Tip 2: "A lot of people think because it’s stone, it is impossible to damage it! Nothing could be further from the truth. Stone has many potential weaknesses, but once it has been properly protected and maintained the beauty is unparalleled."

Why You Should Color Seal Your Grout

Grout is easily stained and can become quickly discolored from dirt, grease, food, and common household products. Stained grout will diminish the appearance of the entire tile installation. Grout is porous and therefore has the potential to stain as contaminates can penetrate in below the surface where they cannot be simply “wiped clean.”

Common Types of Natural Stone and Ceramic Tile Flooring:

Agglomerates: Pieces of marble are mixed together with resins to form a block slab, which is then cut and finished. Agglomerates look like natural stone, and come in a variety of colors.

Black Marble: Such as Negro Marquina. This is a very soft limestone often mistaken as a marble. Not recommended for interior flooring. Never use a crystallizer on black marble – The stone will blister or spall! If honing or polishing, use extreme care not to leave swirls and do not run until the powder has dried. Check frequently – polishes very quickly!

Cultured or Faux Marble: A mix of resins and powdered marble or granite with a gel coat on the surface to look like marble.

Fritztile: Marble and granite resilient terrazzo floor tile. Marble chips are ground and polished, embedded in a resilient thermoset resin-matrix. Manufactured by Fritz Industries. Cleaning at a high pH will strip the factory finish!

Granite: Very dense, hard and brittle granite stands up well against heavy foot traffic, making it preferable for commercial lobbies and walkways. True granite is the hardest of the polished stones commercially available and is used in high stress situations. Resistant to most chemicals, except for oils, which can permeate the stone, granite is also ideal for counters and bar tops. Composed of quartz and feldspar. Should be sealed with an oil-repellant penetrating sealer to prevent staining and reduce soiling. Flamed granite surfaces are very absorbent due to the stress fractures in the stone caused by the flaming process and should be sealed to maintain the original color and appearance of the stone over time. Do not try to polish or hone. NOTE: Some stone marked and sold as “granite” are marble instead - always do an acid resistance test to confirm. Some granite is dyed! Not etched by most acids, but can be etched by hydrofluoric acid! Because granite is quite hard, it can be cleaned at pressures up to 1,450 PSI if the grout is in good condition.

Limestone: Many older buildings have durable limestone flooring. This is the chalky porous type typical of most French and Spanish limestone. Etched by acids, including soft drinks. Absorbs oils and other liquids and is more easily stained than marble. Composed of Calcite and some Magnesium. Common colors are black, gray, white, yellow and brown. Has a smooth granular surface. Varies in hardness. Should be sealed with a penetrating sealer to prevent staining and reduce soiling. Should only be cleaned with neutral pH detergents. Because it is soft, it should never be cleaned at pressures above 800 PSI and then only if the grout is in good condition.

Marble: Available in a wide range of colors, marble is often used for its beauty, but is more porous, softer, and chemically sensitive than granite. Marble surfaces show wear sooner than granite, but can be restored with honing and polishing more easily. Etched by acids, including soft drinks. Absorbs oils and other liquids and is easily stained. Composed of Calcite and Calcium Carbonate. Should be sealed with a penetrating sealer to prevent staining and reduce soiling. Should only be cleaned with neutral pH detergents. Because it is soft, it should never be cleaned at pressures above 800 PSI and then only if the grout is in good condition.

Mexican Tile/Terra-Cotta/Saltillo: The word Terra-cotta comes from Italian terra, ’earth’, and cotta, ’cooked’ - a hard-baked, brownish red earthen ware, often glazed and colored. Usually hand-made and varies in color, texture and appearance. May come prefinished or require application of various types of sealers or coatings on site to provide a wearing surface. May crumble or show wear quickly unless sealed and laid on water proof layer. Terra Cotta should never be installed in a high-traffic area. Saltillo is often custom colored with a stain that can wear off or be harmed. Saltillo is very porous and is sun dried instead of fire-hardened like ceramic tiles. Efflorescence is common with saltillo tile. Efflorescence is the wicking up of salts within the tiles when unfinished tile gets wet. Because they are somewhat soft (Saltillo being the softest), these should never be cleaned at pressures above 800 PSI and then only if the grout is in good condition.

Porcelain Tile: Porcelain tile is an unglazed ceramic tile that is generally made from a composition which results in a tile that is dense, impervious, fine grained and smooth, with a sharply formed face. Porcelain tile is available in matte, unglazed or a high polished finish. Same hard fired material and color all through the body. Because porcelain tile is fire-hardened and quite hard, it can be cleaned at pressures up to 1,450 PSI if the grout is in good condition.

Quarry Tile: A glazed or unglazed tile made by the extrusion process from natural clay or shale. This tile is most common in the dark red shades; however, shades of brown and gray are also available. Same hard fired material and color all through the body. Because quarry tile is fire-hardened and quite hard, it can be cleaned at pressures up to 1,450 PSI if the grout is in good condition.

Sandstone is a formation of quartz grains. Should be sealed and regularly maintained because it so easily absorbs stains. Because it is soft, it should never be cleaned at pressures above 800 PSI and then only if the grout is in good condition.

Slate: A very dense, but soft and easily scratched material with low porosity, slate can be used effectively outdoors as well as indoors. Excellent exterior paving stone. Higher absorbency varieties are not suitable for exterior areas in freezing climates. Composition: Mainly grains of mica and quartz, plus smaller amounts of chlorite, hematite, and other minerals. Most slate is gray to black, but the rock may be red or purple, depending on its mineral content. The surface of slate is generally uneven and cleft planes can spall, due to the cleaving of the stone along its layers. Has low to medium absorption of oils and other liquids. Should be sealed with an oil-repellant penetrating sealer to prevent staining and reduce soiling. Because of the cleft planes and strong possibility of spalling, it should never be cleaned at pressures above 800 PSI and then only if the grout is in good condition.

Soapstone: Soapstone, also known as steatite, is a metamorphic rock. It tends to be a very soft rock. There are two different kinds of stone, popularly called soapstone: Talc, which is a softer stone, used for carvings, and Steatite, which is harder than Talc, used for countertops, fireplaces, ovens and etc.

Serpentine: Serpentine is not a rock, but a group of minerals composed primarily of hydrated magnesium silicate that is green, yellow, or brown in color. It gets its name due to the resemblance to a serpent’s skin. Many so-called green marbles are actually serpentines, not marbles. Pure serpentine is not acid sensitive, therefore there is no etching. Be careful here - not all greens are pure serpentine. Some lighter greens, like Spring Green, have some carbonate mixed in, and will react to acid. Also, there are greens that are true marbles such as Verde Antigua and Cippolino. Very sensitive to water - must be set in epoxy or waterless setting mortars to prevent warping. Will develop small white spalls from salt deposits. Do not try to polish or hone.

Terrazzo: Terrazzo is a type of agglomerate flooring and should be treated as marble in a maintenance program. Etched by acids. Terrazzo does not need protection from wear - it needs protection from absorption and stains. A water based impregnator should be applied soon after honing and/or polishing. The impregnator is absorbed into the cement matrix, sealing its pores. It is important that the terrazzo is cleaned before the sealer is applied. Terrazzo floors should be cleaned only with a neutral pH cleaner. Detailed information on terrazzo is available at the NTMA (National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association) site.

Terrazzo Tile: Pre-manufactured consisting of marble or granite chips in a portland cement or epoxy matrix in various thicknesses and sizes.

Travertine: A type of limestone, travertine can be left in its natural state, with no polishing. Etched by acids. Porous with many visible holes, often filled with epoxy. Polishing unfilled travertine can be tricky. Polishing powders tend to accumulate in the holes and can make clean-up difficult. Because it is soft and has epoxy-filled holes, it should never be cleaned at pressures above 800 PSI and then only if the grout is in good condition.

Tip 1:  "It’s an old tale about using vinegar and water to clean tile, even if this sometimes works, in many cases you can permanently damage grout color and possibly hurt your tiles.

Additionally, tiles that are slip resistant can become slippery with a lack of proper and regular maintenance. Grease, grime and dirt build-up on the tiles surfaces and cause a higher likelihood of a slip and fall accident."