How Resurfacing Your Stone Floor Restores Its Luster
If your stone floor has lost its luster due to stains and scratches, then you may need to have it resurfaced. When a stone floor is resurfaced, the top layer of stone is returned to its original shiny state. The process can be a big job, but it is worth it when you see how much better your floor looks. Here is what you can expect when your floor is resurfaced.
Grinding May Be Needed First
Grinding makes the stone tiles level. You may be able to skip this step entirely if your floor is in good shape. Grinding isn't necessary to get out stains and scratches. It's only needed if there is a slight difference in elevation of the tiles. To do this, your contractor uses a machine that grinds down the tile that is higher than its neighbors, so your floor is even. The benefits of doing this are to eliminate risk of tripping, reduce valleys in grout that collect dirt, and to give your floor the appearance of having a single slab of stone rather than individual tiles.
Honing Eliminates Scratches
The primary reason stone floors lose shine is because of scratches. Scratches may be so fine you can't even see them, but they cause light to reflect in a way that reduces the amount of shine. Your floor can be scratched due to acid spills or from using the wrong cleaning products. Scratches also happen over time as a result of normal daily living with traffic from walking and pet activity.
Honing is a process that uses a machine and an abrasive material that rubs out the scratches. At first, a coarse grit is used to get rid of surface scratches and stains. Then, progressively finer grit is used to eliminate scratches left by the coarser grit. The end result is a completely resurfaced floor with a uniformly smooth surface layer.
Polishing Brings Out Deep Luster
Once the scratches are removed, your floor is ready to be polished. Polishing the floor restores the shine and luster. Your floor will reflect light and have a mirror-like finish once this is done. The shine comes from the stone itself and not from a top coating of wax or some other material. To bring out the shine, the contractor uses a very fine abrasive powder and brushes the floor with a machine that buffs the surface until the shine develops.
Once the beauty of your stone floor has been restored, you'll want to care for the floor properly so it stays shiny for as long as possible. One thing you want to do is avoid all types of acidic cleaners, including vinegar. Mop your floor with a damp mop using water or a product made for cleaning stone. Also, clean up spills quickly so the acids in the food or liquid won't etch the stone. And be careful about pet accidents. Even if you clean them up quickly, the acid in urine may etch or stain your stone floor.
Contact a company like Marble Tec Systems for more information.
