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Q. A tile merchant told me that you re-seal polished marble yearly and after 2 to 3 years you have to have it acid washed. Considering marble for bathtub surround walls and floor. Is travertine any less care? Live in hard water area.     A. The... Read More

Graffiti Removal Procedure for Stone, Masonry, and Tile Surfaces By Frederick M. Hueston, www.stoneforensics.com If your beautiful building, wall, or other surface has just become the unintended canvas for graffiti, your first reaction might be to... Read More

A common problem with limestones and some marble buildings is that they get a brownish yellow hue after cleaning. Most of the time we find that there is a high content of iron in the water used to clean the stone. Use a chelating agent in the wash... Read More

There are several methods that can be used to remove spray paint from granite. Time is of the essence, the quicker you can remove the paint the less likely it will penetrate deeply into the stone. If the stone is polished, try scraping the paint... Read More

If a stone fountain has a copper basin, chances are the stone may get green discoloration. The hard, green deposits are a combination of calcium deposits from the water and copper from the basin. The easiest way to remove them is to use a pressure... Read More

The white deposits are salts, which are bleeding through from the grout joints or from the mortar. An acid wash will be required to remove the salts. If the deposits are heavy, try scraping them off before washing the slate with acid. Several acid... Read More

A string mop is preferable to a sponge mop. A sponge mop has a very small surface area, and can easily pick up sand and debris which will scratch the floor. It has been shown that after several swipes with a sponge mop, you are only spreading the... Read More

The problem may be with the strippers that have been used. Many strippers have an alkaline pH and this can lead to the deposit of alkaline salts in the pores of the granite. If the stripper is not rinsed throughly and any stripper residue is left... Read More

Q. I hired a cleaner and she used limeaway with mold control from Clorox. And it appeared to have left white stains in my bathroom stone tiles. These don‘t wash away with water. What should I do? A. Unfortunately, this is not a stain that you... Read More

The use of a pressure washer on marble should be avoided. Pressure washing forces water into the pores of the stone and can cause the development of efflorescence. If you must use a pressure washer make sure that the operator is skilled. Do not use a... Read More