A Resource of Stone and Tile Restoration

How to achieve a wet or polished look on slate

Step-by-Step Guidance to Achieve a Wet or Polished Look on Slate: 1. Understand the Surface Finish You Have If the slate has a cleft (rough or layered) finish, polishing in the traditional sense is not practical. If the slate has been ground flat... Read More

saltillo tiles

Dec 16, 2008 Saltillo tile restoration, Saltillo tile flaking, remove polyurethane from Saltillo, best sealer for Saltillo tile, Saltillo tile maintenance, Saltillo floor problems 0 0 927 0/5 (0 Vote)

Q.Four years ago I had a saltillo floor installed in my kitchen. The tiles were not presealed. The kitchen design company and I sought advice from the tile company that supplied them as to how to install and seal them. Both are highly regarded... Read More

What do I use to reattach glass mosaic tiles?

Dec 23, 2008 setting glass tile, tile failure 0 0 1.26K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Q. I have installed a stained glass wall and pond. The mosaic sits on a mortar base, redguard sealer, then more mortar to level the surface. The glass mosaic is put up with latacrete. All of this is put on to a 8 x 16 block wall. One side is peeling... Read More

Stone Myths

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Dec 23, 2008 0 0 1.75K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Stone Myths By Frederick M. Hueston www.stoneforensics.com Over the past 20years I have heard many stories about the reasons stone will fail, turn color, fade or what ever. Many of these stories are funny and almost all of them are just plain... Read More

Efflorescence - Removal and Prevention

Dec 23, 2008 0 0 1.47K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Efflorescence - Removal and Prevention By Frederick M. Hueston www.stoneforensics.com The crystallization of soluble salts in Historic masonry causes severe deterioration of the substrate. This crystallization is called... Read More

Water-Based Impregnators: How to Remove Rainbow-Colored Film

Mar 9, 2023 rainbow film, thin-film interference, water-based impregnators 0 0 2.02K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Why Water-Based Impregnators Leave a Remove Rainbow-Colored Film If your idea of fun as a kid was going outside with a bottle of bubble solution and a wand, it probably wasn’t long before you noticed a weird phenomenon where a swirling rainbow... Read More

A Silicon-Based Impregnator on a Historic Limestone Building May Be Unnecessary

Mar 8, 2023 silicon-based impregnator, historic limestone 0 0 2.11K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Think Twice Before Using a Silicon-Based Impregnator on a Historic Limestone Building Limestone, a calcium-based sedimentary stone, is a building material that has been utilized for centuries. The Pentagon, the Lincoln Memorial, The Empire State... Read More

Should I use the enhancing sealer followed by regular water based sealer?

Mar 2, 2007 sealer, enhancing, water-based 0 0 1.45K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Q. Should I use the enhancing sealer followed by regular water based sealer? A. No. You will want to use one or the other. If you want to enhance the colors, use an enhancing sealer. Fred M. Hueston Chief Technical Director www.stoneandtilepros... Read More

Our terrazzo floor has had many coats of wax applied to it over the years. The wax build-up on the terrazzo baseboards is very thick and difficult to remove. Do you have any suggestions?

Jan 21, 2022 0 0 2.24K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Wax build-up on a vertical surface can be difficult to remove, since most strippers will run. Janitorial supply stores do offer spray-on baseboard wax removers that work very well; since they are applied as a foam, they will cling to vertical... Read More

My customer wants to know if it is safe to use a vegetable oil-based cleaner on their marble floor. What should I tell them?

Jan 20, 2022 0 0 2.18K 0/5 (0 Vote)

Most of the stone soap products sold by stone care suppliers contain vegetable oil-based soap, and are safe for marble surfaces. However, a good quality pH neutral cleaner, such as Stonecare PRO Signature’s Marble Cleaner is a much better... Read More