Cleaning marble floors

[ganluin]

Hi all,
I have a client I clean windows for that has about 600 sq ft of marble flooring they asked me to take care of. Their complaints are the floor continually streaks when they take care of it. I have never worked with marble floors before so this is entirely new teritory for me.

It is coming up on time to reseal the floor. They told me it hasn't been sealed in about a year and a half. So my questions are:

Should I strip the old sealer off before applying a new coat of sealer?

What type of sealer should I use?

What kind of precautions should I take to prevent scratching the suface of the marble?

Once the sealer has been applied, can I use a neutral cleaner to clean the floor? If so I will leave some with them for between my visits.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Gene

[logan5127]

Marble is very sensitive to some chemicals. check out www.stonetechpro.com under stone - then marble- step by step process listed.

[ganluin]

Thanks Dan!

I looked at the site earlier today and it looks like it has some good info.

Gotta crash for tonight but will get back to you on how it goes over the next couple of days gathering info.

Thanks again,
Gene

[russo]

by Edward Green IICRC inst

For honed marble used as traffic surfaces, care should be taken to prevent accumulations of liquids or other materials that result in safety hazards and staining. Regular daily mopping should be performed. Floor marble is any honed finish that is used as a traffic surface. These surfaces should be mopped and scrubbed in a manner that will not leave a hazardous slippery film.

Again, wet with hot, clean water and then lightly sprinkle an abrasive cleaner (i.e, chlorine bleaching type household scouring cleanser) over the wet stone, or put 1-2 handfuls into a pail of 2-3 gallons of hot clean water.

Using a scrubbing motion, mop the marble surfaces with this solution (or with hot clean water if you are sprinkling the cleaner directly on the stone). Rinse with clean hot water and dry with mop or cloths. Power scrubbers can also be used for the procedure.

Often it is also desirable to protect special interior areas and to enhance the coloration of
Honed marble in areas where a polished finish is not practical. In such cases sealers may be applied after the marble has been cleaned. This minimizes maintenance and prevents staining - especially around toilets and urinals in restrooms or in food preparation areas and busy building entrances.

Sealers should only be applied to clean interior marble. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for proper application. Terrazzo sealers are excellent for this purpose. So are silicone based stone sealers.

In all cases sealers should be made of a clear, hard finish type suitable for traffic surfaces and definitely non-yellowing. Do not use soft finish waxes, paste wax or resins. These coatings can collect dirt and grit. Some acrylic-base liquid floor waxes can be used in place of permanent sealers, but may give limited life.

The products for the maintenance of Honed Marble and all other stone is available from www.marblemasteruk.com/shop