Marble is one of the most beautiful materials used for flooring. However, it requires proper maintenance and periodical professional care to keep them tidy and sparkling. Only proper care can guarantee years of beauty and durability. Marble stones of some delicate varieties have their own limitation but are otherwise considered to be a durable natural stone. This natural stone has been widely used in temples, palaces and homes since ages and still enjoys the same popularity because of its aesthetics, durability, elegance and wide variety of colors and patterns. For determining the frequency and type of maintenance it is important to consider the place where it is installed and also how glossy one wish to maintain it.
For Daily care
The easiest way to maintain a marble floor is through daily cleaning and preventing it from dirt, salt and other grime. It is best to use cleaners with neutral pH as acidic or alkaline cleaners affect the stone. A simple way is to use low concentration of ammonia in the ratio of one cup per five gallons of water and mop the floor. It is advisable to use floor mats at the front door so that one does not bring in dirt directly on to the floor. For daily purpose, a cotton string floor mop dipped in warm water can be used to clean floors. Frequent mopping prevents soil from penetrating the surface. Make sure to quickly clean the blot spills especially oil and grease to minimize absorption.
What happens in Professional care
For a clean and glossy appearance, it is important to consult a profession for routine sanding, honing and polishing for a mirror finish and to buff out the deep cracks. Profession stone care personnel first sands the floor to remove the deep scratches with a diamond grinding pad. After which fine screens are used to make the surface perfect. Finally an acid solution and superfine polishing wheel is applied to obtain a mirror finish on the top surface. The maintenance is planned according to the stone, finish and traffic but is mostly scheduled for quarterly re-polishing and re-honing of surface scratch. Periodic honing and polishing helps in maintaining the luster and significantly prevents re-soiling and deterioration.
For Restoration
In case the marble floor is deeply soiled or scratched, it will require restoration. The process is carried out by professionals with proper gear. The surface within close proximity of work must be covered properly as the crew sands and polishes the surface creating airborne particles. The steps undertaken during restoration noticeably wear down the floor and are recommended only when necessary. For an overall even surface, consider restoring the marble floor for entire area.
Poulticing is an added step used for very old marble, where the marble surface is diamond grind to open up the pores and remove the top layer. In this process a clay-like mixture with bleaching agent is applied to the surface with trowel. It is covered for 48- 72 hours to draw impurities. The surface is then removed, honed and polished for an oil-free, stain-free marble.
Indian Quartzite Tiles 