My experience with this is cleaning travertine in a showroom. The stone was very dirty. I cleaned it 1st with an alkaline cleaner and theen used 800 grit honing powder.  I compared that to a sectiion where I only used the honing powder instead of cleaning 1st.  When I did the 2 steps the stone was slightly cleaner looking.



From: Roger Konarski <qm144@yahoo.com>
Subject: [sccpartners] Honing vs Cleaning and Seal
To: "Restoration and Maintenance" <sccpartners@stoneandtilepros.com>
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2009, 5:12 PM

All,

On a new installation, such as limestone. If one hones the floor with loose abrasives, to give it a more consistent finish. Is there any reason to scrub the floor 1st with a neutral cleaner to remove surface residue? Wouldn’t honing powders also clean the surface?

Thanks,

RK