Natural stone is beautiful, but to preserve the beauty of it, you need to make sure it’s sealed and reseal it when needed. Silver State Floor Restoration delves further into natural stone sealing.
Natural Stone Absorbency Test
You can determine how absorbent your stone is with a simple test. Put a few drops of water on the surface of the stone and see how long it takes for the stone to absorb it. If it takes less than a minute, you have stone that is very porous. If it takes 3-4 minutes, it’s porous and anything more than 3-4 minutes means you have slightly porous stone. This test will also let you know of the quantity of sealer you’ll need to protect the amount of stone you have.
To Seal or Not to Seal Natural Stone
For maximum protection it’s safe to say that you should seal your stone surfaces. The worst case would be that you have stone that is not very porous and won’t absorb too much of the sealer while providing maximum protection. Don’t let the price of the sealer stop you from doing it. The peace of mind will be well worth it. Keep in mind, your newly installed natural stone may already be pre-sealed. Before you run out to purchase sealer, ask the fabricator or do the stone absorbency test. Also, natural stone that is resined will not need to be sealed but do the absorbency test to make sure.
4 Factors in Choosing a Penetrating Natural Stone Sealer
1. Type of natural stone. Most natural stone is resined at the factory. This process makes fragile stones stronger and makes it possible to use more and more natural stone. Not all stone is created equally though. The absorption coefficient determines how porous a stone is and how quickly it will absorb a liquid. This is an important factor to consider when purchasing sealer.
2. Natural stone finish. The way natural stone is finished will affect it absorption coefficient. Polished surfaces will be less absorbent than a honed finish. An absorption test will let you know how absorbent your stone is.
3. Natural stone location. Where the stone is located and its exposure to spills and stains, foot traffic, pets, etc. will determine the kind of sealer you will need. If you have a marble kitchen floor with lots of traffic the sealer should be oil and water repellent and a marble entrance of your home will only need a water repellent sealer. To maintain shine and protection, you will need to use the right sealers whenever needed.
4. Current natural stone maintenance. The way you take care of your natural stone will have a lot to do with how you seal it. Is it exposed to harsh cleaners that aren’t meant to be used on natural stone? If you aren’t taking care of it, dirt and debris will get into it, wearing the polish away and no amount of sealer will protect it. You need to take all this into consideration when choosing the right sealer.
Natural Stone Cleaning, Sealing & Polishing & More in Aliante, Anthem, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Enterprise, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson, Inspirada, Mountain’s Edge, North LV, Peccole Ranch, Paradise, Providence, Rhodes Ranch, Seven Hills, Silverado Ranch, Spring Valley, Summerlin, Sunrise Manor, The Lakes, Tuscany Village & Las Vegas Nevada
It can be very confusing picking the right sealer to protect your natural stone. Contact Silver State Floor Restoration to answer any questions. Better yet, have them do it for you! Call us to schedule an appointment today.
