CARING FOR & MAINTAINING NATURAL STONE

There's nothing more beautiful than the permanence of natural stone. With the right care and regular maintenance, your stone can last a lifetime.
Read below for helpful instructions to best clean and maintain marble, granite, limestone, travertine, and soapstone flooring walls, and countertops.

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  1.ROUTINE CARE

  Natural stone countertops and floors should be cleaned with neutral cleaners specifically designed for stone. These cleaners are concentrated pH neutral cleaners that will not afect existing sealers or other types of coatings. stone cleaners should never contain acid or bleach. Acids, even a light solution of vinegar and water, wil etch and eventually damage many varieties of natural stone. A solution of the pH neutral cleaner and water mixed to manufacturer instructions should be applied to the stone surface with a sponge or spray bottle. Allow solutior to sit per manufacturer recommended specified amount of time to ensure penetration of the stone, Agitate with a sponge, or soft bristle brush.Remove dirty solution with clean sponge : and buff dry, Some textured stones may require a different cleaning method or additional procedures not specified here.

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  2.HEAVY-DUTY STONE CLEANING

  If stone needs a deep clean, you will need to use a heavy-duty stone cleaner and degreaser to effectively remove dirt, grease, grime waxes, etc, These cleaning products are concentrated and designed to deep clean the stone without damaging it. Apply the solution per manufacturer instructions to the stone surface with a sponge. Allow to stand for manufacturer-specified amount of time. Agitate with a sponge or soft bristle brush. Remove dirty solution with a clean sponge and buf dry, Be sure to change out the cleaninc solution every 100 square feet to avoid reintroducing dirty water during the cleaning process, Rinse thoroughly with clean water when finished, Make sure to always limit the time liquids sit on any type of natural stone and dry the surface thoroughly.

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  3.STAIN REMOVAL

  A stone specific poultice can be used to remove stains and grout haze from stone. Poultice is a fine, non-acidic, absorptive clay cleaning powder that removes stains and light cementitious grout haze from polished and unpolished natural stone. Stone poultice efficacy depends on the nature of the stain and how long the stain has been in the stone, Base the selection of the type of poulice on the nature of the stain. lf the stain is old or has penetrated the stone deeply, a poultice may not be enough to remove it.spils should always be cleaned un as soon as nossible, light colored marble and neariy allimestone are subiectto staining, Soils on such materals should be cleanedupimmediately to prevent staining.

  Poultice may dull the shine of the polished stone. lf this occurs you will need to use a stone polish to restore the natural shine.

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  4.SEALING

  Sealing is stronalyrecommended for all stone,installed marble,qranite, and limestone to provide maximum stain orotection, Be careful to select a high auality sealer to protect your natural stone, Newlyinstaled natural stone countertops are often sealed at the time ofinstallation by the fabricator. Please check with your fabricator regarding their standard sealing regimen. Sealing every couple of years (see manufacturer's directions) will ensure your stone continues to look its best.

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  5.ACID SENSITIVITY

  The use of natural stones in environments where acid exposure is likely requires a proper stone selection to avoid etching. Most notably,the calcium carbonate and calcite based stones (marble and limestone primarily) will react to relatively mild acids, such as lemon iuice vinegar, and sliced tomatoes. The result is not a stain, which could be removed, but an etching of the stone surface, which cannot be removed without refinishing the stone. In polished finish stone ack willusually manifest itselfas a "dull”spot within the surrounding glossy surface.

   

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  6.DISCLAIMER

  Goldtop stone does not manufacture installation products or countertop cleaning/maintenance products. Goldtop stone provides the information on this page to its customers as an information source only, Please contact an installation product manufacturer directly PRlOR to usage, to obtain proper handling instructions, application instruction and warnings concerning potential health hazards for any product contemplated for use. To ensure your natural stone products will provide you with a lifetime of beauty and utility, proper maintenance is crucial. Natural stone products are porous by nature and require a different maintenance program than traditional ceramic tile, Goldtop stone also stronaly recommends testing a small area PRlOR to usage of any installation/countertop cleaning/maintenance product to determine whether the product serves its intended purpose.

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  7.SAFETY PRECAUTION TO CUSTOMERS

  The products described may have chemicals that cause reactions in certain individuals. Goldtop stone strongly recommends the use of safety glasses, respirators (masks) and gloves in handling any materials that contain chemicals, Goldtop stone recommends the prope ;isposalof any scrap tile/stone, instalation and/or maintenance products discussed herein jualities that not only distinguish it from man-made materials, but also should be considered in selecting it for Vaturalstone has unique a particular project, Stone is not manufactured; it is a product of nature. Blocks are removed from the quarry, slabs are cut from these blocks. and the slabs are futher fabricated into the final stone to be instaled, Each block is diterent, each slab is diferent, Skiltful blending or matching of the dimension stone blocks, veneer panels, tops, etc, results in a beautiful blending of nature's variety and man's design. "Uniformity of material,"when applied to natural stone, is a term of relative value that needs to be understood when making a selection.

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  lf your natural stone has been damaged or is worn, we recommend that you contact a professional stone restoration company.