Your first impression is your last impression.
It is applicable everywhere from humans to the monuments. The way in which you keep and manage your surroundings will reflect your standard of living and one of its important aspect is floor cleaning.
We use marble flooring in which different kinds of marbles are used to make the floor that looks attractive to the visitors. It depends on the need that decides which type of marble you should use because every marble possesses some characteristics.
What are marbles and what are those properties that they possess?
Marbles are the crystalline metamorphic form of limestone that is generally white in colored but can be polished as per the needs.
Properties
Marble properties are taken into consideration when we are about to decide which marble will be suitable for our home or for our office?
It is a natural material that’s why it’s every piece has its unique appearance and properties such as:
1. Formation
It is a metamorphic rock that is formed of limestone after applying pressure and heat in the crust of earth with the geographical process.
The formation of marble takes place under the extreme pressure and temperature that is also known as the process of recrystallization of limestone.
2.Hardness
Marble is stronger than the limestone but it is less durable than the granite. Rocks are distinguished on the basis of its hardness on the scale from 1 to 10.
Rocks those posses hardness of 1-3 are known as soft rocks and the rocks with the hardness of 3-6 are medium rocks and those which possess hardness 6-10 are known as hard rocks.
3.Colour
It is generally of white color and can be colored as per the need. The color of the marble is because of its impurity. Those marbles which contain less amount of impurities are of black, pink grey and bluish color. Marble with more impurities is of bright white color which is used for the purpose of whitening after converting it into powder.
4.Luster
Luster is because of the interaction of light with the marble, it varies from dull yo shining.
Marble is dense and inflammable that is why it is fire resistance also.
Is it necessary to polish a marble floor?
Yes, it is necessary to polish the marble floor to increase its lifespan.
Its regular care is important as it represents the beautiful durable building material.
This attractive floor covering gives the soothing experience to the customers.
For its regular care, we need to understand this first that the marble is natural or cultured.
Following are the different methods that are available to determine the type of material:
1.Temperature method:
Natural marble is cooler than the surrounding atmosphere whereas the cultured marble is at the same temperature as the surrounding atmosphere.
2.Acid method:
Chose one hidden area and put some drops of vinegar there and test it.If it is a natural marble then some bubbles will appear on the floor. After the test immediately wipes up that place with the help of a damp piece of cloth.
3.Scratch method:
On the same hidden surface where you have applied the vinegar test, implement this scratch test because scratches are easily visible on the natural marble.
After applying these tests, if you are not sure about the type of marble then consider it as natural marble to void damage.
Let’s explore more about natural marble
Natural marbles show excellent functionality and available in a variety of colors with unique properties but its maintenance cost is high.
What you can do to remove the stains from the natural marble?
Certain stains are caused because of the trapping and seeping of water into the stone. Stains degrade the attractiveness of the marble so it is necessary to remove them. Fresh stains can be removed with the help of Damp Microfiber Cloth with warm water and Neutral Detergent. You can rub it gently on the floor to get rid of those undesirable stains.
How to remove Stubborn stains?
For this, you first dampen the marble with water and then put some drops of cleansing chemical on it. After that gently rub it with a bristled brush.
After removing the stains, the next important step is polishing to ensure the durability of the marble.
Polishing
Before polishing the surface needs to be clean properly. Prefer eco polishing method for the same.
Eco polishing uses a combined ratio of 45 g of baking soda and 0.9 L of water. With the help of a clean cloth, this mixture is applied on the surface in form of the thin layer then allowed to dry out for approx 5 hours.
Apart from these two types of marbles, there are several other types of marbles that are used in offices and residential areas, for example, Italian marble, Indian marble, sandstone etc.
So marble polishing and restoration both are required for all these types of marbles also.
You must ensure the proper conduction of total maintenance programs that covers the implementation of practices with the motive to protect the marbles and shine measuring mechanism that analyzes the Luster property of the floor.
Steps to protect the marble floor:
Use Sealer N or Lapicur to avoid stains.
Tape off some surface around the marble that is not supposed to be sealed.
Apply three layers of Sealer N or Lapicur and it should be reapplied after 1-2 years on the basis of the traffic that marble receives.
Let’s explore more about Cultured Marble
Cultured Marble
It is much easier to clean the cultured marble. These are manufactured with the additional protective coating on it that prevents it from external damage.
How to remove the stain from the cultured marble?
1. You can simply scrub the surface with a brush.
2. To remove hard water stains put some drops of Sancitro on the surface and gently rub it for 5 – 10 mins then wipe it out with normal water and damp cloth.
3. Polish it after every 1-2 years.
4. Use dust control mats to prevent it.
Some precautions should be taken at the time of floor cleaning such as-
Acid can damage the natural marble so avoid its use and avoid the use of metal scrubbers also.
