Tips for making your stone flooring last

Stone flooring has become increasingly popular over the past few decades. Due to the durability of stone flooring, combined with its hard surface and its easy maintenance, stone flooring is in the forefront when it comes to choosing the surface for your floors. Whether you choose ceramic, porcelain, mosaic, marble, or slate, you can count on a floor that will be durable and beautiful for many years to come.

Making Your Stone Flooring Last

No matter what type of stone flooring you choose for your home, with proper care and maintenance your flooring will last for many years to come. A broom, mop and bucket are the first necessary tools in maintaining your stone floors. But more than that, it's the types of tools and cleaners that you use which will make the impact you want on your stone floors.

Dos and Don'ts of Stone Floor Care

What are the dos and don'ts of stone floor care? First, DO sweep or dust your floors daily. Stone floors can stand up to the roughest, toughest families. The first and most important step in maintenance is keeping foreign particles off of the floor. Daily sweeping or dusting of your stone floors with an angled broom or dust broom will keep your stone floors free of harsh materials which in the long run can hurt them. DO use carpet rugs at all entrances to assist in trapping any dirt or sand brought into your home. Sand is made of quarts, the world's second strongest mineral. This could mean disaster for your stone floors, scratching and dulling them. Preventative maintenance is the first step to maintaining beautiful stone floors.

DON'T use harsh abrasives on your stone floors. Harsh abrasives will not only scratch the tile surface, but also affect the grout between the tiles. Using a gentle cleaner
will preserve the shine and surface of any types of stone floors. Weekly maintenance of your stone floors with warm water and a gentle cleaner will keep your stone floors looking like new. DON'T use cleaners, which contain acids or are abrasive. There are many cleaning products on the market today, made specifically to clean every type of stone flooring.

With most types of stone flooring grout is the part of your stone floors which traps most of the dirt. DO pay special attention to the grout. The grout between the tiles of your stone floor should be sealed upon installation. To maintain and upkeep the grouting, use a cleaner designed to specifically to clean grout. If you have older stone flooring, you also have the choice to stain the grout using a staining product in a variety of colors. Staining the grout will also seal it, resulting in a much easier cleaning process.

Consistent and proper maintenance is the key to sustaining beautiful stone floors. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3. Just remember to follow the DO's and DON'TS when maintaining your stone floors.