Types of Marble Sealers

Being a strong and elegant stone, marble is used as an important element in construction. This porous stone has been a symbol of luxury throughout the history of mankind. But the beauteous stone is not everlasting as the installation of marble is usually done at locations which is more prone to heavy traffic, debris, air current and other pollutants. Revelation to these elements leads to the fading of the shine and beauty.

Marble sealers are the life hacking materials that not only clean the dirt and debris on the surface but also help the stone to retain its shine for a longer duration. These sealers can be bifurcated into two major categories, namely, penetrating sealers and topical sealers, which are then further separated into other types depending upon the use, exposure and type of marble.

1. Penetrating Sealers:
Penetrates are the sealers which penetrate into the marble stone and protect it for longer duration.Despite obstructing dirt and other pollutants from entering into the stone, it also moisturizes the interior of the stone. These are either of the solvent or water based. Solvent is the medium required for the stimulation of the chemical present in the sealer to reach to the bottom-most layer of the marble. The solvent vaporizes with time leaving the chemical behind which defends the inner surface of the stone. It is almost impracticable to remove these sealers once they dry and are very long lasting.

There are mainly two types of penetrating sealers:

• Oliophobic Sealers: These penetrants repel oil as well as water based liquids. Thus keeping up the surface nice and clean from almost all things. These are mostly used in the kitchen as the marble stone in kitchen area is exposed to different kinds of liquids and tough stain pollutants.
• Hydrophobic Sealers: These impregnates that only repel water based liquids and solutions are referred as hydrophobic. These hydrophobic sealers who have oil resistant mentioned on their label usually mean that they will slow down the penetration of oily liquid onto the surfaces of marble.

2. Topical Sealers:
Topical sealers are cheaper as they have their flaws and are either stripped-down or permanent coatings. These sealers were peculiarly made for acquiring a non-slip floor that would not worn out well but it can also be used for natural stones. Topical Sealers are made from poly chemical compounds and are softer than the stone due to which they need periodic reapplication after stripper of the former layer. Topical coatings almost always change the surface texture by reducing the traction coefficient (i.e. slippery when wet) and also change the appearance by imparting a gloss (ex. high gloss, low gloss, satin finish, or matte finish) or introducing a color. They are not challenging on the budget and need to be UV resistant to avoid yellowish tinge’s visual aspect.

Sealers are very useful for increasing beauty and longevity of marble. However, it is all-important to select and apply right type of sealer in order to get the maximal out of these marble sealers. For application procedure, do a elaborated study first or hire an expert for doing this occupation.