INSTALLATION
GENERAL CARE – STONE & TILES
Maintenance – natural stone Using the correct specialist cleaning product will greatly reduce the frequency of more intensive cleans and reseals. General wear of the surface from foot traffic over time exposes capillaries, or tiny cracks and these can accumulate dirt and grime. Therefore, we recommend a more intensive clean every 3–4 years, with a heavy-duty product that will dissolve ingrained dirt and grease, such as our Deep Clean. A common misconception is that every natural stone surface need resealing every few years, but this will depend on the particular stone and its use. You can normally tell if a stone needs resealing by wetting the stone and leaving for around five minutes before wiping off. If the water leaves a mark by darkening the stone this will mean the stone is becoming more porous and would benefit from a top-up. You should first give it an intensive clean with a product such as Deep Clean, this will help to allow the sealer to penetrate. If the stone has had a surface coating applied, it is most likely that this is all that will need to be reapplied, not the original impregnating sealer, unless the stone has become extremely porous. For stones with a natural finish, apply a coat of impregnating sealer such as our Stain Block and wipe off the excess after around 20 minutes and repeat if required. Do not allow any of the product to dry on the surface. Please note that it is perfectly normal for natural stone to mature with use and time and for its appearance to evolve as part of its intrinsic beauty.
As long as you are confident you have selected the right type of product for the space and your lifestyle, caring for your floors and walls doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are a few essential steps. Firstly, keep floors as free as possible of loose dust and grit with regular vacuuming or sweeping. This will greatly reduce the ‘sandpaper’ effect that can occur on the surface and will reduce dirt getting compacted into the surface and joints. We recommend washing the floor with a damp mop – firstly, to remove the dirt that a vacuum won’t pick up, and secondly for hygiene. Avoid using too much water as this tends to spread the dirt from one area to another, whereas a well rung or fibre mop will lift it up. We strongly recommend that you use specialist cleaning products. The harsh, acidic household products can ‘bruise’ your stone and break down protective sealants or attack some coloured glazes on tiles. Ideally, use a product that is PH neutral, bio-degradable, and environmentally friendly. We recommend our All-Clean product. This can be diluted in water for a traditional mopping method or in a ready to use solution for use with microfibre mopping systems for floors and the same product with a mist spray and microfibre cloth for walls. Avoid using steam cleaners on natural stone – they may clean some surfaces, but the hot steam can remove the sealer and damage the surface over time.
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