How to care for your Natural Stone floor

Nothing beats the natural beauty of stone floors - not only does natural stone inject timeless elegance into a scheme but its ageing process results in a timeworn allure. And stone floors are extremely hard wearing and easy to maintain too.

Artisans of Devizes provides a number of different floor tiles in natural stone. Limestone is a particularly popular choice. ‘It is the most tried and tested in terms of reliability,’ says Aidan Ollerhead, Project Manager at Artisans of Devizes. Sandstone floor tiles are also a good option. ‘We cherry-pick the sandstone as it is a little more difficult to deal with because it is so much more porous than a limestone.’ In addition, a range of marble tiles are available in polished, honed and tumbled finishes, again specially selected for their usability and aesthetic, and they are a popular alternative for bathrooms and statement hallways and atriums. Another floor solution are terracotta tiles, which are made from clay so they are a natural material, but they are then reformed into manmade shapes.

To keep natural stone floors in tip top condition, it is important to give them some TLC. One of the advantages of stone is that it is easy to maintain but to keep it looking its best, you should seal stone tiles as soon as they are installed. ‘Essentially any natural stone product has a level of porosity,’ says Aidan. ‘What the sealer does is soak into the surface pores of that stone, evaporating the carrier and leaving behind a polymer that then seals those natural pores. The sealer essentially fills the holes with something that is permanent and then, provided the stone tiles are sealed effectively to start with, it will aid the ongoing maintenance of it. Nothing is infallible but sealer definitely aids maintenance and buys you a lot more time. So if you spill something and you leave it there, you're still going have an issue, but predominantly the sealer will help.’

All interior natural stone tiles should be sealed. ‘My advice internally is to seal everything. If it has a porosity that would then catch dirt and material, then why wouldn't you seal it?’ says Aidan. A coat of sealer should be applied to indoor tiles before they are grouted and then a final top coat afterwards.

Stone floors will need resealing but how often depends on the type of stone used - sandstone, for instance, is more porous so will require resealing more often. Another factor is the use and traffic the floor receives. Some stone floors may take as long as seven years before you decide you need to give them a deep clean and a reseal. ‘Stone floors certainly aren’t as high maintenance as needing to be resealed every six months,’ says Aidan. Until the floor needs to be sealed again, you can use appropriate cleaning products that are safe for use on the stone and the sealer and, provided they don’t strip the sealer away, the polymers will remain. Once you decide the floor needs a deep clean, the products involved will strip the sealer away so it will need resealing afterwards.

You can seal and reseal a stone floor yourself if you are happy to give it a go. ‘I would always recommend using a water-based sealer and testing it in a corner beforehand, as with anything like this,’ says Aidan. ‘Essentially, as long as that floor is thoroughly cleaned, because you don't want to seal in dirt, and as long as it has been given a good clean with a product that's suitable for a natural stone floor and then nicely dried out before it is sealed or resealed following the instructions, it is fairly straightforward. Certainly, resealing a stone floor is easier because all you are doing is topping up the areas where the sealer might have worn away, so it is much simpler and you’re much less likely to get it wrong.’

If you are nervous about sealing a stone floor yourself, you can always ask a professional to either seal or reseal it for complete peace of mind. ‘Prices are likely to range from around £10-£20 a square metre depending on what level of general clean and reseal it needs,’ says Aidan. ‘But there are many factors involved, such as whether there are obstacles in the way and what type of stone makes up the floor. If you have a big open room with a nice hard limestone floor, it is going to be cheaper than a small cottage with a sandstone floor. Most professionals will provide an estimate. Make sure you are happy with it before you go ahead.’

How long the sealer lasts depends on the porosity of the stone that you have installed. ‘The porosity will affect how much sealer you use in the first instance to get it to seal,’ says Aidan. ‘The sealer will soak in and you need to let it cure properly, and then use slightly less going forward when resealing.’ The amount of traffic the floor receives also affects how long the sealer will last. ‘Provided you are using the correct cleaner to maintain it, the sealer could last for years. When you look at a floor that has been installed for a few years, there will be areas where the sealer has worn away, in doorways and traffic zones, for instance, but other areas will still be as as well sealed as the day the sealer was applied.’

It is important to use the correct cleaning product to ensure that the sealer is not stripped away and then the stone floor can be cleaned as often as you want. ‘You need to use a pH neutral floor cleaner, nothing too acidic, nothing particularly high alkali,’ says Aidan. ‘Most cleaning products nowadays will say if they are stone safe, so essentially just go for the product that is recommended by your installer or supplier.’ Artisans of Devizes recommends Stone Essentials All Clean, which is stone and sealer safe, for everyday floor cleaning. There is also Stone Essentials Clean & Sheen for everyday use, too. ‘It contains some sealer, so it tops it up on a regular basis, but it does leave a satin finish, which is not everyone’s cup of tea.’

For a really deep clean before you seal a stone floor, you should use a product like Stone Essentials Deep Clean. ‘It is a fairly abrasive product and you must follow the instructions, but it works very well to give a good clean,’ says Aidan. ‘What you don’t want to do is seal in dirt, which will then never be removed and will make the stone look grubby.’ There is no reason why you can’t seal a floor that has not been sealed before and has been in use for a while, but you must make sure it has a very good clean beforehand.

When it comes to exterior stone tiles on a patio, sealer is affected by the weather anyway. Again, you should use a water-based sealer, according to Aidan. You can clean exterior stone tiles by pressure washing them, but it will affect the sealer. ‘A very good tip for an outdoor area is to give it a pressure wash in the spring,’ says Aidan. ‘Let it dry out for a few days, make sure the temperature is above 5 degrees and then apply another coat of water-based sealer. As long as you are not blasting the stone too close or with too high a pressure, it is absolutely fine to power wash it.’

And if you should spill red wine on a sealed stone surface, whether indoors or outdoors, don’t panic. ‘If it is sealed properly, then it shouldn't be a problem,’ says Aidan. ‘Just mop it up quickly if you can. The problem comes when you leave it. If you have a party and don't notice the spill until the next day, don't be too worried - it is not going to leave a big red mark. What it generally does is leave a slightly dull patch but that can be lifted by a professional, so hope is not lost.’