Stone flooring is the epitome of elegance and richness. In any place, stone flooring can increase its beauty and value. But what happens when the shine disappears? Your stunning stone flooring looks dull and ordinary. And your stone flooring will inevitably lose its shine over time due to exposure to dirt, heat, moisture, impacts, etc.
Nevertheless, the solution to this problem is to shine the stone flooring. Besides cleaning the stone floor, shining it can bring back the gloss and spark in stone flooring. Note that shining has to be done from time to time so that the stone flooring doesn’t lose its shine at all.
On that note, in this article, I will mention 5 amazing techniques of how to shine the stone floor. As conditions of the stone floor can be different, you have to choose the method that suits the condition. So without much delay, let’s jump into learning the techniques to shine stone flooring.
5 Techniques To Shine Stone Floor: Know The Options
Shining stone flooring is a challenging task, to be honest. As stone floorings are porous and sensitive to abrasive cleaning, you have to be extra cautious while doing this.
See, if you want to maintain the condition of the stone flooring, it is important to keep it clean and have a regular maintenance routine. With this, you can avoid the stone floor from becoming shine less or dull.
But I will discuss the cleaning and maintenance things in the next part. First, let’s know the 5 ways of shining stone flooring:
Technique 1: Polishing
Polishing the stone floor is the basic process to shine stone flooring. If you are shining the stone floor from time to time, polishing is enough.
Polishing involves buffing the floor with a buffing machine. With a diamond pad attached to it, you can buff the floor slowly to bring back the shine. This removes the small uneven areas from the flooring and restores the gloss. You may also have aluminum or tin oxide that is used for polishing and buffing with a buffing pad.
However, polishing can make the stone flooring rough. In that case, you need to apply a stone conditioner to make it extra glossy.
Technique 2: Diamond Polishing
Diamonds are hard and excellent for polishing and shining stone floors. So it is one of the reliable techniques to shine the stone flooring.
Diamond polishing or honing needs a flooring machine, water, and buffing pads with diamond particles in them. You need to use different grits of buffing pads and each time, use a finer grit of buffing pad. This will remove the small and large uneven sections gradually.
The best part is diamond honing as it does the job finely. It won’t make the stone floor rough. The shine is therefore restored immediately after diamond polishing.
Technique 3: Grinding
Grinding is another technique to shine stone flooring. But choose to grind only when the stone flooring is too harsh or damaged. If you haven’t cleaned the flooring for so long, only then you can choose to grind the flooring.
For grinding, you need an angle grinder with diamond cutting pads. The diamond pads are used for polishing the stone flooring, clearing out the scratches and major damages, and evening out the floor. This means grinding is the perfect technique when the flooring is extremely damaged and uneven.
Grinding is quite a harsh process of polishing stone flooring. So try to avoid this technique if the stone floor is in good condition. Apply this only when the floor is severely damaged.
Technique 4: Crystallization
Crystallization is an excellent process to restore the shine in stone flooring. It works best on marble, travertine, and other calcium-based flooring materials.
Crystallization is done when heavy impacts and traffic damage the flooring. These damages are cured through crystallization. Crystallization is done by spraying a liquid crystallization solution on the site. Then use a buffer to buff away the layers. Instead of the brush, you should use steel wool for buffing.
Please note that crystallizer liquids vary according to the stone flooring. Not all flooring suits the same crystallizer powder. So before you buy, ask the shopkeeper.
Technique 5: Applying Finishes
When the damage is minor and the stone floor needs to be healed, applying finishes and coating is the ideal way out. But remember that coatings and sealants don’t give a long-lasting result and they are temporary.
You can apply waxes, acrylics, or any stone sealant to repair any uneven surfaces and remove the dullness from the flooring. They all put a protective layer on the stone which shines brighter than the original stone flooring. But the drawback of this is it won’t last for a long time. Also, such coatings require maintenance. Otherwise, they will become darker over time.
On top of that, natural stone needs breathability. So sealing or waxing are not the best solutions. You can choose these only if you need the result fast.
3 Steps To Clean Before Shining Stone A Floor: For A Stunning Shine
If you want to keep the stone floor shiny, you need to clean it. Not only as part of regular maintenance but also before shining the stone floor, you should clean it thoroughly. This ensures a great outcome. So cleaning is something basic and mandatory that you should not miss out on.
For cleaning stone flooring, you need to go through these steps:
Step 1: Remove The Loose Dirt
Remember that even the finest dirt particle can scratch the flooring. So you must remove loose dirt before mopping it.
First, vacuum the entire flooring thoroughly ensuring that no dust or dirt is there on the floor. Now the risk of scratching is less.
Step 2: Mop The Floor
Mopping deeply cleanses the flooring and removes the sticky layers. If you see oily spills or other minor stains, mopping the floor can help you to get rid of them.
Choose a water-based cleaner specialized for the type of stone floor. Mix it with warm water. Use a mop or a soft sponge to dip in this diluted cleaner and mop the entire flooring. This will remove the greasy layers and make the floor shiny.
After this, rinse the floor with plain water. No chemical should stay on the flooring.
Step 3: Clear Out The Stains
If you still see stains and dark patches on the flooring, you need to treat these stains especially.
For treating the stains, you can use ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. Dilute ammonia or hydrogen peroxide in warm water. Wet a sponge in this and wipe the stained area. Then wash the area with water and dry it with a towel. This will remove the stains properly.
The basic cleaning is done with this. Now you can do any of the methods mentioned above to shine the flooring. After shining the floor, you have to seal the stone flooring to ensure its moisture resistance and longevity.
8 Useful Tips To Keep A Stone Floor Shiny: For Proper Maintenance
Maintenance of stone flooring is mandatory. If you fail to maintain the stone floor, the shine will keep vanishing over years. And shining the stone flooring after it becomes dull is difficult.
But if you maintain it properly, the necessity of shining it separately won’t be there. The flooring will automatically stay glossy if you care for it regularly. So, here are such 8 maintenance tips to keep the stone floor shiny for years:
Tip-1: Install carpets or rugs in the high-traffic areas to keep the stone flooring protected;
Tip-2: Vacuum the floor every day and mop the floor at least thrice a week;
Tip-3: Mop with a mild cleaner to add shine and give a glossy look;
Tip-4: Avoid applying any abrasive cleaners on the stone flooring;
Tip-5: Consider shining the floor once in two years so that the stone flooring never becomes dull;
Tip-6: Do seal the flooring every 3 to 4 years to protect the floor from moisture, dirt, and buildups;
Tip-7: Try removing spills as soon as possible so that they don’t stain the floor;
Tip-8: Repair cracks immediately to prevent them from spreading;
These are some basic tips to keep the flooring shiny for the longest time possible. If you maintain these, you won’t have to see any dull stone flooring.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Can You Make Your Stone Floor Shine?
You can make your stone floor shine by polishing it with a stone floor polish. Choose a stone floor shine that is suitable for your stone floor. Mix the stone floor shine with warm water in a 3:2 ratio.
Mix it very well and dip a mop or sponge in this. Then wipe the flooring with this solution. Leave it for half an hour. By this time, it will dry and bring back the shine on the stone floor.
What Can You Use To Shine Natural Stone?
If you want a smooth and shiny surface on a natural stone, you must clean it regularly with a neutral cleaner, stone soap, or liquid dishwashing detergent. To keep the natural stone’s shine for a longer period, it is recommended that you clean it twice a month.
How Do You Make Natural Stone Look Wet?
If your stone flooring has become dull, you may want a glossy and wet look. You can steam clean the stone flooring. Steam cleaning creates a misty look on the floor that looks wet. You can also mop the stone floor with a stone cleaner and warm water. This restores the shine of the flooring and gives a steamy look.
How Do You Make Sandstone Floor Shiny?
Shining sandstone is not so difficult. For the initial glamor on the flooring, you need to wash the sandstone flooring with mild liquid cleaner and warm water. After that, you need to polish the flooring with fine-grit paper. This removes the imperfections and makes the surface plain. After that, vacuum and mop the flooring to bring back the shine.
How Do You Shine A Stone Floor By Hands?
You can shine stone flooring by hand. This may need elbow grease and a lot of effort. For hand-polishing, the stone floor spread some stone floor polishing powder on the flooring. Use a wet cloth and scrub the stone flooring thoroughly. This will clear out most of the imperfections depending on how much pressure you are exerting.
Should You Wax A Stone Floor To Shine?
Waxing a stone floor is often done to shine the stone flooring. But it is not recommended. This is because waxing just leaves a layer on the marble. It doesn’t polish or makes an even surface.
In fact, with time, layers of dust on the wax make the stone floor look more dirty and dusky. Then you will ultimately need to polish the floor. So if you have the chance, you should choose other methods of shining rather than waxing.
Conclusion:
I believe by now, you have got a complete idea of how to shine stone flooring. With all the information, you should be able to shine the stone flooring successfully. Choose a suitable method and just do it!
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