A.PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

a. Preventive Maintenance :
Protecting the interior of stone with Penetrating SEALERS;
Proper matting of entrance.
b. Daily Maintenance :
Dusting & sweeping with Vacuum or Broom;
Wet cleaning;
Repairing of cracks & Joints with glues / chemicals;
Powder or liquid polishing (if possible);
Reabsorbing STAINS with POULTICE powders .
Restoration:
Resurfacing the stone with a diamond abrasive program to remove scratches and abrasions;
Deep cleaning of pores of textured surface.
Preventive Maintenance :
SEALERS: Sealers are of two types;
Coating
Impregnators/ Penetrating sealers
Coatings : Coatings are sealers that place a sacrificial coating on the surface of the stone. This is a film that lies on the top of the stone acting as barrier to prevent water, oil or dirt from entering into pores of the stone. Coating sealers are usually acrylics, urethanes, epoxies and varnishes.
These are further categorised into two types; STRIPPABLES & PERMANENT
So, coating sealers are film-forming polymers, which are applied to floors to maintain physical barriers that isolate the stone surface from abrasions.
Advantages :
Economical and easy to apply.
Disadvantages:
Since most coatings are typically softer than the stone itself, they are usually scratched and scuff very easily & will show traffic patterns soon after application. So, reapplication after short intervals becomes necessary.
Coatings give unnatural, wave like or plastic look on natural stones.
Under UV light, this can turn yellow as time passes.
Some wax strippers can harm certain stones.
Moisture can be trapped below the stone. Thus coating can block breathing of natural stone.
Impregnator/ Penetrating Sealers : these are the microscopic balls of generally silicones, which attach themselves to the crevices inside the stone. These balls of silicones are negatively charged, which means they repel each other so that they are not clustered to become a big ball of silicone. Once attached they become permanent part of stone & give out a magnetic charge, which creates an invisible umbrella between balls. Thus balls becomes a shield when a much larger drop of liquid lands on them. This shield holds the liquid upside and prevents its penetration in the stone pores.
Advantages:
Impregnators do not change the appearance of stone.
Most impregnators don’t require frequent reapplication.
No effects of UV, as the impregnators are below the stone surface.
Some impregnators are hydrophobic or oilliophobic.
Low maintenance cost.
Disadvantages:
Initial cost is very high compared to coating.
Solvent-based impregnators are highly inflammable during application. Solvent-based impregnator produce high VOC (Volatile organic compounds) so these smells bad & harmful to environment.