General natural stone care tips
Care and Maintenance, Cost and Final Facts
Keep the following tips in mind to keep your installation attractive for years to come.
Countertops
- You should not have to worry about staining once it has been sealed correctly
- Take precautions with anything acidic like alcohol, soda, coffee, juice and wipe spills quickly
- Use cutting boards and coasters to keep them looking like new for much longer
- Plenty of specialty cleaners on the market – never use acidic cleaners or vinegar when cleaning stone
- Use only neutral pH substances
- Keep it free of dirt particles, foot-traffic and grit are floors’ worst enemies, dulling surfaces due to scratching
- Place large mats outside each entryway
- Keep dirt to a minimum by sweeping, routinely with a non-treated dry-dust mop or vacuum with equipment in good repair that will not scratch the surfaces you are trying to protect and clean.
- Mop it occasionally to keep it looking new
- Use specialty cleaners made for natural stone
- A steamer vacuum can also be used.
- Check with your stone dealer on the appropriate cleaners and methods to keep your floors in excellent condition.
On-going maintenance and Repairs
- Should not experience the need for much on-going repair.
- Most polished surfaces will require professional refinishing and re-surfacing on occasion to restore their original shine and glory
- Slate, limestone, travertine, granite and aged stone will all age wonderfully with use.
- A cracked tile or two may happen due to a variety of different reasons – repairs of these are typically inexpensive and easy to do if you have pieces of the original tile in and on hand.
- Additional penetrating sealer may have to be applied from time to time.
- Limestone of Travertine countertops, may require some etch markings or water rings removed periodically
- Stone ages gracefully and should not require a lot of on-going maintenance and care.
Cost factors: Stone versus Man-made
- Stone has long been associated with wealth and prestige, primarily used in high-end commercial and residential projects only.
- Advances in technology and greater supply than demand, led to natural stone becoming more affordable to most homeowners.
- When comparing the cost of man-made materials versus natural stone a couple of things become apparent.
- Cost is affected by numerous factors: buying in bulk, from a discounter or direct importer passing savings onto customers, or retailers buying from a middleman, justifying a higher mark up and some materials are just plainly put pricier than others for a variety of reasons. Some are readily available, others are rare and exotic.
- Deeply discounted stone should raise buyer beware flags, as there has to be a good reason for it
- Slab stone’s price is reflected in the labor of fabrication. The thickness will cause the price to fluctuate, the number of cutouts and the choice of edge profile all figure into price. Ranges are probably better to review and use than simply exact price.
- Research is always wise, you can always find something you really love a little cheaper somewhere!