Despite ‘North American belief’, natural stone is very easy to care for and maintain and has a life cycle that long outlasts any man made product….The Colisseum, Acropolis, and Machu Picchu are lasting testaments…….
The use of natural stone in North America, for residential and commercial use is in its infancy stage of use. Natural stone in many other parts of the world; Europe, Asia, the Middle East, have been using natural stone for centuries. Despite popular belief, sealers are not required to maintain or increase the longevity of natural stone; sealing natural stone is a North American phenomenon. Sealers can however enhance the beauty of certain stones including slate and bring out the high and low color tones. So, seal your stone if you want colors to pop, or sealing is recommended if installing it in a high traffic area like the kitchen. Sealing stone is like rust proofing your car…it doesn’t mean your car is never going to rust, it just slows down the process. If a stone is easy to stain its also easy to remove the stain….the inverse is also true…if it takes a stone a long time to stain it will be more difficult to remove the stain.
Stone is either composed of a calcite base or a silica base…Calcite stones such as limestone or travertine should never come in contact with anything acidic including vinegar, lemon juice, or acidic based cleaning products. Silica based stone such as marble, granite, or sandstone can be exposed to acidic conditions…that’s why they are used in countertops and exterior solutions. By nature the silica in the stone will neutralize the acid when they come in contact.