The “how often” question is always a tough one. The answer is “it depends”.
After a floor has been honed and polished, the number one enemy of maintaining a shine is grit, sand or particulate matter.
These will always create micro scratches in the floor which will disrupt the shine. Specifically, the shine is created, in part, when the light hits a scratch-free floor, it is reflected. When scratches interrupt this reflection, we say it is deflected which creates a dull or blurry or hazy appearance.
Regardless of whether the installation is commercial or residential, reduction of grit is critical to maintaining a floor’s high gloss finish.
That said, different floors will wear at varying rates depending on traffic volume and stone density (hardness). So the answer to the question “how often”, is either, on a regular schedule (quarterly or biannually ) for commercial installations and, as needed for residential.
Marble and terrazzo stairs are a little different as it is difficult to eliminate grit from these surfaces. It comes inside on shoes and drops off as you walk inside. As a result, stairs demand regular attention (quarterly maintenance), particularly in high traffic locations such as schools and public buildings.
Can’t keep up with your stone maintenance – or just don’t want to? There are coatings that can double the time needed between maintenance regiments. In the case of Clearstone™ and MORE™ AntiEtch™, maintenance can be deferred for up to 10 years for countertops while Microguard coating is available for flooring. Call Boston Stone Restoration at 781-793-0700, we can counsel you about which coatings work best for your application. Coatings have come a long way, you won’t be stuck with a plastic-y looking surface, most are undetectable, with finishes ranging from high gloss to matte.