Types of Sealers to Protect your Marble Tiles and Countertops

Types of Sealers to Protect your Marble Tiles and Countertops

The natural stone has always been one of the preferred materials for any work, for its beauty, singularity  and durability.

However, despite of being one of the most resistant materials in any project, another of its characteristics is its fragility, especially when it is exposed to environmental factors -climatology, humidity, temperature variations, solar radiation, etc-, anthropic factors such as pollution, and of course, the use of it (transit, humidity in kitchens and bathrooms, etc.)

All these factors can generate variations, loss of color, abrasion, spots, scratches, etc. In short, affecting one of its main qualities: The Aesthetic and therefore its beauty.

Since the beginning of the last century, stone experts have been working and researching treatments to improve the performance of it, but also without altering or even improve the aesthetic appearance and behavior of it.

There is a very wide range of surface treatments- “protective treatments, anti-slip, water-repellent, oleophobic,” etc for countertops, tiles, etc.-. But to understand how these types of treatments work, we must take into account the behavior of the stone through three fundamental physical parameters:

• Bulk Density
• Open Porosity
• Water Absorption

The manufacturer must check these parameters with a maximum periodicity of two years for floors and walls, both indoor and outdoor, since they are key parameters in the determination of technical standards and CE marking.