Marble has been around for many centuries. People recognized its beauty since it rained the first time on marble rock and water droplets had enhanced unexplained color combinations and design.
It had motivated humans to create tools and machinery. Its existence had generated people into artists and sculptures...Scientists and engineers. Marble had encouraged humanity to push their limits to unpredictable levels of the Establishment.
That brought us here and without our intentional recognition, we never wonder or ask what is marble and why there is no substitute for its beauty in the world.
Regardless of the fact that marble been around too long still we don't know what to expect and what is our participation. In today's industrial and artistic era we see few finishes of marble surface such as honed, brushed and polished. The polished marble is what catches our attention and triggers our desires.
If we need to compare polished marble to anything will be a glass surface.
This is the most critical stage of marble surface conditions. It is taking and challenging marble to its maximum. Anything that could happen after that will be a loss or as we say " Wear and tear "
It is a fairly big commitment to have marble floor installed in building lobbies, Hallways, and elevators.
The most important step is to realize and fully understand that problems start as soon as we begin to walk on marble floors.
Our shoes bring sand from the streets which start working as sandpapers attached to our shoe bottoms.
It will not take too long before the marble surface develops surface scratches, especially by foot traffic areas. Marble will start look doll and foggy and surface no longer smooth and glossy.
This is a time for restoration services to be considered and scheduled.
Why is it important to hire a stone restoration company instead of on janitorial company?
Janitorial companies are specialized in general cleaning and maintaining multiple surfaces such as carpet, porcelain, vinyl, and others. Their goal is to find the cheapest and fastest ways of cleaning any surface without any restoration and resurfacing approach. Statistically, when it comes to natural stone surfaces janitorial companies are causing more harm to natural stone than problem-solving.
( Crystallizing or waxing natural stone or as we say in our industry "Drugging or OD"
Generally, their equipment and staff are not qualified for diamond resurfacing and diamond polishing phases.
On the other hand, stone restoration companies are signed up to know the natural stone from inside out. Realizing its biology and metamorphic stages.
They experience different types of stone and finish weekly bases which dictate to invest in the different hardness of diamond pads such as soft bond for hard stone and hard bond for softer stone along with right equipment and polishing agents.
More experienced stone restoration companies come out with their own polishing techniques and most importantly with polishing solutions that are calculated to extend life and performance of stone surfaces.
Why is it important to maintain marble surfaces?
As we have mentioned earlier marble starts wearing off as soon as we start walking on it with our shoes.
Small particles of sand on our shoe bottoms are harder than marble surface and constant contact of sand particles and marble surface will develop multiple surface scratches.
score or mark the surface of marble with a sharp or pointed object.
Another problematic part of the wear and tear is marble etching.
Marble is a fairly soft stone and it is prone to marking because of its calcium carbonate makeup. An acid reacts with calcium carbonate and literally eats away a tiny bit of the surface, creating dull spots known as etches. Any splash of lemon juice, any drippy jar of tomato sauce, is going to leave a subtle mark.
An etch is not a stain. It is an actual changing of the stone itself, like a scratch. It's not really a discoloration; it's a dulling.
Both damages such as scratch and etching only can be removed by diamond abrasives and honing the process.
This is where stone restoration companies overshadow janitorial teams by not being afraid of using rigid diamond pads vs janitorial using only polishing agents trying to polish over existing scratches and etching.
How often marble floor surfaces need to be maintained?
To answer this question let's take as an example one particular area such as high rise building lobby floor in downtown Chicago.
Daily bases the lobby floor invites and serves hundreds of residents and office workers.
Besides the sand particles getting onto lobby area from the streets in harsh Chicago winters we are seeing a significant amount of ice melting salt being brought by walkers.
Salt will cause corrosion of the marble and surface disintegration.
Therefore daily cleaning and neutralization of marble surface with stone soap conditioner are necessary.
Furthermore, weekly polishing and sealing are recommended suggestively by house stuff that needs to be trained by stone restoration specialists. ( which can be arranged by restoration company in charge of annual maintenance )
The next and very important part is to diamond hone and restores marble floors quarterly by professional restoration company especially by high traffic areas. This process will reset the life expectancy of the marble surface and bring back the original factory appearance.
For any questions please contact us at:
PINNACLE STONE RESTORATION
kosta@pinnaclestonecare.com
Tel: 630 379 7362
