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Nature Stone Floor Cleaning & Maintenance

Last Updated: Jan 02, 2017

Stone flooring is an investment and one with a good return. It’s almost guaranteed to add value to your home. Taking care of it isn’t hard, but knowledge is power. Click here to find a professional stone floor cleaning company in your area.

Nature Stone Floor Cleaning

It’s Its Own Worst Enemy Sand, grit, and dirt can damage natural stone surfaces because they are abrasive. Use a vacuum on your floor if it’s textured. But avoid the beater bar. Those bristles are tough and might scratch your flooring.

An old-fashioned dust mop works well, as does a broom. Wet mop as needed.
 
Be Proactive
Walk-off mats or area rugs on either side of entrances from the outside will help collect dirt before it reaches your beautiful new floor. Choose a rug or mat with a non-slip surface.
There’s Clean And There’s Cleaner.
 

Damp mopping your natural stone floor will help keep it looking beautiful. But your retailer or manufacturer can suggest special cleaners meant specifically for stone floors.

Wipe up spills immediately. Use soap, not detergent, for good-old fashioned mopping. Liquid Ivory or a castile soap product work well. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks, so rinse well. Change your rinse water frequently.

Don’t use products that contain lemon juice, vinegar or other acids on marble, limestone, or travertine. Avoid abrasive cleaners or any ammonia-based cleaners. These products will dull the floor’s luster.

Retail grout cleaners, scouring powders or bathroom tub and tile cleaners can mar the finish on your stone.

Never mix bleach and ammonia. The combination creates a toxic gas.

To remove algae or moss from your stone in outdoor pool, patio or hot tub areas, flush with clear water and use a mild bleach solution.
 
 

Last But Not Least
Have a floor warming party! Ask your strongest friends to help you move your furniture back on to your new floor to avoid chipping, scratching, or cursing. Pad the feet of your furniture with felt pads or some other kind of protector to guard against damage.
 
As with all new floors, it’s important to maintain the caulking in areas that are susceptible to water. You don’t want water seeping under your flooring.

Remember that each stone has its own level of porosity. The more porous the stone, the more likely it will stain. Sealing your stone floor may be a really good idea. Use a reliable professional.

Unlike the proverbial rolling stone, yours have found their place in your home. Enjoy the beauty and timeless quality of your new stone flooring.


Stone Flooring Terms
Acid-Washed Finish Takes the shine off polished stone and leaves small etching marks (pits in the surface). It gives the stone a rustic or antique appearance.
 
 
Brushed Finish A worn-down look achieved by applying heavy-duty plastic or metal brushes to the stone.
Bull Nose Edge The rounded or curved edge of a natural stone floor tile.
Calibrated A process of machine honing the back of the piece to either a smooth or ribbed finish. Ensures the same thickness for the whole slab.
CBU Cement Backer Unit. For wood subfloors that require additional support and a moisture barrier.
Ditra Brand-name underlayment that allows for slight movement of the substrate without damaging the tile. Also a good water barrier.
Fabricator A professional who turns natural stone slabs into customized pieces for specific installations.
Flamed Finish A blowtorch is passed over the stone, heating the surface crystals until they explode. This leaves a rough, unrefined texture.
Granite This igneous rock is the hardest of all flooring stones with a very dense grain, making it virtually impervious.
Honed Finish Produces a flat, matte, or satin finish by stopping short of the last stage of polishing.
Igneous Rock Results when magma, the molten rock from the center of the earth, cools and hardens.
Limestone Sedimentary stone formed by the accumulation of organic materials, such as shells and coral, sand, or precipitates.
Manufactured Stone or Agglomerate Stone Made from natural stone chips suspended in a binder, such as cement, epoxy resins or polyester.
Marble A very dense and easily polished metamorphic rock.
Metamorphic Rock Simply means “changed form.” When high pressure and heat are applied to certain rock in the earth’s crust, the result can be marble, slate or quartzite.
Polished Surface Finish A beautiful mirror-like finish is the result of using progressively finer polishing heads during the polishing process.
Porosity The state of being porous. Indicator of how much liquid the stone will absorb. Sandstone is very porous. Granite is not.
Quarry Excavation of rock from large deposits pushed up through the earth’s crust.
Sandstone Sedimentary stone composed of loose grains of quartz. Noted for its rough texture and porosity.
Saw-Cut Refined Finish After initial cutting, the stone is polished enough to take out the heaviest saw marks but not enough to give it a honed finish.
Sedimentary Rock Formed by the accumulation of sediments, such as plant or animal debris (limestone), mechanical weather debris (sandstone), or precipitates (travertine).
Slab Quarried blocks of stone that have been cut into sheets.
Slate A fine-grained metamorphic rock that easily splits into sheets. It’s composed of clay, quartz and shale.
Split Faced Finish A rough texture achieved by hand cutting and chiseling at the quarry, exposing the natural cleft of the stone.
Stone Tile Pieces of stone — typically 12"x12", 13"x13", 16"x16" and 18"x18" — used to create flooring, walls and countertops.
Straight 90-Degree Edge A polished straight edge for stone tile.
Substrate The surface on which stone tile is laid.
Thinset A cement-based adhesive used in stone floor installations.
Travertine A crystallized, partially metamorphosed limestone, formed by natural mineral springs. It has a honeycombed structure and a lot of surface pitting.
Tumbled Stone Stone with a lovely smooth or slightly pitted surface and broken or rounded edges and corners.
Un-sanded Grout A dry, Portland cement-based product that is mixed with water to fill in all the joints between stone tiles.
 

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