+Also check out some Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Stone Restoration

Our 5-Step System for Cleaning & Maintaining Beautiful Stone

Step #1 Consultation / Evaluation
First, we inspect your stone and perform a number of tests to determine type of stone. We will inspect the wear patterns and damage on the stone. After reviewing this data, we can restore a sample area for no charge. This will allow us to be very precise in our diagnosis of the problem and give you a snapshot of what your stone surface should look like. We can also determine if your stone should be sealed.

Step #2 Restoration
Through the use of trained stone technicians, state-of the-art equipment and materials, we will restore your stone surface to its original beauty. All work will be completed in a professional and timely manner.

Step #3 Impregnation/Protection
Many stones are susceptible to stains from spills of coffee, soft drinks, soiling from normal foot traffic, oils and many other things. It can be protected against these stains by the use of an impregnator. An impregnator is an integral part of an ongoing, proactive stone care program. We use only the best, sometimes most expensive impregnators available on the market. Impregnators facilitate an easier, cost effective maintenance program for all natural stone by offering long term protection against stains and dirt penetration.

Step #4 Daily Maintenance Training
Most people use what they consider to be “safe” techniques and chemicals on their stone to care for it on a daily basis. What may be safe for tile or ceramic, can be damaging to natural stone. After we restore your stone surface to its original beauty, we will train you or your cleaning people on how to maintain a restored appearance on a routine basis. We can even leave you with our recommended daily stone cleaner to use.

Step #5 Periodic Follow-Up Restoration
Even after stone has been restored and impregnated, its new beautiful appearance is not permanent. Proper daily care will greatly extend the beautiful appearance, but on-going foot-traffic and other factors will always be wearing away at the bright, clean appearance. A periodic maintenance program will mean additional expense, but it will ensure a beautiful floor at all times and prevent the need for a complete restoration in the future. After restoration, we can design a periodic restoration schedule. The frequency will be determined by both the needs of your specific stone and the appearance level that you would like to maintain.
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Travertine, Marble & Stone Restoration

We are one of the few area companies that specalize in the use of diamond abrasives in the restoration of your stone surfaces. The use of diamonds in the grinding and honing phase of restoration will give you better clarity and more reflectivity after polishing. We also provide cleaning, sealing, crack/chip repair and stain removal for marble, granite, travertine, terrazzo and all other natural stone surfaces.Following are the restoration services we offer and what they entail:

Grinding - To remove deep scratches and remove lippage (uneven tile edges). Done by machine with diamond abrasive pads and water that creates no dust.

Honing -To remove minor scratches and wear from eveyday foot traffic. This process is also done by machine with diamond abrasive pads and water that creates no dust.

Polishing - To give marble or stone the sheen you want, enhance the veining in marble and to protect the marble or stone from everyday traffic and spills. (Utilizing the same compounds that are used in the fabricating process.)

Cleaning – To remove dirt, stains and bacteria and to remove waxes and polymers that have become embedded.

Sealing - To protect and preserve natural stone. (Using penetrating sealers / impregnators.)

Color Enhancing - The use of penetrating sealers / impregnators formulated to enhance or enrich the color of your stone.

Stripping - To remove coatings that block stone’s ability to breathe which causes spalling (when the stones crack, pop and shale). Some examples of common coatings are, crystallization, janitorial waxes, polyurethane, ect.

Grout Cleaning and Sealing - Dirt loves to hide in grout. Brushes cannot penetrate into the micro pores to get all of the contaminants out. We use a patented system to clean your grout to like new and then we seal it to facilitate easier maintenance for the long haul.
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F.A.Q.

What is Natural Stone Restoration?

Restoration of stone is the restoring of worn stone to the state in which it was installed. It may also entail the altering of the stones surface to match a desired finish of the installation’s owner or management. In some cases an owner may desire a polished surface to be honed or visa versa.

Restoration is a process that can only be done by a professional stone restoration company. Travertine cleaning, marble polishing and granite cleaning done by unreputable companies will often do more harm than good when it comes to restoring your natural stone. The investment of knowledge, equipment and experience needed to understand and work with granite, travertine, terrazzo and marble is greater than what your average janitorial company can afford to pay for qualified technicians to stay with the company.

A qualified stone restoration technician will on the other hand, be too busy to do routine maintenance work which pays much less then they can make working with stone. It is like asking a Ferrari mechanic to fix bicycles for the same wages. Looking at it from reverse, would a bicycle shop owner pay to keep a Ferrari mechanic on duty until a customer with a Ferrari came in? Only a Ferrari dealer (or specialist) is going to be able to warrant keeping a technician with the specialized knowledge, tools and equipment on payroll as customers will be more regular and make the investment worthwhile.
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What is Involved?

Restoration of polished marble or natural stone involves the removal of scratches and/or damage from the surface of the stone by means of mechanical abrasion. This is also known as diamond grinding.

Natural stone reflects light and does not need a topical coating or wax to achieve this desired finish. It only needs a series of diamond grits used in the proper order by a master technician who is experienced in their use. This followed by a careful polishing technique that can only be learned from experience.

Restoration of a honed finish involves using a series of diamond abrasives up until the desired finish is achieved.

A flamed finish can be restored using the same technique used in the processing of the tile or slab. This is a controlled burning of the stone so that the crystals “pop” creating the unique finish.

As you can see, the restoration of each separate stone surface will involve several different methods and techniques.

A restoration professional will also take care to protect the surrounding surfaces from damage. The diamond grinding technique involves large amounts of water and this could be damaging to wood and carpet if measures were not properly taken to ensure the water’s use was kept to a minimum and protection against splatter used. The flaming technique obviously entails using a large open flame tool. One would want to ensure that flammable materials were not around and that ventilation was adequate.
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How is the Job Charged?

Stone restoration jobs are usually charge by the job. Square footage pricing is not practical. Each type of stone will present its own unique challenges as will the consumer’s desired result for each surface. Many aspects need to be taken into consideration, such as where in the building the stone to be restored is located, water and electricity supplies available, etc. Regardless of the cost, it is always less than the price of replacement and most times you will have an installation that looks as good as, if not better than new.
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How long does it take?

Each type of stone and the desired finish for each as well as the size of the job will set the pace for the length of time needed to complete a project. If you are looking to restore over 300 sq ft of any stone, chances are you are looking at more than one day realistically. More can be done in one day, but not with the proper set-up and protection of other surfaces.
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What can I expect?

You can expect to have your stone looking like new again and will be given the proper maintenance instructions for long term care. Scratches, etch marks and wear can be removed. Also advice on how to avoid any future need for restoration for a considerable length of time.
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What is required to schedule service and how soon can I expect service?

Generally, your stone restoration professional will ask for a minimum charge deposit. Without a commitment (deposit), customers may decide to change days or not show up for appointments. Lost days of work cost professional restoration companies too much money to schedule work without deposits. Generally your scheduled service date will be within 2 weeks. Often, however, the greater the need, the sooner technicians can be scheduled.
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