Jacqueline Tabbah, Author at Written in Stone

Jacqueline Tabbah

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Posted on March 3, 2021 at 8:39 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Texas Winter Storm Aftermath – Restoring Stone Surfaces

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It was the week that hell froze over. Texans are the toughest people I know, but wow we suffered that week with epic low temperatures and no heat to warm us up. I wanted to write a blog about moving forward and how we can repair stone surfaces that may have been damaged due to the storm.

Water damaged from broken pipes

First off, if you haven’t already, damp mop the floor with a neutral cleaner such as Lavenet or Lavenet Green and let the surface dry. Use fans and dehumidifiers if necessary. Surface moisture sometimes evaporates in time and the stone does not need restoration or replacement. If there is some discoloration and it does not disappear, an on-site evaluation by International Stoneworks may be needed.

Slate Floor - Water Damage from Broken Pipe — Slate Floor – Water Damage from Broken Pipe

Water damage to stone floors can include:

Dark moisture discoloration (may lighten up on its own in time)
Efflorescence formation – “Efflorescence is caused by water carrying soluble salts from below the surface of the stone. The salts are deposited and recrystallize upon evaporation of the water, leaving a powdery salt residue.” Clean with Lavenet and monitor the floor to see if it returns. If efflorescence is not coming off easily, contact International Stoneworks.
Surface stains that are not due to moisture – Not all stains and discolorations can be removed, but the light surface stains can be improved by a poultice
The stone surface shows loss of shine / or has a patchy appearance – water that has sat on the stone floor (such as marble, travertine or limestone) for a period of time has most likely etched the surface of the stone, which gives an overall patchy appearance. At this point, to reestablish a consistent appearance to the stone surface, International Stoneworks can restore these floors by re-polishing or re-honing the surface using fine abrasives.

Ice expanding cracks and fissures

You may see on some exterior stone surfaces that cracks or voids have become significantly larger post storm. Water may have frozen in the fissures of the stone floor. As it thaws out, it expands the cracks and fissures. For these cases, monitor the voids to make sure they do not continue to worsen. If needed, International Stoneworks can fill these voids.

Salt

For exterior stone floors that had to be salted to avoid slipping on the ice, the salt may have scratched the surface of the stone. Salt is course, so in order to remove these scratches, a professional restoration by International Stoneworks will be needed to re-hone the stone surface.

Posted and tagged Efflorescence, Stain Removal, stone restoration, Water Damage. Use this permalink for a bookmark.

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Posted on February 12, 2021 at 6:14 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Shot Blasting the Competition Away

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Being in the stone restoration industry, we are always looking for more efficient ways to refinish natural stone surfaces. When a floor needs more than just a good scrub clean, we have found a solution that is not only extremely effective in lightening up the surface, but also is environmentally friendly: Shot Blasting! There are few options out there, but personally we use the 1-8DM Shot Blaster, which is a walk behind machine.

711-lousiana-blasting — 1-8DM Shot Blaster on Flamed Granite

Ok, so what exactly is shot blasting? It is a restorative process that shoots or blasts small steel shot beads onto the floor. When the beads are blasted on the surface, the beads shoot at a high velocity, but in a controlled pattern and direction. The beads then rebound back along with the dislodged contaminants and dirt. The beads and contaminants are sucked back into a recovery chamber.

The size of the steel shot beads vary depending on the surface profile and desired finish.

When is shot blasting an applicable form of restoration?

Shot blasting is commonly used on concrete floors as well as exterior floors including decks and balconies.

shot-blast-on-concrete-demo2 — In progress: Shot blasting concrete driveway

We recently used the shot blasting system for a customer that wanted to lighten a flamed granite floor and simple cleaning just wasn’t cutting it. Shot blasting was able to achieve the desired look for this textured stone floor.

711-lousiana-blasting3 — Sample Test on Flamed Granite of Shot Blasting System

Shot blasting is also a great option if you need to remove an adhesive (such as old carpet glue).

A larger bead can be blasted on floors in preparation of wood installations, paints, coatings, or decorative uses. Also bonus: right after shot blasting, there is no wait time or drying time and the floor is immediately ready for the next operation (such as sealing).

So, why am I going on and on about shot blasting? Well, it has some additional benefits:

Environmentally friendly – the steel shot beads are recyclable and can be used multiple times
No rinsing
No drying time
Dust free when used with the appropriate dust collecting equipment
Minimal cleanup due to accompanying dust collection system
Efficient – cleans or strips surfaces in a short period of time

Hopefully, this blog has been a good introduction to a unique system. If you need more information on shot blasting, give International Stoneworks a call at 713-956-8291 or 800-775-TILE.

Posted and tagged concrete, flamed granite, shot blast, shot blaster, shot blasting, steel shot. Use this permalink for a bookmark.

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Posted on November 23, 2020 at 9:07 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Holiday Edition: Stone Care Do’s and Don’ts For Your Stone Countertops

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Aaaah…the holidays…The time of year where we sit down with our families and eat and eat and eat! My mouth is watering just thinking about. But hold on a minute…what about your marble, limestone, granite, and travertine kitchen countertops?

No doubt your kitchen will get a lot of use over this holiday. In this week’s blog, we are breaking down which holiday food favorites may affect your gorgeous kitchen countertops and giving you advice on how to prevent stains and etch marks.

1. The Problem: Acid Etch Marks

What are acid etch marks?

They are chemical burns on the surface of the stone when something acidic is spilled or comes in contact with the stone. These marks look like the finish or the shine has been removed from the surface of the stone. Sealing stone does not prevent etching.

The Culprits:

Cranberry sauce

Salad dressing

Or in the case of my Sicilian in laws, Tomato pasta sauce

The Solution:

Use cutting boards during food prep.

Try using the Etch Removing Kit for small etch marks or circular ring marks. For larger areas, give International Stoneworks a call, so we can re-hone or re-polish the etch marks from the natural stone surface.

2. The Problem: Alcohol Etch Marks

What are alcohol etch marks?

They are chemical burns on the surface of the stone when something alcohol based is spilled or comes in contact with the stone. These marks look like the finish or the shine has been removed from the surface of the stone. Sealing stone may help if the substance has low-alcohol content and the stone is cleaned quickly. Stronger alcohols will etch stone immediately.

The Culprits:

Wine

Boozy desserts

Cleaning up after cooking using the wrong cleaner

The Solution:

Use cutting boards, coasters and tablecloths.

Use neutral stone cleaners such as Lavenet or Crystal Clean to clean stone surfaces after food prep/cooking.

Use Mean Green if you would like to sanitize stone tops.

Again, International Stoneworks can help remove etch marks from the stone by re-honing or re-polishing the surface.

3. Oils and Grease Stains

What is a stain?

Areas that are stained appear darker in color yet are still smooth to the touch. Oil or grease has penetrated into the pores of the stone and has discolored that area.

The Culprits:

Basting and cutting the turkey

Gravy

Buttery potatoes and cornbread

The Solution:

To help prevent oil stains, we recommend sealing your stone with Seal & Go® S or Seal & Go® W prior to your Thanksgiving cooking session. These stone sealers are penetrating sealers, meaning they go into the pores of the stone and repel non-acid liquids like water, coffee, tea, grease, oil, etc. We recommend re-sealing your stone annually. If you have never sealed your stone before, you may need to apply more than one application of the sealer.

If you want to learn more about how to apply Seal & Go® S or Seal & Go® W, check out our blog post, “Smooth Sealing.”

If you do see oil or grease stains after cooking or your holiday meal, you can try to use a poultice stain remover such as S.A.C. (stain absorbing compound) or Oil & Grease Remover.

Happy Thanksgiving from International Stoneworks, Inc.!

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Posted on August 24, 2020 at 3:58 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Hurricane Season Stone Care Tips

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Hurricane Season is here and lasts until November, so this week I am reminding everyone how to protect your stone when it comes to large rain events and hurricanes.

You can’t always prepare when disaster strikes, but there are measures that you can take that may help protect your natural stone surfaces, or as I like to call then “stone investments.”

Here are my top four tips:

1. Seal Your Stone Surfaces Annually

Most natural stones are porous. Heavy rain and wind can cause water and moisture to penetrate the stone from not only the surface, but also from the sides (through the grout) and from the substrate (below the stone).

Sealing your marble, travertine, limestone, slate, etc. on a regular basis (annually) helps to protect the stone from the surface. This is something that you can do way ahead of time – so you don’t have to scramble before a storm hits.

International Stoneworks always recommends that the surface of the stone and grout be properly sealed with a water repellent penetrating sealer such as Seal & Go ® S. Some sealers last longer than others, but a light sealing every year is recommended.

2. Cover Your Stone Before the Storm

If a rain event or a hurricane is headed your way, we recommend protecting the stone surface and grout by laying two layers of contractor’s paper or felt paper. Plastic is not recommended because it inhibits the moisture evaporation. When using tape to hold the paper onto the stone, first use Blue® painter’s tape then waterproof that tape by covering it with a layer of Duct tape. The Blue® tape will not leave a sticky residue on the stone.

Protecting the substrate is more difficult and may not totally prevent moisture from migrating inside and penetrating the stone. However, a little prevention may prove very useful: make sure that windows, doors, etc. around the stone (inside and outside) are properly caulked.

3. Dry Your Stone As Soon As Possible

As soon as possible following the storm, remove the paper, damp mop the floor with a neutral cleaner such as Lavenet and let the surface dry. Use fans and dehumidifiers if necessary. Surface moisture sometimes evaporates in time and the stone does not need restoration or replacement. If there is some discoloration and it does not disappear, an on-site evaluation by International Stoneworks may be needed.

4. Refinish the Stone Surface if You Have Water Damage

If you do have water damage following a storm, International Stoneworks can professionally clean, resurface, and bring back the natural shine with our no-wax honing and polishing system. We can also attempt to remove discolorations and stains with the poultice method; however, in certain cases, some stains may be too deep to remove.

A large part of stone care is learning how to maintain your natural stone. Taking precautions to protect your stone floors and surfaces during the hurricane season can end up saving you a lot of money. Hopefully these simple steps will help homeowners take a proactive role in preserving their home during the coming months.

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Posted on July 24, 2020 at 10:39 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Fighting COVID-19 (By Safely Disinfecting Stone Surfaces)

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We have a duty to protect our families, co-workers, employees and ourselves against COVID-19, but at the same time, we certainly do not want to acid-etch our marble, limestone, travertine and onyx stone surfaces when we disinfect. International Stoneworks has found the solution in Mean Green®!

Mean Green® is an anti-bacterial multi-surface cleaner that kills 99.9% of germs on hard surfaces.

This product kills the following bacteria and viruses: Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Avian Influenza A Virus (H5N1), Herpes Simplex Type 1 Virus, Herpes Simplex Type 2 Virus, Influenza A (H1N1) Virus, Human Coronavirus.

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Mean Green® Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner kills similar viruses and therefore can be used against SARS-CoV-2 when used in accordance with the directions for use against Coronavirus on hard, non-porous surfaces. Please refer to the CDC website for additional information.

Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner is proven effective on another human coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 per EPA Reg. No 10324-85.

It does not hurt that is a great degreaser as well that can be used daily to clean, deodorize and disinfect the surfaces that your family and pets touch every day.

Residentially, it’s great for stone surfaces in your kitchen, bathrooms and other heavily-used household areas.

Commercially, Mean Green® Anti-Bacterial is commonly used in health facilities, schools, hotels, restaurants, as well as other public and institutional facilities.

The product does not contain bleach, harsh acids or phosphates. This germ-killing product is lemon scented as well!

Contact International Stoneworks, Inc. for pricing or if you need more product details.

Posted and tagged COVID-19, Disinfecting. Use this permalink for a bookmark.

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Posted on April 16, 2020 at 4:42 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

How To Care For Stone In Commercial Properties

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Many of you know that we restore residential and commercial natural stone surfaces and these two settings couldn’t be more different when it comes to stone care. This blog will focus on where and when stone surfaces need the most attention when it comes to commercial properties.

53570944_10157051701414600_391782325421080576_o — Maintaining Honed Limestone Lobby

Interior Floors: Heavy Traffic Areas

First off, compared to a residential setting, there is a ton more foot traffic! Also, if you take the time to observe how people walk through lobbies, you will start to notice that people tend to walk in the same paths: they walk to and from the garage, close to the wall corners, stop at the security desk and they shuffle their feet in elevator cabs.

89373188_10158018622604600_899952367573663744_o — Before: Worn Granite/ After: Restored by ISI

These “traffic areas” typically have more wear and need the most stone maintenance…and yes, even though you may have a tough granite surface, even granite can wear over time. If these particular areas are maintained regularly by International Stoneworks, then the need for a full stone restoration may not be necessary.

Exterior Stone Plazas and Breezeways

Not only traffic, but weather can take a toll on the surface of natural stone. Dirt can accumulate and embed in textured stones such as flamed granite. Also, color and shine can diminish due to the elements. International Stoneworks can help restore exterior stone floors and walls. We scrub clean textured stones and can remove many gum stains too. We can also re-hone or re-polish as needed. We also recommend a good annual sealing to protect the stone and grout surface.

60362384_10157211653219600_399247914884399104_o — ISI Restoring Granite Fountain

Fountains

No way to get around it, fountains just need regular TLC. The constant exposure to water can wear stone and white calcium deposits can form on the surface of stone and tile. These stone fountains need to be maintained regularly, so the deposits do not build up and harden. International Stoneworks can regularly clean these water deposits off and protect the stone and grout with our penetrating sealers.

Bathroom Floors

Whether it’s dirty grout, mop marks on the base or just an overall dirty appearance, International Stoneworks can scrub clean tile and grout. We also offer the Tile Glow® System, a natural, non-wax compound for the natural polishing and restoration of ceramic, porcelain and quarry tile floors. Bathroom floors will have a natural shine and never have to be stripped again – pretty cool right?

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Posted on April 7, 2020 at 4:42 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Stone Care Honey-Dos While You’re Stuck At Home

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Ok, so you’re stuck at home and you’ve already finished Tiger King on Netflix. Why not take this time to do some of your natural stone care chores that you’ve been putting off? Here are some ideas that will not only keep you busy, but will also make you feel good that you finally got around to taking care of your natural stone investments!

1. Seal your natural stone and grout surfaces

We recommend sealing your marble, granite, limestone, travertine and other stone surfaces annually (especially areas that you use all the time such as your kitchen tops and bathroom showers).

Instructions:

– Clean the surface first with Lavenet or Lavenet Green neutral cleaner. After a good cleaning, apply penetrating sealer, Seal & Go® S to protect your stone investments.

– When you use Seal & Go® S, put a trigger sprayer on the pint bottle and spray the sealer in a mist form all over the countertops.

– Wait no more than 20 minutes and then thoroughly wipe off all the remaining residue with a clean cotton cloth.

– If you have never sealed your stone, repeat the process, so you’ve applied two applications.

– Make sure you clean up all residues otherwise the sealer will become sticky. Please make sure that you do NOT allow the sealer to dry.

– Wait 12 hours before you use the countertop, so the sealer can cure.

Sealing annually helps with daily cleaning and maintenance. Please note that sealers do not stop acid etching, but they do help with oil and grease repellency.

2. Remove that annoying stain that’s been driving you nuts

Areas that are stained appear darker in color, yet are still smooth to the touch. Usually oil or grease are the culprits here. I typically see grease stains on kitchen countertops or candle wax oil stains.

If you have a surface stain on your stone, you can apply a poultice, S.A.C. (Stain Absorbing Compound).

Per the Natural Stone Institute Glossary, a poultice is “a liquid cleaner or chemical mixed with white absorbent material to form a thick, stain removing paste.” Poultices need to be applied, covered with plastic wrap and blue tape and are usually left on the stain overnight or for a few hours. Clean the poultice off with neutral cleaner, Lavenet and wait for the area to dry in order to see if the poultice was effective. You may have to poultice the stained area more than once.

3. Remove the small acid etch mark or ring mark from your marble top

Marble, limestone, travertine and onyx are prone to acid etch marks from certain food, drink and acid-based cleaning products. In other words, some stones react (etch) when acid, ammonia, or alcohol is spilled. An etch mark looks like the shine or finish has been removed from the stone.

When this happens, you may need to re-hone or re-polish your countertops to remove these etch marks. Etch marks cannot be cleaned off; the surface of the stone needs to be restored. If you have a ring mark or small acid etch mark, you can try the Etch Removing Kit. (Also available locally at Bering’s Hardware.) For larger cases, International Stoneworks can refinish your stone surfaces on-site with our no-wax system. And while we are there, we can seal your tops too!

regalia-marble-island — Refinished Marble Island

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Posted on March 18, 2020 at 8:00 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

To Our Customers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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To our wonderful and very valued customers, I am penning this blog instead of filling your inbox with another COVID-19 e-mail about the state of our business during this Pandemic.

As of today, March 18, 2020, International Stoneworks is still fully operating and we plan on staying open for the foreseeable future. International Stoneworks will of course continue to listen to the authorities and follow their instructions. If any of our customers would like to see a copy of our internal memo on Employee Safety and Cleanliness during COVID-19 we would be happy to send you a copy.

Concerning products, we are still shipping and you may want to consider purchasing the product, Sani-Tyze. Sani-Tyze is a ready-to-use quaternary-based cleaner, sanitizer and deodorizer. Sani-Tyze is safe to use on marble, travertine, limestone, terrazzo, granite, and slate. The formula is clear and will not stain surfaces and leaves no grit or soap scum. Sani-Tyze is also an effective deodorizer because it stops the growth of bacteria that can cause odors. This product can be purchased from our website, www.intlstoneworks.com.

Why consider stone restoration during the Pandemic, COVID-19? Everyone must make his or her own decision as to what is healthiest and best for your property, whether it is a home or commercial building. In the case of a commercial building, if you have less tenants and employees at this time, restoring stone surfaces would be less of a disruption to the tenants and to the daily routine of the building. We can perform our stone restoration work during the day or in the evening for commercial properties. We will work with you to address all of your health and safety concerns.

As our company name states, we are an international company. We not only restore stone in your homes and buildings here in Texas, but we also ship stone care products around the world. Not only that, but our employees have families around the world: Peru, Italy, Egypt, Mexico, San Salvador, France…the list goes on. Our hearts go out to everyone during this Pandemic. We strive to keep our customers and employees safe, while still performing our optimal stone restoration services.

Jacqueline Tabbah, Vice President

International Stoneworks, Inc.

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Posted on February 5, 2019 at 10:47 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah and modified on February 6, 2019 at 4:04 pm.

Stoneworks® Stone Care Products Now Available on Amazon

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Let’s face it: Amazon is the quickest and easiest way to get what you need these days.

I end up using Amazon a lot; everything from Christmas gifts to regular household cleaners and everything in between. As a consumer, it is difficult to make it to the store sometimes, and then the light bulb turned on for us at International Stoneworks.

If we, as a consumer, find it convenient to shop on Amazon, why not sell our stone care products on Amazon? We’ve hopped on the bandwagon and here we are! You can now find Stoneworks® products on Amazon.

From your everyday stone cleaner to professional marble polishing powders: our products are now available on Amazon Prime, which means free two-day shipping. Homemakers can get their products in a snap and professionals can have their stone restoration products for their upcoming job in no time!

This is a project that we started working on about a year ago and it has been a labor of love. First off, we had to make some design changes. You’ll notice that our products have a new look. We’ve redesigned our labels and they look fabulous! Crisp, glossy and easy to read. Same great product, but with a fresh look.

We’ll keep it brief, but here is a list of our stone care products that are now available on Amazon:

Lavenet® neutral stone cleaner that can be used daily

Lavenet® Green, environmentally friendly stone cleaner that can be used daily

MDR (Mineral Deposit Remover), an awesome tile and grout cleaner and calcium deposit remover

SAC (Stain Absorbing Compound), a stain remover for natural stone, great for oil and grease stains

Seal & Go® S, a stone and grout penetrating sealer

Our more professional products include:

Marbrofin® X, a professional no-wax green powder polishing compound for natural stone

Tile Glow® #1 and Tile Glow® #2, a professional no-wax restoration & polishing product for tile floors

Zoom, a wax stripping product

Ver Glow #1 and Ver Glow #2, a professional no-wax restoration & polishing product for natural stone

We’re selling our products in various sizes to suit your needs. Whether you are like me, just looking for a daily cleaner for your stone surfaces or you are a professional looking for that next great stone polishing product, these products can be easily bought and sent to you via Amazon.

And we’re still available for questions and will offer the same customer service, best of both worlds: Amazon Prime and family business customer care!

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Posted on November 5, 2018 at 5:18 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

What To Expect (With Stone Care) When You’re Expecting

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Yes, I am expecting my first baby, a boy, and it’s exciting and a little terrifying. Suddenly, I felt as though there was a ticking clock, indicating that I just had to get my house ready for this baby. As I’m in the stone restoration business, my first thought was to prep all my stone surfaces as I had just moved into a new home.

First thing’s first, a good cleaning! I always clean regularly with my tried and true Lavenet Green. I feel completely safe using this stone cleaner as it is biodegradable, pH-neutral, environmentally friendly and is just a wonderful cleaner of all natural stone surfaces. I used Lavenet Green on all of my marble countertops and scrubbed clean my tile floors. It’s great for all stone and tile surfaces, yet is mild and safe for me to use. Since this was a new home, I did not need to use restoration techniques to remove fine scratches, acid etch marks and embedded dirt; however, I know I can always have International Stoneworks come in and take care of these issues down the road when I need it.

37594872_10156533827479600_7293374468888461312_o — Sealed Kitchen Island

Sealing and protecting stone before baby arrives is equally as important to me. I usually recommend a solvent-based penetrating sealer like Seal & Go® S, but as I am feeling overly cautious these days, I decided to go with Seal & Go® W during my pregnancy. It is a water-based penetrating sealer that is VOC compliant. I wanted to be sure that the areas I use most in my home were protected: kitchen tops, and bathroom floors, tops and showers. Also, the great part about sealing stone floors and showers is that you seal the whole surface: stone and grout.

I also would like to point out that if you are also expecting and feel as though you do not have the energy to clean and protect your stone surfaces at this moment, International Stoneworks can refinish your stone and tile surfaces for you – you don’t have to lift a finger! Stone restoration is a wet process and there is no dust involved. If you are not near the Houston area, then contact your local stone restoration company.

37081325_10156517660359600_4308357973236776960_o — Marble Shower Restoration

Now is a good time to take care of your easy home repairs. The further along I get, the more I want to focus on more baby-related changes.

I did feel much better and very accomplished after taking this preliminary step to preparing my house before my baby arrived. Now all I have to worry about is getting the nursery together – Yikes!

Becoming a mommy is already a bit frightening (well at least for me it is), but prepping your stone surfaces before baby certainly does not have to be.

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Written in Stone

News and Tips from International Stoneworks