I went to a customer’s home last week who had a Thossos White marble foyer. I have to admit it wasn’t in the best of shape, but nothing that I hadn’t seen before.
She said I was her last call before she started shopping around for a completely new material to put at her entrance, even though she loved the Thassos White marble. Boy, I am sure glad she did call us, because the issues she was experiencing with her marble was nothing that could not be fixed through stone restoration.
Our customer with the Thassos White marble floor had embedded dirt, scratches, urine etch marks from pets and some of the grout lines missing. All of these issues can be addressed through stone restoration. If the stone surface is looking tired and worn due to traffic and use, International Stoneworks can clean, re-hone and re-polish the stone and improve it substantially.
Scratches and stains can be addressed as well, but please keep in mind that if these imperfections are very deep, we can improve them, but may not be able to completely remove them.
Grout seems to be a big issue for our customers as well. Many times simple cleaning with a scrub brush can really lighten up the grout lines. If cleaning is not enough, we can stain grout lines using an epoxy color stain or even replace certain grout lines.
After restoration, we want to help you maintain your new gorgeous finish. First thing we do is seal your natural stone (typically with an impregnator sealer), which helps prevent non-acid liquids from penetrating into the stone. We also always recommend neutral and safe cleaning products for you to use. For commercial buildings, we can also provide a stone maintenance plan for the traffic areas.
Some other pros to choose restoration over replacement: logistics. No dust and no jack hammering during the restoration process.
Ok so realistically, when should you consider replacement over restoration?
If your stone surface has a multitude of cracked tiles.
You just plain don’t like the color or pattern of the stone; no amount of resurfacing will completely change the color. If you aren’t a big fan of green terrazzo and that’s what you have, just go head and change it.
Lippage: Diamond Grinding restoration can remove lippage, but sometimes the cost can be equivalent to replacement. I’m not saying to go directly to your stone supplier; however, it may be worth pricing the project both ways.
If you are in the Houston area, International Stoneworks would be happy to quote you on restoring your stone surface.
