Are you entertaining? Follow these 'getting-ready-for-company' tips and your marble, granite, and other natural stone will be thankful.

As You Prepare for Guests

Does your stone need to be re-sealed?

Sealing your natural stone will give you time to wipe up spills before they become stains. Click here to see a quick and easy do-it-yourself test to see if your stone needs to be re-sealed.

Take care when moving furniture.

Are you rearranging furniture to accommodate a crowd? When moving heavy items, make sure you don’t drag them across the floor, which could cause scratches on your stone.

Place heavy floor mats at entryways and sweep before guests arrive.

Dirt and grit can be ground in with extra foot traffic, causing fine scratches. Good floor mats and sweeping will go a long way in helping to prevent this.

During the Festivities

Protect surfaces.

Use coasters under drinks, trivets under hot cookware, and cutting boards for food prep to protect your stone countertops, bar tops, tabletops and other surfaces.

Treat spills.

Spills will inevitably occur. Wipe up spills right away to avoid staining and etching. If acidic substances such as tomato, lemon, or wine contact the stone, quickly blot up excess liquid being careful to avoid spreading it around, and then rinse the area thoroughly.

Cleaning Up After Guests Leave

Use only pH neutral, stone-safe products. 

Do not use abrasives, harsh chemicals or vinegar.

Got stains? Etches?

If you were unable to avoid stains or etches, try following the instructions in our care guide for using a poultice to remove stains or using an etch remover for light etching.

If you are unable to remove a stain, or have other damage such as chips, cracks, scratches, or deep etches, we can resolve these problems. Contact us online or call today for an estimate.

This is one of a series of articles written and published  on behalf of Stone and Tile PRO Partners.