Why Sealing Your Natural Stone is Necessary?
A natural stone adds tonnes of elegance to your kitchen, countertops, floorings and showers. These are available in a wide range in different materials, colors and textures. However, as a homeowner, if you are wondering whether your natural stone tile requires sealing to elongate its beauty, then the answer is yes. Travertine, marble, slate or granite natural stone need to be sealed with a good quality tile grout sealer to preserve their integrity.
If you want to add longevity and enhance the sheen of your natural stone, you need to clean and maintain it regularly. A good sealant is also required to preserve its natural brilliance. If you do not seal your natural stone, it can easily lose its lustre and deteriorate after some time.
You cannot seal the stone without cleaning and sanitizing it first. To remove the deep-rooted stains, you should use a deep-penetrating cleaner that knocks off the stains and germs at the root level. Acid-based cleaners are often used by some people which spoil the surface of the tiles, so you should use only natural stone approved cleaners which are alkaline in nature.
Sealing grout is an important step before using a tile grout sealer and this step is mostly avoided by all. Grout, just like natural stone is porous and tends to absorb moisture, thereby leading to mold breeding. You should use the best grout sealer to ensure it becomes waterproof. A high-quality epoxy grout sealer can make your grout resistant to wear and tear. Before sealing grout, check if it needs repair. Sometimes, grout goes missing or cracks in certain areas. You can repair worn out grout using epoxy resin fillers.
Just like grout, if your natural stone has cracks or chips, you should first repair them using a quality resin adhesive that repairs all the hairline fractures and cracks seamlessly to give a uniform look to your tile surface. If you seal your natural stone without repairing the cracks, these will be visible after the top seal and impart an unappealing look.
The last step is sealing natural stone using a high-quality stone grout sealer. Ensure that you use a sealer that is not too bulky and looks very natural and light. Once the stone and grout are cleaned, cracks repaired and grout sealed, you can seal your natural stone using a stone sealer. A good stone grout sealer forms a hydrophobic layer on your stone, thereby making it water-resistant.
Once the natural stone is cleaned, it should be maintained regularly using maintenance cleaners, to prevent the accumulation of dirt and grime. There is a huge range of tile cleaning products available in the market but not all are effective in giving quality results. There are some excellent products from different companies and one such company is pFOkUS. They have an incredible range of tile and grout sealing and cleaning products and they are all natural stone approved. Their products are manufactured after years of research in the laboratories.
What Happens When you don’t Seal your Natural Stone?
If you want to add longevity and enhance the sheen of your natural stone, you need to clean and maintain it regularly. A good sealant is also required to preserve its natural brilliance. If you do not seal your natural stone, it can easily lose its lustre and deteriorate after some time.
- Natural stone is porous. It tends to absorb water and moisture, thereby leading to mold and mildew growth.
- These stones chip off due to heavy impact.
- Some natural stones also shed dust. This not only keeps your interiors full of dust, but the stone also loses its sheen and brilliance after a few years.
- Natural stone used in kitchen countertops is more susceptible to oil leaks and hence develops more intense and deep-rooted stains and grime.
To prevent these occurrences, it is easy to seal natural stone using a tile grout stone sealer. An easy Step-by-Step DIY project can guide you how to seal your natural stone:
Clean and Prep the Stone:
You cannot seal the stone without cleaning and sanitizing it first. To remove the deep-rooted stains, you should use a deep-penetrating cleaner that knocks off the stains and germs at the root level. Acid-based cleaners are often used by some people which spoil the surface of the tiles, so you should use only natural stone approved cleaners which are alkaline in nature.
Seal the Grout:
Sealing grout is an important step before using a tile grout sealer and this step is mostly avoided by all. Grout, just like natural stone is porous and tends to absorb moisture, thereby leading to mold breeding. You should use the best grout sealer to ensure it becomes waterproof. A high-quality epoxy grout sealer can make your grout resistant to wear and tear. Before sealing grout, check if it needs repair. Sometimes, grout goes missing or cracks in certain areas. You can repair worn out grout using epoxy resin fillers.
Repairing Natural Stone:
Just like grout, if your natural stone has cracks or chips, you should first repair them using a quality resin adhesive that repairs all the hairline fractures and cracks seamlessly to give a uniform look to your tile surface. If you seal your natural stone without repairing the cracks, these will be visible after the top seal and impart an unappealing look.
Sealing Natural Stone:
The last step is sealing natural stone using a high-quality stone grout sealer. Ensure that you use a sealer that is not too bulky and looks very natural and light. Once the stone and grout are cleaned, cracks repaired and grout sealed, you can seal your natural stone using a stone sealer. A good stone grout sealer forms a hydrophobic layer on your stone, thereby making it water-resistant.
Once the natural stone is cleaned, it should be maintained regularly using maintenance cleaners, to prevent the accumulation of dirt and grime. There is a huge range of tile cleaning products available in the market but not all are effective in giving quality results. There are some excellent products from different companies and one such company is pFOkUS. They have an incredible range of tile and grout sealing and cleaning products and they are all natural stone approved. Their products are manufactured after years of research in the laboratories.
Comments
Post a Comment