Stone work splits into two very different jobs. A maintenance clean removes soil and topical residue and re-seals. Full restoration mechanically removes the damaged surface layer with diamond abrasives, then rebuilds the finish.
The price gap between them is large, so the first job on any quote is establishing which one the floor actually needs. Etching, lippage between tiles and grout condition all push a floor from one category to the other.
The short version
- Maintenance clean and seal is the lower-cost option and suits sound floors
- Grinding and honing is machine-intensive and priced accordingly
- Grout condition is often the real problem, not the stone
- Sealer choice affects both cost and how the floor looks afterwards
- Room shape and fixed furniture affect how much can be machined
Maintenance clean and seal
Suitable where the stone itself is undamaged but dull, dirty or losing its seal. Deep clean, grout reset, rinse, dry, then an impregnating or topical seal depending on the stone and the traffic it takes.
Full restoration
Where the surface is etched, scratched or worn unevenly, abrasion is the only real fix. Coarse diamonds cut the damage out, progressively finer heads rebuild the finish, and the floor is then polished to the sheen level you want — matte honed through to high polish.
Marble and travertine respond particularly well to this because the finish is in the stone rather than in a coating.
What makes a quote go up
Machine access is the practical constraint on restoration pricing.
- Kitchen islands and fitted units that machines cannot reach, requiring hand work at edges
- Significant lippage between tiles, which needs flattening before honing
- Failed topical sealers that must be stripped before anything else can happen
- Broken or missing grout that needs raking out and replacing