With more than a decade of restoration & maintenance experience, STONESHINE understands how critical it is to treat the surfaces correctly the first time and then on an on-going basis to ensure their presentation and durability. Therefore, STONESHINE provides various services for newer and older situations.
At StoneShine any type of natural stone cleaning involves a common seven-step process which is the following:
• cover & protect all sensitive areas
• deep cleaning with PH neutral cleaner
• machine scrub OR diamond sand to resurface tile and eliminate etches & scratches
• hand scrub grout (if applicable)
• buff OR hone to customer’s desired finish
• apply penetrating sealer
• buff out excess sealer
Here are StoneShine's Steps to a Perfect Restoration:
step 1: the first step involves covering, masking and protecting all the sensitive areas (ex: baseboards, walls, cabinets, stainless steel appliances, carpet, wood flooring, etc) after furniture has been removed from working area. Caution needs to be exercised during this step due to liability issues if not done correctly; masking tape must not be applied directly on baseboards surface if freshly painted, masking tape may not be used in some cabinets and appliances which are somewhat delicate and that might get stained.
Step 2: the second step is deep cleaning the stone with a PH neutral cleaner to help release the dirt trapped in the pores of the stone, this procedure also helps the grout get cleaner.
Step 3: before this step we have had previously determined the service our customer has purchased. At StoneShine we offer our customers two main services which are: Restoration or Clean & Seal:
Restoration: this process implies the use of diamond pads to re-surface the top layer of the tile thus eliminating scratches & etches on the surface of the tile, this procedure is most commonly known as honing.
The word “honing” started being used more widely to described the process known as diamond sanding due to the fact that customers would associate the word “sanding” with that of wood sanding which is in fact a very dusty process. beware that in good practice customer must be informed that diamond sanding is a wet process and that it doesn’t cause any dust.
Clean & Seal: in the clean & seal service we use the same machines used for diamond sanding but scrub pads are used instead of diamond pads to treat the surfaces, please note that this process will not remove etches & scratches from the surface of the stone.
Step 4: hand scrubbing the grout with a custom built scrub is very important, even in cases where the customer doesn’t deem necessary. it will clean accumulated dirt from grout surface. Please note that some stains may not be removed by this process. In cases where stains are deeply penetrated into the grout then re-grouting might be necessary. furthermore, this is something that we would only be able to know until the job is finished and grout is completely dry. Steam cleaning is another method of grout cleaning that is widely employed and used by other companies, even though we have the know how and capabilities to offer this service to our clients we choose not to do so. The reason for this is very simple, we appreciate our customer’s business and don’t want them to inherit a liability down the line. It is a proven fact that steam cleaning weakens the bond between the grout molecules, thus, making the grout surface fragile and subceptible to cracking and breaking apart.
Step 5: depending on the finish of the stone we buff or hone.
Buffing is the process in which we achieve a desired sheen or finish (ex: matte, satin, semi-gloss, high-gloss) on the surface of the stone. We do this by using special polishing pads and diamond resin polishing compounds.
Honing is the process in which we lower the sheen from the surface of the stone, in this case we can go from any gloss finish to a matte or honed finish. To achieve this result we use lower and more abrasive diamond grits.
Step 6: penetrating or impregnator sealer must be applied uniformly throughout the stone and then time must be allowed for it to be absorbed properly by the stone.
Step 7: after sealer has been absorbed by the stone then it must be buffed out to eliminate any excess or haze left over by sealer.
Q&A:
Is it absolutely necessary to seal a stone once its cleaned or polished?
YES, it is absolutely necessary to seal natural stone unless it is a man-made material like ceasarstone or engineered stone in which case it does not absorb sealer.
Stone has pores in its natural state, when these pores aren’t properly sealed then the surface of the stone is left exposed and bound to have foreign liquids and oils penetrate and cause stains and etches on its surface.
What Sets StoneShine Apart from Other Companies?
• We are a customer oriented company that prides itself in customer service and satisfaction.
• We take the training of new employees very seriously, we take time to teach our new stone specialists how to apply proper and proven methods techniques to restore natural stone. We have learned from the best and teach our new employees nothing but the best.
• to stay on the cutting edge of our field of work we attend natural stone seminars every year that help us stay up-to-date in new stone restoration products and techniques.
• We pay attention to detail, everyone in our company is accountable for making sure that the job is done right from the beginning and that the customer’s expectations are completely satisfied to the smallest detail.
• Our professionalism sets us apart from other companies. We answer to our incoming calls and address any customer concerns immediately with no delay.
• In our eyes the customer is always right. We never arguee with our customers, we just take care of the problem and make it right.
• We take precautions to avoid making mistakes, we are by no means perfect but our customers appreciate the fact that we try to resolve their needs and concerns in a fast and timely manner.
• We don’t forget why we are here and that is YOU our customer!
