Stone Restoration Sacramento: Hold the Vinegar Please

Stone restoration Sacramento means knowing what to do as well as not to do.  And there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Vinegar and Stone Restoration Sacramento

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The problem that we have in the stone restoration business is that we have to counter a lot of bad information.  A few self-proclaimed home experts will give advice that we find appalling, particularly considering the level of damage that it can cause.  For example, we recently read a post that stated with absolute conviction that a good way to clean a marble or travertine floor was to use a little bit of lemon juice or white vinegar mixed with water.

Marble and travertine are forms of limestone, or calcium carbonate.  While fairly durable, both of these stones are extremely reactive to anything acidic.  Don't believe us?  Look up Hannibal crossing the Alps.  He dissolved limestone boulders using casks of vinegar.  Rome has a problem with acid rain, and as a result, has had to spend a small fortune in stone restoration costs to bring the statues in the Trevi fountain and other places in the city back to their former glory.  With all that said, you think that the word would get out, but it hasn't.   However, it isn't just vinegar that can damage your stone, a lot of ordinary things can as well.

Stone Restoration Sacramento: Tip of the Day

What do coffee, wine, orange juice, lemonade, and limeade all have in common?  They are all highly acidic.  We had a customer with an expensive marble floor in her home in El Dorado Hills.  She spilled a cup of coffee and didn't get to it right away, and came back to it later to find that it had eaten into her floor.  Fortunately she called people who do stone restoration in Sacramento, namely us, and we were able to bring it back to its former level of shine.

When you're dealing with natural stone, what you don't know can hurt your floor.  When in doubt, call in experts with stone restoration Sacramento.

Get Stone Restoration Sacramento Today

C & G Stone Restoration
260 Sumatra Drive
Sacramento CA, 95838
916-924-5930
http://www.stonerestorationsacramento.com

Marble Cleaning and Stone Restoration Sacramento

Marble cleaning is all a part of stone restoration Sacramento. Marble floors are a challenge if you don't know what you're doing.

Stone Restoration Sacramento: Cleanser and Water

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There is a right way and a wrong way to clean your marble floors. If you ask three flooring experts on what to do, you'll doubtless get at least three different answers. Some are harmless, such as cleaning with a neutral pH cleanser. Others, such as cleaning with vinegar or lemon juice can cause damage to your floor.

First off, know that marble is a natural stone so it does not require the same treatment as something like say, linoleum or ceramic tile. Marble is surprisingly vulnerable to certain chemical reactions, particularly if you use the wrong chemical to clean it. However, as we also know in the stone restoration business, it isn't just the cleansers that are the problem. Sometimes it is the water. Municipal water sources are usually high in trace minerals, essentially hard water. However, the method that they use to soften water usually involves salt, which can leave stains. In addition, a great many city water sources also contain trace amounts of chlorine, which is highly acidic.

Cleaning Marble Floors: Wrong Vs. Right Methods of Stone Restoration Sacramento

First off, to avoid clouding, make sure that you are using purified or distilled water to clean your floor. Don't use tap water. Next, make sure that you are using a cleanser that is specifically designed for marble, If you wish to hone or polish your floor, do some research as to what pads you should use to grind your stone, or call in a company that does stone restoration Sacramento.

What you don't know about marble can hurt your floor. When in doubt, do not try to do it yourself. Call in a company that stone restoration Sacramento

C & G Stone Restoration
260 Sumatra Drive
Sacramento CA, 95838
916-924-5930
http://www.stonerestorationsacramento.com

Stone Restoration Sacramento Part 2: More Stone Types

Stone restoration Sacramento is based on the type of stone that you have.  In part two of our series, we explore granite and slate.

Granite and Stone Restoration Sacramento

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When you're looking into stone restoration Sacramento, as we said in an earlier post, you have to know your stone. So how do you know if you have granite? First off, here's a definition of granite from Wikipedia "Granite /ˈɡrænɨt/ is a common type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock which is granular and phaneritic in texture. This rock consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar. Occasionally some individual crystals (phenocrysts) are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic texture is sometimes known as a porphyry. Granites can be pink to gray in color, depending on their chemistry and mineralogy. By definition, granite is an igneous rock with at least 20% quartz by volume." [READ MORE]
Because it is harder than a lot of other stone, it isn't as vulnerable a stone as say marble or travertine are.  As for care, granite requires very little in the way of stone restoration done to it, except for an odd bit of polishing.  Slate on the other hand requires a bit of extra care

Cleaning Slate and Stone Restoration

Slate is a hard stone, much like granite, but you must use a bit of care with slate as it is also a relatively brittle stone.  It's normal for example for slate to produce flakes when you first put it in.  If you grind slate too hard, you can conceivably break the stone.  If you are unsure, call in a stone restoration service to help you.

Your stone is an investment in your home.  As such, take care of it.  Know what you're doing before you start, or call in a service that does stone restoration Sacramento.

This concludes part two of our series on stone restoration Sacramento.  Be sure to read part one as well.

C & G Stone Restoration
260 Sumatra Drive
Sacramento CA, 95838
916-924-5930 
http://www.stonerestorationsacramento.com

Stone Restoration Sacramento Part 1: Types of Stone

Stone restoration Sacramento brings back the beauty of one of your home's often overlooked investments: your stone. This article will explore different types of stone.  Let's start with travertine and limestone.

Stone Restoration Sacramento: Travertine and Limestone

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First what's travertine?  According to this article excerpt "Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot spring or in a limestone cave. In the latter, it can form stalactites, stalagmites, and other speleothems. It is frequently used in Italy and elsewhere as a building material." [READ MORE].  If you wish to do restoration on travertine, you want to call a professional service that does stone restoration Sacramento.   Like limestone in general, travertine is relatively soft.
On the subject of limestone, like travertine, never use acidic solutions on it.  It is fairly easy to dissolve limestone in water and anything acidic.  So stay away from lemon juice, because guess what? Lemon juice is citric acid.  When in doubt about what product to use don't take any chances, call in a company that does stone restoration Sacramento.  Now, let's talk about our last stone which is yet another form of limestone:  marble.

Stone Restoration Sacramento: How to Restore Marble

Marble is fossilized limestone, and it has a beautiful shine when you do stone restoration Sacramento on it.  All marble really needs is a bit of honing and grinding.  Make sure that you know the level of shine that you want on your stone.  You may also wish to seal your stone to protect it between jobs.
Natural stone care is all part of protecting one of your home's most beautiful additions:  your stone work.  So, when you want to do what's best for your stone, you know who to call: someone who does stone restoration Sacramento.

This concludes part one of our series on stone restoration Sacramento and stone types.  Be sure to read part two as well.

C & G Stone Restoration
260 Sumatra Drive
Sacramento CA, 95838
916-924-5930 
http://www.stonerestorationsacramento.com

Travertine Cleaning Vs. Terrazzo

When you are looking for stone restoration in the Sacramento area, make sure that you know what type of tile you have as one of the pieces of information that you'll need.  Why?  Well, for example, there is a big difference between terrazzo and travertine.

Travertine or Terrazzo: What's the Difference

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Is there a difference between travertine and terrazzo?  Both are heavily used in Italy and other places as building materials, and obviously both start with the lettter 'T', however that's where the similarities stop. Terrazzo is a composite material that is either poured or precast that is made of chips of different materials such as marble, quartz, or granite to name but a few.   It's then ground to a uniform and level surface.

Travertine, on the other hand, is not a composite material.  Travertine,or calcium carbonate, actually is a form of limestone found by mineral hot springs that forms quickly, and hardens nearly as quickly.  The key difference between the two tile types, however, is how you take care of them.

Terrazzo Cleaning and Travertine Cleaning

First off, if you wish to clean your terrazzo, use a neutral pH commercial cleaner that's made for terrazzo. Household cleaners often have alkali, or acid which can seriously harm the non stone portions of your terrazzo.  The same holds true for travertine.  Travertine, however, requires extra care.

Remove dirt with a canister or handheld vacuum.  Don't use an upright vacuum, as the wheels can scratch the travertine.  Vacuum at least once a week or call in a travertine cleaning service.

What you don't know can hurt your floor.  Too many times, people buy some miracle product only to find that their tile is stained and damaged.  And unfortunately, there's a lot of bad advice out there, like cleaning your floor with lemon juice for example.  If you don't know what you're doing, don't take a chance, call in a stone care service.

C & G Stone Restoration
260 Sumatra Drive
Sacramento CA, 95838
916-924-5930
916-921-2719 Fax
stonerestorationsacramento.com