Professional Stone Floor Cleaning in Cambridge
The DirectStone team gets a lot of enquiries from clients in Cambridge about ways to clean and maintain stone floors. Callers want to keep their floors looking as good as new but they’re not sure how. The problem is that there’s lots of conflicting information out there about how to manage your stone floor. So we’re going to try and offer some clear guidance about routine cleaning and specialist cleaning.
Routine Cleaning of Stone Floors
The aim of cleaning your floor regularly is to keep it dust-free. This is because it’s dust that can dull the appearance of your floor, and degrade your stone. How? Dust can contribute to the fine scratches that cover the surface of your floor, dulling the sheen. It can also accumulate in fine cracks, or natural holes in the stone, which degrades the flooring and dulls the appearance.
Regular cleaning can slow down this dulling process considerably, and the process is simple:
- Sweep the floor thoroughly to remove surface dust
- Dampen a micro-fibre mop
- Use diluted soap-based floor cleaner to wipe floor over
We always advise our clients in Cambridge to avoid acidic, or chemical based cleaners as these can damage and stain the stones.
Professional Cleaning of Stone Floors
When your floor is first installed a sealant will be applied to protect and maintain the surface. Over time the sealant wears away and a professional clean is required before re-applying. A good indicator is to test areas of your floor with small pools of water. If the liquid stays on the surface, the seal’s integrity is good. If, after 10-15 minutes, a dark ring appears around the water, the liquid is soaking into the stone and a new seal is required.
Step One. Remnants of the original sealant are removed.
Step Two. The floor is mechanically scrubbed, to remove ingrained dirt and grout.
Step Three. Stubborn stains are removed using specialist cleaners, dependent on the stone.
Step Four. A new sealant coating is applied.
The Difference Between Cleaning and the Restoration of Stone Floors
Whilst cleaning a stone floor will retrieve the lustre it had when first laid, it doesn’t remove the scratched surface layer. For that we would use high quality HTC Superfloor™ grinding and polishing machines. These are fitted with diamond abrasive pads, to remove the top layer of the flooring and reveal the unmarked stone beneath.
A restoration would also include repairs of cracks, or chips in the stone. At the end of the process the floor doesn’t just look ‘good as new’ it is an entirely new floor surface.
DirectStone Provides Expert Stonemasons
The attraction of stone floors, whether marble, limestone, terrazzo, or travertine is the uniqueness of each distinct floor. That’s why we don’t provide ‘standard’ cleaning for our Cambridge clients. Our specialist stonemasons understand the qualities of the stone they’re working with, and are able to accurately assess the problems they face. We treat each floor as an individual, and we use the appropriate techniques and materials to clean them.
If you have a stone floor in need of cleaning, in Cambridge, call the DirectStone experts today on 01525 863920 to find out how we can help you to recover its original sheen.
