Steam cleaning Limestone - Tile Advice

[Deleted member 18697]

hi

I have a customer who is intent on cleaning her limestone floor with a steam cleaner even though I have said she should not!

Now, after 6 months of steam cleaning every few days , some of the tiles have a white rough surface to them. I suspect it is the steam cleaner.

Does anyone else have experience of similar issues?

Many thanks

 

[J Sid]

why would anyone in the right mind want to steam clean a stone floor.

 

[Qwerty]

Only option really is to strip it all back, deep clean and reseal. Sounds like a topical sealer may have been used. Do you know what sealer was used? That steam cleaner will kill the stone.

 

[Deleted member 18697]

It was just stain stop and no surface sealer

 

[Qwerty]

@Lithofin BOB (Shouting!)

 

[Dumbo]

why would anyone in the right mind want to steam clean a stone floor.

I think some of the steam cleaners say you can do it . I obviously don't agree

 

[J Sid]

if your floor gets so dirty it needs a steam cleaner to clean it then i think using it is the least of your worries

 

[Concrete guy]

The white rough surface will be one of two things, either limescale from hard water in the cleaner. Or, if it's hot enough and powerful enough she may have actually "etched" the surface of the stone itself. The heat of the steam may have changed the structure of areas of the surface.

It's unlikely a chemical will solve the problem (although it's worth trying first) chances are it will need mechanical refinishing.

 

[One Day]

why would anyone in the right mind want to steam clean a stone floor.

Q V C

 

[Dumbo]

Q V C

That's the point I was making . They say you can do wood also . Wax or varnish gone .

 

[Lithofin BOB]

Heat and steam can also whiten an impregnator, causing clouding. As plan , I would strip out one tile with a suitable stone stripper, if this removes ,re impregnate once fully. If this is salts or damage to the face as ats
Steam cleaning is not ideal for natural stone as moisture can push through a breathable impregnator and then get trapped behind the seal and cause discolouration,shading- this is the one I normally get

 

[Deleted member 18697]

I went there today and the tile looks like it is covered in old lime scale. I scraped this off with a blade as it was quite raised. The tile is pitted underneath where the raised bits were.

See photos taken today.

 

[Stu Lilley]

if they dont want to listen let them carry on ...thats a new job in the future for some one to relay,,, I was once told by a tiler you cant educate pork