Learn to Clean Limestone Floors – Easy and Quick
We all need an immaculate home and office to carry on with a better-loosened up life. To soothe oneself, the indoors plays an indispensable part. That is why we often use limestone tiles for the indoor beautification of the house.
Your house can attain an alluring and more snazzy look with endless options in terms of tones, finish and designs with limestone. Improvement can be made using limestone flooring as limestone tiles give a characteristic stone look, and at times it seems like a wood grain as well.
The limestone tiles are superb because they are eco-friendly and look great. No wonder why the interior planners and designers favour limestone tiles and floors for houses.
But, are you worried about how hard it can get to maintain the beauty of limestone flooring or have you come across limestone flooring that doesn’t look appealing to the eyes anymore?
No need to worry. Here is a detailed and easy guide on refurbishing your limestone and making it look as new as it was by following a quick and straightforward cleaning and maintenance process.
Why refurbish limestone flooring?
As a sedimentary rock, limestone is porous and absorbs water and other liquids that later settles down on the top of the tiles, making it look stained and dirty over time. That is why it is advised to seal your tiles to avoid discolouration.
This is ordinarily done as a component of the floor-laying process.
How to refurbish limestone flooring?
Assuming that your limestone flooring has been ignored for quite a while, it presumably should be resealed. On the whole, it’s essential to give it a careful profound clean before sealing. If you don’t, you’ll simply be fixing dirt within your tiles.
The cleaning process for your limestone flooring
Limestone floors are somewhat simple to keep up with and can carry an immortal tastefulness to any kitchen, shower, or living region.
Do not use any acidic cleaner on limestone as it can damage your flooring. Instead of ordinary cleaners, buy those specially-prepared for ‘calciferous’ stones.
Once you’ve picked up a cleaner. Do not directly use it on the flooring but first dilute it as prescribed on the container or the manufacturer.
Do a patch test first to ensure it’s the right product for your floor! Try it in a hidden space, for instance- under furniture. Give it some time before you use it on the whole floor so that you can find out if it’s safe.
What is the cleaning process?
Work according to the prescribed guidelines. Cleaning the severely stained region is to be done through excessive scrubbing. Give specific consideration to the grout. This is regularly more porous than the stone and hence more vulnerable to staining.
For a deeper and more profound cleaning of grout and dirt, use a nylon brush like a toothbrush or a nail brush.
Wiping away the residue
After cleaning the floor, you will need to flush off the leftover cleanser and dirt.
Make sure to also keep an eye on what the manufacturer has prescribed.
Now mop up the floor thoroughly after cleaning the residue. Try your best to wipe most of the excess water from the tiles, as it will help accelerate the drying process for the tiles.
If you still see any moisture on the floor. Soak it using a cloth or a paper towel to make sure the floor dries completely. It will be a plus to arrange a heating system to speed up the process.
Resealing: How to refurbish limestone floors?
A layer of sealer can make a boundary over every of the littlest spaces on your limestone surface. This action can stop dampness, spills, and water entrance from entering the surface. In addition, floor sealer can likewise help avoid staining and grout.
Opt for a floor sealant that is primarily meant for your flooring type, limestone flooring in this case. You can find sealants online or in specialist stores.
Make sure you only start sealing when your floor is completely dry. Do not start sealing unless you are sure about it or leave it untouched for a few days to ensure that the floor is dry.
Applying the sealants
Usually, you can follow the guidelines given by the manufacturers on how to use a sealant and how to seal your flooring.
Use a roller or a mop to cover all the flooring entirely, making sure no space is left. Apply it uniformly all over the floor and then leave the sealant to settle in the stone for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Remove the surplus
It is very crucial to clean the excess sealant from the surface. Leaving excess sealant on the floor can damage the quality of your tiles and cause uneven texture on the floor. You can use a mop or a cloth to clean the excess material and avoid any texture or pool of sealant on your floor.
Give it some time to dry!
Do not let anyone walk on the floor you’ve just sealed. Especially keep an eye on small toddlers and pets until the floor is completely dry. With patience comes good results.
To have an exact idea about how long it may take, reach out to your manufacturer, as the time you may need to leave the floor untouched can depend on various factors such as the temperature, the quality of the stone and many more. Again, if you’ve an arrangement of an underfloor heating system, it may help speed up the process.
Leaving your floor untouched also includes not putting any furniture and rugs on it as you may want to avoid marks of sealants on the floor.
Once the floor completely dries out, it’s as good as new and is ready to shine for another decade with a minimum amount of maintenance.
Ongoing care and maintenance
Regardless of what material you use for your floor or how extravagant it looks, it won’t look wonderful until forever. Dust is an unavoidable factor that cannot be avoided and ought to be taken care of without recurrence.
Taking proper care of limestone requires no tedious processes but only regular sweeping and mopping of the floor.
Whenever you introduce limestone flooring, you permeate your home with a material that took a long period of time to take shape.
Assuming you feel that this material is somewhat heavier, it is simply because of the heaviness of history currently in your ownership.
From pyramids to ancient temples and monuments, this stone has been an essential part of the history of world architecture.
Hence, You ought to continuously deal with your floors timely. Not only this, the inability to take proper care of limestone would end that age of work dishonourably.
Final words
Assuming you are here because you wanted to refurbish your limestone flooring and maintain its beauty for a long time, we hope we were able to cater to your needs and give you a detailed guide on how to Refurbish Limestone Floors.