so, what do you recommend?

    Reply
  5. Hi Yvonne,
    Since you just had this installed I’d recommend calling the installer. If nothing else you can ask what was used on the travertine to help determine if you can fix it yourself. You most likely can, probably just needs a light, fine stripping pad and reapplying a bit of the sealer.

    Reply
  6. Dear floor lady, I am in big trouble and need you help. we just installed travertine flooring and every one told me we should seal it. we made sure it was very clean before we sealed it but everyone failed to tell us that it takes 24hr for the floors to get dry. after 10 minutes of drying we put the sealer. Now it looks dirty and not shiny at all as if there is dirt over the stone but nothing removed the dirt. After many trips to home depot the think I have sealed the dirt and there is no way to remove it. they recommended me to use a tilelab heavy duty cleaner & stripper but the sealer company (miracle) says no chance to remove the seal. I have to sand the stone down to get the sealer out. I need your help. how can I remove the sealer, clean the surface and reseal again? I do not want to sand the area after all we went trough installing them!! any ideas….. thanks

    Reply
  7. Hi Sam,
    Hopefully you won’t have to sand……… take a look at the products available from AquaMix. I think you’ll probably need to start with their Sealer & Coating Remover. It’s going to take patience and some elbow grease, but I think it’ll work. Be sure to call their toll free number too – I know that they make a branded products for a big store chain, but darned if I can think of which one and what the line is called. It’s a bit less expensive. Look over their sealers too – there’s different kinds to get different results.

    Reply
  8. Thank you so much for the ideas.I need to make sure the product does not damage my polished stone. They say acids do damage the surface of polished stone….. is that the case???? I hate to try it and realize that it does and it would be too late. thanks again

    Reply
  9. Hi Sam,
    Yes, acids can damage the surface of polished stone. Remember though, if it’s sealed properly, then you’ll be ok – even if you choose to clean your flooring with a mild vinegar/water solution.

    Reply
  10. You should never use acidic cleaners on any natural stone.Sealers don’t protect the calcium in these stones from being eaten away by acids.I am a stone restorer with almost 30 years experience and this is the single number one problem that keeps me in business.Use a neutral cleaner always.Also, acidic cleaners will eat away at the area surrounding fillers in travertine making them larger allowing the fillers to pop out.

    Reply
  11. Hi Dave,
    A good sealer should protect the stone, though yes, a neutral cleaner won’t harm the stone. With a good sealer/finish, a very mild solution of vinegar/water won’t hurt – floors that are not sealed well will have a problem though – regardless of what is used to clean them.

    Reply
  12. I have a porcelain kitchen floor which was installed 2 years ago. it’s beautiful but slowly the little pitted areas are turning black. suggestions?

    Reply
  13. Hi Sharon,
    How did your porcelain flooring become pitted? It sounds like you need to clean the flooring really well and then seal it. Check out the products for porcelain at http://www.aquamix.com so you can see what kind of products are available. I’m not saying you need to buy their products (though they are very good!), it’s just that their website was wonderfully created with consumers in mind who need to know what each product is for, when you should consider using it, etc. ;o)

    Reply
  14. We just put up a stone backsplash. We cleaned it really well then sealed it with Dupont Stonetech Heavy Duty Sealer. We then grouted and sealed again. The stone tiles have now lost their shine. They look flat in the middle etc. What do I do now to get their shine back?

    Reply
  15. Hi Penny,
    It sounds like maybe all of the grout wasn’t cleaned off – this can take away it’s shine. It’s also possible that the sealer wasn’t a high-sheen (glossy) sealer. If you feel that is the case, then just using a high-sheen finish or the same type sealer that is high-sheen will take care of it. If that doesn’t work, then it’s probably grout haze, and the only way to remove it is to strip the tiles and re-seal with a high-sheen product.

    Reply
  16. I moved into a flat with a stone floor. Basically, looks like large slate stones joined together? With concrete. A hi gloss sealer was applied to it, but ive noticd that the sealer is peeling? Do i have to strip that sealer before layering another coat?

    Reply

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