Can You Use Vinegar Water To Clean A Stone Floor

Make Your Natural Stone Last | Skip These Common Errors

Natural stone surfaces are a wonderful investment that deserve and require proper care. If yous make a mistake or overlook maintenance, y'all could gamble dissentious your beautiful material.

While it'southward true that natural stone is extremely durable and made to last, it is not indestructible. "There is a chemical science to natural stone, and making mistakes tin harm information technology," notes Tim Lesnar, possessor of Classic Marble Restoration in Blaine, Minnesota.

Natural stone thrives under proper maintenance, says Brian Kornet, owner of Fabra-Cleen Stone & Tile Intendance in Plainview, New York. "You accept to take precautions," he says. "If you avoid cleaning mistakes, you'll demand our [restoration] services less often."

Hither are five common practices to skip to maintain and protect your natural stone surfaces.

1. Cleaning With Vinegar

Madreperola quartzite. Photo courtesy of MSI.

Only apply cleaners that are suited for natural stone. If you use an outside cleaning service, make certain they do, too, says Lesnar.

"A lot of people aren't familiar with the chemistry of cleaners and the chemistry of stone, and they'll utilise wrong cleaner," he says. "You have to take a cleaner that has the correct pH level, which is 7 (neutral). Some stones such as marble, travertine, or limestone react adversely with vinegar because it is acidic."

"Vinegar and bleach are harsh," adds Gregg Laviolette, possessor of Stone Restoration Services in Troy, Michigan. "They will etch or burn the surface of your stone."

While some chemicals may not noticeably damage durable stones such as granite, they tin intermission down any sealers that have been applied to the rock. "That means you would need to have your rock resealed more frequently," says Kornet.

two. Choosing an Abrasive Tool

Some homeowners think they tin remove etches or stains with a scrubbing pad. Realistically, this often only makes the problem worse. Lesnar notes that scrubbing pads "human activity similar abrasives on stone, particularly when you put elbow grease into it."

For daily cleaning, employ a soft cloth and don't attempt to "buff out" stains or scratches. Instead, call a professional. "The only way to set a stone that has been etched is to have it honed and restored," says Kornet.

Bardiglio, natural stone marble from Italy, has a mix of light and nighttime grey tones. Information technology is installed on a bathroom, bedroom floor. Arizona Tile carries Bardiglio in natural stone marble slabs and tiles.

iii. Skipping the Dust Mop

Modest dust particles and sand that you might not be able to see volition act like an annoying under your feet and cause wear patterns over time, says Laviolette. "Utilize a dry dust mop and get over your floors daily or at to the lowest degree every other day," he recommends.

Dust will scratch floors and give them an advent of being wearisome, says Kornet. "A polished surface is a polish surface, and lite will reflect off of it," he says. "Scratches refract lite. Your floors might exist clean, merely it gives the advent of being tiresome or scuffed."

Remove grit and debris with a dust mop or vacuum, and wash your floor with a neutral cleaner each week.

4. Leaving High-Traffic Areas Unprotected

Rugs can help protect the areas of your rock floors that will get worn downwardly due to loftier traffic, says Laviolette.

"Walk off matting helps keep grit and droppings that tin scratch your floors to a minimum," he says. Place a mat inside and outside of doors, and use runners and rugs in areas that get a lot of use, such equally mudrooms, hallways, and kitchens.

v. Not Sealing Your Rock Regularly

Wipe upwardly spills as quickly equally possible to avert staining or etching.

For many stones, sealing is part of a recommended general maintenance plan. While it is possible for homeowners to seal their own stone, experts concord that a professional person will evangelize the best results.

"I tell customers to expect to come across me once every three to five years," says Lesnar. "Sometimes if information technology's a loftier contour area with a lot of windows, you'll want to call me every year."

If you exercise seal your stone yourself, make sure you use a solvent-based impregnating sealer, says Laviolette. "It's preventative maintenance, simply it'due south non a exist-all, end-all cure," he says. "It's similar applying stain and water repellant to your carpet; it can help prevent your stone from etching merely you withal need to perform regular cleaning."

With proper care and maintenance, natural rock surfaces will stay beautiful for years to come. Every stone is unique—and for many homeowners, little imperfections and etches in the stone'due south surface become part of the stone'south story. Learn more about choosing natural stone surfaces here and hither.