Marble floors and fixtures posses a timeless grandeur that cannot really be imitated by any other material, however, this comes with a price. In order for it to keep its luster and appearance, marble has to be vigilantly maintained and protected against damages. While some aspects of marble maintenance can only be adequately taken care of by the professionals, there are things that you do in order to preserve its splendor.
Regular Maintenance
If you want to prevent dirt buildup, acid and salt damage or staining, you have to make sure to wipe the floors daily with a cotton string mop and the least possible amounts of warm water. You can also, alternatively, use microfiber mops, also with as little water as possible. Marble etches easily when in contact with acidic substances, while the dirt and salts carried in from the outside can result in scraping, which is why you should also try to make sure that people can’t carry these substances in on their shoes. Place thick mats on every entrance and be sure to remove any kind of staining as soon as possible – the longer the stain is left to settle, the harder will it be to remove it.
You should avoid using detergents for cleaning as they might contain chemicals that could damage the marble. If clean, warm water is not enough to get the dirt out, you may want to consider adding minimal amounts of ammonia to the water, in quantities no greater than 0.005%. There are also special detergents for cleaning marble, they are safe and maybe the best solution for daily care.
Professional Help
Every once in a while (opinions and circumstances differ, but mostly people do this as often as once every month to once in three months), you’ll need to call in professionals to hone and polish your marble floors. This is not only done in order to bring out the natural shine of the marble, but also to remove all the substances that could lead to damages. Methods like sanding and chemical stripping are employed, which not only require the appropriate expertise, but also quite a bit of protection for those performing the work, so don’t try to do this yourself, you may not only ruin the marble, but could actually impair your health in the process.
Since these processes can result in scraping layers of the floor, you might want to keep them to a minimum, and the only way to do that without it reflecting poorly on the appearance and state of your floor is to take regular maintenance seriously.
Sealers Controversy
While some professionals swear by sealers and heartily recommend them, others are against them. While their use eliminates the slipperiness and inhibits staining, they do make the surface abrasive, and increase the need for sanding and polishing, which is the only way to remove layers of saturated sealer. They have also been criticized for their propensity to darken the marble and develop spotting in wet weather. This is to say that if you haven’t been using sealers and are considering it, you might first want to try applying them to a small surface area and testing their effectiveness and the extent of complications they can cause.
