San Antonio Marble Cleaning Services and Polishing (Conclusion)

Marble cleaning is not something that you can really do yourself.  It's better to hire a service.

As we covered previously, a lot of people think it is simple to clean marble tiles.

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Do's and Don't of Professional Marble Cleaning

One thing that your professional marble cleaning service in San Antonio will likely recommend is stone sealing.  An impregnating sealer is applied that hardens into a protective resin.  All forms of stone are naturally porous, and it is those pores that cause stone to become worn out looking and stained.

Another reason for professional stone cleaning is to avoid any damage to your stone.  If you use anything that has bleach, ammonia, or any harsh chemicals in it, you run a good chance of ruining your stone.  For a stone as hard as it is, marble is extremely prone to damage.

For example did you know that if you spill red wine, coffee or orange juice on your marble, you can dissolve it?  It won't do it evenly, but instead you will start to see gaps appearing in your stone that weren't there before. Or as we covered in a previous article, marble as a natural stone needs far different care than something like ceramic or porcelain tile. Marble is fossilized limestone. It is also a stone used worldwide from hotels to palaces and cathedrals to add a touch of luxury or opulence. Marble is a fairly hard stone. Chemical reactions, however, can interact badly with marble, even dissolve it. However, as we also know as part of stone restoration in San Antonio, it isn’t just the cleansers that are the problem. It is sometimes the water.

How the Wrong Sort of Water Can Interfere with Your Marble Cleaning Project

Public water sources are typically high in trace minerals, making the water in question essentially hard water. Soft water isn't the answer either. Soft water usually involves salt, which can leave water marks or stains. How do you clean marble yourself?  We're often asked that by our customers.  Well, to tell you, if you don't know what you're doing, do not ever try to clean marble yourself.  Otherwise all the money that you think you are saving will actually end up being a hefty price tag when you have to replace your marble floor.

As you see, there is a lot to know.  Don't risk your marble floor.  Call a professional marble cleaning service in San Antonio.

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San Antonio TX 78217
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Marble Cleaning in San Antonio (Contd.)

Marble cleaning can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

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Professional Marble Cleaning

As we covered previously, only  use products that are specially formulated for cleaning marble.  Be very careful of other general cleaners as they more often than not will either contain bleach which is an acid, or ammonia, which is a solvent.  Neither of these solutions are good for marble or any other form of natural stone.

In addition, a great many city water sources also contain trace amounts of chlorine, which is highly acidic. Knowing what to do is also important where stone restoration in San Antonio is concerned. Why should acidic compounds be avoided? Well, how would you like your $2,000 floor to begin to dissolve? And you'd be surprised at how even ordinary items can have a disastrous effect on your floor. Orange juice, coffee, and wine for example are highly acidic, as is vinegar. To keep marble tile looking its best, you need to have a service that does stone restoration come in periodically to clean and enhance your marble to the shine level you are searching for.

Cleaning marble and polishing it are two entirely different things. Typically, you can usually do the cleaning yourself, even though a cleaning service is preferred. Cleaning marble usually involves some type of mild water and soap solution to clean up grime from the tiles, and then having the tiles rinsed with clean water plus a chamois cloth. More extreme stains including tobacco, coffee or tea require a peroxide solution.

Marble Cleaning Services Know Just What To Do

When in doubt, as to whether the cleaner you've got may cause harm to the floor tile, call a professional marble floor tile cleaning service out to take a look at it. Polishing marble usually  involves using an abrasive for example pulverized diamonds or coarse grit sandpaper together with water to reduce friction and damage to the stone. Tin dioxide can be used to remove scratches or dull spots. As both marble polishing along with tin dioxide can be an eye irritant or toxic if breathed in, it is necessary to work with safety eye protection and a respirator to avoid particles.

Because of the potential risk, you should not attempt to do stone restoration on your own. What you don’t know about marble can hurt your floor. When in doubt, do not try to do it yourself. Call in a company that does stone cleaning in San Antonio.

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4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
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Marble Cleaning in San Antonio

Professional marble cleaning in San Antonio is a very important if you're lucky enough to have this stone in your home.

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What You Should Know From Your Marble Cleaning Service

Marble is beautiful.  It calls to mind Grecian temples, or maybe some palace in Europe or Asia. However, even though marble is beautiful, marble cleaning can be problematic.  In fact, marble  tile usually is a nightmare if you don’t know what you are doing. There is a right way and a wrong way of cleaning your marble floors. If you consult five flooring "experts" on what to do, you will probably get five different answer. A few are safe, such as cleaning with a neutral pH cleaning solution. Other ideas aren't so great, particularly cleaning your marble floor with lemon juice or vinegar.

First off, know that marble as a natural stone needs far different care than something like ceramic or porcelain tile. Marble is fossilized limestone. It is also a stone used worldwide from hotels to palaces and cathedrals to add a touch of luxury or opulence. Marble is a fairly hard stone. Chemical reactions, however, can interact badly with marble, even dissolve it. However, as we also know as part of stone restoration in San Antonio, it isn’t just the cleansers that are the problem. It is sometimes the water. Public water sources are typically high in trace minerals, making the water in question essentially hard water. Soft water isn't the answer either. Soft water usually involves salt, which can leave water marks or stains.

How Do You Clean Marble Yourself?

How do you clean marble yourself?  We're often asked that by our customers.  Well, to tell you, if you don't know what you're doing, do not ever try to clean marble yourself.  Otherwise all the money that you think you are saving will actually end up being a hefty price tag when you have to replace your marble floor.  However, in the spirit of goodwill, here are some general tips to tell you.

Use products that are specially formulated for cleaning marble.  Be very careful of other general cleaners as they more often than not will either contain bleach which is an acid, or ammonia, which is a solvent.  Neither of these solutions are good for marble or any other form of natural stone.  Follow all instructions on the side of the bottle or jar to the letter.  When in doubt, however, call a professional stone cleaning service in San Antonio.

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San Antonio TX 78217
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Professional Stone Cleaning and Your Floor Part 3

Marble cleaning, like other forms of stone cleaning is something you should only start when you have all the facts.

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Marble Cleaning Do's and Don'ts

While marble is a stone, it isn't as hard as you might think.  Stone hardness is measured by the Mohs scale.  Stove with a Mohs hardness level of 10 is hardest, which is the diamond.  Marble is only a 3 on the Mohs scale.  That's why you really should consider getting a professional marble cleaning service in to take care of it.  What gets a lot of people in trouble where marble is concerned is the fact that it is surprisingly easy to damage.

Not by marble polishing and marble honing mind you.  On the contrary, these activities are actually quite beneficial where marble cleaning is concerned.  Marble honing is essentially grinding, and should only be done by a professional service.  Use the wrong abrasive and you could end up scratching your marble.  Don't use a tough enough abrasive, and it won't help your floor.  As for marble polishing itself, it may be tempting to use a store-bought solution.  One of the problems with store bought cleaning solutions for marble is the fact that a great many of them give your floor a shine by using wax.  Wax can give your floor that shine, but there is a downside to it.  Over time, wax builds up, and traps dirt and other impurities which causes your floor to lose it's luster.  Another component of marble cleaning products is worse than wax, though.  A lot of products like this have acidic compounds in them.  As we covered in a previous article, marble is a delicate stone, and anything acidic spilled on it from coffee to wine can have a disastrous effect on marble.

Final Thoughts on Marble Care

You have to know what to do as well as what not to do.  If you use the wrong product to clean your marble, you could find yourself having to clean it more because of buildup, or have it damage your stone. If you buy a honing powder, and get it too abrasive, you can end up scratching your marble or having nothing happen.  So, why take the chance?

Remember, that even cheap marble is expensive.  So instead of replacing your marble, clean it.  And get the right help:  a marble cleaning service in San Antonio.

 

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
http://www.lonestartileandgroutcleaning.com

Natural Stone Care Part 2: Marble Polishing and Care

Part two of a series on natural stone care explores marble polishing and general care of this remarkable, fossilized limestone.

Happy Independence Day from Your Marble Care Experts

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Before we get too deep into the basics of marble and marble care, we just want to wish you and yours a safe and happy 4th of July.

In our last article, we covered travertine care.  Getting proper care for your marble tile in New Braunfels, TX depends on a lot of factors that interconnect.    First off, here is some basic information about marble.

Marble is not just white.  A lot of people think that marble is the white, grey veined stuff that's used in floor tiles in posh places such as hotels.  However, marble can be in a large number of colors from green to gold to even red.  Most marble is found in either Asia, Europe or the Americas.

Here is some additional information about marble: "According to the United States Geological Survey, U.S. domestic marble production in 2006 was 46,400 tons valued at $18.1 million, compared to 72,300 tons valued at $18.9 million in 2005. Crushed marble production (for aggregate and industrial uses) in 2006 was 11.8 million tons valued at $116 million, of which 6.5 million tons was finely ground calcium carbonate and the rest was construction aggregate. For comparison, 2005 crushed marble production was 7.76 million tons valued at $58.7 million, of which 4.8 million tons was finely ground calcium carbonate and the rest was construction aggregate. U.S. dimension marble demand is about 1.3 million tons. The DSAN World Demand for (finished) Marble Index has shown a growth of 12% annually for the 2000–2006 period, compared to 10.5% annually for the 2000–2005 period. The largest dimension marble application is tile.
Marble production is dominated by 4 countries that account for almost half of world production of marble and decorative stone. Italy is the world leader in marble production, with 20% share in global marble production followed by China with 16% of world production. India is third ranking with 10% of world production, followed by Spain in fourth ranking position with 6% of world production. The other marble producing countries of the world represent the remaining other half of world marble production" [SOURCE]

Marble Cleaning Tips

Do not ever use anything acidic on marble.  This includes things like bleach, lemon juice, or vinegar.  While damp mopping is fine, never wet mop marble.  Microbes can be in the water, and can eat away at your stone, or in the case of some municipal water sources, there can be trace amounts of chlorine.

When in doubt, you never want to experiment with marble.  Make sure you call a licensed professional that knows how to do natural stone care for any marble cleaning.

Be sure to read part one and part three of this series for more info on natural stone care.  

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
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