The maintenance of stone flooring in the U.S. today is a million dollar annual business and continues to grow. Much of this increased growth results from the desire to maintain a highly polished mirror finish. As of this date, there are basically two methods to keep stone in this condition over the long term. One method is to place some type of a coating on the surface of the stone. These coatings can be natural or synthetic waxes, acrylics, urethanes and epoxies. The majority used today on marble are composed of acrylics. The second method used to maintain stone is to polish the stone with the use of abrasive diamonds and polishing powders. This method uses no coatings. It simply smoothes the stone to produce a high shine. The purpose of this study is to compare the advantages and disadvantages of these two methods as well as their labor and material requirements. (A third method is the use of flurosilicate compounds applied to the stone. This method is commonly called recrystallazation or vitrification and is applied as a final finish in place of powder polishing or it is applied on top of the polished finish for added shine. This study will not address this process.)
The maintenance procedures outlined in Figure 1 are typical. Frequencies will vary depending on traffic, type of stone and desired finish. Both procedures assume that the floor is in maintainable condition at the start of the maintenance program.