Limestone Floor Cleaning Houston
MODERN STONE CARE LIMESTONE SERVICES
Houston Limestone Cleaning:
Due to its acid sensitivity, limestone must be cleaned using an alkaline cleaning solution. We give the solution approximately 20 minutes of dwell time. This gives the cleaner time to emulsify the dirt that is embedded into the stone and grout. We then use an industry accepted spinner tool which provides pressure coupled with vacuum for extraction. This process also removes dirt from the top of your grout lines. This is the industry recommended method to clean stone and tile floors.
Houston Limestone Polishing:
Due to its alkaline mineral content, limestone etches whenever an acidic liquid or other compound comes in contact with the surface of the stone. This includes many common cleaners. The more acidic the substance, the faster etching occurs. Limestone polishing takes care of superficial scratches and minor etching that occurs throughout the course of daily activities. Our limestone polishing process leaves a deep, natural shine, with clarity and depth, which you just cannot achieve with an artificial coating.
Houston Limestone Honing:
Limestone can be honed to a matte or satin finish through a grinding process. We can also remove severe etching and deep scratching through our limestone honing service. Honing is often needed to remove damage in this stone, and it is often used to provide a less glossy finish to the stone.
Houston Limestone Sealing:
All non-polished limestone should be sealed. It is extremely polished and some limestone absorbs liquids even after polishing. This is uncommon in other common polished stones such as travertine. At Modern Stone Care our Houston limestone sealing service uses only premium sealer which are sand fortified. This is important since most sealers are made to chemically bond with sand, and limestone has no sand. So the average sealer will not bond for long. Sealing a floor against water based staining is adequate for most parts of the home, but in the kitchen, we recommend sealing limestone with an oil repellent and a water repellent. Call for details on any of our services or fill out the contact form on this page.
ABOUT LIMESTONE
Limestone is a terrestrial sedimentary rock composed of different crystal forms of calcium carbonate, primarily calcite and aragonite. It often contains the skeletal fragments of marine organisms. These organisms secrete shells made of calcite and aragonite behind after they die, and these fossils can often be seen in limestone tile. The presence of Calcium Carbonate, like marble and travertine, makes this stone sensitive to acids, and therefore is subject to serious etching. Calcium Carbonate also gives it the ability to be polished to a high shine.
MAINTENANCE OF POLISHED LIMESTONE
CARE OF NON-POLISHED LIMESTONE
These stones have no natural sand content. Most impregnators are made chemically to bond with the sand in the stone. But since limestone has no sand, these sealers will quickly become ineffective due to their poor bonding capabilities. Modern Stone Care uses premium sand fortified sealers whenever we seal these stones. Keep in mind that sealing the stone will not keep dirt from accumulating either on the stone tile or grout, or from collecting inside the holes of the stone.
REGULAR MAINTENANCE
It is important to remove this dirt because damp mopping is also required at least weekly.
While these floors do not need the same care from abrasion as a polished floor, they are more difficult to keep clean. In part, because of the fact that it is more textured, but also because these floors always have cement based sanded grout between the tiles. Dirt will accumulate in the pores and over the textured stone. Also, the sanded grout is porous, and since it is wider, will accumulate dirt there as well. Keep in mind that sealing the stone will not keep dirt from accumulating either on the stone or grout or from collecting inside the holes of the stone. For this reason Modern Stone Care recommends that you have your unpolished limestone floors professionally cleaned twice per year.
Residential Limestone Maintenance Checklist
Are you a homeowner that currently has, or is considering getting, limestone surfaces or floors in your space? While limestone is an excellent material to
Can Limestone Floors Be Polished?
SFGate gives a deep look into the logistics of polishing limestone: Limestone is a sedimentary rock with a smooth, granular surface of varying hardness. It
Can Limestone Tiles Be Polished?
Limestone is a sedimentary rock with a smooth, granular surface of varying hardness. It is suitable for countertops, floors, and other tiled surfaces. Limestone comes