Polishing changes how a stone floor looks by refining the surface. Sealing changes how it behaves by reducing absorption. Doing them in the wrong order means sealing in the damage you were trying to remove.
The right sequence is always clean, repair, polish, then seal.
The short version
- Polishing is mechanical refinement of the stone itself
- Sealing is a protective treatment applied afterwards
- Impregnating sealers soak in; topical sealers sit on top
- Sealing does not prevent acid etching
- Sealing an unclean floor traps the soil underneath it
Impregnating vs topical sealers
Impregnating sealers penetrate the stone and repel liquid from within, leaving the natural look intact. Topical sealers form a film on the surface, which can look glossier but wears in traffic lanes and eventually needs stripping and redoing.
For most natural stone in a home, an impregnating sealer is the sensible default.
How to test whether your floor needs sealing
Drop a small amount of water on the stone in an inconspicuous spot. If it darkens within a couple of minutes, the seal has gone and the stone is absorbing. If it beads and sits, the seal is still working.
Common mistakes
These are the ones we are called out to reverse.
- Sealing over a dirty floor, locking soil into the stone
- Using a topical sealer in a wet room, which then peels
- Assuming a sealed floor cannot etch — acid still attacks stone through it
- Cleaning sealed stone with acidic bathroom products