Preservation Of Natural Stone: How Effective Sealers Can Be?

Natural stone industry has shown a phenomenal growth in the last few decades. It is in high demand amongst the consumers of all over the world. Its gorgeous and luxurious appearance enhances the beauty of the place where it is applied.

Natural stone is porous and thus is easily stained. It is important to protect the natural stone from abrasion. So, proper care should be taken to maintain and preserve the stone surface. Sealants thus need to be used on the natural stone. Here is a list of preservations for you.

You can use water based silicone derivative for porous and light colored stone. It should never be used on important surfaces or colored stone. If in any case the residues are not absorbed, then it will disfigure the surface. It is preferable to use it on concrete surfaces and limestone.

The generic synthetic oils leach from surfaces and migrate. It has the tendency to attract dust and thus its use is limited. However, you can use damp mop. It picks up staining agents and abrasive soils. Use it on smooth surfaces regularly. Damp moping can be best applied after vacuuming or sweeping. Siloxate are used for exterior surfaces of the stone like marble, limestone, granite and slate. It is suitable for roofing tiles and clay pavers. It has a moderate price and it is highly recommended for surfaces exposed to high humidity.

Stearates is the cheapest water repellent available; however it does not have a remarkable performance. Therefore never use it on building stones. Have you ever used oil repellents? These products when applied on stone surfaces repel oil, water and other liquids. Most of these proprietary products are fluoroplymer-based.

You can also use drying oils. They are natural polymers that include Linseed, Tung and Soy. As these oils dry they become solid and are then used for sealing the stone surfaces. Drying oils are sensitive to aging. It may become yellow with passage of time but are however, useful in many situations.

Have you ever thought of waxes as a sealing material? Waxes include paraffin, Carnuaba, beeswax, montan etc and are synthetic or natural. They are formulated to paste waxes for sealing purposes. Waxes can prevent stain and maintain the shine of the stone. Nonetheless they are not permanent solutions and hence it is essential that they are reapplied regularly for best results.

Use silicates to fill up pores in order to add more density to the porous surfaces. These mineral glasses are quite useful to restore stone under exterior weathering or chemical attack. They have the capacity to provide protection from degeneration.

Janitorial type floor finish can be applied to floors for isolating the stone surface from being abrasive. This type of coating is used because it restores the stone when it gets damaged. Film coating, in general, is avoided on natural stone. However, soaps can maintain stone surfaces. It is the residues of the soap that nourishes a stone and prevents the stone from being too absorbent and drying out.

It is essential to seal natural stones. So, try out these sealers and preservations to maintain your stone surfaces!