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Limestone Cleaning, Polishing, Sealing & Maintenance
Welcome to XO2's top solutions for limestone cleaning, polishing, sealing and restoration. Limestone can be a biological or non-biological sedimentary rock primarily composed of calcite and aragonite which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This natural stone often forms from the accumulation of corals, shells, skeletal fragments of marine organisms and other organic debris (biological).
Limestone is a lot softer than granite, it's very porous and has a high level of chemical sensitivity. Most types of limestone have a lighter, warmer tone ranging from cloudy white and oatmeal to dappled blue, green and grey but there are some darker and near black types too.
Clean Limestone With C-A-T
CAT stands for Chemical, Agitation and Temperature. Choose the chemical that's suitable for your surface and soil. Select the right agitation method (eg. floor pad, brush, high pressure) and temperature you will clean with (heat often cleans better).
Recommended Products For The 4 Types Of Limestone Maintenance
*Always test products first before use.
**Beware, limestone is very sensitive to acids and most alkaline chemicals.
- Initial - Cleaning newly laid floors... Use Bobby Dazzler (pH neutral).
- Regular Maintenance - Use Bobby Dazzler (pH neutral). This is for everyday cleaning. For regular cleaning of wall tiles and benchtops, you can clean them just like glass with a squeegee and washer or with Wow Fast Dry and a microfibre cloth.
- Periodic Cleaning (may include polishing with Pro Glo) - Use Bobby Dazzler or Bonza. Periodic cleaning may occur monthly, quarterly or yearly.
- Restorative / Salvage Cleaning - Use Bobby Dazzler or Bonza. This is when things have gotten a little out of hand and the surface needs a reset! For restorative polishing use Pro Glo (and it also cleans up the grout). If an existing coating needs to be removed use the compatible floor stripper. For difficult stains use Poultice Pro and for rust stains go with Rust Daddy.
Precautions
Avoid harsh chemicals and abrasive cleaners where possible. Acids will attack limestone causing pitting, etching and a loss of shine (dullness). Alkaline residue can cause crystals in the pores that increase the likelihood of chipping. Limestone is a relatively soft stone and can be permanently scratched easily. Only use pH neutral cleaners like Bobby Dazzler and Bonza. Clean up spills quickly as limestone can stain.
Sealing Limestone Floors
XO2 recommends sealing limestone floors, grout and other surfaces with Pro Seal Ultra, our invisible impregnating marble sealer. This penetrating sealer is not a coating that will sit on top of the surface and it will not change the look, colour, texture or slip resistance of the limestone. Some facilities prefer to use a water based coating on top of indoor limestone floors to protect them. We prefer polished limestone but our recommendation for sacrificial coatings on indoor limestone is Tough Shield for a satin/lower gloss finish or as a base coat for top coats of Blockbuster for a high shine finish.
Etched Or Dull Limestone?
Softer carbonates like limestone, marble and travertine tend to react to acids and heavy wear causing permanent damage such as pitting and etching (or dullness). The good news is that in most cases this damage can be repolished with Pro Glo so the floor looks like new again. For severe damage, refinishing with some diamond pads may be required before the Pro Glo polishing process. If a topical sealer coating is present and you would like to continue using this type of sealing system, cutting back or stripping the existing sealer from the floor then recoating may also return the floor to 'as new' condition.