The use of natural stone in both residential and commercial environments has increased dramatically over the past ten years. Prior to this, polished marble was the primary stone utilized in interior areas. Today, numerous stones are used.  What type of natural stone do you have inside your home, on your patios, entries or in your exterior landscaping? Stone cladding today ranges from the very dense, low porosity stones such as granite to high porosity (very absorbent) stones such as sandstone.  Surface textures also vary, ranging from very rough, textured surfaces such as cleft slate and flamed-finished granite to polished surfaces often found on marble and granite surfaces.  Although natural stone provides an excellent upgrade from many of today’s synthetic alternatives, it must still be recognized that it is neither maintenance free or stain proof. Grout, even latex-modified, is also very porous and subject to sub-surface staining if not properly protected and maintained.

Bill Tran CTC, Technical Director, Aqua Mix Inc

Don’t: Allow liquid contaminants to stand indefinitely on stone and grout surfaces, even if they are sealed. It is important to remove liquid contaminants as soon as possible. They will very quickly penetrate into unsealed stone and grout surfaces, making them difficult to extract, and eventually seep into even sealed surfaces if allowed to dwell for extended periods of time. A sealer should be viewed as providing reaction time to remove the contaminant before it penetrates and stains the stone or grout.