Caring for Marble, Stone and Hardwood Floors

A premium floor is an investment that rewards the right care and punishes the wrong care quickly. Most of the damage we are called to restore was not caused by neglect — it was caused by good intentions: an acidic cleaner on marble, a wet mop on hardwood, an abrasive pad on a polished finish. This guide is the honest maintenance brief for marble, natural stone and hardwood floors in Ghana’s climate, so your floor stays correct for decades rather than years.

Floor Experts Ghana has installed and restored these floors across Accra since 1978. The care that protects a floor costs almost nothing; the restoration that follows neglect or the wrong cleaner costs a great deal more.

The One Rule That Saves Most Floors

Match the cleaner to the material. Marble and most natural stone are calcareous — acids etch them permanently, and “acidic” includes vinegar, lemon, and many supermarket bathroom cleaners. Hardwood hates standing water. The single most common cause of avoidable floor damage in Ghana is a cleaner or method chosen for a different surface and used on a premium one. When in doubt, use a pH-neutral cleaner and a damp — never wet — mop.

Caring for Marble and Natural Stone

Daily and weekly

• Sweep or dust-mop grit daily — abrasive particles underfoot are what dull a polished stone finish over time
• Clean with a pH-neutral, stone-safe cleaner and a soft mop; rinse and dry
• Wipe spills immediately, especially acidic ones (citrus, wine, cleaning products) — etching is fastest on polished marble

Never

• Never use acidic or general-purpose cleaners, vinegar, or descalers on marble or travertine — they etch the calcareous surface
• Never use abrasive pads, powders or steel wool on a polished finish
• Never let a spill sit on porous stone — it stains from beneath

Sealing

Marble and stone are protected with an impregnating (penetrating) sealer at installation, and re-sealed periodically. The interval depends on traffic and finish and is confirmed on survey — there is no universal “every X years” figure that holds across every floor. A simple water-bead test tells you when the sealer is tiring: if water no longer beads and instead darkens the stone, it is time to re-seal. See marble installation for how the sealer system is specified.

Caring for Hardwood Floors

Daily and weekly

• Sweep or vacuum (soft-floor head) regularly — grit scratches a wood finish
• Clean with a manufacturer-approved hardwood cleaner and a barely-damp mop; never a wet one
• Use felt pads under furniture and rugs at entrances to catch grit

Never

• Never wet-mop or let water stand — wood and water are the relationship that warps a floor, especially in Ghana’s 81–83% humidity
• Never use steam cleaners, oil soaps, or wax on a modern hardwood finish unless the manufacturer specifies it
• Never ignore a humidity swing — a room that goes from air-conditioned to shut-up-and-humid stresses the boards

Refinishing

A hardwood floor is installed to NWFA guidelines with a wear layer that allows a number of refinishing cycles across its life. When the finish — not the wood — is worn, the floor is screened and recoated or sanded and refinished, restoring it without replacement. That refinishable wear layer is the reason quality hardwood is a multi-decade floor. See premium hardwood floors.

When to Stop Cleaning and Call a Restorer

There is a point where more scrubbing makes things worse. Call a specialist when:

• Marble shows dull etch marks, dark stains that go into the stone, or a worn polish that cleaning will not bring back
• A stone floor has lippage, hollow spots, or cracking — these are setting issues, not cleaning issues
• Hardwood shows cupping, gapping or finish failure across an area, not just a scratch
• An old terrazzo or stone floor has lost its surface and needs grinding, honing and re-sealing rather than cleaning

This is restoration work — grinding, honing, re-sealing and refinishing — not maintenance. See heritage stone restoration, and for whole-home upkeep planning, luxury residential floors.

A Simple Care Calendar

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the safest way to clean a marble floor? A pH-neutral, stone-safe cleaner with a soft, damp mop, rinsed and dried — and spills wiped immediately. Avoid anything acidic (vinegar, citrus, general-purpose and bathroom cleaners), which etches the calcareous stone permanently. The damage we restore most often is etching from the wrong cleaner.

How often should marble be re-sealed? There is no universal interval — it depends on traffic and finish and is confirmed on survey. The practical test is the water bead: when water no longer beads on the surface and instead darkens the stone, the sealer is tiring and it is time to re-seal.

Can I wet-mop a hardwood floor? No — use a barely-damp mop with an approved hardwood cleaner, never a wet one, and never let water stand. Wood and standing water warp a floor, and Ghana’s humidity already keeps moisture levels high, so the floor needs no extra water added.

When should I call a restorer instead of cleaning harder? When the problem is in the material, not on it — etch marks, deep stains, worn polish, lippage or cracking on stone, or cupping and finish failure on wood. That is restoration (grinding, honing, re-sealing, refinishing), and scrubbing harder makes it worse. Call +233 27 011 3729.