Stone Masonry Balmain East - Inner West

Many older buildings have durable Stone flooring. This is the chalky porous type typical of most French and Spanish Stone. Etched by acids, including soft drinks. Absorbs oils and other liquids and is more easily stained than marble. Composed of Calcite and some Magnesium. Common colors are black, gray, white, yellow and brown. Has a smooth granular surface. Varies in hardness. Should be sealed with a penetrating sealer to prevent staining and reduce soiling. Should only be cleaned with neutral pH detergents. Because it is soft, it should never be cleaned at pressures above 800 PSI and then only if the grout is in good condition.

Professional regular maintenance will be required to maintain its honed or polished appearance. Stone looks best with a honed or low/medium sheen appearance however some people insist on a high shine finish. Stone will never have the gloss of marble or granite. Some low calcite Stone can be extremely difficult to polish and therefore vitrification would be required. Vitrification however can give the stone an unnatural plastic appearance if repeated too often.

• Pros
• Durable
• Easy to clean
• It is less expensive than marble and granite
• It is moisture-resistant

• Cons
• It feels cold and hard under-foot
• It requires sealing
• t reacts to acid

Our Stone Tile Restoration services can bring back your Stone tiles & grout to its best possible condition, and protect them for years to come.

We cover all Sydney suburbs, all Inner West area and all surrounding suburbs to Balmain East

Stone can be highly porous - a tablespoon of water on a Stone surface will be absorbed in seconds, although it does vary in porosity from piece to piece. Porosity is also affected by its finish - highly polished Stone is a little harder to penetrate than Stone with a honed (matt) finish.

Due to its high porosity it is particularly important for Stone to be sealed with a high quality impregnating sealer which will not affect its slip resistance or look. Stone is used both outdoors and indoors, and our impregnating sealers will seal Stone equally well in either.

Stone can be difficult to maintain if a proper maintenance cycle is not put in place from the point of installation. As it is usually not polished, the problem of scratching is not as big an issue as it is with marble, however if proper barrier matting is not introduced even a honed surface will lose its attractiveness. The most important factor to consider with the maintenance of Stone is the possibility of staining.

Stone's calcite composition makes it susceptible to acid attack from spilt food and drink. Its high porosity can also mean oil will permeate the surface and leave staining if it is not properly sealed with a penetrating / impregnating sealer.

Our Stone Tile Restoration services can bring back your Stone tiles & grout to its best possible condition, and protect them for years to come.

We cover all Sydney suburbs, all Inner West area and all surrounding suburbs to Balmain East

1. Any surface to be sealed should be clean and looking just as you want it before it is sealed - it may be impossible to remove stains after sealing without having to strip the sealer again. Acidic cleaners should not be used on Stone as it will damage it.
2. Stone must have no other coating such as wax or a topical sealer before it's sealed, so any such coating must be removed before sealing.
3. Floor must be thoroughly dry before applying any sealer.

Our Stone Tile Restoration services can bring back your Stone tiles & grout to its best possible condition, and protect them for years to come.

We cover all Sydney suburbs, all Inner West area and all surrounding suburbs to Balmain East

It is very difficult to seal Stone against acid attack.
Stone and other calcite based stone such as marble and travertine are prone to acid etching. Stone is immediately 'etched' (eaten / corroded) by any acidic material on contact - including lemon juice, cola, wine and champagne. For this reason the honed (matt) look is popular, as it doesn't show the matt etch marks as much as polished Stone. In any case, acidic substances should be cleaned up as soon as possible, and Stone should not be used outdoors in areas where there is acid rain.

We provide specialised restoration solutions for Stone tiles.

Our equipment can handle both domestic and commercial jobs.