Natural stone flooring brings a classic, timeless look to facilities. However, many facility managers may avoid stone flooring because they believe it is too hard to care for. Or they may not put the necessary work into the stone floors they already have, because they aren’t sure how to maintain them.

As natural stone is porous, it can easily retain stains. Furthermore, its restoration process can be expensive. However, you can extend your flooring’s lifespan and increase the time between restorative care by using the proper cleaning products and equipment.

When it comes to cleaning, easy does it

Contrary to what many people believe, stone floors, such as marble and granite, can be a low maintenance and durable option, according to Marty Jollette, vice president of training and operations for Renue Systems in the US.

Choose cleaning chemicals that are alkaline or that have a neutral pH. Acidic cleaners can etch stone flooring, especially marble. 

“If you’re cleaning a restroom with a marble floor and spill toilet bowl cleaner it will leave a mark,” Jollette says. 

“People love the look of marble with its veining and use it on kitchen countertops. But if you spill orange juice or wine and don’t wipe it up immediately, the acid will etch the marble.”

Dust buildup can also damage stone flooring, so be sure to incorporate dust mopping and wet mopping into your daily stone floor care routine. 

“Microfiber is the go-to for dry dusting, and for regular wet mopping you can use a cotton mop. Be sure to dry mop after wet mopping, so you don’t leave water on the floor. It will streak and someone could trip. The pattern is dust mop, wet mop, dry mop.”

For interim cleaning, Jollette recommends a light, non-aggressive buffing with a rotary machine using a polishing compound. 

“Using a swing or buffer machine on stone floors is fine as long as you use the correct pad and procedure,” Jollette says.

Even stone floors that receive the best daily and interim care will eventually need restorative work. 

“These stones are soft; a lot of foot traffic and general wear and tear will wear off the coating and eliminate their sheen.” 

Jolette recommends a honing process using diamond abrasive pads with different levels of grit to grind down and polish the surface of the stone.

First, use a higher grit (less coarse) diamond honing pad to see if that removes the scratch marks and etches. If not, you will want to switch to a pad with higher coarseness (lower grit number)
to remove those deeper scratches out of the floor. In the final step, use a polishing compound or crystalliser to add more shine.

Avoid floor care mistakes and myths

Before you can formulate a floor care plan you need to know the type of floor you have. Jollette says a common floor care mistake he sees is facility managers using the wrong type of cleaning products and tools.

“You need to know the type of stone you have, whether it’s limestone, marble, granite, or another type. This is critical to know before you pick your cleaning and restoration process. You
also want to know if there was ever a sealer put on the floor.”

Sometimes maintenance workers will seal a stone floor with a topical coating not recommended by the original floor manufacturer, either because they want to change the look of the floor or didn’t realise it was the wrong product to use. Or maybe they will use an improper sealant, such as resilient floor wax, because they don’t want to pay to have the floor polished the correct way.

“These improper procedures and products can affect your daily, interim, or restoration maintenance of the floor,” Jolette says. 

“Before you can address issues of caring for the stone, you have to identify if there was an improper product applied to the floor and then determine how to remove it. Only then can you restore the floor.”

Jollette says in cases where he has needed to identify floor types and sealants, he and his team will use a microscope, conduct a scratch test, and even apply a small amount of vinegar to
determine if the floor etches. Once you have identified any improper sealers or waxes, removed them, restored the floor with the correct diamond pads, and applied the correct sealant, your work is far from done. Sealing a stone floor is not enough to protect it from dirt, stains, etching, and damage forever.

“A sealant just helps with maintenance, it gives you more time to react to spills and helps shield the floor from damage, but it does not act as an invisible screen forever.”

Don’t go it alone

Perhaps the most important step in caring for stone floors is to find specialists to support you. 

“The best advice I can give people is to find a supplier that deals exclusively with chemicals and equipment for natural stone floors,” Jollette says. “This type of business will offer you the best customer service. You can work with them directly to identify the stone and put together a floor care program specific to your needs.”

Even though such a supplier can provide you with all the chemicals and equipment you need, don’t feel pressured to do all the work yourself. Although facility maintenance staff can often handle daily and interim floor care, restorative care could be another matter. 

“You may need a professional for restoration,” Jollette says. “Find someone with years of experience and ask them to do a small area of your floor. This will give you an idea of their work and ensure they can deliver the results you need.”

Photo by Black and White Designing on Unsplash.