Written in Stone

News and Tips from International Stoneworks

Posted on October 17, 2013 at 9:40 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Challenging Stone Restoration Projects
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What sets International Stoneworks, Inc. apart from other stone restoration companies? That’s an easy question to answer: what makes us unique is our willingness to try. Yes, we restore stone floors, countertops, and showers like other refinishing companies, but we also restore surfaces that can be a bit challenging, such as historical buildings, walls, and … ∞

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Posted on October 9, 2013 at 3:57 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah and modified on October 9, 2013 at 4:06 pm.

All About Travertine
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We covered marble countertops in our latest blog, but we know a lot of you also have travertine floors. Not sure if you have travertine? Most travertine is beige in color. It can have a honed (flat) finish or it can be naturally polished into a medium shine. Other finishes are textured and include “leathered,” … ∞

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Posted on October 2, 2013 at 8:21 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

The Do’s and Don’ts of Carrara Marble
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We know how much you love your Carrara white marble bathroom and kitchen countertops, so of course we want to educate you on all the do’s and don’ts when it comes to taking care of these beautiful surfaces.   First, let’s talk about the two finishes that we generally see on marble countertops. 1. Polished … ∞

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Posted on September 25, 2013 at 9:37 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Brick by Brick
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  We’ve written blogs about natural stone as well as ceramic and porcelain tile, but you may not know that we also restore other surfaces such as brick paver, terra cotta tiles and Saltillo/Mexican tiles. These types of surfaces are fairly porous and need maintenance just like natural stone. Cleaning with neutral cleaners, like Lavenet … ∞

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Posted on September 19, 2013 at 4:41 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah and modified on September 19, 2013 at 4:45 pm.

Don’t Just Seal Your Stone, Enhance It!
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  We’ve received a lot of calls lately about penetrating enhancing sealers and their application, so I thought: why not write my next blog about that? Our color enhancing sealer is called Seal & Go® Enhancer S and when this sealer is used the right way, it produces a richer, darker, and gorgeous result. What … ∞

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Posted on September 12, 2013 at 3:08 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Stone Restoration Company
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  Whether you are interested in having stone restored in your building, office or your home, it is important to ask the right questions before hiring a stone restoration company. Basic questions and information you should know: Does the company have liability insurance? Will the restoration work be sub-contracted to a different company or are … ∞

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Posted on September 4, 2013 at 4:10 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah

Debunking Myths about Stone Cleaning, Sealing and Restoration, Part II
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  Myth 1: I only need grout cleaning; my stone tiles look fine. Many people call us and ask only for grout cleaning and we completely understand why: dirt gets trapped and accumulates in the grout lines over time and this accumulation makes the grout lines darker. However, in order for us to thoroughly clean … ∞

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Posted on August 28, 2013 at 5:01 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah and modified on August 28, 2013 at 5:02 pm.

Debunking Myths about Stone Cleaning, Sealing and Restoration
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  Myth 1: Vinegar will clean and disinfect any surface. Stones such as marble, travertine, terrazzo, limestone and even some granites will react (etch) when they come into contact with acids such as vinegar.  These etch marks look like the finish or the shine has been removed from the surface of the stone and these … ∞

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Posted on August 20, 2013 at 7:59 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah and modified on July 17, 2014 at 2:53 pm.

Clean Your Natural Stone While Caring for the Environment
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  We are all about using the correct cleaners and sealers to maintain your natural stone, but what if you are making a conscious effort to go “Green?” Whether you are an environmentally friendly homeowner, or a building that wants to be VOC compliant, we’ve got you covered. Our neutral cleaner, Lavenet Green cleans polished, … ∞

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Posted on July 12, 2013 at 2:08 pm by Jacqueline Tabbah and modified on October 2, 2013 at 8:37 pm.

Stone Polishing Made Easy
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  The age-old question: How do I polish natural stone? This blog post isn’t going to be about using diamond discs to grind an extremely worn floor or removing lippage between two tiles. This post is all about polishing compounds (powders), but not just any type of compound. We’re talking about non-acid honing and polishing … ∞

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