You don’t have to do all sorts of tests to understand that marble is a very robust material. But to keep it looking beautiful and to help it last longer, you do need to look after it. You may be using marble in your home for your kitchen benchtop or bathroom vanity, flooring, wall cladding or something else.
No matter wherever you use marble in your home. The marble will be subject to regular physical contact, and it will be exposed to factors that could affect its appearance and durability.
In a home, there is nothing more beautiful than marble and natural stones. For example, the durability of elba marble, along with its attractiveness, has continued to surprise people for many years. With proper care and routine maintenance, the marble stone you use in your home can last a lifetime.
Why maintain marble surfaces:
Maintaining your marble stones will keep their appearance and functionality of them in the best condition. The more effort you put into keeping your marble in good condition, the better it will look and last.
Here are some maintenance tips to keep your marble in the best condition:
Pre-sealing marble stones:
First, it’s essential to understand why professionals pre-seal marble stones before installing them. Like many natural stones, marbles are reactive materials. Some stone varieties may react during installation. These stones mostly react with cementitious adhesives and grouts that are used during marble installation.
Some of these reactive responses include the staining of the marble stone efflorescence by water-soluble minerals and soluble mineral contamination like iron blooming. The probability of any staining, efflorescence, or mineral reactions inside the stone is decreased by sealing all six of the marble stone’s surfaces.
Use the right pre-sealer:
Pre-sealing requirements of a marble depend on the type of stone, porosity, and installation technique. Prior to having the marble installed in your home, you should always talk to your installer about pre-sealing.
Additionally, it should be noted that not all sealers can function as pre-sealers. The sealer must continue to allow sufficient vapour transmission to the stone and must not obstruct the adhesive bonding procedure. Finding cleaning products and sealants for elba marble is easy because they are a popular choice for flooring.
In order to address these installation challenges, many manufacturers have created a pre-sealer that can satisfy these installation requirements. These sealing products have undergone thorough testing to ensure that they don’t react with the marble installation adhesives.
Some do’s and don’ts when cleaning marble:
The most important piece of advice is to use a gentle, pH-neutral, non-abrasive soap. Although there are certain marble cleaning products available, dish soap works great. A few drops of soap can be applied to a damp cloth or mixed with a little warm water in a spray bottle. Use this sudsy towel to clean the marble surface, then rinse it off and dry it right away. Use moderate amounts of soap to avoid leaving a film behind. You can easily clean and wipe elba marble with soapy water.
Marble shouldn’t be exposed to acidic cleansers like vinegar and bleach. Even a wedge of lemon can start to eat through marble in a matter of seconds. Keep acid-containing rust-removing products away from marble as well since many of them contain acid. Similarly, harsh sponges or cleansers with grit would damage the marble’s finish. It will also be damaged by alkali or basic compounds.
Preventing stains:
Prevention is important to maintain marble clean and stain-free. Any spilled liquid should be blotted up with a paper towel as quickly as possible on a marble surface. Instead of wiping up spills, try to blot them to prevent the liquid from spreading across more surface area. Don’t let alcohol or citrus-flavoured drinks spill on the marble surface.
In case you let it happen, act immediately to reduce the possible damage. Applying warm soapy water works well in case of an alcohol spill on the marble. Rinse the area of the marble repeatedly to remove any remaining staining liquid.
Use marble sealant:
In addition to this, using a marble sealant can be beneficial too. Using marble sealant once a month can increase the life of your marble floor. Marble sealants are known for strengthening the marble’s finish.
Using sealant will buy you a little more time before spills become emergencies, but you’ll still need to clean them up right away. Pay attention to the marble sealant manufacturer’s instructions because the type of marble you have may not be able to absorb sealants.
Removing stains from marble:
There will probably be spills on the marble at some point in time while you live in your house. If you fail to notice spills on the marble, it will stain. Sometimes even if you have cleaned the spill, there may be stains on the marble. If you find spills and you have cleaned them, start working on the stain immediately after cleaning the spill.
The most effective way to remove stains from organic materials, such as coffee, wine, food, or pet urine, is to clean using a mixture of 12% hydrogen peroxide with a few drops of ammonia. Oil-based stains resulting from milk, cosmetics, or cooking oil can be lifted with acetone or mineral spirits and can then be rinsed right away.
Buffing scratches from marble:
Marble surfaces can become damaged by etching and hard water stains, and this must be buffed immediately. Use dry, superfine, 0000-rated steel wool to remove surface etching and water spots present on your elba marble surface. You might need to hire a marble specialist to re-polish the surface if there are deeper nicks and scratches on the marble surface.
Hiring natural stone professionals:
There are numerous trustworthy tile and marble cleaning companies that provide a wide range of housekeeping and natural stone maintenance packages. Reputed marble cleaning service providers are willing to provide free estimates of their packages. These companies can help you properly maintain your marble countertops, floors, home exteriors with marble walls, and bathrooms with marble surfaces.
Final thoughts:
As already said, prevention plays a big role in keeping the marble surfaces in your house clean. The quality achieved when working with professionals with years of experience handling marbles is unmatchable. Just because marbles can stain doesn’t mean they will get ugly over time. You can enjoy the beauty of marble for many years if you follow simple maintenance tips.
