Marble & Natural Stone Care Tips — How to Maintain Your Stone

Daily and Weekly Care

Wipe up spills as soon as they happen, especially anything acidic like citrus juice, wine, or vinegar-based cleaners. Marble and limestone are soft, porous stones, and acid causes etching, a dull spot that a normal wipe-down won't fix. For daily cleaning, use a soft microfiber cloth or mop with plain warm water, or a cleaner made specifically for natural stone. Skip anything labeled "all-purpose," since most all-purpose cleaners contain acids or abrasives that slowly wear down the surface finish, even if the damage isn't visible right away.

Sealing Frequency

A penetrating sealer keeps liquids from soaking into the stone and causing stains. Most residential marble floors need resealing every 1 to 3 years, and countertops or shower walls, which get more direct contact with water, oil, and soap, usually need it every year. A simple way to check is to put a few drops of water on the stone: if it beads up, the seal is still working; if it soaks in and darkens the stone within a few minutes, it's time to reseal.

See our marble sealing page for what that process involves.

Handling Stains and Etching

Stains sit on top of or just below the surface and usually come out with a poultice, a paste that pulls the stain out over a day or two. Etching is different: it's physical damage to the stone's surface from acid contact, and it can't be cleaned away because there's nothing sitting on top to remove. Etched spots need to be honed down, which means removing a thin layer of the stone to get back to an undamaged surface.

Our stone cleaning page covers stain removal in more detail, and our honing and polishing page covers etching.

Dealing with Old Wax or Coatings

If your floors have a buildup of old wax, acrylic coating, or crystallizer finish, regular cleaning won't cut through it, and in some cases it traps moisture underneath, which can cause spalling. Rather than layering new wax over old, the coating needs to be fully stripped before the stone is resealed.

That's covered on our stripping and coating removal page.

What Not to Use on Natural Stone

Avoid vinegar, lemon juice, ammonia, and most bathroom or glass cleaners on marble, travertine, and limestone. These break down the surface polish over time, even with occasional use. Also avoid dry-mopping with any cloth that isn't clean, since trapped grit acts like sandpaper underfoot. A generic scrub pad or steel wool will scratch soft stone within a single use.

When to Call a Professional

A few signs mean it's time to bring in a professional rather than continuing with home care: deep scratches or lippage (uneven edges between tiles), dull spots that don't come back with cleaning or a fresh seal, cracks or chips, and any floor that hasn't been professionally restored in more than 5 to 10 years. Regular grinding and polishing removes years of accumulated wear that daily cleaning can't touch. If you're not sure whether your stone needs a deep clean, a reseal, or a full restoration, request a free estimate and a technician can tell you after seeing the surface in person.