The sealing of stone is quite different to sealing other floor types. When sealing wooden floors for example a protective coat is added to the outside. When sealing stone the pores in the rock , or the spaces between the crystals that make up the rock are filled with the sealant with no trace of the sealant on the outer surface.
The purpose of this process is to stop liquids seeping into the stone and staining it. A sealant does not protect the stone from physical damage as a sealant on another surface would.. So what is the best sealant to use?
Natural stone must be allowed to breathe. What does this mean, because stone does not breathe like we do. Stone is made up of a variety of crystals. Each crystal is made up of different minerals. The minerals that make up the crystallised structure of the stone determine whether it is marble, or limestone or granite. To maintain the integrity of these crystals they must interact with the air and the component parts of the air in particular the oxygen. Hence they must be allowed to breathe. It is also essential that any water that gets into the stone is able to evaporate by moving through these spaces until it reaches the...