In treating marble, limestone and travertine, there are two main types of services that can be provided. The first is cleaning and sealing which is simpler and less labor-intensive. The second type of service is stone restoration which is more thorough, labor-intensive, and will leave your surfaces looking brand new. Read on to learn more about which service is right for you.
WHO NEEDS STONE MAINTENANCE?
All natural stone needs to be maintained to ensure its longevity over time. It doesn't matter where the stone is installed, it still needs to be regularly cleaned and sealed or restored, every so often depending on its wear and tear.
In your home, your kitchen floors and countertops get a lot of use, as do your showers. Regular maintenance ensure that the surfaces look sparkling, are protected and are free of mold, mildew, and other potential problems.
For commercial spaces, it is important to create a good impression for your business. Keeping your walkways, courtyards, entry foyers, restaurants, and office spaces looking great is key to your success!
If you want your the guests in your hotel or restaurant to have an unforgettable experience, your spaces better be sparkling! We can restore your foyer, halls, dining rooms and guest bathrooms!
WHAT IS CLEANING AND SEALING?
Whether your stone or tile is new, or you have been enjoying it for years, we always recommend a clean and seal to ensure it will stay looking like new. Over time, unsealed material will lose luster, accumulate dirt and grime, absorb moisture or oils causing rust, staining, or other serious problems. Our process deep cleans your stone and tile removing soil from the pores, and our sealer penetrates deep to create a barrier that will extend the life of your stone for many more years.
We especially recommend this process on new stone and tile installations. This will ensure the stone is protected before anyone even starts to use the surfaces!
WHAT IS STONE RESTORATION?
Marble, limestone, and travertine are calcareous stones meaning that they contain calcium carbonate in them. When the calcium carbonate comes in contact with an acidic product, the the acid eats away at the calcium carbonate leaving the stone with what we call etch marks. These materials are also relatively soft and can scratch over time. Normal wear and tear on these natural stones can lose their luster due to superficial scratch marks and etches.
Dull spots, etching, and scratches are easily repairable with our diamond-infused tools. We can treat your stone to be as polished or as matte as you require. This is a contained, water-based process so there is no dust. We will leave your space spotless and looking better than on the day of installation!
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE REGULARLY FOR YOUR STONE?
There are so many good reasons to care for your stone regularly. Here is the feedback we have after years in the industry:
Protect your investment- Your investment has value and it wasn’t cheap! Make it last a lifetime!
Maintain cleanliness- Dirt, dust, mold, and mildew can grow in unprotected stone and grout. Don’t let these things compromise the health and cleanliness in your home.
Preserve aesthetic beauty- Natural stone is beautiful! Dirty, dingy and beat up stone is not! This is a no-brainer!
Ensure longevity- The law of entropy applies here! Stone and grout left uncared for WILL deteriorate.
Avoid costly future problems- The longer something is left to deteriorate, the more expensive the repair will be.
YOUR COMMON QUESTIONS ANSWERED…
WHAT ARE ETCH MARKS?
An etch mark on stone is when the surface of a stone is altered by a corrosive chemical like acid. This is mainly due to the calcium carbonate in the stone which is easily eaten away by the acid. Marble, travertine, and limestone are easily etched by common acids such as vinegar, wine, and lemon juice. Etch marks are removable with stone restoration.
WHAT ARE STAINS?
Stains in the stone can occur from prolonged exposure to oil, coffee, wine, and other substances left in contact with the stone for prolonged periods of time. They are removable through a multi-day extraction process. Stain removal can never be guaranteed because every stain and every natural stone are unique. However, the technicians at CATA Stone Care & Restoration always strive to do their best… and usually we have great success!
WHAT ARE SCRATCHES?
Scratches are superficial marks made by normal wear and tear of stone. Stone restoration removes superficial scratches by buffing them out using special diamond-impregnated tools.
Sometimes scratches can be very deep, in which case the technicians at CATA Stone Care & Restoration will assess how much of the scratch they can remove. Very deep scratches require extra grinding which may create new and bigger issues.
WHAT ARE STUN MARKS OR PRESSURE MARKS?
Stun marks appear as discoloration in natural stone created by sudden, sharp impact on the stone’s surface causing weak links in the crystalized rock to fracture. Since stun marks alter the structure of the crystals, they can be permanent. It is important to treat your stone with care, particularly when moving heavy objects over it. Stun marks usually cannot be removed with stone restoration since the actual crystals within the stone have been crushed.
CONCLUSION
Your natural stone and tile need to be cared for. Be sure to connect with CATA Stone Care & Restoration to understand when and what kind of maintenance is required. Don't wait to maintain your surfaces until they have major issues. ACT NOW!