Sandstone is a common building material and is often used for paving and sculptures. Outdoors, sandstone is mostly used with a rough surface and indoors with a polished surface. With the right products and cleaning techniques, you can make it look as new.
The power cleaning tips from this post
Always clean sandstone with water or the appropriate cleaner with mechanical support, e.g. a brush. Avoid high pressure cleaning.
Only use special cleaners to remove stubborn oil stains, rust stains and moss. Clean the surface with pure water after.
After thorough cleaning, impregnate the sandstone with a special impregnation liquid to best protect it from new dirt.
Cleaning procedure
Always clean sandstone with water and the appropriate cleaning agent with mechanical support, e.g. a brush. This prevents a rougher surface of the stone and protects the joint material. Ground surfaces are easier to get rid of dirt than rough ones. Due to its roughness, the rough surface tends to grow algae more easily.
Avoid high-pressure cleaning, as this usually makes the surface even rougher. The joint material is often affected by excessive water pressure or parts of the joint can break out. This results in faster soiling and can also make joint renovation necessary.
With a brush cleaning and the appropriate cleaners, the coarse impurities such as stains, moss and algae should be removed.
Sten Shoonmaken Universal Cleaner MUB 101 is suitable for cleaning oil or grease stains.
For removing moss growth, we recommend Sten Shoonmaken Algae and Moss Remover AME 112.
To treat rust stains, we recommend Sten Shoonmaken Rust Stain Remover RFE08.
Precautionary measures to minimize dirt
After thorough cleaning, the sandstone should be impregnated to protect it from heavy soiling. The best protection against contamination is provided by impregnation with a diffusion-open impregnation liquid.
Impregnation creates a protective layer that penetrates into the pores of the stone. As a result, the dirt remains on the surface of the impregnation layer.
Sealers are not open to diffusion and only a protective, solid layer is created on the surface. This also usually changes the surface texture and can also affect slip resistance.
Unlike sealing, impregnation does not affect the slip resistance of the surface and, unlike complete sealing, is able to allow water vapor to escape from the inside to the outside. Thus, impregnation allows absorbed and stored moisture to escape and evaporate. Because of this effect, impregnation is usually chosen.
Impregnation can be done when the stone is completely dry. Before that, the stone must not be impregnated, otherwise the moisture will be trapped in the stone. Trapped moisture forms unsightly stains and promotes the growth of moss and algae.
The impregnation can be applied with suitable tools such as cotton strips or rollers. When applying, make sure that the liquid is evenly distributed. After impregnation, the surface must be protected from all loads for at least 1 day.
At Sten Shoonmaken we specialize in cleaning and impregnating all types of stone surfaces. Contact us for questions about our products or a professional cleaning of your stone surface.
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