Should I polish and seal my new marble flooring?

A: First, never use just water to clean your stone floor. Plain water will only distribute the dirt around. You want to remove the dirt and soiling with a good neutral stone cleaner. Visit www.stonecarecentral.com for stone safe, quality marble floor cleaners. The floor should not need to be polished if it is new unless it is scratched or damaged. I would recommend having it sealed with a good stone impregnator sealer. You can do it yourself if your handy or call in a stone care professional which can be found here in our "Find-a-Pro" section .

FLOORING
Stone used as an interior pedestrian walking surface

IMPREGNATOR
Impregnating sealer; a chemical product made of two parts: a resin (solid) and a carrier (water or mineral solvent) to penetrate the surface of a stone to reduce the natural absorbency rate of the stones it is applied to, providing that the stone’s surface tension allows the product to be absorbed by it

MARBLE
A metamorphic crystalline rock composed predominantly of crystalline grains of calcite, dolomite, or serpentine, and capable of taking a polish

POLISHED
The finest and smoothest finish available in stone, generally only possible on hard, dense materials. Or, a glossy finish which brings out the full color and character of the stone

SEALING
1. To make a veneer joint watertight with an elastic adhesive compound. 2. Application of a below surface treatment to retard staining