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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: In India, I have heard that Travertine stone is doctored by adding a substrate to the base of another hard cheaper stone. How can I know whether it is so without breaking it? A: Many of the black granites from India are darkened with dyes, but to... Read More

Q. What is the proper grout for an exterior limestone walkway? Is there a dry grout that can be swept between the stone? Where would I look for stone dust? A. The proper grout will depend on how the stone is set. Will it be set in mortar or placed on... Read More

Q. I recently installed new tile and mosaic glass tile around my bathtub encloser. should this new installation be sealed. A. Typically glass does not need to be sealed since it is not porous. However if you used cementious grout you may want to... Read More

Q. We had travertine tile installed 1 1/2 years ago and I had a hole open up and it is gradually getting bigger and now a 2nd hole has opened up too. Don't know what has caused it? Need to know how to fix it? We had it sealed when it was done...... Read More

How to Select Your Granite CountertopsEssential questions to ask your stone fabricator  When people are planning on getting new natural stone countertops and ask me what the most important things they will need to know about stone care, I... Read More

Q. I am going to be hiring a tile setter. What kinds of questions should I ask them? By the way, I am in California. A. Here is what a consumer should ask a prospective tile setter: 1. Verify the contractor has a C-54 specialty license, along withÂ... Read More

Q. I bought lagos azul limestone back in December and it is getting installed in sections. I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me. I am hoping you might know a solution or can refer me to someone. My kitchen contractor installed the tile... Read More

Q. Is there any way to get glue stains out of terrazzo?A. Unfortunately, no. The only possibility would be to try poulticing the stains with a potent paint stripper based on Methylene Chloride. But the quantity of the stuff involved would permanently... Read More

Q. I was looking online for articles about quartzite countertops. We recently had one installed, and we're having issues with a crack that appeared. I need some information. Should my problematic new countertops be repaired or replaced? The... Read More