Natural Stone Cleaning in Dallas | Fort Worth

Natural Stone Cleaning - Dallas|Fort Worth

We clean a variety of natural stone flooring and counter-tops.  Stone cleaning requires the use of detergents that will not damage the calcified stone or very soft stone like marble.  Once the stone is cleaned, it can be sealed with impregnating sealers to penetrate the surface of the rock and fill in the gaps so spills and stains cant penetrates deep into the stone. 

The types of stone floors DFW Steam Cleaning Cleans:

Marble Stone

Marble is a metamorphic rock composed most commonly of calcite or dolomite.  The geological term is metamorphosed limestone, but for masonry purposes, it is broadly understood as unmetamorphosed limestone.  For cleaning purposes, Marble is a calcified stone so it does not react well to any acidic type cleaners. Even lemon juice on a marble countertop can etch the stone.  Marble is soft which is why it needs to be cleaned on a regular basis and also needs to be diamond honed and polished to get rid of all of the scratches that will appear over time.   Another industry term for marble polishing is called compounding.  Compounding or polishing the stones multiple times at different grits will eventually get the stone to "pop".  Pop means that the stone finally has that ballroom shine to it, which is the desired state of marble flooring, which is why Marble is so popular, its beauty is maximized when it has its shine.  Marble floors are usually installed with an epoxy grout or sandless grout because when you are diamond honing and compounding, a piece of sand under the machine will actually put "Swirl" marks in the stones and you will put scratches into the stone.  Green marble is the softest of all the marbles and should never be used in a shower for example.  Just the moisture is enough to erode the green marble in the shower and the stone will literally disintegrate over time. 

 
Marble Cleaning

Marble can be steam cleaned with Neutral and sometimes Alkaline contractor-grade detergents at a high heat temperature and a medium pressure, typically 600-800 PSI.  Steam Cleaning marble on a semi-regular basis will keep the hard particle count like sand down to a minimum.  Dry sweeping or vacuuming will not keep dry particles off the floor so they will not scratch with normal foot traffic. 

Marble Sealing

Marble can and should be sealed upon initial installation with an impregnating sealer.  Marble should also be resealed after every professional cleaning and definitely after compounding.   The best and most expensive sealers will not change the color or texture of the stone.  Impregnating sealers are literally invisible shields that will protect your investment. 

Granite

Granite is a very hard stone with a tight molecular structure and can resist abrasion.  Granite is a prestigious material and when used in building products it's not there because it's cheaper than synthetics.  Someone is making a statement.  Granite is a light-colored igneous rock composed mainly of quartz and is formed in the magma below the earth's surface.  Granite also has feldspar and a small amount of mica as well as other minerals.  The mineral components typically are what give granite the red, pink, gray, or white with the darker mineral grains that run throughout the rock and are visible with the naked eye.  This contrast is what gives granite its beauty.  Granite is used to make floor tiles, countertops, paving stones, building veneers, and of course monuments.  

Granite Cleaning

While granite is a hard stone, it is still a natural stone.  Granite can get steam cleaned with natural stone-safe detergents at a pressure of 900-1200 PSI

Granite Sealing

Granite like all natural stones should be sealed upon initial installation with an impregnating sealer to protect the stone.  While the Granite matrix is not as susceptible to stains, it's also harder to remove a stain that has penetrated, so the best thing to do is seal the stone periodically.  

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock that forms in warm marine waters and primarily composed of calcium carbonate in the mineral form of calcite.  Limestone most commonly forms in warm marine waters.  As an organic sedimentary rock, Limestone forms from an accumulation of coral, shells, algae, and interestingly, fecal material.  Who would have guessed that one?  Being a calcified stone, Limestone is susceptible to anything and everything acidic.  Tomatoes, lemons, limes.  Limestone can be polished but is also susceptible to penetrating stains like oils and wine.  Unlike Marbel, limestone floor tiles are typically rectangular in shape.  Limestone can be used in flooring tiles, pavers, and countertops 

Limestone Cleaning

Limestone cleaning is again comprised of neutral, professional-grade detergents that are also low foam.  Limestone and even polished limestone really likes to hold onto residue from cleaning products.  So cleaning products used by homeowners need to be in very very small amounts.  Limestone can be cleaned with high heat and a pressure range from 600-900 PSI.  

Limestone Sealing

Limestone should be sealed after it is installed and also sealed after every professional cleaning or if polished after it has been polished. 

Travertine

Travertine is a terrestrial sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals in ground and surface waters or geothermally heated hot springs.  Travertine is a beautiful stone that has pores in the stone.  Tumbled travertine pores will actually get larger as time goes by, which leads to the pores needing to be filled with a filler.  

Travertine Cleaning

The nature of travertine and its pores, especially the pores that are not filled, we will call them micro pores makes cleaning and everyday maintenance impossible.  Running a dirty mop or pad over the floor will simply deposit more dirt water into the pores.  Travertine has to be steam extracted, the dirt blown out of the pores with pressurized hot water then sucked out.  Professional Steam Cleaning does the trick.  

Travertine Sealing

Travertine tiles should be sealed upon initial installation and also sealed periodically with cleaning.  We recommend every other cleaning

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed of sand-sized grains of minerals or clasts, rock, or other organic materials. It also contains a material that almost acts like a cement that binds the sand grains together and typically contains a matrix of silt or other clay-sized particles that occupy the space between the sand grains.  There are five types of sandstone; massive, cross-bedded, streaked with Shale, rooted, and burrowed.  The most common Sandstone has thin streaks or bands of shale as the bedding type

Sandstone Cleaning

Sandstone Sealing

Slate

Slate Cleaning

Slate Sealing