Stone Restoration

Professional Restoration of Natural Stone Floors & Countertops
Marble, Limestone, Travertine & Terrazzo Polishing

We take great care in determining the most effective methods for each of our clients’ unique stone needs. We will tailor our services to your particular floor to restore it to its original beauty!

Our process:

1. Evaluation & Consultation:
   This first step is to examine the stone floor or counter top to determine how worn or damaged it really is.

   This step is important because a full refinishing is not always necessary. All too often, marble care companies will just go ahead and grind the floor in order to charge the customer as much money as possible. However, a proper polish or light grind will often do the trick, making the stone look new again with as little work as possible. Once we’ve determined how much work is necessary, we’ll explain exactly what we’re going to do and why it has to be done.

   We also like to give our customer a variety of options to allow for spending budgets and time restrictions.

2. Refinishing:
   Now that we’ve determined what needs to be done and what the customer expects, we can go ahead and begin restoring the stone.

   We take all the necessary precautions by prepping the area that’s to be worked on by putting plastic on the baseboards and drop sheets wherever we need to walk. We also use water when grinding the floor so there is no need to worry about dust.Experience & high quality products mean the job is done right the first time & that is why we can guarantee customer satisfaction.

3. Professional Sealing:
   The stone has been restored and is now ready for a proper seal.

   This is a vital step as an unprotected floor or counter top is susceptible to stains and moisture. That is why we use only the highest grade silicone impregnating sealers that sink into the stone to ensure that harmful liquids remain on the surface. We also have products for high traffic areas which actually harden the stones surface, enabling it to better resist scratches and overall wear in general. These products are especially useful in commercial buildings.

   If the customer would like to enhance the color of the stone, color enhancing impregnating sealers can be used to bring out the veins and character within the stone.

4. Maintenance Sessions:
   Even after the stone has been restored and sealed, its newly finished surface will begin to wear over time.

   Proper daily care will greatly extend its new appearance, but ongoing foot traffic and other factors will gradually wear away at it. Although a periodic maintenance program will mean additional expense, it will ensure a beautiful floor at all times and prevent the need for complete refinishing in the future. The frequency of these sessions will be determined by both the needs of your specific stone and the appearance level that you would like to maintain.

Stone Maintenance Tips

Whether you have marble, granite, limestone or slate it is not immune to wear and tear. It’s only a matter of time before the stone begins to deteriorate and lose its natural finish.

Verona Stone provides complete stone maintenance services to enable your stone floor to retain its lustre.

We also provide our customers with simple guidelines in caring for the stone, which will extend the time in between refinishing.

DO:

• Dust mop the stone on a regular basis removing lose dirt and dust.
• Use a non acidic neutral soap with warm water to clean the stone.
• Wipe up spills quickly.
• Check the stone every few months to see whether it is properly sealed.
• Use floor mats and carpets for entrances especially in the winter.

DON’T:

• Use vinegar, acidic or citrus cleaners, or any product with ammonia to clean the stone.
• Allow common household cleaners to come into contact with the stone. (ex. Windex, Vim etc.)
• Use inexpensive wipe on wipe off “quick waxes”
• Leave sharp objects such as keys, knives etc. on stone surfaces including granite
• Allow any kind of oil, wine or citrus juices to sit on the stone for an extended period of time.

Following these guidelines will help to keep your stone looking new and stain free. A simple neutral soap such as Palmolive mixed with warm water and applied with a cotton string mop is all that is needed to keep the stone’s surface clean. A properly sealed floor or counter top will be able to resist harmful liquids long enough for you to clean them up. Eventually though, if left to sit, harmful spills will penetrate the surface and leave a stain, even on newly sealed stone. It’s the sealer however that gives you a chance to clean up a spill before any damage is done.

Here is a test that you can do to see if your stone is properly sealed.

1. Pour a small amount of water on the stone
2. Let it sit for a minute

Does the water darken the stone? Is it puddling or beading on the surface?

Any puddling/darkening means the liquid has begun to penetrate the surface.

 

* Fact: Even when newly installed, granite, marble, limestone and travertine should all be properly sealed using a high grade silicone impregnator. Factory sealers just don’t cut it!