cleaning Maintenance stone

What do I use to clean and reseal my natural stone?

ANSWER - Cleaning natural stone after normal use should normally be done with a neutral base cleaner, assuming the stone was originally properly cleaned prior to being put into service.  Assuming you don't have any cement…

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cleaning sealers stone

How to remove sealer coating from Travertine Tiles?

ANSWER - If you know the brand of the coating then call them to find out what to use to strip it without harming your stone.  If you don't know what the coating is that is…

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failures Moisture Problems Stains stone

Travertine Tile Cracking and Crystallizing

ANSWER - Chances are that when the water pipe break occurred your travertine tile had voids under it so water was allowed to collect in those voids. This could have caused and perpetuated the development…

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installation Standards stone

Can Honed and Filled Travertine be used in Commercial Applications?

ANSWER - The Marble Institute of America Dimension Stone Manual says Travertine stone should have a minimum abrasive hardness of 12 for commercial floors subject to heavy foot traffic. It must also meet the ASTM…

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cleaning Grout stone

How to Clean Grout off of Slate?

ANSWER - To clean a cementitious grout off of a natural slate stone, you need to carefully chisel off any large chunks of grout.  To remove the grout haze you should use a diluted sulphamic or phosphoric…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile selection stone

What type of tile should I use around my wood stove?

ANSWER - Using a ceramic tile (which includes porcelain ceramic tiles) around heat is not a problem because most ceramic tiles are fired well above 1200 °F and more like 2000 °F. What is important…

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selection stone

Can I install a Marble Tile on a Kitchen Counter top?

ANSWER - No problem using a stone tile on a kitchen counter top. Marble is normally avoided on kitchen counter tops because although marble is dense it is very chemical sensitive and can easily stain…

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cracks failures stone

Cost to inspect Cracks in Limestone Tile?

ANSWER - Many types of limestone tile have veins that can appear to look like cracks, but are really natural veins of a different composition in the stone. If it goes completely through one tile…

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Debonding Tile failures stone Tenting

Why is my Marble Tile Tenting (lifting up-debonding)?

ANSWER - First of all, if your marble tile floor was installed correctly then it should not have tented up (lifted up) or debonded. When there is a failure it generally is not due to one…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile installation selection stone

What type of Tile should I use on my Patio?

ANSWER - Porcelain tile is considered one of the best tiles in terms of durability and resistance to moisture.  There are other types of ceramic tile that will perform well too, but you need to…

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