Should you seal your natural stone flooring? It’s one of the best commercial, home and condo flooring options, but if you don’t know how to care for it, you can cause expensive damage. So the quick answer is: Yes, you should!
Is there an absorption test for stone flooring?
Choose a stone that’s out of direct sunlight and pour a few drops of water on the surface. How long does it take for the water to soak in? If it disappears inside of a minute, your stone is somewhat porous. Sealer is a priority.
Is there stone that doesn’t need sealing?
A few. Granite countertops often come pre-sealed, for instance. Resined stones won’t always need sealing either. (Resining means that stones have added strength and the flooring is much less porous.)
Does different flooring have different requirements?
Different stones require different amounts of sealer. Limestone is exceptionally absorbent. It needs a great deal of sealant. Marble is much less absorbent and will need less to become fully sealed.
What about the finish?
Finish impacts absorbency as well. Polished surfaces are less absorbent; flamed or honed surfaces are more absorbent.
What other factors are at play?
Location exposes floors to very different conditions. Natural stone flooring in a bathroom must be sealed to a high degree. A kitchen floor should be sealed against oil and not just water. Stone flooring in a living room or dining room should have stain-resistant qualities.
How are sealers different?
There are strippable coatings, but these are rarely of use to stone floors. Permanent coatings are difficult to remove and aren’t made for stone either. Impregnators, or penetrating sealers, are the kind that are useful to stone floors. They get into pores and do their work below the surface of the stone.
Hydrophobic impregnators will repel water and most drinks. Oleophobic impregnators will repel oil as well.
Need help?
Implementing a sealer incorrectly on your natural stone flooring can cause problems that are difficult to reverse or resolve. It’s safer and more efficient to entrust your project to a pro – one who has experience sealing different natural stone commercial, home and condo flooring options.