There’s simply nothing quite like natural stone. The way it looks, the way it feels, the strength, elegance and durability – man-made materials just have to take a back seat to the beautiful marble, granite, slate, travertine and onyx creations in our houses and offices! If you’re looking into natural stone restoration, we can help.
While it’s true that stone is tough, it’s not impervious to wear and tear. Foot traffic, over time, can dull a marble floor, for example. Additionally, exposure to acidic chemicals or foods can create etch marks and ‘water rings’ on marble or limestone counters or tiles.
Property owners can do some marble and stone maintenance tasks on a ‘DIY’ basis. We help our clients know what they can use to clean and maintain their stone surfaces, using stone safe products.
However, there are some jobs best left to stone restoration pros. That’s where we come into the picture.
If you have a concern about your stone, feel free to get in touch with us. Some problems we may be able to talk you through over the phone, and we’re always willing to explain what you can do yourself and what tasks are best for a pro. Not every solution has to be dramatic or expensive – some are fairly straightforward.
We do stone polishing, fine stone cleaning, regrouting and restoration for stone floors, walls, showers, stairs, vanities, tables and counter tops. Although we use different equipment to fit each setting, the method is similar.
The Stone Restoration Process
Here’s a brief overview of our process: (It varies slightly depending on the type of stone).
- Most marble restoration jobs or other calcite stones need some degree of diamond honing to remove scratches or etch marks. This step removes a very thin layer of stone, about the thickness of a piece of paper. Typically, we use several different levels of abrasion to smooth out the stone. All honing is done wet to avoid airborne dust.
- If there are chips or divots, we fill them with tinted color matched epoxy material.
- If the client wants a high shine, we use a marble restoration powder to produce a paste for a final buffing. This step creates a brilliant, lustrous gloss.
- The stone needs thorough cleaning with neutral pH cleaning liquids at this stage.
- Finally, we apply a clear penetrating sealer to protect the stone from staining.
Our staff has over 20 years of experience maintaining fine stone installations and specialized training so you can trust the quality of the work. Therefore you can be assured we’ll take care of your property with the skill and care you deserve.
About half our business is residential, so a typical stone restoration job might be honing a marble kitchen countertop, a bathroom vanity, or a marble floor. There are no ‘too small’ jobs.
The other half of our work is commercial and runs the gamut from granite countertop restoration for a restaurant, polishing marble floors for an office building, or restoring a terrazzo floor for a government building.
We’ve worked for major universities and schools such as Boston University, Fitchburg State University and MIT, hotels like Hampton Inn, Four Seasons and Holiday Inn, restaurants like Legal Sea Foods, and Ruths Chris Steakhouse, banks like UBS and Cambridge Trust, as well as Shriner’s Hospital, Stop and Shop, and many other leading property management companies and general contractors. They know we are fully insured and they trust us to always maintain their property in peak condition. Check out our page on our commercial clients for more details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Since you use abrasion to remove some stone during the process, are there limits on how many times stone can be refinished?
A. Realistically, we take off very little stone while honing. As a result, there’s no real restriction on how many times a floor or countertop can be restored. As the professional quoted at usenaturalstone.org put it:
“Restoring your stone can bring it back to the look and luster it had when it was originally installed. Part of the beauty of natural stone is that the process can be repeated without worry so you can enjoy your investment for a lifetime”
Q. I have water rings on my marble that I can’t get out. Can you get them out?
A. Despite the name, water rings are not actually caused by water. For the most part, they are actually acid etches from acidic liquids like lemon juice, vinegar or other fruit juices. And yes, we pride ourselves on always getting them out.
Q. I don’t want my stone to have a high gloss. Can you restore matte finish stone?
A. Absolutely! In fact, the low sheen look is becoming more and more popular in the US. We often recommend it for light colored stones. (Doesn’t always work as well for dark colored stone, though).
Q. How often should we seal our stone?
A. High quality sealers are designed to last for years, so applying sealer every year should not really be necessary.
Q. How should we clean our marble surfaces? Are there cleaning chemicals we should stay away from?
A. We always recommend neutral pH cleaning liquids. Generally it’s available at big box stores. We can send you names of specific brands, but pretty much all neutral cleaners work just fine for normal maintenance. Please stay away from any acid type cleaners (so called ‘tile and grout cleaners’ and toilet bowl cleaners are commonly made with acid). Also avoid any abrasive cleaners like heavy duty scouring powders.
Q. Will the sealer prevent my countertops from etching?
A. Clear penetrating sealers don’t prevent acid etching. If you’re interested in making your countertops etch proof, let us know and we can present you some options.
How To Get A Quote On Your Stone Restoration Project
• First, get in touch with us by text, phone call or filling out the form below
• We usually ask for some photos of the area you’d like taken care of. Some close up pictures are useful for a specific spot or stain, but remember to back up and take a few overall shots that show the total size and layout
• Let us know what your concerns are – stains, etch marks, chips, etc.
• Let us know what gloss level you prefer. If you’re not sure, we can do sample areas for you to see side by side. That usually makes it easier to decide.
• We send all our marble restoration quotes in writing and provide you with job photos and references. Insurance info is available on request.
Our contact information:
Act One – Marble and Tile
15 Main Street # 138
Watertown MA 02472-4403
https://cleanpolishmarblegraniteboston.com
617-221-4002 Call or text
