Care and Maintenance

Fred M. Hueston, PhD Sitting in my office one morning I received a call from a very upset home builder. He told me he was building a two million-dollar home on the west coast of Florida. They had installed nearly 3500 square feet of a white statuario... Read More

Q. Hi. I recently had a patio laid in natural sandstone and my builders used a cement coloring in the pointing. When wiping down with wet sponges, they have left stains on the sandstone. What do you recommend?  Is there anything we can do? Builders... Read More

Q. I’m getting ring stains on my honed Absolute Black Granite that is a year old. We’re careful about oil or anything acidic getting on the granite, and it seems all stains present themselves in the form of ring. Please advise as to what... Read More

Q. I have a coffee marble table, and it has been stored in a garage for a year. The legs of the tables are peeling or flaking. How can I remove the flaking and add a sealant or protection that was once there? what products do you recommend? Thank... Read More

Q. I have had a travertine patio for approximately 10 years installed in sand. It has accumulated dirt from not being hosed or washed. What products do you recommend to clean it?  A. How to go about cleaning your patio depends on whether your... Read More

Black Granite Fading By Frederick M. Hueston I have received numerous calls lately concerning the fading of black granite countertops. The most common complaints seem to be on Absolute Black, Black Galaxy, Zimbabwe Black and a few others. I have... Read More

Q. We have a Silestone kitchen counter which has developed some "dulling" in a couple of areas. One was due to someone rubbing to hard with a slightly abrasive cloth and the others are due to the sun shining on the counter. Is there anything/anyone... Read More

Q: Why did my beautiful white marble suddenly begin to turn yellow?   A: Unfortunately, this problem is not uncommon. There are a number of causes for yellowing marble—and a number of possible cures.   The most common culprit is iron, which... Read More

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

Q. We have marble / granite tiled floors and unfortunately a rug smoldered overnight and this has left scorch marks. Is there any remedy that isn't as drastic as replacing the now hard to find tiles? A. The good news is chances are it can be... Read More