Daily maintenance of stone

Necessity:
Whether it is new stone or renovated stone, with normal use and the passage of time, the wear and tear of stone will become more and more serious and its gloss will become lower and lower.
Timeliness:
Stone must be maintained in a timely manner to reach the required level. If the drop in glossiness exceeds the maintenance and restoration ability, will it not be possible to reach the restoration level?
The correct maintenance method is to adopt the maintenance process in time before the drop in stone glossiness does not exceed the restoration ability of maintenance measures. After the maintenance is completed, the glossiness restoration can basically reach the original level, so that the stone can remain as good as new for a long time and be in an ideal use state.

Due to its naturally formed characteristics and the reason of occurring in various compound forms, stone is determined to have diseases and weathering damage in the environment where it is located. This is caused by its internal factors. On the other hand, the deterioration of the use environment such as acid rain, pollution, humidity, etc. is also the main reason for causing and accelerating various problems and diseases of stone. The consequences of these problems and diseases are serious. From the natural weathering damage of ancient stone cultural relics to the various natural damages and diseases of building stones nowadays, the losses caused are huge. Then, how to effectively prevent this and maximize the avoidance and control of the occurrence of these damages and diseases becomes increasingly important. Waxing was once widely used as a method to protect stone. It is mostly used on laid stone floors. However, its protective effect on stone is limited, it has poor weather resistance and unsatisfactory antifouling effect, and it is easy to adhere to dust. Nowadays, people have also found that waxing can cause some harm to stone, because it is applied on the stone surface as an airtight sealing protection material. After the fine pores of the stone are closed, the moisture inside and behind cannot be emitted. When it accumulates inside the stone for a long time, it causes stone to have diseases. There is also a liquid wax water that is usually painted on interior walls. This is a film-like material. Its main disadvantage is that it affects the natural texture of stone. The emergence of permeable protective products is a major progress in the development and research of stone protection products, but its application time in our country is not very long. Most of these products use solvents or water as a medium to bring some effective waterproof materials into the interior of stone to form a deep protective barrier and keep water and some liquid pollutants out. This permeable protective product, in addition to not changing the natural texture of stone, also maintains the breathability of stone. Its performance is superior, scientific and reasonable. However, due to the differences in materials used, some products will have different effects in waterproofing, antifouling and oil-proofing, but most products have better effects.

(1)Compatibility. Choose products that have no impact on the color of stone. If it is wet-installed construction, when treating the back of the stone, it is necessary to check whether it will affect the adhesion between the stone and cement.
(2)   In the case of wet-installed construction, to do a good job in treating the back and sides of the stone, then focus on choosing a protective agent with good waterproof effect.
 (3) For the selection of floor stone protective agents, in addition to doing a good job in waterproofing the back, the front of the stone also needs appropriate protective treatment according to different use environments. In some special places, like hospitals, products with good antifouling performance should be selected. In hotels, protective products with good antifouling and oil-proof effects should be selected.
(4) For dry-hung stone, it is not of much significance to carry out protective treatment on its back. For the front side, corresponding protective products can be selected for treatment according to the use environment and the characteristics of the stone.

(5) For stones that are prone to diseases, such as some grayish-white granites and marbles that often rust or turn yellow under humid conditions, it is important to do a good job in waterproofing treatment. The protective agent should be selected with excellent waterproof effect.
(6) For granite and marble with relatively loose texture and high water absorption used in public environments, it is necessary to choose products with good waterproof, antifouling and anti-staining effects. In this way, once contaminated, it is also easy to clean.

(1) Marble cleaning agent
This is an acid-free and neutral stone cleaning agent, which is very suitable for cleaning dirt, wax layers, oil stains, glue marks, paint and other construction dirt on marble. It will not damage the surface and luster of marble, nor will it cause damage to the stone quality of marble.
(2) Granite cleaning agent
This cleaning agent can effectively remove dirt, dust, construction dirt, glue marks, oil stains and color spots on the surface and cracks of granite and in the sand. It will not damage the surface and luster of granite.
(3) Granite rust remover
This rust remover can effectively remove rust and rust spots formed on the stone surface due to internal factors and external rusty pollution. It can reduce metal oxides to the original metal components and produce a protective barrier to prevent rust from reappearing.

Stone discoloration mainly occurs on stone varieties with poor chemical stability. Here we are discussing places indoors that are not exposed to ultraviolet rays. The color of light-colored stones in the stone dry-hanging process becomes darker. A typical case is that the off-white travertine (calcareous tufa) gradually turns yellow from top to bottom on the stone wall during the installation process. As time goes by, the entire wall turns completely yellow. Calcareous tufa itself has poor chemical stability. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides in the air will react with calcium oxide in calcareous tufa. In particular, the generated sulfide will inevitably turn white stone yellow. Moreover, during the construction process, both coatings and adhesives contain a large amount of volatile components. These volatile components will also react with stone and have an impact on such stones with poor chemical stability.

After stone is polluted by organic matter, the polluted part will become darker in color and will not fade for a long time and will adsorb dust. Organic pollutants mainly come from oil stains and animal contact. In particular, places that are often touched by humans are more likely to be polluted by this type of pollution. In fact, often in the most conspicuous places, where the decorative stone is the most delicate, is also the place where humans are in the closest contact. For example, stair handrails are generally decorated with special-shaped high-grade marble. What is most inappropriate is to use white marble sculptures as decorations in public places. The situation of this material after being polluted in such an environment can be imagined.
Inferior organic matter caulking glue will also cause pollution to the dry-hung stone curtain wall. On the one hand, it will 浸染 the edges of stone specification plates, and on the other hand, it will adsorb dust in the air

The causes of rust spots can generally be divided into two types:

The cause of the first kind of rust spot is the iron content contained in the stone itself. Generally speaking, each kind of stone itself contains more or less iron. When rainwater comes into contact with the iron in the stone, rust spots will gradually form. This kind of rust spot is not easy to remove and requires a long time to deal with. You can use Kelin KL608 strong rust remover, which has extremely strong permeability and can penetrate into the pores on the surface of the stone to ensure thorough cleaning. It can effectively remove rust spots without harming the stone. Avoid using industrial hydrogen peroxide or other corrosive strong acids, otherwise it will backfire. The most important thing is how to prevent the regeneration of rust spots. The most effective method is to perform protective treatment immediately after removing rust to prevent moisture from re-entering the interior of the stone and avoid the regeneration of rust spots.

The second kind of rust spot is external, such as steel sand remaining during processing or ironware during construction, decorative metal objects, etc. This kind of rust spot is easier to remove. You can use Kelin KL308 rust remover. Generally speaking, it is quite difficult to completely remove rust spots after they appear on stone. Therefore, it is better to perform protective treatment before installing the stone than after completion. Because after completion, the exterior walls are of considerable height and construction is not easy. Moreover, during the installation process of stone, there is also the possibility of contacting acid rain. Therefore, it is best to perform protection before construction, which can prevent rust and antifouling.

As the building is located in a key position, the pollution is relatively serious. Due to the pores and water absorption of stone itself, air pollution, dust, acid gas in the air, exhaust gas from motor vehicles, etc. accumulate and adhere to the stone surface over time. When it rains, acid rain will accelerate the erosion of these pollutants on the stone and be adsorbed in the pores of the stone, resulting in hard-to-clean stains. Especially for flamed stone, these pollutants form faster and are not easy to clean. Only using commercially available cleaning agents cannot remove these pollutants at all; for polished stone, this luster is eroded quickly.
Therefore, to remove these pollutants, you can use stone cleaning agents. These special cleaning agents for stone can completely remove the pollutants that have penetrated into the pores without harming the stone. If you want to prevent the stone from being polluted again, after the stone is cleaned and when the stone surface is dry, you can do a protective treatment again. This kind of permeable protective agent can penetrate into the interior of the stone and form a protective layer. It has the effects of waterproofing, antifouling, preventing efflorescence, preventing rust spots, preventing oil stains, preventing weathering, preventing aging, resisting acid and alkali, and preventing stains caused by tea stains, cola, soy sauce, etc., and can effectively control the occurrence of efflorescence without damaging the original breathability of the stone. For daily cleaning work, only wiping with water can achieve the effect, and there is no need to use other cleaning agents.
Preventive treatment for exterior wall pollution in advance: Generally speaking, the exterior walls of stone have a considerable height. Once pollution occurs and then cleaning is carried out, the construction is extremely inconvenient. If protective treatment can be done in advance, there will be no pollution problem after completion. Daily cleaning work only needs to be wiped with clean water. Moreover, the cost of protective treatment before construction is low and the construction is easier. Use stone protectants. This breakthrough has improved the time-consuming and laborious troubles of previous protective treatments. This construction method has been widely used in stone engineering abroad.

After the stone is completed, it will not dry for a long time and there will always be a wet mark on the surface. This is commonly known as a water stain. The causes of water stains are very complex. Some scholars believe that the stone has a high water absorption rate, and the stone protection is not done well. Atmospheric precipitation or building seepage infiltrates into the stone, causing the stone to be in a water-saturated state, thus forming a water stain. Specific problems need to be treated specifically. If water stains appear in certain parts of a building, such as toilets or water rooms that are soaked in water for a long time, or at pipeline leaks or rainwater pipe sections, this is in line with the above view. The problem is that water stains generally appear on the walls of buildings in environments that are not rich in water or on the floors of high-rise buildings. The above view cannot explain the occurrence of this phenomenon. Therefore, some means need to be adopted for analysis, analyzing the components of water stains, analyzing the source of components, finding the fundamental cause of water stain formation, and treating it in a targeted manner. It can be said that water stains are the most common problem encountered by the stone application and care industry. It is also a problem with the most complex formation reasons, the greatest difficulty in treatment, and a difficult problem that needs to be solved with great efforts in the future.
Removing water stains can be said to be a very difficult thing because the formation of water stains is very complex, including cement, acid rain, efflorescence, poor sand quality, and pollution absorbed by the stone from underground. These pollutions cause the stone itself to deteriorate. This deteriorated stone is quite difficult to clean up. Therefore, for water stains, the method is prevention. To prevent the formation of water stains, stone protective agents can be used before construction. Before construction, performing protective treatment on the stone can effectively avoid the formation of water stains and achieve good antifouling effects at the same time.

Efflorescence is the phenomenon of white powder or sagging on the stone surface or in the joints. It often occurs in outdoor or places with abundant water sources, such as flower beds, outdoor steps, and exterior wall joints.
When stone is installed by wet method, alkaline substances such as calcium hydroxide in the backfilled cement mortar are dissolved in large quantities by water and penetrate to the stone surface or where the joints are not filled properly. Calcium hydroxide then reacts with carbon dioxide in the air or sulfur dioxide sulfate compounds in acid rain to form calcium carbonate or calcium sulfate. When the water evaporates, calcium carbonate or calcium sulfate crystallizes and precipitates to form efflorescence.
The factors for the formation of efflorescence in stone are similar to those for water stains. A large amount of water and alkaline metal ions are the causes of efflorescence. Among them, water plays a role as a carrier, dissolving alkaline metal ions and penetrating to the stone surface or where the joints are not filled properly by capillary action, further forming efflorescence. Therefore, preventing moisture and alkaline metal ions from penetrating to the stone surface or where the joints are not filled properly can prevent the occurrence of efflorescence.