Proper Care Of You Marble, Travertine & Terrazzo Surfaces

Caring For Marble – Travertine

Marble is a beautiful natural surface with lots of character.  This natural stone comes in many different colors. It is best identified by its veins that can be seen throughout the stone. It typically has a more flowing look to it, almost as though you can see the layers of sediment building up over the years.

Travertine is a type of marble with very large open pockets which is great for providing a rustic look. Most Travertine has had its pockets filled, which can be detected by looking for many solid uniform colored spots that look different than the rest of the stone. Travertine is cared for in the same way you would care for marble.

Many people are not aware that the naturally porous holes within an open travertine can be “closed.”  This is often desirable when one recognizes the additional difficulties associated with keeping these holes free from dust and debris.  The result is a smooth easier to clean surface that matches a closed travertine, the more common variety.  Just ask MARBLELIFE® about TRAVERFIL.

Caution: Marble is largely made of calcium carbonate like that in an anti-acid. Acid will eat the calcium out of the marble causing a damaged spot called an etch. A few items that contain acid include coffee, sodas, most fruit juices, wine, vinegar, pickle juice, limes, lemons, oranges, many sauces, room fresheners, perfumes, glass cleaners and many cleaning products actually contain acids as well.

An etch can look like a dull spot, or the surface may have a slight uniform etch to it, where the entire surface has a dull or warn look. Adding a little vinegar to mop water is a frequent cause of this.

Most people are not aware that chips and cracks can be repaired such that they blend into the background.  A professional stone restoration craftsman is needed to insure that finished repair is smooth and blends with the stone, but more importantly to ascertain the root cause, so that it can be addressed to halt the appearance of more.

The proper care of marble is using a high quality marble and travertine cleaner to keep it free form oils and debris that cause it to look dull, have an odor and may even stain it. Keeping acids away from marble is essential for maintaining a high appearance. Sealing marble is highly recommended; however it will not protect the marble from acids, but it will help protect it from stains.

Marblelife Marble Polish may be used to remove etches and light scratches from marble in small areas such as counters, vanities, tables or small repairs to floors. Large areas such floors are jobs for a trained Marblelife Service Professional and not a do-it-your-selfer.

A gloss conditioner may be used to bring out the inner beauty of marble; however it should never be used on floors as this will likely cause the floors to become too slippery resulting in a slip and fall.

Caring For Slate

Slate is another natural stone that has a distinct look like. It looks flakey and typically has a rough natural texture to it. It is cleaned and sealed like other natural stone. Some may choose to use an enhancer to help bring out its best color.

Caring For Terrazzo

Terrazzo was particularly popular in the 1950 through the 1970s as a foyer and basement floor finish.  Many of these surfaces were then covered with carpet and tile as they wore, as the restoration techniques had not yet been developed.  Today, we can restore these historic beautiful floors to their original elegance, including removing carpet adhesive, and fixing chips and cracks in a manner that makes them difficult to find.  The result adds considerable value to these historic homes.  As such, you may find treasure sitting under the foyer tile or carpet.  A couple of days work and you have a show piece worthy of celebtrating with friends.

Call MARBLELIFE® at (888) 524-3372 or visit us online to secure your FREE ESTIMATE at www.MARBLELIFE.com or to www.MARBLELIFEPRODUCTS.com to secure the care products appropriate to your surface, and your desire for an easy effective cleaning solution.