Granite is the most preferred natural stone for flooring. It is the most challenging and most long-lasting. Limestone is becoming increasingly popular in commercial applications. Stone flooring should not be used in areas that are likely to be scratched or damaged, such as workplaces with a lot of furniture movement. At the same time, less appealing concrete might not be the ideal choice for a property’s highly central lobby.
Natural stones may be divided into two types based on their chemical composition: siliceous stone and calcareous stone. When choosing cleaning solutions, it’s crucial to understand the differences.
- Siliceous stone is mainly made up of silica and quartz-like particles. It’s usually highly long-lasting and reasonably simple to clean using mild acidic cleaning solutions. Granite, slate, sandstone, quartzite, brownstone, and bluestone are siliceous stones.
- Calcium carbonate is the major component of calcareous stone. It is susceptible to acidic cleaning agents and regularly necessitates different cleaning processes than siliceous stone. Marble, travertine, limestone, and onyx are examples of calcareous rocks. On calcareous surfaces, what works on siliceous stone may not work.
Inherent coloring refers to how some minerals have their color as an intrinsic element of their chemistry. The bulk of solid minerals, such as calcites (calcium and magnesium carbonate), quartz, and feldspars, are colorless by nature, being transparent or white in their pure state. However, trim levels of a special pigmenting ingredient are responsible for the unique coloring of these crystals. Mineral solutions, gasses, and organic materials are absorbed throughout the mineral formation phase or the overall rock formation process. For example, when limestone is heated and turned into marble (metamorphic process), it becomes viscous.
Although UV light is a significant cause of stone fading, it is not the only factor. In reality, several additional mechanisms cause the stone to fade in our eyes. The weathering process is the first. Soluble minerals, such as pyrite, may be found in many limestone and marble stones. When pyrite (an iron sulfide) is mixed with water and oxygen (which comes from the water), sulphuric acid is formed, which dissolves the calcium and dramatically changes the color of the stone.
If you misuse any cleaning techniques, you can get unexpected or adverse outcomes. Although most significant blunders can be fixed with the right tools and care, end users who aren’t aware of this may be surprised to learn that the chemical they just used carved its way through the stone’s surface. In addition, there is the cost of rectifying the problem. One advantage of a natural stone is that a professional can correct faults without replacing the entire floor tiles.