For centuries, marble has been used for elegant, timeless architecture and are a beautiful addition to any home or business. In order to keep your floors looking their best, however, it is essential that you take the proper steps to maintain and preserve the shine of this gorgeous flooring.

Proper care starts with you. The most important thing you can do for your marble flooring is to prevent scratches, pits, or wear from happening. By taking a few easy steps, you will save yourself costly repairs and a lot of headache. For starts, putting rugs at entrances and in high traffic areas will avoid abrasive dirt from making its way to your marble and doing damage to the finish. Putting rugs or felt pads under furniture will avoid scratching the surface of the marble if you decide to rearrange. Sweeping or dry-mopping your flooring a few times a week will also prevent that harsh dirt, sand, or other materials from wearing the surface of your marble as well. These easy steps only take a few minutes, and could add years to the life of your flooring.

Spills are a fact of life. Between children, pets, and our own periodic clumsiness, they are bound to occur. But you can do a few things to lessen the possibility of staining. Clean spills up quickly—as marble is a fairly porous material. Another little trick is to blot the spill, rather than wiping it. This will prevent the stain from spreading to a larger area. If you are concerned with staining, having a penetrating sealant to your marble floor is a good idea. This will keep liquids from soaking into the marble.

If your marble floors are dull, and losing their shine, it may be time to have them polished again. Polishing involves a large machine that buffs down a thin layer of the surface marble—leaving it with a brilliant sheen. It requires large machinery that must be handled precisely and with care. It is best to let a contractor take care of this. If you attempt it on your own and make a mistake it could be very damaging to your floors, and consequently expensive to fix. The other great thing about marble floor polishing is that it is economically friendly, requiring no harmful chemicals. Marble is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to make their home a little more "green."

Before having your marble floors polished, however, it is incredibly important to make any necessary repairs. Cracks in your marble can be filled with epoxy. If the installation of your flooring was done unevenly, and lippage has occurred, a contractor will be able to even it out. He or she should also be able to fill any deep scratches, and remove any stains that may have soaked into the marble. Be sure that your contractor also looks at the quality of the grout, if you have marble tiles. Comprehensive care will ensure your marbles a long life.

As mentioned before, it only takes a few easy steps and your marble flooring will look its best. A little bit of light maintenance, and a professional opinion is all it takes. If you would like any additional information regarding marble polishing or maintenance, visit www.marblefloorpolishing.com .