MARBLE FLOOR REFINISHING AND MARBLE CLEANING & SEALING

When homeowners research online, they often notice conflicting and unrecognizable nomenclature such as Marble floor polishing, Marble floor restoring, Marble floor polishing, Marble floor restoration and Marble floor refinishing. The good news is that the various service terms have the same meaning. The similar nomenclature represents the act of changing the surface finish on Marble floors, Limestone, Travertine and Onyx finishes. The homeowner’s finish preferences can differ from "no shine." "little shine" and to "high shine."

Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert can provide a homeowner a wide array of floor refreshing options. We begin any floor refinishing project by doing a demonstration. Before we share more information, Stone Care of Arizona would like to share other flooring term used by natural stone companies in the Arizona marketplace. 



THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES OF STONE FINISHES

There various types of finishing a homeowner can purchase at their location flooring stone like Bedrosians Stone and Tile. and Arizona Stone and Tile. For example, Marble, Limestone, Onyx and Travertine tile  finishes can range from a dull honed, satin finish, polished finished (medium to high shine), antiqued, and brushed finish. When reaching out to a natural stone company, the deliberate use of these flooring nomenclatures will speak volumes and mostly assuredly send powerful signals that you are a savvy consumer.



Stone Care of Arizona would like to share important information on Marble Floor Refinishing and Marble Cleaning and Sealing principles with the goal of arming you with powerful information in selecting a natural stone care company.

NATURAL STONE CARE COMPANY DIFFERENCES:  

In the quest to earn your business many natural stone care companies will share images or marketing offering you their version of a finish you can expert. Unfortunately, the fact is no stone care company one can provide you an iron-clad comparison, unless they have the name the Marble, Travertine, Limestone and Onyx tile with them. For this reason, as you review the images above the stone finish can vary in quality and unless you have provided a sample of the tile. All natural stone companies can provide honed, brushed and polished finishes. Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert provide "free demonstration," where you decide the type of finish you prefer. If you are looking for a "honed appeared" (left image above), low polished finish (above image) or a shiny polished finish, we invite you to give us call at 480-625-0557. We look forward in helping you to fall in love with your floors again.

Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert would like to unpack the methods used in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek and Fountain Hills and the surround area of the Phoenix marketplace. It is our goal to help educate you more about the process of cleaning Marble floors, the process of honing Marble floors, the process of disinfecting Marble floors and the final process of polishing Marble floors used by the top natural stone care companies.



Let's get started into the first topic of the Importance of Cleaning The Marble Floors.

IMPORTANCE OF CLEANING THE MARBLE FLOORS

When considering Marble floor cleaning in Scottsdale, Marble floor sealing in Paradise Valley, Marble floor refinishing services in Carefree and Cave Creek, it is very important that the Marble floor, Marble shower and or Marble countertop be thoroughly cleaned beforehand, why? Most floors and surfaces will accumulate soil. The unwanted soil is not limited to oily substances that become tracked on the floors. In addition, surface abrasives will diminish the shine and surface contamination referred to by Stone Care of Arizona as fermented soil. Fermented soil is not limited in scope or size. It becomes fermented soil due to the accumulation of germs, viruses, bacteria that create a microbial mat. Microbial mat consists of multi-layered sheet of microorganisms not limited to bacteria and single cell organism buildup.



Simply stated, as soil settles on a floor's surface and grouted channels, it deposits a thin oily layer or sticky film over germs, viruses and bacteria where the build-up become hydrophobic and lipophobic in nature. The soil build-up can in essence create an artificial shine on the surface. The deliberate act of applying a hard surface cleaner on the Marble floors, Travertine floors, Onyx floors, and Limestone floors and porcelain and ceramic tiles will release the soil through the process of emulsification and suspension. Once the hard surface prespray or preconditioner is allowed dwells on the "soil resistance" floor surface, it will dissolve and break the "surface tension" of the oily substance and microbial mat. The liquefied substances become suspended in an opaque slurry prior to power rinsing. (See the image below about how the soil becomes a liquefied slurry)   



Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert uses a customized stone buffer and grout brush to help facilitate soil mobility prior to wet floor extraction. The stone buffer scrubs the Marble floor and we hand scrub the grout channel with a brush to assists in detailing the recessed areas.



It is interesting to note, when we pointed out the degree of soiling in the image below, the homeowner we were shocked and dismayed due to their assigning the role of cleaning their floors to a housekeeping service. The swirls are actually suspended soil that are trapped in micelle formulations. Please  note: Germs, bacteria, viruses, pathogens, microorganism and the coronavirus cannot dissolved or be killed during the wet cleaning process. The good news is that they can be suspended and power rinsed off the floor.

THE TWO COMMON METHODS USED  

Before we discussed the common cleaning methods used by natural stone companies in Arizona. let's broach the subject of how you are mopping your floors. Stone Care of Arizona receives lots of questions about how to clean their floors, here are just two of them:



"How often should I mop my floors?"



"What should I use to mop my floors?"



Both questions are answered in the penned article here: How to mop your natural stone floors? Stone Care of Arizona spill the beans on the methods you should use, the mopping tools, (we provide links) and what product to use that ensure your Marble floors, Travertine floor, Limestone floor and Onyx flooring stay clean as long as possible.



There are two common ways natural stone care companies clean Marble floors, clean Travertine floors, clean Onyx floors and Limestone and tile floors:



1.   GRAVITY FED BUFFER & WET VACUUM

This is the oldest method used for Marble, Travertine, Onyx and Limestone floor cleaning, honing and polishing. The buffer is used to clean, deliver water for polishing and used to flood a floor to allow the wet vacuum to remove soil and polishing slips off the Marble floor. Most of the natural stone care companies use this method to effectively clean and refinish your floors.

NEGATIVES: The equipment is unable to deliver heated water while cleaning. Limited rinsing due to downward flow of water from the buffer.(see holding white tank above) Most natural stone care companies will use your sinks in the house to get water and sadly dump wastewater into the toilets. The dispense polishing powder used to polish cannot dissolve and can build up in your sewage track. This dated technology use to be the cats meow and its very messy process when dumping. There is a better technology that provides a better cleaning overall.

2.   TRUCKMOUNTED EQUIPMENT

There are newer floor cleaning technologies that takes cleaning and refinishing to the next level. Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert uses van powered equipment to deliver 200 degrees of continuous water and incomparable vacuuming (water lift) from the mobile plant outside. Heated water creates detergency on a molecular level that is not achieved with a gravy feed buffer. The mounted equipment allows our team to flush out grout channels, micro-pores and surface to ensure trapped substances are removed. 



In the image below is one of our mobile plant that heats water, vacuums and store waste water is kept outside your home. We do not dump waste water into your toilets ever. If you would like to get a free estimate and get some eyes on one of our mobile plant vans, give us call at 480-625-0557. We look forward to speaking with you.

There is nothing like Stone Care of Arizona using their mobile cleaning plant outside. It provided rinsing and vacuuming technologies that is unmatched by the dated wet vacuum systems our grand fathers used. As shared, The mobile cleaning plant outside delivers continuous heated aqueous solutions to elevate the cleaning detergency. The vacuum power and water lift will completely remove stubborn soil trapped on Marble floors, Travertine floors, Limestone floors, Onyx and tile and grout. The video below demonstrates the glaring differences between the dated methodology and emerging technique used by Stone Care of Arizona. You will see a big difference too! If you desire unparalleled cleaning on Marble floors, cleaning on Travertine floors and tile and grout cleaning, give us a call right now! 480-625-0557. We look forward to speaking with you!

IMPORTANCE OF HONING THE MARBLE FLOOR

Honing Marble, Travertine, Onyx and Limestone tile floors revolve around using either diamond pads, resin disks, screens and or abrasives. The honing process works by cutting into the surface of the stone that has become abraded by chemical burns, acids and alkaline substances, etching caused by beverages, micro-scratches from foot abstraction, deep scratches from furniture and objects.

The honing or cutting action levels the damaged surface to a fatten condition. For example, Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert begin the honing process on a severely damaged floor with "resin diamond." Resin Diamond can range from 50, 120, 220, 400 and 800. The honing process helps to realign the stone crystals for better light reflectability. No matter if you need Travertine floor refinishing, Limestone floor refinishing and Marble floor refinishing, the process requires honing beforehand. Some clients prefer a honed appearance and do not like a floor with a shine, give Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert a call at 480-625-0557. We are polishing stone care experts!

IMPORTANCE OF DISINFECTING THE FLOOR

In the COVID-19 emergence everyone are forced to become Germaphobes, why? The need to disinfect one’s floors and vertical surfaces is paramount. Up to this point cleaning has been preformed and honing has remove surface etching, scratches on the Marble floors. The floor is ready to be disinfected. Stone Care of Arizona will disinfect the Marble floor at the point because honing will have limited effect in killing microorganisms. Point to remember, since you cannot mix an alkaline mopping solution with a disinfectant due to compatibility issues that can lead to creating a powerful sticky residue. Therefore, disinfecting and rinsing at this stage is the ideal point of convergence prior to sealing or polishing. 



There are several areas on your floors that germs, bacteria, viruses and pathogens will flourish.



TOILETS AREAS

There is no doubt about that toilet areas is a prime source for contamination. This is exacerbated every time the toilet is flushed with the lid up. Lets face it, men do not give it a second thought. Should it matter? Absolutely! Before continuing, ladies this topic is not to conjure up a sticky point. If this describes you please continue reading.



We will give you support in the form of documentation why men should close the lid before flushing. Men's health explored this phenomena in their expose', on "The One Thing You Can't Forget to Do Before Flushing the Toilet." Their article was based in part on the US National Library of Medicine's study on "Toilet Plume aerosol" Interesting term! The New York Times jumped into the middle of the subject as well. chick here for their prospective: Flushing the Toilet May Fling Coronavirus Aerosols All Over!



Let's deconstruct this for you, leaving toilets lids up can lead to residual fecal matter and urine deposits being deposited and tracked throughout the home whether you are wearing socks, shoes and or bare feet. YUCK!!! I am with you YUCKIE!!!!



See how fecal matter on hard surface can make you sick. Click here: Illnesses by parasites Philip Tierno, a microbiologist at New York University, shared that toilets flushed with the lip up can lead to a toilet plume spraying upward of 15 feet. This means, the toilet plume will splatter on all 4 walls, ceilings and floors becoming a breeding ground for harmful gemological growth.



Read it here Why Close Lid when you Flush the Toilet.  



Now, let's unpack the next cupid and why you should disinfect your floors, showers and countertops!



KITCHEN AREAS

We do not desire to labor the point here since you might be still processing the points shared thus far. The kitchen is the focal point for living and eating. The floors, countertops, sinks, cutting areas, coffee station, dining and bar areas need disinfecting services, why? Bacteria, viruses and microorganisms are actively making a unseen world around the constant food source!



Let's pause here to reflect on the magnitude of it all!  Animals such as dogs (saliva around watering bowls) cats (litter boxes and voiding locations seen by black light) and bird cages will contribute to the colonies of microorganisms that have invaded your home without permission. The horrible news is that their germy droplets are pregnant with traces of harmful bacteria not limited to like Shigella, E coil and possibly the coronavirus to name a few. If you need disinfection of your kitchen floors and counters tops, please give Stone Care of Arizona a call at 480-625-0557. 

ENTRANCES AND EXITS

Studies show that 70 to 80 percent of unwanted oily and dried substances enters a home through the front door — by way of children, spouse's, friend's and family's and service provider's shoes. There is only one effective way to stop soil intrusive and damaging  introductions inside your home, how? Setup a threshold rule! The only way this will work is the buy in everyone who dons your home's threshold! Shoes are to be taken off at all entrances. No exception! The added step of placing door mats outside the entrances and sweep and rinsing will ensure soil is kept at bay. .



For more tips, click link below:

8 "Smart Moves For Keeping Dirt Out of The House"



VACUUMING HARD SURFACES

There are a plethora of articles elucidating the need for vacuuming carpets and now hard surfaces. In recent years the HEPA vacuums upright and canisters equipment have been created and manufactured just for hard surfaces. For more information on the involving technology, click here:  What is a HEPA filler?



The bottom-line when purchasing a HEPA vacuum, we recommend that you purchase a bagless HEPA vacuum that is able to capture indoor contaminants and particulates from 0.3 microns or larger. What is a Micrometre or micron? According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "The micrometre is employed to measure the diameter of microscopic substances or objects, such as microorganisms and colloidal particles." 



There has been a quantum leap in hard surface technologies where robot are being used to vacuum wood and all hard surfaces. Today's modern conveniences provide homeowners with the first "touchless technology" to vacuum hard surfaces. Here is an interesting article on the topic of touchless technology, click here: Coronavirus Spurs Demand in Touchless Technology. Regularly vacuuming your hard surfaces will lower the contamination threshold and improve the indoor environment overall inside the home.

COUNTERTOPS INSIDE THE HOME

They are the center of beautification rituals and where the family congregate for meals. What are we talking about? Countertops that are installed on top of vanities. Coronavirus has setting alarms off for homeowners who want to protect their family and friends. You will be surprised to read how many times the family and friends touch the countertops during the course of a day, course of a week and month and year. The studies on sampling of countertops, the homeowners we shocked and dismayed to discover coliform bacteria, pathogens, viruses, mold spores were active and flourishing. Double YUCKY!!! Lastly, where animals dwell inside a home, there was a preponderance of pet urine on the floors. As homeowners, your being aware of the main sources of soil and how it is transported and deposited will help go a long way in your disinfection procedures. 

Stone Care of Arizona penned an informative article on how to wage war on the invisible world of microorganism the can make you and your family sick. There are several ways Marble, Travertine, Limestone, and porcelain tile, ceramic showers and natural stone countertops can become a breeding ground for viruses, bacteria, and microbial growth. Here is the first article of its kind written for the  greater Phoenix, Arizona area on the 4 Myths About Killing COVID-19 on Floors & Countertops.



Please take note: The headline below is one of several articles that Stone Care of Arizona has penned to help you remain an informed homeowner. If you need Marble floor cleaning & refinishing, Marble countertops cleaning & sealing, Marble shower cleaning & sealing services, please give us a call at 480-625-0557.

The war on killing viruses, germs, bacteria, pathogens, microbes and yes the Coronavirus is an endless endeavor battle. The above penned article breakdown 4 misconceptions that help you to fully be aware how, when and where to take the battle to obliterate any microorganisms that may be presence. 

CONTAMINATION THAT IS TRACKED INTO THE HOME

It is no surprise to read that taking your shoes off at the front door has a profound effect. Can COVID-19 be tracked into home? Check out this article on the subject. Can Coronavirus spread through shoes?

PLEASE NOTE: It does not matter the type of botanical disinfectant as long as the choice kills over 99.99% of bacteria, germs and viruses and COVID-19. Also, it is very important to allow the product to stay wet without drying, why? Dwelling contact time allows for the botanical disinfectant time to effectively kill at the maximum level. When you take a moment to consider how shoes can contaminate your floors, the subject of how you are mopping your floors is just as important.

MOPPING A FLOOR WITH A GERMY MOP

Wet cleaning with a germy mop can spread colonies of viruses over the floor. This exacerbated when a housekeeping services uses a mop they used previously on your floors. For example, if you do not have dogs or cats co-inhabiting with you and the housekeeping services brings a germy mop they used in their other client's home will indeed transfer the germs and their cohorts into your home. We suggest that you NEVER allow a housekeeping service to use their equipment. PLEASE purchase your own equipment and supplies to prevent cross-contamination.



Most homeowners do not use a housekeeping service. Keep this in mind, when a floor is mopped improperly the mophead or microfiber mophead will in time become germy.



The mop heads become contaminated two ways:



1.    MOP BECOME SOILED WHEN USED ON A FLOOR

When mopping a floors the mop area will absorb soil, spills, germs, bacteria, and viruses that lead to making a mop germy. Germy mops will continue to leave a swath of germs and sadly a soil attaching residue on the surface and in the grout channels.



2.    MOP IS NOT PROPERLY MAINTAINED

Mops should be rinsed, disinfected, and allow to air dry each time it is used on the floor. When mopping a floor always inspect the mop to ensure it will cover the areas you desire. Stone Care of Arizona recommends that you use a microfiber mop instead of a string mop. The key to successfully mopping any floor is when you have enough clean microfiber squares to clean and dry. Rule of thumb, 6 microfiber squares for every 1000 square feet.



Properly mopping a floor will ensure you stay ahead of surface contamination and will lead to a better cleaning experience overall. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF POLISHING THE MARBLE FLOOR

THE IMPORTANCE OF CHOOSING QUALITY MARBLE, TRAVERTINE, LIMESTONE TILES MATTER

The type of finish is general based on the client’s preference and the quality of the Marble, Travertine, Limestone and Onyx being polished. Onyx and Marble floors are often considered a highly finished product that secures a premium price.



The wild cards are Limestone and Travertine. For example, when Limestone and Travertine are shipped on pallets the Limestone and Travertine are not subject to the same high standards as purchasing them in a box. Boxed Travertine and Limestone will be priced upwards of three times that of their pallet counterpart. The higher priced finished product is chosen based on several factors. They are selected due to very minor finishing and their veining uniqueness. The holes are filled with epoxy fill to mask their imperfections and assist with a factory high polish. Conversely, honed Travertine and Limestone tiles delivered on pallets are not polished. Most honed Travertine will be filled with cementitious grout on large areas of the tile. Pallet Travertine and Limestone is chosen due to their price point.

Here is a fact for consideration. Most Travertine and Limestone sold in pallets will required restoration after installation. The rationale for choosing this type of stone is that it is cheaper to install and cheaper to hire a natural stone care company to polish it after installation. You can save lots of money and it's true you will save money! However, you get what you pay for! 

As you can see in the above image, the Travertine was originally delivered on a pallet. This means, it was a honed Travertine that was later finished by Stone Care of Arizona. The arrow shows one of many void where the cementitious grout does not respond to honing and polished. Polished Travertine will not have had these issues since they would have been filled with a different fill (epoxy resin).   



Tip for your consideration, it is always better to select the type of tile in the light and never allow any Travertine and Limestone tile that are chipped to be installed prior to grouting. There is nothing you can do about voids that will not shine, however we can take a worn floor and make it look wonderful! If you are looking for help in Marble floor cleaning, Marble floor finishing and Marble floor disinfecting, please give us a call at 480-625-0557.We look forward to speaking with you!  

IMPORTANCE OF SEALING THE MARBLE FLOORS

Sealing Marble floors, Sealing Travertine floors and Sealing Limestone floors is key to completing the floor refinishing process. Many homeowners can conflate the polishing and sealing process. For this reason, Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert will slow down to ensure they are delivering the correct services for their clients.



What is sealing? Sealing a floor is designed to help the floor resist liquids and oily substances. Sealing helps to extend the overall cleaning by creating hydrophobic and lipophobic condition on the surface and along the grout channels of the Marble floors.

What type of sealer should be used?



There are three types of sealers:

1. Water & Solvent based sealers (Breathable): Most popular sealers are used for sealing Marble, Travertine and Limestone stone floors. Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert uses porous pro impregnating sealer. This type of sealer penetrate the substrate of the natural stone creating repellency. Most impregnating sealers take up to 72 hours to cure.
2. Silicone based sealers (Non-Breathable): Silicone sealer based sealers should never be applied on natural stone tiles. Silicone based sealer would create a vapor barrier that prevent the natural stone from breathing. If a silicone sealer applied near or around water source and pool areas can turn into a whitish stain that become a difficult to remove event.
3. Top-coat sealer: Top-coats or application of films should never be applied on Marble, Travertine, Limestone, Onyx natural stone floors and Ceramic & Porcelain tile. However, application of films or floor finishes and wax would lead to a stripping event that can become extremely costly. Top coats or an application of floor finish can be applied to Slate, Flagstone, Concrete and Vinyl Composition tile flooring.



Stone Care of Arizona. the Arizona stone care expert will use the application of breathable impregnating sealer on the flooring type. If you need Marble tile sealing. Travertine tile sealing. Limestone tile sealing and Onyx tile sealing. give us a call at 480-625-0557.

THE FINAL WALK THROUGH WITH THE CLIENT

Whether the client has Marble floor refinishing services, Travertine floor refinishing, and Limestone floor refinishing preformed it has been filled with unique process that may create a minor disruption to you and your family.

Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert would have deployed their 32 service beacon that are designed to dazzle you. 



The Client has observed the following things:

• Complete documentation of existing damage that was preformed prior to bring equipment inside the home.
• Masked off critical areas such a cabinets and appliances.
• Set-up a safety perimeter to protect against slip and fall accidents.
• Provide a free demonstration of the work preformed prior to taking a signature from you. 
• Signed  "only" when they approve of the demonstration. 
• Cleaned, Honed, Disinfect and polished the floor.
• Seal and move furniture back into place.
• Get final approval of the job that has been preformed



Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert would like to provide a backdoor pass (video) on a floor refinishing job in Scottsdale, Arizona.

THE CUSTOMER REACTION IS PRICELESS

Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert love the reactions after a long day of work. The video below is one of hundreds we can upload where a homeowners is pleasantly surprise at seeing a floor they once hated.

We asked Robin if she took acting courses in high school. "Nope! I am am soooo happy!" If you hate the way your floors look, please give Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert a call at 480-625-0557. It will be a honor to help you fall in love with your floors agai!.

WHY CHOOSE STONE CARE OF ARIZONA

Now, that you have taken time to review the above information and are convinced that choosing Stone Care of Arizona is the logical choice.

Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert would like to provide 4 compelling reason to hire us



1. We offer a "Make You Smile Guarantee!"
2. Our Technicians are the best!
3. We Carry Workers Compensation and Business Insurance
4. We Deliver Outstanding Services



Stone Care of Arizona, the Arizona stone care expert has provided you will the process, explanation regarding varying services. We hope the evidence we have provided will motivate you to call us. If you are convinced, we are a great fit, give us call at 480-625-0557. We look forward to speaking with you.