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Stone flooring is tough, durable, and resistant. All are major reasons why stone flooring has become a popular choice for kitchens, bathrooms and other high-traffic areas. With these qualities, however, it is easy to forget that it still needs to be cared for; not left on its own to fend off grit and grime.
Especially if you expect your flooring to last, it is essential to take the measures that will ensure its longevity. None of it is complicated or difficult, as stone is easy to keep up with, but proper maintenance requires consistency and attention to detail.
Below are a handful of issues to keep in mind for maintaining your stone flooring.
- Dust Mats. It is one of the most commonly used but also least thought about aspects of maintaining a floor. Dirt and grit will inevitably find a way into your home; it is simply a part of everyday life. Over time, the small, hard particles in dirt will dull your stone floors and even scratch the surface. However, lessening the extent and the impact of this grit is what is important. Dust mats placed in front of doors, inside and outside, will decrease the amount of grit that enters your home and damages your flooring.
- Caring For Spills. Accidents will happen in your home. The way you react to these accidents is what will make a difference in the upkeep of your stone flooring. Reacting quickly will prevent spills from penetrating your stone and turning into stains. A quality seal on your stone will afford you more time between spill and stain, but you should always tend to spills quickly and as they happen.
- Deep Clean. It is good, and necessary, to give your stone floors consistent, lighting cleaning. But from time to time, you should give your floors a deep clean that calls a higher level of dedication. This is only necessary once or twice a year. Use a high alkaline cleaner, leaving it on your floor anywhere from five to 15 minutes and then scrubbing your floor. Follow this with a rinse of your floors with simply water to assure the entire cleaner has been removed as well as any excess dirt or grime. Always remember to rinse with clean water.
- Neglecting Seal. Most stone floors are sealed upon installation or delivery to your home. This helps protect your flooring, but only for a certain length of time. You shouldn't assume a few years after your floors have been sealed that they are still receiving the same amount of protection. Over time, traffic and cleaning chemicals will eat away at your sealer. Therefore, you should check and reseal your stone flooring when necessary. Typically, for a coating type sealer this will be around the one year mark while for an impregnator it is best to check anywhere between one year and two. You can check by dropping a small amount of water on your floor and letting it sit for ten minutes. If it soaks into the stone and darkens it, leaving a wet patch, it is best to top your sealer at that point.
Maintaining your stone floors means consistent attention along with the occasional bigger project, such as a deep clean. These efforts will extend the life and beauty of your stone flooring, which already has an excess of outstanding qualities.
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