Once your Natural Stone Floor or Marble is installed, it is highly recommended to seal it 72 hours after installation. As your car needs wax for protection, your stone needs added protection or insurances against expensive costly stain removals later. Impregnator sealers are best for nearly 90% of the applications out there. These kinds of sealers are designed to impregnate the stones surface and attach its self to the stones mineral coating spreading the sealer into its pores for protection. In most cases, water, oil, and soil are restricted from entering the stone. This provides for a stain resistant surface not a stain proof one. Many sealers have different properties in their makeup. Some have silicone or fluorocarbon carriers, some provide protection only against water or oil and in some case against both. Installing a sealer on your kitchen’s granite countertop that only provides protection against water, will only give you parcel protection.
There are many choices of sealers out there to choose from. Going down to Home Depot isn’t where you should start. We have learned that stone sealer knowledge in big box stores carries none if little weight. In fact, sales person knowledge often times doesn’t go beyond reading the label. Sasso Bello has been through countless educational courses, many on this one topic alone. As a result, we have researched and found that not all sealer are alike nor do we apply them in the same manner. Larger areas can be tricky, hot days may be tough because of temperature and direct sunlight may be a concern. Not to mention dwell times; the nuances sealers offer when allowing it to sit on stone can be horrific and problematic for some professionals as well.
Allow at least 72 hours after installation before sealing.
“Why should I seal my natural stone?”
A protected stoned will be easier to clean, resist most staining and provide a safer and healthier environment. Food and liquid spills in your kitchen can make cleaning easier when your stone is sealed too. Without a sealer, spills in many cases will begin to penetrate your stone and grout immediately before you get the chance to clean them up. Considering the investment, why wouldn't you provide stone in your home with the maximum protection possible? After all, if a stain cannot be removed from your stone, the cost to replacing it may be too much to burden.
“How often do I need to seal my stone?”
If your stone was sealed after it was installed, chances are you won’t have to worry about sealing again for a couple years. Assuming you’re using a neutral Ph stone cleaner and not your dish soap to clean your stone, sealers can provide many years of protection. Using the correct products and care techniques provides ongoing sealer durability. We have recently visited a client’s home who had installed new granite countertops. They left for vacation and when they returned their granite was stained by a bottle of dish soap left on the counter. When we asked the client if they had the contractor seal the granite, their answer was, “yes”. Some stones need more than one coat of sealer and maybe in this case the contractor did apply a sealer just not enough.
“Is it really necessary to seal stone outdoors?”
The outdoors can be very harsh on stone; especially in areas where trees will drop debris. Imagine environmental elements like rain that splashes up mud, tree debris (especially that of oak and eucalyptus trees), and birds and animals organic matter coming to rest on your stone. In addition, if you have natural stone outdoors be prepared to seal more often, the UVs in sunlight will breakdown the sealer on your outside kitchen. Sealing your stone outside will give you the maximum protection against outside mediums Mother Nature pours at you and protection against those fun filled outside barbeques.
Stone sealing has its issues, but leave those problems up to the specialist to resolve. Live with the assertion that you’re stone can be protected and leave the answers to your questions with the professionals. If you have questions or concerns about your stone, give us a call so we can offer you and your stone the best possible sealing opportunity. Sasso Bello can consult you in your home or business completely free. Because we give you our best.
