How can I maintain my outdoor natural stone tiles?
Natural stone hardly requires any maintenance. Apart from a thorough clean after installation and some annual maintenance, you can simply let nature take its course. A heavy shower and some sunshine will do all the work for you.
Another characteristic of natural stone is that it follows a natural ageing process. After a few years, your patio, drive or stairs will look different, but that is exactly what makes natural stone such an intriguing material.
The first (thorough) clean
Once your outdoor tiles have been laid and grouted, they will need a thorough clean. Give them a good scrub with Lithofin MN Power Clean to easily remove all cement haze, grout and dust particles. Repeat until the surface is completely clean.
Spring clean
After the frost of winter and the leaves falling in autumn, you are advised to thoroughly clean and condition your natural stone patios, paths, stairs, walls and drive with Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner. This product quickly acts to remove damp and dark stains and discolouration caused by plants, trees or flowers. After just a few minutes, your stone surfaces will look bright and clean again.
Daily maintenance
The daily cleaning of your outdoor natural stone tiles is a breeze. A heavy shower will work wonders on grease stains after a barbecue, for example. So simply let nature take its course!
Tips
Never use a pressure washer. The powerful water jet will damage the joints and open up the pores in the tiles, making them more likely to turn green.
After years of service, your patio will definitely benefit from a good clean with Lithofin MN Power Clean. This will remove general dirt such as grease stains, cleaning product residue, gloss layers and so on.
Frequently asked questions
If there is a specific stain on your outdoor tiles and you can’t wait for nature to take its course, this is how the most common stains can be removed from natural stone:
| TYPE OF STAIN | LITHOFIN PRODUCT |
| Concrete paint / Diesel oil / Wood stain / Resin / Candle wax / Glue / Water-based paint / Oil / Oil-based paint / Vegetable fat / Silicone / Lubricating oil / Paint splashes / Grease stains | Lithofin Wax-Off |
| Fruit stains / Grass / Emulsion / Water-based wall paing / Soot / Wine | Lithofin MN Power Clean |
| Merbau timber bleeds / Plaster / Rust on granite | Lithofin MN Builders' Clean (do not use on acid sensitive natural stone as limestone and marble) |
| Organic discolouration | Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner |
| Rust on granitoid stones | Lithofin BERO (do not use on acid sensitive natural stone as limestone and marble) |
| Rust on limestone | Lithofin Rust-EX |