Does marble floor tile need to be sealed?

Marble flooring is a gorgeous addition to an Orange County home. It brings about a luxurious, soothing look. However, it’s also among the more expensive flooring materials. You want your marble floor tile to last for a long time so you will get your money’s worth. Therefore, you need to maintain and protect it. In part, you need to seal your marble floor.

Why does marble floor tile need to be sealed?

Marble is a porous material. Porous means susceptible to liquids. If, say for instance, you were to spill a glass of wine, the wine might seep through the surface of a marble floor and eventually cause it to stain or discolor. This is especially likely if the spill is not cleaned up immediately.

Marble flooring is most often installed in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. Each area is accustomed to moisture from time to time. Bathrooms will steam up when the shower is running. Plus, unintended splashes from the sink or water dripping off while you’re exiting the shower or tub can result in a wet floor. Kitchens emit vapor while cooking and laundry rooms have the potential to flood from a malfunctioned washer. Point being, each of the widespread marbled areas are threatened by moisture over time.

If you don’t seal your marble floors, any bit of moisture oversight could cause marble to lose its glossy look.

How do you seal a marble floor?

Sealing marble floor tile is a relatively easy process. In fact, you can probably maintain it yourself without having to hire a professional. You can have your marble floor sealed in one or two hours with a few easy steps:

First, you would have to clean the marble. The marble needs to be as free from dust, scuffs and stains as possible. Reason being, you don’t want these particles to get stuck beneath the sealant permanently. To clean, use a pH neutral cleaner that’s made for marble. You should be able to find a qualified cleaning agent at a local hardware store or online. Keep in mind, acidic substances like vinegar shouldn’t be used, as they’ll etch and start to erode the delicate stone.

Once your marble floor tile is cleaned and completely dry, it’s time to apply the sealant. It’s a good idea to try out the sealant first, maybe in a corner of the room. You just want to make sure the sealant doesn’t mess up the color of the marble. As long as the test area doesn’t discolor, you’ll have the green light to move on with your whole marble floor.

Next, apply the sealant to one marble tile at a time. This will, of course, be a tedious and monotonous process, although, it’s still cheaper than paying for it to be done. A foam brush or soft cloth will do the trick. A brush will probably be more exact than a fabric, however. This is particularly true for sealing the tile grout. You use the same sealant for the grout as you do the tile.

That’s all there’s to it! You will need to wait for the sealant to dry before walking on your marble floor tile, but that should only take a few hours. It is necessary to wait 2-3 days before cleaning the marble because the sealant will need to fully cure.

City Tile & Cabinets in Anaheim, CA

Remember, for all your flooring needs, City Tile & Cabinets is the way to go! Our experts are full of advice if you’ve got any sealing questions. And, if you’re wanting marble installed in your home, we’ll complete a free estimate before executing the installation to perfection. Contact City Tile & Cabinets now at (714) 940-9988. Also, please visit our blog for more helpful info.