What does “regular maintenance” of natural stone surfaces mean?
Natural stone — countertops, floor tiles or other surfaces, both polished and unpolished – is porous and needs protection. That protection comes from a “sealer” or “impregnator.” These chemical solutions are liquids that are spread over a natural stone surface and allowed to fill in the pores between the crystals of the stone. Granite surfaces should be sealed at installation and then annually thereafter. Marble, limestone and honed surfaces are more porous than polished granite and may be sealed even more often, depending upon usage and traffic. A good, strong seal can prevent foreign substances from infiltrating and chemically bonding with the stone by filling the very holes that the foreign substance would use to penetrate that stone.
