The Benifits Of Professional Marble & Travertine Polishing

Marble is a beautiful but sensitive material used to make all kinds of things like countertops, floors, columns, vanities and much more. If you have marble in your home, you probably want to take the very best care of it that you can. But how should you go about maintaining your marble? With years of experience in marble care under our belt, The Steam Team is here to tell you!

Choosing Professional Polishing

Caring for the marble in your home may prove to be a bit tricky. That’s because marble surfaces tend to be sensitive to anything acidic, including foods like citrus or sodas, as well as many common store-bought cleaning products and DIY cleaning solutions. Marble is also more porous, meaning it can scratch and get lasting marks easier than many other surfaces. For these reasons, we suggest professional marble polishing with only verified products meant specifically for marble. Putting the job in the hands of professionals also means you’ll get the best possible polish without the risks of scratching or damaging the marble, which might occur if you attempt the job yourself. Now that you know you should have your marble surfaces professionally polished, you just have to choose the right company for the service. That’s where we come in.

The Steam Team

When looking for the best marble polishers with years of experience and the right equipment, look no further than The Steam Team! To ensure that your marble floors, countertops, vanities, shower walls or whatever else achieves the best polish possible, we have our own line of marble polishing products to meet your specific needs. Our team will get to work using our professional stone cleaning process for marble polishing, starting with an inspection to find the most troubled areas, followed by removing dirt, erasing all stains and restoring the protective layer of the marble to keep it in great condition. For more information on marble polishing and our many other services, please visit The Steam Team website!

Tile and Grout: The Steam Team Treatment

When it comes to cleaning ceramic tile and grout, many people neglect their floors and don’t clean them near as often or as thoroughly as they should be cleaned. But there’s a way to have your tile and grout cleaned without going through all the trouble yourself. Today we’re going to talk about how The Steam Team’s process for tile and grout can help you.

Setting Up

When you call in our professional team of technicians, they’ll begin by giving your tile and grout a thorough inspection to find the most troubled areas and come up with the right cleaning solution for your specific tile floor. Then, to set up for cleaning, furniture will be moved out of the way and the tile will be separated from any other flooring or other material with tape, to make sure the cleaning process doesn’t affect the rest of the home.

Cleaning Process

Our technicians only use the very best cleaning methods and highest quality products for the full tile cleaning process. First, high powered vacuums will remove all dry soil from the surface, hand sweeping will be used if needed. Then a highly advanced cleaning agent will be carefully sprayed over the entire surface of the tile. Then the tile and grout will be thoroughly cleaned with a combination of rotating mechanical brushes, manual brushes and a self-contained pressure cleaning system. Then a final rinse solution will be pumped through the machine, making your tile good as new. With this intensive cleaning process, even the hardest to reach areas of the tile and grout lines will be completely clean.

Floor Sealer

Once the cleaning process is complete, a floor sealer will be applied. The sealer used will be only the best type of sealant for your specific type of floor tile. Technicians will then have one final walkthrough inspection to make sure that everything was properly cleaned and that you’re satisfied with the results. For more information, please visit The Steam Team website.

The Best Way to Care for Your Marble Flooring

We’ve recently blogged about polishing your marble flooring- marble is an increasingly popular flooring option, and can bring a magnificent natural beauty to your home. However, marble is quite a delicate material that can easily scratch or stain, and to polish it the right way you’ll need to use great care and the proper materials.

Common Mistakes

Cleaning marble isn't quite as simple as it is with other flooring options, so before we get into our suggestions, you need to know what NOT to do with your marble to ensure that it won’t break.

Spills can certainly do damage to your marble floors, but mopping them up with a soaked mop can do even more damage. Be sure to only use a slightly damp mop for spills on a marble surface.

Marble is especially sensitive to acidic cleaners. For this reason, you should only clean marble with cleaners specifically designed for marble floors. Other store-bought products or DIY methods like vinegar, lemon, or ammonia could cause irreversible damage to your floors.

Never leave or drag heavy furnitures or sharp objects on a marble floor, as they can easily cause damage.

How It’s Done

To prepare for polishing your marble, a polishing compound specifically designed for your kind of marble (cultured or uncultured), a low-speed polisher and a marble sealant is used. Once the surface is perfectly clean, the compound is applied in small sections. It can be a tedious job since it needs to be done with expert care throughout- you don’t want to leave any room for damage to the marble!

Our Products and Services

If you want your marble floors to look the best they possibly can, you’re in luck. The Steam Team has their very own complete line of products for marble floor cleaning.

Stone Cleaning In Austin, TX

Stone Floor Cleaning In Austin, Texas

Marble has been used in art and architecture for millennia as a beautiful- yet strong and durable material. It is a type of metamorphic rock, which is a sedimentary rock—such as limestone—that has been transformed by heat and pressure in the earth. Marble is more rare than limestone, and therefore more expensive. It also has a finer grain, and can be highly polished, which contributes to its decorative appeal.   

Marble is also delicate, so if you are lucky enough to have it in your home, you are probably aware that it requires particular care to avoid damage. Here are a few reminders how to best care for marble.

Natural v.s. Cultured Marble

Before you determine a cleaning method, first check which type of marble you have. Natural marble is generally cooler to the touch, and will fizz in contact with a couple of drops of vinegar (wipe away the vinegar quickly!). In contrast, cultured marble is manufactured with a protective coating that makes it easier to care for and less likely to experience damage.  

If You Have Natural Marble…

Natural marble is very porous, so you must take care to avoid using cleaners with acidic ingredients. Marble also scratches easily, so don’t use anything abrasive, either, such as hard brushes or Comet. Instead use a pH neutral cleaning solution, such as ammonia or dish soap highly diluted with water, with a gentle mop.

Steam cleaning should also be a safe alternative cleaning method for your natural marble flooring, since it only uses water (no harsh chemicals) and doesn’t involve any scrubbing.       

Also be sure to clean up spills immediately before they seep in. If you clean your marble floor with water, dry it afterward with towels to avoid the water soaking in and staining the floor.

If you Have Cultured Marble…

Cultured marble is not as delicate as natural marble. You may use standard household cleaners, even those that contain acidic ingredients. You also don’t have to be as careful about accidentally scratching it! Whew!

Check with The Steam Team about how we can help you clean your marble flooring. With the right know-how and professional equipment, we’ll take the pressure off of how to treat your prized flooring!