Stone care basics include the following do's and dont's.

Dos

* Remove any spill as quickly as possible.

* Have mats in place and better yet a plan to remove shoes upon entry. Customers that remove shoes have a huge advantage in keeping the floor looking great.

* Have a strategy to do weekly or by weekly cleaning. This strategy should include three components: 1- a way to sweep or vacuum 2- a mopping system 3- a cleaning solution that does not require rinsing. For mopping and cleaning, we recommend a micro fiber mop along with a stone grade cleaner.

* IF you vacuum, be sure your vacuum does not scratch the tile surface.

* Have your own floor cleaners and bathroom cleaners on site and do not allow cleaning companies to bring their cleaners into the home. A large percentage of our work is based on cleaning services using acid based products that etch the stone.

Avoid these: bathroom cleaners like Tilex, white vinegar, so called "miracle cleaners" that are sold on late night TV, citrus and vegetable juices, soft drinks, some perfumes and cosmetics, toothpaste, mouthwash. These low ph solutions will etch the stone and have to be polished with abrasive diamonds.

* By all means have a plan in place and avoid soliciting opinions of others who may know less than you do about your stone floor. Even installers and sales personnel often lack even basic understanding of the basics of stone care.

Don'ts:

* Mop with just water. This will cause streaking. Find a product that has does not have to be rinsed, but that can be left on to dry.

* Use a stronger dilution ratio than mentioned on any stone cleaners direction. 1-2 ounces maximum is best. If you use more it will cause a film to develop.

* Constantly apply sealers to your stone. Many stone counter top cleaners have a sealer in them and a residue will develop.

"Water marks" and "rings" All calcite based stones (marble, travertine, onyx, limestone) are affected by low ph (acid)liquids. Resulting contact with acid will cause an etch. Glass artist use acids to etch glass. Etchings in stone can be removed, but only by using abrasive powders, polishes or diamond pads attached to an angle grinder or a floor machine.

Some stone are softer than others and are easily scratched. If a scratch is really deep it can require going to a low grit level (say 50 grit for example) and then progressing up through several honing cuts (100,200,400 grit) which can be a time consuming and expensive process. Also avoid rolling heavy furniture like pianos over stone flooring because these items can cause deep marks called stun crystals. They are permanent and cannot be removed with honing.

Grout maintenance is important in any natural stone instillation. The main problem with grouting natural stone is that instillation requires using (wall grade) non sanded grout. If sanded grout were used, the installer would scratch the tile during the instillation process. So non sanded grout is used most often. When non sanded grout is exposed to real life setting it will become soiled and will at some point begin to chip away and develop holes. These holes need to be repaired by regrouting.

Lastly, take some time to evaluate the type of finish your installer or stone professional is going to apply. A great percentage of our restoration work comes from misapplied sealers. We also recommend against use of crystalization applications where steel wool pads are used to heat the floor. Sealers have their place in stone surface maintenance, but it is best to have a small area tested to see what the sealer will look like before application to the entire