Protecting Natural Stone - Plymouth Stone Care

Protecting natural stone

So why protect natural stone?

Have you ever looked at exterior stone? driveways, balconies, pathways, patios?

Noticed all the damage? cracks, stains, algae growth?

Well this is because the stone has not been protected and water and dirt has penetrated the stone.

Cleaning the stone

First of all the stone is given a deep clean. We use only the very best cleaning products to remove stains, dirt and algae growth. Once the cleaning process is complete we let the stone fully dry.

The impregnating process.

The impregnating process is similar to sealing a stone. A sealer is applied and stays on the surface of the tile creating a barrier. We can make this barrier a shiny one giving the stone a high gloss reflective appearance. Sealer will wear off with repeated foot traffic.

Impregnation does not stay on the surface of the stone but does what it says. It soaks into the stone filling it up with protectant that will protect the stone from anything penetrating it. The product is breathable so the stone is not damaged in any way at all.

The photos below show how the impregnator works once it has dried. The first photo shows stone that has been protected and the water beads on top of the stone tile.

The second photo shows that the stone tile has not been protected, this shows the water soaking straight into the tile.

This tile has been impregnated

This tile has not been impregnated

Cleaning exterior stone - Plymouth Stone Care

Cleaning Exterior Stone

The job.

The stone is granite and was  laid on a balcony that overlooked Dartmouth in Devon. It had been laid for a few years and had not been cleaned or protected against the weather.

The cleaning.

We selected the best cleaner to use on granite stone. We applied the solution onto the tiles, agitating it into the dirty areas and the stains with our scrubbing machine. We used our grout brushes to clean all the grout lines. We then rinsed the dirty water away with our extractor machine.

Following this we inspected the flooring and repeated the process, removing all the dirt. This process can happen several times, until as much dirt has come out as possible.

Protecting the stone.

Once the stone floor dries we then apply our amazing stone protector, our impregnator.

This solution is applied to the stone by hand. Several coats are applied.

The benefits of protecting stone is amazing, It stops the water penetrating into the stone and helps protect it against staining, water damage and algae growth.