Natural Stone Care Part 2: Granite and Slate

Part two of a series on natural stone care explores granite and slate.

What is Granite?

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Natural stone care always focuses on the type of stone first.  Granite requires different care than anything calcium based such as travertine, limestone or marble.  What is granite? According to this excerpt from WIKIPEDIA:

"Granite /ˈɡrænɨt/ is a common type of felsic intrusive igneous rock which is granular and phaneritic in texture. The word "granite" comes from the Latin granum, a grain, in reference to the coarse-grained structure of such a holocrystalline rock. The term 'granite' also applies to a group of intrusive igneous rocks with similar textures and slight variations on composition and origin. These rocks mainly consist of feldspar, quartz, mica, and amphibole minerals. These form interlocking somewhat equigranular matrix of felddspar and quartz with scattered darker biotite mica and amphibole (often hornblende) peppering the lighter color minerals. SOURCE ARTICLE

Granite, like all natural stone is very porous.  You may wish to seal your stone with an impregnating stone sealer to close up the pores, otherwise, you run the risks of staining your stone.  Regardless of whether your stone is sealed however, make sure you clean any spills immediately.  Granite is used around sinks, in kitchen islands, bathrooms, backsplashes, stone surrounds, and other areas of the home.  But what about slate?

Slate Cleaning Tips

Here are some tips on how to clean slate.  First off, regular cleaning. Remove any loose dirt first. The best ways? Use a duster, light broom, or dry mop. A few drops of a pH neutral dishwashing soap mixed with two cups of water makes an excellent cleaning solution because it is not chemically reactive. Don't use hard brushes though. Soft rags or mops work best. Towel dry when you're done.

So remember, know your stone. That way you the proper steps to take to keep your stone surround, backsplash or tile looking it's very best. This is the proper way of natural stone care.

This concludes part two of our series. For more information, please be sure to read part one and part three as well.

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
http://www.morriscarpetcleaning.com