More Stone Care Tips and Maintenance Ideas for Your Natural Stone

Installation of natural stone comes with an even greater responsibility to maintain it regularly and restore it whenever necessary. Routine cleaning of marble, granite and other natural stones prevents damage and keep the stones beautiful. The Marble man, Australia’s top marble floor and countertop restoration company, specialises in restoring the natural beauty of stones through various processes and thus providing immediate solution to any stone surface problem so encountered. Besides, the Marble Man experts also offer valuable advice to the clients concerning protection of their natural stones from all possible damages. In order to maintain the natural stone, homeowners need to emphasize on three most important things namely prevention of damage, cleaning without damage and removing stains.

To prevent damage of natural stone, daily cleaning is must, though it is not enough to ensure future protection. Regular cleaning along with routine maintenance by stone repair and natural stone restoration professionals will enhance the value and longevity of your stone surface. Most importantly, try to prevent contact between the materials that cause stain and the stone surface. Put large mats at the entrance to collect the outside dirt and soil which enter the house via the shoes. These mats must be shaken and vacuumed frequently. Also, vacuum the stone surface regularly and ensure that the dirt and soil is removed.

Good quality stone sealers must be applied professionally to prevent stains from penetrating into the stone surface. Resurfacing the stone surface will replace the dull, worn out stone by a smoother and harder finish that prevents staining and wear. Also, it is easier to clean a smooth surface as dirt and grime do not get trapped into the uneven spots.

Another most important part of stone maintenance is cleaning it without damaging the floor. The best method is to use the right cleaning material which is a pH neutral cleaner specially recommended for cleaning natural stone. Remember not to use abrasive cleaners on the stone surface and nylon scrubbing pads as they are harder than marble and will eventually scratch it. Professionals recommend the use of soft cleaners and sponges instead of thick cleaners as the latter will stick to the stone. Check out the Cleaning Products recommended by The Marble Man's professional team for better stone care. 

To prevent stains, wipe up spills immediately. In case the stain has already appeared, try to determine whether it is water-based or oil-based and clean it accordingly. You may not be able to do this without the assistance of the expert stone repairers. Stone care professionals will examine the damage caused and treat it properly so that your stone is protected from further damage. Before applying any chemical to clean stone surfaces, seek The Marble Man’s expert advice and save your stone from damages. In case damage has already occurred, it’s time to turn up to the stone restoration specialist as their professional techniques will bring back the old shine on your stone tiles.

Stone Care Tips from the Most Sought Out Stone Restoration Specialist in Australia

The Marble Man technicians are thorough professionals who can Repair, Resurface or Repolish damaged and dull stone benchtop and floor tiles and transform them into stunning surfaces. They provide customised and guaranteed stone preventative and maintenance works. 

Once you are a customer of the Marble Man, you’ll remain always their customer because you’re getting the best stone restoration service utilising latest technology available in the world. And interestingly, their prices are competitive and quite affordable too.

Don’t use acidic cleaners on your elegant stone surfaces. Even some of the environment friendly products contain acidic fruits and vegetables that can harm your costly stone tiles. So check the ingredients of a cleaning product before applying it on the stone, otherwise it’ll damage the stone sealer on your countertops and floor tiles.

The use of abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers can spoil your natural stone floors, benchtop or tabletop. If you see some sort of cloudiness or haze building up on your natural stone surface, try changing the stone cleaner, and use a neutral PH cleaner as recommended by the Marble Man. If you still don’t notice any improvement to the condition of your stone, then you may require professional service to restore it.

Even if you clean the stone surfaces daily, it should be followed by periodic deep cleanings by stone care professionals.

Marble Man customer care is well known in Australia - the very many testimonials they receive daily are proof of it.  They offer top class floor care and restoration at most of the places in QLD and NSW. Upon receiving a communication from you by mail or on mobile, they’ll send a stone care specialist to inspect your stone and advise on its repair or restoration – they provide a no obligation, free quote.

There is also a treasure trove of stone care and maintenance information on the Marble Man website. This comes from their 24 years of combined experience in the stone restoration industry. You can Download TOP 10 Stone Care TIPS  on stone maintenance and preventative care from their website for keeping your natural stone surface sparkling and pristine. Call them today on 1300 627 626 for A to Z of marble, granite and other natural stone maintenance practice.

Six Handy Tips for Cleaning and Maintenance of Natural Stone Surface

Natural stone floors are known for their ageless beauty and extreme durability. These stone floors offer best endurance against heavy traffic also. Although natural stone floors are mostly known for their use in the kitchen, bathroom, portico etc., but there are several instances where natural stone floors are used in living room, bedroom, study etc.

It is rightly said that natural stone adds a wonderful earthly flavour to a home ambiance. It adds to natural beauty of a home interior if the floor is well maintained. Natural stone maintenance is not at all hectic if you know the right approach.

Use proper cleaner

By texture, natural stones are mostly porous. If any harsh chemical is used on porous natural stone surface, there is high chance that these chemicals can spoil the surface of the stone. As the immediate result of this cleaning spree the stone surface will turn into rough and uneven plain. It is always safe to use recommended stone floor cleaner.

Sweep the floor regularly

Dust and dirt are the worst enemies for stone floor and its regular surface. Once dust and dirt sit on the surface, it makes the floor uneven with scratch and splits. Initially these scratches do not look unsightly, but gradually the floor starts losing its natural shine. You can delay this deterioration by sweeping the floor with a broom at regular basis. Brooms made with natural bristles are most useful for keeping natural stone made floor clean.

Use warm water for mopping

It is always recommended to mop the stone floor with lukewarm water and a clean cotton mop.  Nylon mops are strictly not to be used for stone floor because its synthetic fibre can make the entire floor scratchy. Once floor starts becoming scratchy, it attracts more debris on it and at the same time start looking dull and unimpressive. And if you notice scratches on the stone surface, immediately consult with a stone repair & restoration specialist like The Marble Man who will guide you what to do. You can also take a snapshot of the damaged surface and send it to the stone care team.

Steam cleaning

Steam cleaning is an efficient way to remove the loose layer of dirt and grease that gets tangled with the stone surface and stays long. Steam cleaning helps in removing stubborn dust and dirt from stone surface. However, steam cleaning is not an easy job and may not be appropriate to get it done by DYI method. Rather, it is wise to hire a professional natural stone restoration specialist to steam clean a natural stone floor. 

Attempt deep cleaning with a natural stone cleaner

Sometimes natural stone floor becomes clumsy with accumulated heavy grease, stain, dirt, etc. Common sweeping or mopping cannot restore its original glamour. In such case, you can use heavy duty natural stone cleaning products. However, it is mandatory that you use cotton mop or nonabrasive sponge to smear the stone cleaner on the floor, or else it may affect the smoothness of the natural stone surface.

Scrubbing grout

Sometimes natural stone floor attracts grout to get accumulated on its surface. Regular mopping and sweeping cannot remove the grout completely. In this situation, the best move is to call a professional natural stone restoration service provider to restore the lost sheen and shine of the floor.

Natural stone is easy to maintain and it offers a long service life. If you have natural stone floor in your house, you should take proper care to maintain its elegance and natural beauty. In every 6 months to 1 year interval, you should call the natural stone care and maintenance service to inspect the stone and do periodical cleaning and maintenance.  For further info, you can talk to The Marble Man stone restoration specialists on 1300 627 626.

Different Methods of Stone Restoration and Their Implementation

The biggest disadvantage of using natural stone for exterior and interior purposes is that it loses its shine and vitality due to prolonged or continuous use.  Despite this risk, we always prefer installing natural stone because upon installation it adds to the beauty and splendor of our homes and workplaces, primarily because of its shine and polish.  Therefore, loss of shine reduces the value and glory of a stone and at the same time demands immediate and expert attention.

There are mainly four basic methods of creating shine on natural stone surfaces, namely buffing with polishing powder and compound, diamond grinding, crystallization and applying barrier coatings. Different stone types require different methods for restoration of shine and at times application of more than one method may be necessary.

Polishing powder and compound are fine grains of aluminum or tin-oxide abrasive powder which are buffed on the surface of the stone to create the shine. Often this process is also augmented by adding oxalic acid to create a reaction similar to crystallization. This process has several advantages such as it gives a natural appearance with high sheen, produces a relatively durable finish, compounds used do not etch the floor and this method is applied periodically and not daily or weekly. However, this process of stone repair is a bit messy and requires additional cleanup work. It also requires sophisticated equipment such as floor machine mop bucket, etc. and if it is not handled by a skilled professional, it might affect the surface.

Grinding with diamond abrasives involves grinding the stone surface with different grits of industrial grade diamonds that are generally in three to four inch diameter discs. The process continues with even finer grits of diamond unless the shine and luster is achieved.  Diamond grinding is the most durable method offering a long-lasting finish. This process also removes all scratches and works very well on marble and granite. Nevertheless, this method is not free from disadvantages. The method is costly, requires a preliminary restoration of floor and its effectiveness vary with the types of stones.

Coating involves waxing the surface to produce an artificial shine.  It makes use a liquid or semi-liquid form of wax or urethane which is applied on the surface with a sprayer. This method is not recommended for porous stones.  This method involves less expense and provides good slip resistance.  But it doesn't provide a natural appearance, dulls very fast, requires daily buffing and creates a mess and damages the stone.

Finally, crystallization involves a process whereby a chemical called fluorosilicate is sprayed over the surface and buffed subsequently to form glass like crystals on the surface.  This process is very durable and gives a natural shine to the stone. It can also be used with ease and do not create any mess. It even removes fine and heavy scratches. However, this method may cause discoloration or yellowing of the stone. It requires periodic stripping and has limited effects on granite.

Methods of restoring natural stones are manifold. It only requires a proper choice of the processes and skilled professionals to implement it. The Marble Man, Australia’s finest natural stone restoration company specialises in stone maintenance and restoration works. For any matter related to natural stone restoration or marble floor restoration, call their experts right now on 1300 627 626.