Stone flooring adds an earthy, organic aesthetic to any home, but wear and tear can leave it looking lackluster. If you’re looking for ways to restore damaged or worn stone flooring, there are some things you can try on your own depending on the condition your floors are in.
Before you get started with any restoration work, be sure you know the type of stone has been incorporated into your floors. This is important as it’ll help you determine what chemicals or products you should and shouldn’t use.
Once that’s taken care of, you can start making your floors look refreshed. Below are a few methods to try on your own before calling in the experts.
Determine The Type Of Stone Flooring
If you have a calcareous stone type, you will have to avoid using any kind of acidic soaps on your floors. Some examples of this type of stone are marble, onyx, limestone, and travertine.
The second type of stone is siliceous, and this type of stone can handle acidic soaps. This makes these stone types easier to manage as they don’t need carefully selected products. Soapstone, granite, quartzite, and slate are just some examples of siliceous stone.
Clean Flooring Thoroughly
Pushing a swiffer back and forth won’t be enough to give your stone flooring a thorough clean. You’ll want to get on the ground with some sponges and cleaning solution to make sure you’re getting every nook and cranny of your flooring clean from dirt and debris.
To start, be sure to do a quick sweep to push away some of the debris, then mix your cleaning solution with water according to the instructions. Scrub the solution into the floor with a sponge, then switch to a hard sponge to scrub away as much grime and dirt as you can.
Let the solution work its magic on your flooring for around ten minutes, and then wipe the flooring dry with a towel. You don’t have to do this process every week, but should try it every couple of months or so to ensure dirt and debris don’t cause further damage.
Reseal Your Stone Flooring
You should plan to do one of those deep cleans of your flooring a few days before you decide to reseal it. Doing a reseal can help add some shine and sheen back to a floor that’s starting to look dull. Once you’ve chosen a resealing product that you like, you’ll want to apply it to your flooring using a paint roller.
Let the sealant marinate for about 15 minutes, and then take a squeegee to the floor to remove the excess. You may also need to run a clean towel throughout the floor to get any leftover product. Be sure to be gentle on the flooring for about three days afterwards, at which point the sealant should be fully dry.
Use A Floor Restoration Service
If your flooring is excessively scratched or worn, it’s worth letting the experts restore your floor for you. These services know exactly how to handle a variety of stone flooring, making it look refreshed, shiny, and brand new with their specialized equipment and products.
Create Good Floor Cleaning Habits
Once you’ve opted for your deep clean and reseal, or have decided to let a floor restoration service do the work for you, it’s time to create some better habits to keep your floor as clean as possible. It’s impossible to prevent further wear and tear entirely, but there are ways to reduce the frequency of damage.
Make sure you’re sweeping your floor with a soft broom to avoid scratching your floor with any debris. Be sure that any food or liquids spilled on the floor are cleaned up as soon as possible. Don’t let people walk all over the floor with dirty shoes they’ve worn outside. Simple habits like this can help avoid further and unnecessary damage to your beautiful flooring.
Final Thoughts
Don’t be deterred by the potential maintenance that needs to be done with stone flooring. It’s worth the extra effort to have your dream stone flooring. As long as you try to keep it clean, you’ll only need to worry about restoring on rare occasions.
