Avoid Dull? Here’s How to Polish Granite Floor

You have granite flooring. For some reason, it has become dull. Is there anything you can do to bring back the shine? Of course.

When investing in natural stone flooring, stone care is necessary. This post tells you how to clean and polish granite floors.

Is Polishing Necessary?

Before we tell you how to clean and polish a granite floor, let’s talk about the importance of polishing.

When it comes to the floor, cleaning is a must regardless of what kind of flooring you have. But what about polishing? Is polishing granite floor really necessary?

The answer is yes, of course. Cleaning granite floor helps to retain its looks and prevent or minimize damage.

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Meanwhile, polishing goes beyond aesthetics. When polished properly, it will help to reinforce the granite surface protective seal enhance its natural colour and shine.

It will also help to resist water spots, fingerprints, and soap scum buildup. When done regularly, streaks and fingerprints won’t be something you’d need to worry about, too.

This is why knowing how to polish granite floors is important.

How to Clean Granite Floor

Before we polish the granite floor, we will tell you how to clean it first. We divided the guide into two parts.

The first one deals with stain removal and the second one deals with regular care and maintenance.

So, without further ado, here’s how to clean a granite floor.

Things You Will Need

You will need the following items to clean the granite floor.

• Microfiber cloth
• Cleaning towel
• Cotton cloth
• Floor cleaner
• Sponge
• Coldwater
• Dishwashing liquid
• A bucket of water

Stain Removal

1. For stain removal, add two teaspoons of white vinegar and 3 to 4 drops of dishwashing liquid to a bowl of cold water.
2. Then, dampen a sponge in the solution.
3. Take the sponge and use it to rub the stained area. Rub the surface in straight lines. Avoid scrubbing the surface in a circular motion. Doing so could damage the granite floor’s smooth finish.
4. After the stains are removed, gently wipe the surface with a damp cloth. Again, avoid scrubbing.

Regular Care and Maintenance

1. For regular care and maintenance, prepare a bucket of warm water, then add two teaspoons of dishwashing liquid to it.
2. Dampen a cotton cloth in the solution.
3. Wipe the floor gently.
4. After wiping the floor, the next thing to do is rinse it. Empty the bucket with the solution. Then, fill it with water. Pick another cleaning towel and soak it in the water. Squeeze the towel to remove excess moisture and use it to wipe the floor. Make sure to remove any soapy residue on the floor.
5. The last step is to dry the floor. To do so, grab a microfiber cloth and use it to path the granite floor dry. Please don’t leave your floor to air dry, resulting in watermarks.

Note: If there is any liquid spill on your granite floor, clean it immediately. This will prevent stains from forming and will make cleaning easier.

How to Polish Granite Floor

Granite flooring is gorgeous and very durable. The impressive durability of granite flooring doesn’t mean it is maintenance-free. It needs to be maintained if you want to retain its gorgeous looks for years to come.

That’s right. Like any other type of flooring, it will get duller as time goes. But especially so if it is not properly maintained.

And we are here to tell you how to polish granite floors. To polish granite flooring, you will need the following things.

Things You Will Need

• Soft cloth
• Mild, pH-neutral liquid dish soap
• Spray bottle
• Rubbing alcohol

Note: you can replace the polishing solution with a mixture of 3 cups of water and 1/4 cup of baking soda.

Or, if you want to make things simpler, use commercial granite polishing products to polish your granite floor.

Get all the items ready? Great. Now, here’s how to polish granite floors.

The Steps

1. Prepare the spray bottle, rubbing alcohol, and water.
2. Pour the alcohol and water into the bottle with a 1:3 ratio.
3. Add three drops of the liquid dish soap to the bottle. Steer clear from soap that contains acids like lemon, lime, or vinegar.
4. Screw the cover onto the bottle. Then, shake it so the ingredients within the bottle mix.
5. Once the solution is mixed, spray over a small area of the granite floor, about a 2-foot square section or so.
6. Prepare a soft and clean cloth, then buff the sprayed area with it.
7. Repeat the spraying and buffing steps in 2-foot blocks.
8. Keep spraying and polishing until the entire granite floor is covered. If the cloth is dirty, get a new one.

And that’s how to polish granite floors.

3 Mistakes to Avoid

Knowing how to polish granite floors is important. But so are knowing the mistakes to avoid when polishing. Here are the three common polishing mistakes you must avoid.

1. Polishing before sealing

Another common mistake is polishing before sealing. The correct order of stone care is cleaning, sealing, and polishing. Don’t polish your granite floor unless it has been sealed.

2. Polishing over a weak seal

The next mistake is polishing over weak seals. You should never polish granite floor unless it has a strong seal.

To determine whether the seal is strong or weak, you can try a water penetration test. Pour a small amount of water into various areas on the surface. Pour the water until it reaches about 3 inches in diameter.

If within 30 minutes the water seeps through the surface and leaves dark spots on it, it means the seal is weak. In that case, you want to re-seal the floor first before polishing it.

3. Overpolishing

Not polishing granite floor is a problem. And so are overpolishing. Overpolishing results in the granite floor are becoming slippery and risk injury. So, polish as needed and avoid overpolishing.

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Now you know how to clean and how to polish granite floors. Stone care is a must if you want to retain the look of natural stone. Of course, that applies to granite flooring as well.

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Clean and polish your granite floor regularly, and it will retain its gorgeous looks and shine for many years to come.