| The most common natural stone floors in homes | | | | signs of corrosion. |
| today are marble and limestone. Both these | | | | Once the marble or limestone is properly sealed |
| stones are calcite based, meaning they contain | | | | the next issue which needs to be addressed is |
| calcium carbonate. They are also generally soft | | | | surface scratching. The main cause of scratching |
| stones compared to Igneous varieties such as | | | | on a marble or limestone floor is grit from outside |
| Granite and Basalt. What this means from a | | | | being caught under shoes and walked across the |
| maintenance point of view is that the stone will | | | | floor. Therefore the easiest way to minimise |
| absorb liquids and will easily etch (meaning the | | | | scratching on the stone is to introduce good |
| stone can suffer acid corrosion) | | | | quality, deep coir barrier mats. One should be |
| The first step which needs to be taken in order | | | | placed outside the front door and one inside if |
| to facilitate easy maintenance of the stone is to | | | | possible. Scratching is more of an issue on a |
| have it sealed properly with an impregnating | | | | polished floor as damage to the natural crystals in |
| sealant. This needs to be an oliophobic sealant | | | | the stone is the main cause of a dull looking |
| which will repel both oil and water, especially in the | | | | surface and lack of shine and reflection. |
| kitchen. This is the single most important step in | | | | For regular maintenance and cleaning of the floor, |
| stone protection. Generally, water based sealers | | | | a good quality natural stone soap will need to be |
| will offer less protection than solvent based | | | | used. This can in most cases be simply mopped |
| sealers, however there are exceptions to this rule. | | | | on and left to dry. The better natural stone soaps |
| A qualified stone restoration company will have | | | | will contain linseed oil which also helps to keep the |
| the skills and knowledge to properly seal a stone | | | | stone protected by leaving an invisible film on the |
| floor and so this is usually a job that should not be | | | | surface. |
| left to the tiling contractors. | | | | Described above is one stage of the maintenance |
| Unfortunately, although a good quality sealant will | | | | cycle and at some point the stone will need |
| protect the stone from staining nothing can really | | | | restorative maintenance due to a loss of shine, |
| protect it from acid based substances. A polished | | | | staining due to sealant needing to be re-applied or |
| floor which is subjected to lemon juice or vinegar | | | | repairs to damaged tiles. At this point a stone |
| which is left on the surface of the stone will | | | | restoration expert will restore the floor to as new |
| almost definitely show etch marks. These are | | | | and the cycle of maintenance will start over. |
| where the acid reacts with the calcite and shows | | | | |