Discovering Stone Issue 36 | April 2020

Page 12

SEALANTS

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Sealant solutions for natural stone Joe Simpson writes that with the correct selection of cleaning and maintenance products, caring for natural stone or tiled surfaces should be relatively straightforward. It will extend the life and preserve the value of the investment in these beautiful surfaces.

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normous care goes into the manufacture and supply of natural stone, porcelain, and ceramic tile. Their individual aesthetics and formats are carefully engineered, along with their performance characteristics. However, when it comes to maintenance, these hugely varied materials are all too often viewed collectively as “tiles” … and treated in the same way. This is a fundamental mistake. The care and maintenance regimes for “man-made” ceramic

and porcelain surfaces – including sintered stone; conglomerates such a quartz solid surfacing; and each and every family of natural stone should be created individually. In terms of the actual regime, they may follow similar paths, starting with the vitally important initial clean; but the products used in each case should be specific to the material being cleaned and, if necessary, sealed. 14

Maintaining natural stone products often involve an initial post-installation clean, often called a builder’s clean


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