Add value to your home by celebrating your natural stone

Moving house is reported to be one of the most stressful life events. Making the time to clean is often high up on the list of priorities to get booked in advance. However, when it comes to natural stone, it is often something to consider long before you even sell your home. So when should you factor in the time to restore the natural stone in your home?

Add a lick of paint

Many articles on how to prepare your home for selling will remind you to add a lick of paint. Sure enough, when you look around your home you realise that painting once every 10 years probably isn’t enough. It might surprise you that this quick approach can also be taken for your floors too. A quick cover up isn’t something that we recommend for anyone planning to stay in their home. If your natural stone hasn’t been professionally treated for 10 years too then a full restoration will give you a finish that will last longer. However, if you want to spruce up your home to sell, then a deep clean can or re-polish really transform your floor.

Feature your floors

It is often worth considering your floors before the professional photographs are taken of your property. A natural stone floor can be a real feature of your home. However, dull tiles with dirty grout lines just doesn’t do your floors justice. A deep clean will make your grout lines sparkle and even this can make your tiles stand out. A light resurfacing of your stone will also remove any surface scratches so that all of the intricacies of your natural stone can shine through again. Re-polishing, applying a sealant or wax to your floor will enhance the natural shine and beautifully reflect the light in photographs. Remember not to take your natural stone for granted – not everyone has a limestone floor or a marble worktop. Even less people look after them so well! So, this really is a key selling feature of your home when it is done right.

Invest in your stone

Natural stone is an investment, it can really increase the value of your property. It is also something that is worth putting the extra investment into, if you want to keep it looking in top condition. If you are redecorating or renovating your home to rent rather than sell, then it might be worth considering a deeper restoration of your natural stone. A recent client in Buckinghamshire did exactly this:

Our clients first approached us to ‘smarten up’ their travertine floor ahead of professional photographs being taken of their home. This professional couple were heading overseas to work for several years but planning to come back to their family home in the future. The floor, which hadn’t been professionally renovated before, was marked, scratched and dulled. A quick deep clean and application of sealant might be enough for the photographs, but the scratches were deeper in the stone. As someone who loved their stone floor, the client was keen to ensure that they could still enjoy its beauty for years to come when they returned from their time abroad.

By fully resurfacing the floor, we were able give a completely fresh look to their travertine. Not only this, but evening out the surface of the stone makes it easier to maintain. We also supplied a copy Athena Aftercare guide to hand over to the new tenants. Our clients were left assured that the travertine would be looked after and looking great for when they return.

If you are moving house or renovating your home to rent then get in touch today.