Expert Answers in stone

ANSWER - Excessive efflorescence staining (generally a whitish substance) on stone, tiles,  grout, or adjacent surfaces is a generally a symptom of an excessive…

There is no standard for whether a tile should sound hollow or not, or do what degree.   A hollow sound can mean the tile, or a portion of the tile, is not bonded or…

ANSWER - When there is a problem it is generally not due to one deficiency, but rather due to multiple deficiencies. Buckling marble tile or tenting marble tile is typically due to the marble is expanding…

ANSWER - Many granite slabs are treated with resin color enhancers to make the granite slab look better. If the granite slab's polished surface was adjusted then the fabricator should have repaired it so it…

ANSWER - Generally speaking allowing the concrete to cure for 28 days allows it to achieve 90% cure and there is no significant shrinkage in the concrete after that in terms of installing ceramic tile over…

ANSWER - First of all let me give you some background info to consider.  Not all granite, or stones in general, are made equal by mother nature.   Being a natural material the physical properties can…

ANSWER - Keep in mind that when there is problem it is generally  not due to a single deficiency, but due to multiple compounding deficiencies. Looking at photos I note the following, but I can’t state…

ANSWER - First of all, green board is not an acceptable substrate in a wet area per the tile and stone industry standards, and per the Gypsum GA-216.   Green board is water resistant but will…

ANSWER - There are ASTM standards for the minimum/maximum physical property requirements for a travertine stone, which is ASTM C1527.   They do classify the stone as either Class I Exterior or Class II interior use,…

ANSWER - We deal a lot with static coefficient of friction and dynamic coefficient of friction on stone and other hard surfaces per ASTM C1028 and ANSI A137.1 respectively.   There are many types of slate…