Although it may seem that stone is a strong material, you should always keep in mind different aspects when storing products made of natural stone. In this blog, we have previously discussed the correct care of products made of limestone or dolomite (“Caring for tiles made of limestone and dolomite“) and pointed out that natural stone products can actually be considered quite fragile products.
What to keep in mind when storing
First, we must discuss the weather. At least here in Estonia, the weather tends to change quite often. Therefore, the natural stone products should be stored in a relatively dry room indoors on a horizontal and even surface. Avoid leaving the delivered products (floor tiles, window sills, skirting boards, or countertops) in the rain or snow.
Secondly, you should also keep in mind that the following objects are not left on the surface of natural stone products:
- items made of oxidizing metal (iron nails, wire, etc.);
- if the material is still wet, you should not put any objects on its surface – not even other pieces of stone, sheets of paper, etc.
All these items may prevent the stone’s surface from drying evenly and because of this spots will form during drying.
Storing floor tiles
If you ordered tiles with falling lengths you should immediately remove them from the packaging. If you leave tiles with different lengths to dry inside the package, they will dry unevenly and there will be lines on their surfaces.
It is recommended to store the tiles on their sides (and indoors, as we mentioned earlier). Storing on the sides will also help to avoid the tiles breaking under the weight of other tiles. Please handle the tiles carefully – natural stone is very sensitive to shocks and other mechanical effects. Please note that the edges and corners of the tiles are particularly fragile.
If the tiles you ordered have fixed lengths then you can also put them on top of each other. Tiles with similar sizes must be placed exactly on top of each other to avoid the formation of lines and other markings on the tile’s surface (due to drying). The aim of all these tips is to guarantee that the wet tiles can dry evenly.
Summary
After receiving the products they should be stored in a suitable place while keeping in mind these pieces of advice. Therefore, please follow all the recommendations and handle the stones with care. Finally, it is also worth keeping in mind that natural stone products must not be slid on one another as this may scratch the surface of the products.
