Ask any question, share your knowledge, or offer your services!

 Stone Cure/Clean

R1: The only way to repair the scratch is to sand it off. For the hole, if it's deep enough, you can fill it with epoxy glue to match the color. About the black stain, I have no idea how it was formed, therefore, without that information, I wouldn't know how to remove it. Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA. 

R1: Dear bob: 30 / 40 volume. Wear rubber gloves. Put some baby powder in a glass or stainless steel bowl, pour some HP on it and mix to form a paste more or less of the consistency of peanut-butter (this is a poultice). Apply the poultice onto the stain (approx. 1/4" thick) and leave it there until is totally dry. After that, remove the talc (baby powder), clean with a damp rag or a wet brush, and check if the stains came out. Repeat it if necessary. Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA

A 1379: I had a travertine honed and filled tiles recently installed in my home. Unfortunately, on the second application of the sealer for the grout, our installer failed to adequately remove the sealer from the tiles. We now have a floor that appears dirty, leaves footprint markings and actually has some dried puddle markings. How can we correct this problem? Joan, Jan 28. Reply

R1: Joan: Different sealers may be stripped in different ways (inquire with the sealer's manufacturer about that). Call the contractor back and have him solve the problem he created. He's got paid, I don't. Ciao, Maurizio, USA,

R3: If the slate is unpolished, then use a light sandpaper to remove the scratch. If the slate is polished, the same process may be used but the area will require repolishing and it is difficult to match the level of gloss. Regards Arun, India,

R1: Yes, with baby oil (or any other mineral oil). Ciao, Maurizio, USA,

R3: Dear Nadeen, It is very difficult to bring back the original shine in granite. granite being very hard cannot be repolished using any of the normal cleaners or sealers. Wax emulsions are the best for instant shining and that is what your daughter is using. The gloss in Granite is because of the light being reflected back from the surface. Scratches, dirt etc inhibit the reflection of light. best is to use a good quality wax emulsion. We provide DIY kits for marble and granite. Arun, India

R1: Dear Nadeen: UbaTuba doesn't need to be sealed. The reason why it was dull looking was solely due to the fact that you've been cleaning all this time with water and soap. The soap is very hard to rinse off completely, and it will leave a film sitting on the surface of the stone. The more it accumulates, the more it detracts from its natural shine

R2: I don't know if the the thinset is completely dry. How much time has elapsed since the limestone was installed? If it is less than a few weeks, you may take the do nothing approach for a few more weeks. Maybe it will continue to dry. I fortunately, have not had much experience with remedying this type problem. Regards, Steven, USA.

A 1351: We recently purchased a 1965 home that has slate flooring in the foyer. The previous owners had applied several coats of floor wax to the slate which has now yellowed. What is the best method of removing the wax from the slate floor? Thanks! Pat, Jan 21. Reply

R1: Dear Pat: Get hold of a janitorial company that does stripping and waxing and hire them to strip your floor. Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA

R2: Joan, Call the people who did this and tell them to clean this up for you. Regards, Steven, USA

A 1344: I have a Green Stone counter top that was just installed. before I could seal it my dog got on the counter and urinated on it. Can you tell me what kind of poultice to use to extract the stain. Thank you, Robert, Jan 17. Reply

R1: What kind of green stone is it? Generally, clean with 12% hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of ammonia. Test a scrap piece for color fastness before proceeding. Regards Steven, USA

R2: Dear bob: We're a little bit ... confused, aren't we! 1. You say that you know enough geology not to use any acidic substance to clean the stone, then you use vinegar (Acetic Acid, that is)! 2. You say that your best guess to remove deep stains is to grind the stone. I'm wondering what your not so good guess is going to be! Stains, if they are not too old, can be only removed by poultice. A poultice is the combination of an absorbent medium (caoline, diatomaceous earth, talc, cotton balls, paper towels, etc.) with a chemical, which should be specific to deal with the particular nature of the stain (organic stain, or oily, or biological, etc.). Considering that's a fireplace, the typical stains occurring on the hearth are usually organic. You can try to poultice them out using Hydrogen Peroxide 30 / 40 volume (available at a beauty salon near you). If you will turn out to be successful, then you will proceed to seal the stone with a good quality stone impregnator (several applications will be needed). No offense meant, I was just teasing you a little bit! Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA.

Thank you to Maurizio and JVC for their replies. Sorry for the mix-up with the vinegar (acetic acid). I was thinking one thing and typing another. (So much for multi-tasking :-) I have called around the area where I live and that led me to a company in Seattle, Washingtion which recommended the use of a poultice. I've since purchased and used it (3 applications) with little or no results --- can't see a difference, but I will continue to use it. I was told mult-applications would be necessary. The facing of the fireplace is also Arizona sandstone which is done in rough-cut, brick-like shapes. Through the years candles have dripped wax down the front of the stone and have left stains and wax build-up. Last night I had an idea on how to remove these. First, I used a heat gun to melt the wax. As the wax melted I dabbed it with a soft cloth. I did this until there was little or no wax left. However, this left a stain. (The only reason I can think of for this is the coloring in the wax was left behind.) After this step I tried with vinegar using both a wire brush and a soft brush. I kept applying vinegar, using both brushes, until the sandstone looked fairly clean. I then rinsed with water using the soft brush. This method was very successful. Questions: What type of liquids should I not use on sandstone? Would peroxide work better? back to the subject of the smooth hearth. I will try peroxide on this per recommendation. However, I have more questions. 1. What chemical and mechanical treatments should I not use and why? 2. How can I remove surface scratches? 3. Is it possible to fill chips in the surface? What can be used for these? Thank you very much for your help. It is really appreciated. bob in Seattle, Jan 18.

A 1326: Need information on what retail brand product I can buy to make 'blue Pearl' granite countertops shine. Windex does not make them shine like NEW. Jan 15. Reply

R1: Wet, sand then color enhance. Ciao, Maurizio, USA

R5: Randy, The newest and most innovative method of cleaning grout lines is the Vapor Steam cleaning system. You may use nothing but the hot penetrating power of the Vapor Cleaning System or you can use a grout cleaning chemical in conjunction for real difficult stains and jobs. Good luck Jerry, USA

R3: I refinish at least 100 marble floors a year (honing & polishing). Since I actually polish the stone surface (I use a polishing powder -- my own, that is), many a times most of the grout gets cleaned, too. It much depends by the type of grout, how recessed it is over the surface of the tiles, etc. My formal contract, however, specifically excludes -- in bold letters and non uncertain terms -- the cleaning of the grout as part of the job. I am stone refinisher, not a cleaning contractor. I used to offer such service on the side, but then I just pulled out of that business altogether. Too many aggravations and risks, too: several times part of the grout was coming loose and they expected me to rectify the situation for free. Some other times, no matter what I was doing to it, the soil was so deeply inbedded in it that it would never come clean, or, maybe, it would not come as clean as the areas near the walls, etc.. Conclusion: since there's no such a thing like a sure formula on how to go about cleaning grout, the gamble was such that they could not pay me enough! In my neck of the woods there's a company specializing in cleaning grout, and I believe is some sort of a franchise thing. Man, I've seen some of their works and I can tell you that they are darn good! When some customer insists about the cleaning of the grout I refer them to this company and everybody's happy. I seldom do commercial work (I make it my business to be the highest bidder all the time!), but if I would ever face a situation like the one you're describing, I would hire them as a subcontractor (and even make a little money in the process!). That's what they do. That's all they do. Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA

R1: Hi, visit http://www.findstone.com/articles.htm. Pini, USA

R4: You are not much for descriptions are you? Efflorescence would not be due to stone selection. It is the presence of moisture within the installation. Find out where the moisture is coming from, stop it, let the floor dry out, and then proceed. Sometimes efflorescence will appear in a new installation and will disappear once everything cures. Proceed from there. best regards, Steven, USA

R2: The problem of efflorescence is due to the following reasons: a) Moist condition of the substrate b) Quality of water used during construction was not right. c) The stone back has not been sealed prior to laying d) The stone is porous and water is moving in and reacting with the mortar and dissolving salts and then creeping up as efflorescence. e) The grouts have not been sealed properly and is allowing the moisture to creep up. Yes, there are methods of stopping it. 1) Reopen the grout and seal with an epoxy pigmented in the desired shade. 2) If wet look is acceptable coating the surface with a chemical. This treatment will stop efflorescence immediately and can be done at your end and is available as a DIY. Regards, Arun, India

A 1303: Attached are pictures of a shower enclosure I installed in the summer of 2000. I did not install the tile floor but did supply the tile. The installer seemed to know what he was doing and did some beautiful work around the house. He set the tile in an epoxy based thin set over a rubberized membrane, after I had installed the walls with Liquid Nails 602 over cement board. Several weeks later still during construction the staining in the floor showed up. Working on the belief it could be moisture we let it be. Last January while the owner was out of the house for 2 weeks we put a commercially prepared poultice for oil on some of the stain. We covered the poultice for 2 days then removed the plastic and allowed the poultice to dry. Where we had put the poultice the stain moved into the walls as you see it in these pictures. The customer has been very understanding about the fact that the original stain was due to nothing we did, however he is upset about the stain moving up the walls (no more than 2 inches). Do you have any ideas as to the cause of this stain or how I can test it to find a proper stain removal tool? Any Advice will be appreciated Thanks, and Happy New Year George, USA, Jan 5. Reply

R2: Dear George: Now that I had the opportunity to observe the pictures, I am more than positive about my diagnosis, which is that you have a lot of water under those tiles. Two other considerations come now into the surface: 1. The selection of that particular stone, which looks like Kashmire (granite? Yeah, right! And I am the emperor of China, too!) for a shower stall is disgraceful, to say the least. Unless those tiles were sealed only the Gods know with how many massive doses of impregnator, that stone is so absorbent that it WILL allow water going all the way through it. 2. the floor has been installed after the walls. This translates in a very weak "Achille Tendon" in the overall picture. In fact, even the minimum failure of the caulk, or grout that was applied where walls and floor meet, will lead to an immediate access of the water under the floor tiles, with the consequence that you can clearly see. The whole thing is screwed-up, George, and you can listen to all sorts of advice, but you will eventually have to conclude yourself that there's no other remedy if not ripping out at least the floor, let the shower enclosure dry completely until the staining in the lower part of the walls disappears (hopefully!), try to seal at best the new tiles before you install them (I would go as far as using penetrating epoxy in the back to try to seal them, let the epoxy cure for several days, then literally soak the tiles with a good quality impregnator), caulk as thoroughly as possible, and keep your fingers crossed. by the way, looking at the pictures it appears to me that the tile setter did a good job. I can detect a proper gap in between tiles for grouting. Further, you're reporting he had used epoxy setting. Nothing wrong there! Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA

Steven, I've used Liquid Nails 602 on numerous installations a never had a problem with it bleeding through the stone. George.

A 1302: Hi, We too have a huge amount of our floor (entry, hall, kitchen and family room) covered in travertine. We picked out the travertine and had a local independent tile setter install it. (We built our own home) We like the dull finish, however there are swirl marks in each individual tile. From a distance the travertine looks clumpy or dirty. We have sealed it with a non-gloss sealer but it still has that dirty look. Do you have any suggestions on what to do with it and if we do replace it all, what kind of stone or marble do you recommend that could be used in all of these areas? We would appreciate any help you can give us. Thank you, Daryle, USA, Jan 5. Reply

R2: Dear Daryle: What you're describing is not only a common problem with factory-honed travertine, but it is, in fact, a given! The hone finish produced in the factories is obtained by taking off the last couple of grits from the automated polishing line. The polishing lines for stone are designed to produce a high polish finish, and they fall (way) short when they are programmed to produce an "intermediate" finish. Consequently, the hone-finish produced by the factory, is, in my opinion, not fit for sale. What you report -- swirl marks all over the tiles, which were produced by the grinding elements, and not rectified by the (missing) polishing ones -- speak volumes about my theory! but you made a mistake yourself. For what I can understand, you applied some sort of topical sealer over the surface of your floor. It's not something that you wanted to do, and you must get rid of it, if you want to rectify the original problem. The solution to which is to hire a professional stone refinisher to hone your floor using either honing screens (using diamond pads would create more or less the same patterns that you have now), or, better yet, a good-quality honing powder. I can understand that you may be a little upset at the idea of having to hire (at your own expenses) an independent contractor to do something that you didn't expect (and that nobody indicated to you at the time of the purchase of the material), but I'm here to offer technical solutions, not legal advice. Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA

A 1300: I was browsing the Website and came across the same exact problem as that of A 1077. I have Sivakashi installed as a vanity top in my bathroom- and getting the same stains. Your answer is dismal- there's NOTHING I can do about this?? I've just spent an enormous sum of money on this "granite" top and am very upset. Any way to remove the current water spot (it's a smoky black discoloration) and future spotting? Please give me some hope!! The family bathroom can not function as just a showcase. Tom, Jan 5, Reply

A 1295: I am looking to find a product called Dress Slate. I sealed my interior slate floor with it 18 years ago and it has lasted this long. I would like to do it again, as the slate is beginning to look dull, but I cannot find the product and am afraid to try anything else. Jan 2. Reply

The slate floor is in a front entry way.  The front door is rarely used however and no one ever wears shoes in my home.  I am the only one living in the house, so there is very little traffic on the floor.  I would like to achieve a satin gloss finish (as opposed to a high shiny gloss). Cynthia, Jan 12

R1: This is really odd as marble is not usually painted to achieve its colors. Please contact a local restoration professional to look at the fireplace for you. best regards Steven, USA

R1: You can tell if a stone is granite or a similar type of stone by judging whether citric acid will etch the surface or not. On granite it will not. Secondly the hardness of the material can be an indicator. Granite is much harder than calcium carbonate material. Yes granite and marble does need different care in any area. I have supplied many different blue countertops. I do not remember one sold in the US as Oceanic. There is a variety from India I believe that has that designation but I have not worked with it. I think that some of the Azuls from brazil have calcium carbonate in them. They are traded as granites but are not. Finally some suppliers have used marble. Either way the condition you describe is typical for either. I do not recommend putting an epoxy coating on the countertop. It is not a DIY and few professionals have done it. I have on a Azul bahia countertop as a favor to a fabricator. The epoxy will eventually wear off. Either accept the counter for what it is or replace it. Regards, Steven, USA