Natural Stone Care: Tips, Tricks, and What to Avoid

Natural stone care is all about knowledge.  How much should you know before you do any work on your floor?  Well, how much do you want to keep your floor?

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Natural Stone Care Tips

What type of stone do you have? Getting to know the geological classification and composition of your stone is one of the most important steps when taking care of your tiles. This type of information may be considered irrelevant by many homeowners but it is actually very important as it assists one in choosing the best cleaning products and methods to use in taking care of the natural stone. Natural stones are categorized into three depending on the process of formation it undertook. Metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary types of stones sum up the formation category with each of them either being calcareous or siliceous. Calcareous stone is made up of calcium carbonate which reacts with acid and therefore one is highly recommended to use non-acidic cleaners. Siliceous stone on the hand comprises of silicates that are resistant to acid solutions but one is still advised to be keen when using acidic cleaners as the stone might contain minerals that are sensitive to the acid. This entire process of knowing your stone and choosing the right cleaning products may be too much for you to handle so in order to avoid making a mess no your tiles you are highly advised to hire a tile cleaning service to do the job for you.

For you to achieve a long lasting and preserved beauty of your natural stone you need to make sure that you use coasters with those that contain citrus juices or alcohol being the most recommended. Despite the fact that almost all stones withstand heat, you are highly advised to make use of trivets and mats.

Weekly Stone Care

Make sure that you use a non-treated dry dust mop to regularly clean the interior floors while also ensuring that you place a rug at the entrance of your house to prevent sand or rather any dirt that may cause scratches on the floor. A vacuum cleaner is another important part of natural stone care that one should use but with a lot of keenness because the moment the metal or plastic that is attached to the wheel of the cleaner gets worn out it can cause scratches to some stone surfaces when being used. In case of a spill, you are not supposed to wipe the area immediately but rather take a paper towel and blot the spill to prevent it from spreading after which you will be required to wash the area with a mild soap and a soft cloth.

When you have questions, make sure you ask. You can call a tile store, or visit a home improvement center. And don't forget another good source of information: your local stone cleaning service.

Read more on this subject...

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 1: General Travertine Care

Part one of a series on natural stone care focuses on travertine.

Travertine Basics

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First off, travertine is a type of limestone. Travertine is used in a lot of different applications.  More specifically: "Travertine is often used as a building material. The Romans mined deposits of travertine for building temples, aqueducts, monuments, bath complexes, and amphitheaters such as the Colosseum[13] , the largest building in the world constructed mostly of travertine. Other notable buildings using travertine extensively include the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris and the 20th-century Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, and Shell-Haus in Berlin. The travertine used in the Getty Center and Shell-Haus constructions was imported from Tivoli and Guidonia. Travertine is one of several natural stones that are used for paving patios and garden paths. It is sometimes known as travertine limestone or travertine marble; these are the same stone, although travertine is classified properly as a type of limestone, not marble. The stone is characterised by pitted holes and troughs in its surface. Although these troughs occur naturally, they suggest signs of considerable wear and tear over time. Some installers use a grout to fill the holes, whereas others leave them open — travertine can be purchased "filled" or "unfilled." It can also be polished to a smooth, shiny finish, and comes in a variety of colors from grey to coral-red. Travertine is most commonly available in tile sizes for floor installations. Travertine is one of the most frequently used stones in modern architecture. It is commonly used for façades, wall cladding, and flooring." [READ MORE]

If you have travertine, depending on where it's installed in your home, it may need some highly specialized care.  Travertine installed as a counter top in a kitchen, for example, won't need the same care that travertine in a shower will need.

Travertine Cleaning and Sealing

Getting travertine cleaning is always your first step in caring for your stone.  It will help to get the dirt out of the pores in the stone.   Once you've cleaned it, we recommend sealing it.  Travertine sealing helps to keep stains and spills from seeping into to the stone.

So remember, don't guess when you're dealing with natural stone.  So whether you have travertine, marble, limestone, or any other type of natural stone, call a tile cleaning service for help with it.

This concludes part one of our series.  Be sure to read part two and part three as well for more information on natural stone care.   

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 and Types of Stone Part 1

Natural stone care is a way of protecting your investment. After all, regardless of what type of natural stone you have, it is an investment...

Natural Stone Care and Calcium Based Stone

What do travertine, marble, and limestone have in common? Well, other than the fact that they're natural stone, they're also all calcium based stone. As such, they require different care than stone such as slate. How different? Well, did you know that if you pour anything acidic on calcium based stone such as orange juice, coffee, vinegar, or wine it can eat away at the stone? It's true. What's more, it can stain.

Marble is elegant, beautiful, but surprisingly prone to damage from acid, travertine is too. Look at Rome for example. The city had to spend millions in refurbishing the many fine works of marble that had eroded due to acid rain. A stone restoration service in San Antonio would be able to bring back your stone to whatever polish level you want, even sometimes in the event of a spill.

Natural Stone Care: Know What Your Stone Needs First

Slate and sandstone are different from each other and thus require very different care from each other. Terracotta and terrazzo sound very similar to each other, but also require different levels of attention. Slate and sandstone for example do well by grinding, but if you tried that on terracotta and terrazzo, you would end up damaging your floor. It's also not the best idea to mop sandstone, because it would be likely to retain any stains from dirty mop water. Sandstone is incredibly porous. A stone cleaning service would be able to clean your sandstone and seal it against spills as well. As you see, stone types are very different from one another. Make sure you know what you're doing, or you could run the risk of damaging your stone. There is however, a better strategy. You may wish to think about calling in a natural stone care service instead.

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

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Natural Stone Care and Types of Stone Part 1
Natural Stone Care and Types of Stone Part 2

Grout Color Sealing: What it Is and Why You Should Get It Part 2

Part two of our article on color sealing explores more reasons for getting it done as well as some decorating ideas...

Grout Color Sealing: Where It Can Be Done

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 As we discussed in our last article on color sealing, sealing grout protects it, while at the same time giving it a more uniform appearance. Most people assume it is only for the floor, however, that's only one place that can benefit. Grout color sealing can be done to most tile surfaces, including counter-tops, floors, and bathrooms. An important thing to note, is that only certain types of tile benefit from grout color sealing. As a rule the tile in question should be ceramic or porcelain and the grout needs to be sand-based for the sealer to bond properly. It makes sense if you think about it. You wouldn't want to color seal an expensive natural stone tile such as marble or travertine. As to the colors you can pick, that depends.

Color Sealing-A Full Palette of Colors

There are several different grout manufacturers out there, each with their own menu of color choices. Manufacturers such as Tec, Laticrete, and Mapei are the ones most used out there. Grout color sealing can match the colors of the major manufacturers, and complement them. So if you have River Rock from Laticrete, or Raven from Tec, you can match the color and restore your grout back to its original color. Color sealing can be matched to the existing color of your grout, and most companies can match the manufacturer's color palate. If your grout is taken care of, it can last anywhere between five and ten years before any touch-up work is needed. One of the most important steps of the process is grout preparation. A professional grout cleaning company has the proper tools, training, and experience to achieve top-notch results. Once the grout has been prepared, the sealant is applied with meticulous detail. Even so, it takes surprisingly very little time complete a grout color sealing project.

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

Grout Color Sealing: What it Is and Why You Should Get It Part 1
Grout Color Sealing: What it Is and Why You Should Get It Part 2

The Importance of Grout Cleaning

Is missing grout a problem? In a word, yes.

The Purpose of Grout and Grout Cleaning

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Grout is more than just spacing between your tile. It is also a buffer or protection between your tile. Even tile that is made of a relatively hard substance like stone can crack if there is no grout between the tiles. Missing grout can cause the other grout surrounding the tile to erode as well. A grout cleaning company in San Antonio, Texas will be able to remedy missing grout, and seal it so that it is protected. You may be surprised at what such a flooring professional can do. Did you know that you can re-color your floor with grout color sealing? The effects are truly amazing, and even customers who have had it done do a double take and start to think they had their floor replaced. Companies that provide this service often wear many hats besides these.

Stone Care in San Antonio

A tile cleaning service can also assist you with stone care in San Antonio. Most floors are made of a handful of different stones, or stone composites. Marble, travertine, slate, limestone, granite and saltillo are the main stones that are used in tiling, and each of them has their own care requirements. A professional stone care service will know the difference between travertine and marble, and how to care for each. And believe us, the care instructions vary significantly. However, stone is still only just the beginning A qualified tile and grout cleaning company can also help you with hardwood floor refinishing. They can provide you with tips and tricks to keep up your flooring between visits too. As to why you should contact such services, think of it this way. It costs money to have any sort of service come in, however it is pennies compared to replacing your floor. So call a tile cleaning service and prepare to be amazed at just how much that they can do for you and your home.

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