Natural stone is a natural material which has been
used in construction, finishing, exterior and interior decoration for a
long time and up to the present. Quality of the initial material,
modern equipment and high qualified stone masons allow creating real
masterpieces from plain at the first glance slabs. Products of every
imaginable applications: bathroom suites, kitchens countertops,
windowsills, tiles and columns, vases and chandeliers demonstrate both
delicacy of form and natural beauty of stone.
This material is solid, reliable and durable and
can serve for more than one decade. However, not many people know that
stone also requires regular cautious care, because it is the care that
the appearance of your renovated house or garden will depend on after
some time passes.
Natural stone tiles care.
After tiling, the tile made of natural stone often
bears traces of cement which is used to fix the tiles to the walls or
floor. Do not scratch the polished surface with the knife, you should
use a specific cement remover. Besides, this substance will also help
you to take away the lime masses and mold, and other persistent
formations on marble or granite surfaces.
You can also use "Stone soap" for further care of
stone products. It is not, of course, a common bar of soap, it is
actually a special cleaner that not only cleans the stone as well as
helps to maintain its colour and protect from dirt, forming a thin
protective film. Common stone cleaners remove spilt oil, fat, paint as
well as stains of natural wax. You can easily treat granite, marble,
terrazzo and travertine with these agents.
Rust marks may occur when stone is in contact with
metal, as it is the case while tiling bathroom walls or floor with
natural stone. Rust removers not only transform the rust, as well as
form long-term protective coating that protects products from further
contamination.
Stone sealers can also serve as additional
protection of porous finishing materials. Transparent acrylic coating
does not only block pores, thus increasing the resistance of products
to water and dirt, but also enhances colour and emphasizes stone
structure. The stone sealer facilitates care for walls and floor tiles,
fireplace finishing details and other ornaments.
Besides, such porous stone as limestone can be
treated with stone enhancer that hardens surfaces and prolongs service
life of products.
Floor care.
Marble or granite floors make newly refurbished
houses look really luxurious and highlight the interior elegance. It's
not that difficult to care for them, just you should know useful tips,
so that the stone that is daily exposed to regular pressure can serve
longer and maintain its initial natural elegance.
To avoid scratches you should sweep away the sand
before cleaning stone tiles. If you ignore it, abrasive particles will
scuff the floor during wet cleaning and after a while the floor will
look eroded and unattractive.
The stone floor should be cleaned with a mop,
preferably without metallic particles that may scratch the floor. If
the floor is too dirty, you should apply special liquids for cleaning
the stone tiles. These liquids differ from common cleaners used, for
example, for ceramics or linoleum, with their composition and
particularly with neutral level. Moreover, they form a protective layer
that facilitates further cleaning.
Natural stone worktops care.
Care for worktops is not only about protection of
material they are made of from exposure to water, fat, citrus juice
effects, etc. You should also bear in mind that kitchen natural stone
worktops contact with food oftener than other products that is why the
selected cleaners should be absolutely safe for health. The cleaner
"Dust protection" is developed just for this purpose, it forms
fast-hardening protective layer that gives waterproof effect to the
product. This protection makes cleaning easier and spilt coffee, tea or
juice do not leave stains. Special cream paste is used for removal of
oil and fat stains from the surface of table tops.
Natural stone windowsill care.
Traditionally windows are decorated with flower
pots which are usually placed on the windowsill. Plants require regular
watering and during tillage soil sometimes spills out of the pot. So,
natural stone windowsills also must be protected from water and dirt.
An efficient method to cope with this task is the already mentioned
cleaner "Dust protection" for natural stone worktops.
Care for ornaments and landscape products.
Marble statues, decorative fences, alcoves look
very spectacular and are widely used in landscape design. Though,
unfortunately they require rain and dirt protection. Stone
impregnation, that contains Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) the most widely
used silicon-based organic polymer, penetrates deeply into the stone
thus making the surface water-resistant.
Besides, you should also have special impregnation
that protects from dirt, oil and fats for stone products which are
located outside. It is especially actual for alcove floors and natural
stone pavements.
Stone products polishing.
To make glazed surfaces look beautiful and
spectacular for as long as possible, natural stone requires regular
polishing. Polishing liquid that contains natural and synthetic waxes
adds luster to the stone and gives them anti-skid effect. Silicone
based polishing agent will allow both stone cleaning and polishing. It
can be used for all kinds of stone products - worktops, windowsills,
floor and wall tiles.
Regular care for natural stone products can help
to prolong their service and preserve the same attractive looks like on
the day when you selected and decided to buy them.
(cn-stonenet.com) 
