What Factors Affect the Longevity of a Limestone Restoration?
Limestone restoration is a tedious and costly investment, and you’d want the results to last as long as possible! However, there are factors that can affect how long lasting your limestone restoration will be, and it helps to know more about them so you can take the relevant prevention measures.
What Factors Affect the Longevity of a Limestone Restoration?
Weather
Like any stone, limestone will be affected by the weather over time. Wind, rain, and thermal change can slowly deteriorate the stone, and often, rain might be your biggest problem. The calcium carbonate that composes limestone will readily react with rainwater. This is what causes the weathering marks on your stone.
Once your stone has some weathering problems, you can’t reverse them unless you restore them once again. If possible, installing a wall or shelter above the stone can prevent too much direct contact with rainwater.
Erosion
Rainwater is one of the things that can erode your limestone, but other weather elements can cause erosion as well. Even the wind can cause erosion as it wears away at the details in your limestone.
To avoid this, you can do something as simple as adding some landscaping around your stones to prevent too much direct contact with the winds. This can help prevent too much contact with rainwater too.
Stains
You might not even notice staining until you move a piece of furniture and see the difference between your limestone tiles. Of course, you might experience some localized staining, too, since limestone can absorb coloring from oils, animal droppings, metals, and ink. The real problem with staining is that it can absorb deeply into the stone, making it difficult to remove.
While there are ways to effectively remove various types of stains, you should check to be sure you’re removing those stains correctly. It’s important to understand that using the wrong cleaning products can actually cause more damage to your limestone.
Chipping
While limestone is a durable material, it might still experience some cracking. Rest assured that this is not usually because you got a defective batch of tiles or because the stone has been laid wrongly. Instead, it’s generally because of movement in the stone. The stone itself will weaken over time, or perhaps the binder will weaken, allowing the stone to move.
Harmful Cleaning Products
You might be trying to get a deep stain out of your stone, but using the wrong cleaning product can damage your limestone further. In fact, there are three types of cleaning products that are the worst for limestone.
Firstly, oil-based cleaning agents actually draw dirt and dust into the grout and between the tiles. Oil might be popular because it makes the stone shine, but it will actually soak into and stain your tiles over time. Not to mention that it might be slippery too.
Avoid abrasive cleaners as well. They’re so harsh that they might harm the sealant that keeps the dirt and water from your tiles, damaging them more over time.
Finally, stay away from ammonia and bleach, which are extremely damaging to tile floors. People tend to use them for stains, but they often just damage the tiles and build up soap scum over time.
For safe and effective limestone cleaning, always hire professionals like us to do the job properly without causing further damage to your stone.
Conclusion
It helps to learn about what affects the longevity of your limestone restoration so you can get the most out of it. Even the weather can destroy your restoration over time, but with the right care, your tiles can last for years. Call us today if you need to restore your limestone or need further advice on how to handle specific issues with your stone.