Will Polishing Damage the Product?

It is understood that there are currently four basic methods to produce gloss on natural stone floors, namely polishing with polishing powder and compound, grinding with diamond abrasives, crystallization and coating of barrier coatings. The four methods are not omnipotent and may not be suitable for all types of stone.

At present, the tools used in stone mainly include blade grinder machine, practical metal grinder, electric stone grinder and so on.

The working principle of polishing powder and compound polishing is that fine particles of aluminum or tin oxide abrasives are polished or rubbed on the surface of the stone to produce luster. The process is similar to polishing with diamonds, but relatively speaking, the powder is a finer abrasive. In addition, adding oxalic acid or oxalate to produce a reaction similar to crystallization enhances the process.

The principle of diamond grinding stone is to grind the stone surface with various industrial grade diamond abrasives. Industrial grade diamonds are usually packed in pads or disks with a diameter of three to four inches. Place three to six discs on the bottom of the drive board of the floor machine and fix them with Velcro. Use a low-speed (175 rpm) floor machine to drive the plate and polish the stone surface with diamonds to remove scratches. Repeat the process with finer and finer diamond grit until a mechanical gloss is obtained. In this process, diamond polishing pads play a supporting role.

Crystallization is to spray fluorosilicate on the stone and polish it with a steel wool pad to form new glassy crystals on the surface of the slate. In this case, a standard 175 rpm floor machine is used to generate the heat and friction required to form and polish the crystals. At this stage, hand held polisher and grinder polisher machine can also be used to assist in the polishing of the floor.

Mop, roller, lamb hair applicator or sprayer apply wax, acrylic, urethane or other polymer liquid or semi-liquid form to the stone surface. High-speed polishing floor machines and fiber or pig hair pads help accomplish this operation. This form of coating polishing is not recommended for porous stone.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each polishing method?

Polishing powder and compound have the following significant advantages. It has a natural appearance of high gloss and gloss. It can be used with standard low speed weighted floor machines. The compound composed of alumina will not corrode the floor. If the powder contains oxalic acid or oxalate, it will remove small to medium scratches.

The disadvantage is that oxalic acid in the powder may cause corrosion or foaming of marble and limestone, which mainly depends on the skill of the user.

The advantage of diamond grinding is that it is very durable, long-lasting finish, suitable for marble and granite.

The disadvantages are also significant. A preliminary repair of the floor is required to remove or tilt the lips that may/will damage the fine gravel diamond used.

The coating layer is the lowest cost method that can be used.

The disadvantage is that the appearance is unnatural. Most paints do not adhere well to polished stone. The rate of scratches and dullness is very rapid and requires daily polishing or sanding. If done properly to maintain the best gloss, it may be a costly method.

The advantage of the crystallization method is the appearance of high gloss and durability. It can be used with standard low-speed floor machines.

The disadvantage is only to quickly repair the surface gloss. If over-polished, the floor may slip.

In summary, no matter what method is adopted, there are advantages and disadvantages. It is necessary to stock stone polishing tools. Such tools include electric rotary hammer drill, mini electrical grinder machine and metal hand grinder.