If you want awesome looking Tampa flooring, think marble. It’s a keeper when it comes to floors.
Marble is different from other stones that can be laid in your home, simply because it is not as dense as other stones. Being more porous does pose some cleaning challenges, but nothing that can’t be worked with to keep those marble floors looking stunning and pristine. You definitely don’t want to be cleaning your Tampa flooring with harsh chemicals, detergents or acids. This includes straight white vinegar which some people swear by to clean floors. Do “not” use anything like that on marble.
The reason you don’t want to be using anything with an acid base is that marble is primarily comprised of calcium carbonate which will pit and scar if you use acid on it. So instead, if you want to keep your Tampa flooring looking nice and new, clean it with lukewarm hot water, use a soft cloth and once in a blue moon, you may use mild, non-abrasive industrial detergents. Be sure to read the labels before you use anything on your marble floor. Oh, and one other handy tip – completely wipe the floor dry when you’re done cleaning.
There are some people that think they need to put a light coat of wax on marble to protect it. While you may do that, it’s really optional, because adding the wax won’t make any difference in how shiny it is. So really, all you need to know about your marble floor is what kind of marble it is (tumbled marble or non-tumbled marble) and how to keep it clean.
Of course one of the first things to try and not do is spill things like wine, juice or coffee. Having said that, most families have kids and spills come with the territory. So, instead of opting to put marble in a high traffic area like the kitchen, use marble in the powder room, for tub surrounds, as a marble shower, a table top, floor tile and stone fireplace surround. Ask your Tampa flooring contractor what they would recommend in terms of what kind of marble to use and where it would work best in your home.
Touching it up daily is always a good idea, and we mean touch it up, not a full scale clean. What you’re aiming to do is clean the tiles with a soft bristled broom or vacuum cleaner to capture loose dirt that could grind into the surface. Don’t have time to do it every day? A couple of times a week would work. And you know that old saying about taking off your boots at the door? Make that the watchword in your home for even though marble is durable, it can be scratched by dirt and stones on people’s shoes.
Really, keeping your marble floors clean isn’t a major deal. It just takes some time and patience to keep that gorgeous floor in tip-top shape.
Dean Dupre is with Champion Tile, a Clearwater Flooring, Tampa Flooring, and tile installation company. To learn more, visit Champtile.com.
