Are you concerned about the cleaning and maintenance of your stone floor? Stone floors are naturally shiny but this shine can only be preserved through proper and regular cleaning. Over time, natural stone floors can be prone to scratches, dirt, and blemishes which take eyes off their natural beauty.
Cleaning stone floors can take some effort to keep your stone floors shiny. In today’s blog post, we will discuss a few tips on cleaning and shining stone floors. Keep reading to learn more!
Why Are Stone Floors Shiny?
Stone floors are unique compared to other floor materials because they have a natural shine to them. This has to do with the way light is reflected on the natural stone surface. If a surface is uneven, light hits it and then it scatters and is not reflected back in a straight line. If the surface is even, it reflects the light equally and that is what makes that surface looks shiny. If the stone floor is properly even, it is likely to shine.
Stone floors are naturally uneven which means that proper care needs to be taken to keep them even and shiny. Sand particles, dirt particles, grit, and other such things that people usually carry with their shoes typically cause thousands of invisible scratches at a microscopic level. These microscopic scratches eventually become big enough to degrade the natural stone surface and cause it to look faded.
How To Clean Stone Floors?
Cleaning and keeping stone floors shiny involves preventing certain things from happening or taking immediate action after such a thing happens.
For example, in order to keep your stone floor clean, you should make sure to wipe up spills as soon as possible. In case there are stains or any other marks, make sure to clean them off carefully. You should also take time to sweep a stone floor regularly.
Mop the stone floor regularly. Take a microfibre mop pad, dip it in water, wring it out as much as possible, and use it to mop the floor. To clean the grout lines, use a special rubber brush that is designed to get the dirt embedded in the grout lines out without scratching the stone tile surface.
In addition to regular cleaning, you also need to stay away from certain things. Make sure you never use cleaners containing any acids on surfaces made of limestone, marble, travertine, or onyx. You should also stay clear of lemon juice, vinegar, or any other cleaner even with a hint of acidity. Using pH-balanced cleaning solutions that are made for natural stone cleaning is essential. This means staying away from ammonia and bleach.
Moreover, always make sure to use soft cloths or mops. Use vacuum cleaners that are relatively new. Worn-out vacuum cleaners have plastic or metal attachments that may scratch the surface of the stone floor.
How To Shine Stone Floors?
Stone floors are naturally shiny, but they can lose their shine with time. It is highly recommended to give a call to stone restoration specialists such as The Stone Restorer to professionally and safely restore the natural shine of your stone floors. Experts typically use these methods to restore the natural shine of a stone surface:
- Honing. This technique uses a floor machine with honing pads that have microscopic diamonds. Experts use pads with different grit to get rid of all imperfections and make the stone floor naturally shine.
- Polishing. In this technique, a buffing machine is used to get rid of microscopic unevenness and make the stone floor more reflective.
- Crystallisation. This is a process that is typically performed in areas with heavy traffic. It is performed on polished surfaces where a crystallisation liquid is spread onto the floor and is then buffed with the help of a machine.
- Grinding. This process is typically used to get rid of the deep scratches on a stone surface. It has the potential to damage the stone surface if not done properly.
- Coatings. Not all stone surfaces are appropriate for coating. For instance, it is not recommended for marble or granite stones whereas travertine is better suited to coating.
Final Thoughts
In summary, natural stone floors look exquisite only when maintained properly. Regular mopping and cleaning are keys to getting rid of dirt and dust particles that can potentially scratch and damage the stone surface. In order to retain the natural shine of stone floors, you should get rid of any spills immediately and only use appropriate cleaning solutions for the particular type of stone you have. The best solution to keeping your stone floors shiny is to call professionals such as The Stone Restorer to restore your stone floor to its original shine.
The Stone Restorer has more than three decades of experience in stone repairing, cleaning, polishing and sealing.
Give us a call today at 0414 469 301 or ask us for a fast free quote on your stone restoration project.
