LIMESTONE TILES CLEANING AND SEALING ADVICE

Limestoneis characterised by its practicality, warmth and versatility, this durable stone is a perennial favourite for many. Limestone is a natural material that, when implemented around the home, will not only add character to a lacklustre room but can beautifully complement other materials within it. To compliment the natural beauty of the stone, a number of finishes are also available including brushed, honed and tumbled. Its practical nature allows it to be a seamless link between internal and external applications.
Limestone is used both commercially and domestically.

The advice below will help you maintain Limestone to great standard however please note Limestone is a sedimentary stone as such it’s generally very porous and acid sensitive and can be damaged through the use of even mildly acidic soaps, shampoos and body washes. So if you don't know how to take care of Limestone properly, it can be hard to maintain it's beautiful look and you might have to callin professional limestone cleaners.

First to deep clean, remove acid stains and polish tiles you will need:

1. Rotary machine
2. Wet vacuum
3. Diamond burnishing pads 400, 800, 1500 and 3000 grits

Our specialist limestone tile cleaners recommend slower speed rotary machine, as it makes much less mess then the high speed one and is easier to work with in general. It's a bit trickier with walls as the machines are normally high speed but the system remains same.

To restore the honed finish by burnishing the floor using the diamond pads system, first you need to start off with 400 grit burnishing pad to take off the old sealer and any ingrained dirt. Water is needed as a lubricant to use the pads, so add some water to the area and then go over each tile with the pad 3 or 4 times, this will be followed by removing the dirty water using a wet vacuum and then floor needs to be rinsed.

Next take off the coarse 400 grit pad and apply a medium 800 grit and repeat the process followed by the fine 1500 grit. Again remove the water with a Wet Vax machine. After the third pad grout lines need cleaning. Use a weak non acidic stone cleaner to get the dirt softened and then scrub the grout joints with grout brush, followed by removing the soiled water again.
After grout cleaning leave the limestone floor to fully dry and then complete by applying a Very Fine 3000 grit pad and polish with a squirt of water. It's important to polish thoroughly and not leave any water marks on the floor. When fully polished protect the floor by applying a sealer as per instructions below.

Limestone needs to be sealed with impregnating sealer -It's matt sealer which will penetrate in the surface and allows it to breathe. Impregnating sealer Performs well in wet areas including bathrooms, wetrooms and swimming pool surrounds. It's also suitable on floors that have no damp proof course.

When the Limestone Tiles are fully dry apply colour enhancing impregnating sealer to enhance the natural colours of darker Limestone's. If however you are sealing a lighter shade of limestone and you do not wish to darken the stone, apply a clear impregnating sealer which gives no visual effect to the stone.
It's best if you apply 2-3 coats if tiles have never been sealed before and 1-2 coats if they have been sealed previously.
Also make sure to wipe off any sealer that didn't absorb into the stone surface

To see limestone restoring examples go to: https://www.qualitytilecare.co.uk/work-history and type in the search "Limestone"

Tags: Limestone, Natural Stone , Honing , Polishing , Burnishing , Manchester, Tile Cleaning, Stone Sealing, Quality Tile Care