Natural Stone Restoration Tips for a Sparkling Floor or Benchtop

Marble floors are elegant. They decorate every room. They shine and look as good as new only if maintained properly. Marble floors have a unique charm of their own; however, they need constant care and maintenance. The following are some specialist tips given to you for maintaining your marble floor by one of Australia’s leading marble stone cleaning and restoration company- The Marble Man.

Read on to find out how you can retain the original sheen and shine of your marble floors with these simple tips-

1. Marble sealers- Marble absorbs liquids fast. This leads to staining. A marble sealer will keep stains at bay. A sealer will produce an impenetrable shell. The stain remains on the surface. This will give you time to remove the stain completely. Before applying the seal, study the type of marble you have for your floor.

2. Polish Marble- Marble tends to absorb liquids lesser if polished. Polishing improves the colour of the stone. However, you should polish your marble floor occasionally. Frequent polishing of marble floors will wear out the stone. However, if you want marble floors to shine, polishing is necessary!

3. Spot clean spills- Marble floors stain easily. Spot cleaning spills will prevent them from settling in. Acidic liquids like wine, soda, tomato sauce, coffee and fruit juices stain marble quickly. If you do not clean the spill immediately, the surface of your marble floor becomes dull.

4. Clean with a soft cloth or sponge- Clean the floor with a soft cloth and formulated marble floor cleaning. Use a dry cloth to clean the surface of the marble floor.

5. Dust and mop marble floors regularly- Use dry and clean dust mops to clean marble floors. Do not use vacuum cleaners for mopping the floor. The dirt gets jammed in its wheels. This can etch the surface. You should mop the marble floor regularly with a stone cleaner.

6. Use doormats and rugs- Our shoes carry dirt and grime with them. This causes damage to marble floors. Place rugs and doormats both inside and outside your home. People can wipe their shoes before entering your home.

The Marble Man cautions you on the following actions –

1.  Never clean marble with solutions containing acids, chemicals and alkalis that damage marble floors.

2. Never clean marble floors with vinegar, lemon and ammonia.

3. Dirty mops for cleaning marble floor will make the surface dull and unattractive.

4. Blot spills with paper towels to stop them from spreading.

For more information and tips on marble and other natural stone cleaning, repair and restoration, please visit The Marble Man website.

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.