Professional renovation of STONE counterTOPS and floors

Natural stone is a great choice for worktops, window sills and stairs in homes and offices. However, stone surfaces in high traffic areas, such as marble floors in business centres or granite stairs in offices, gradually lose their perfect appearance. Stone floors and countertops get stained and lose their glossy look. Light-coloured stone often changes colour in high traffic areas. What to do?

Stone restoration professionals   can help you. Specialists based in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipėda provide services throughout Lithuania. Most often, marble and granite surfaces are professionally restored, as these are the most common in homes and business premises. However, travertine, quartzite, onyx, and other natural stones that are less frequently used in interiors can also be restored. Four stone restoration methods are listed here. After consulting with specialists, you will learn which steps are worth taking.

Before calling in professional help, you will probably want to know how the stone restoration process works and what exactly will happen to the surfaces in your premises. During grinding, scratches and stubborn stains are removed using specialized equipment, while polishing restores the stone’s original shine. Crystallization strengthens the stone surface and enhances its colors. Once impregnated, stone countertops and floors become resistant to chemicals and water. Below, all stone restoration processes are described in more detail.

Unpolished marble or granite surfaces accumulate dirt over time, which penetrates into the deeper layers of the stone. Dirt that has been absorbed into the stone cannot be removed by washing the floor or countertop in the usual way. Such surfaces can only be restored using a deep-cleaning method. This is carried out with rotary scrubbing machines, using high-pressure water jets and deep-cleaning agents.

After deep cleaning, the clean granite or marble surface can be polished, crystallized, or impregnated. The stone restoration steps described below provide comprehensive protection for the surfaces. By combining these methods, stone countertops, windowsills, walls, floors, stairs, and terraces can be brought back to life.

Grinding and polishing are most often used when stone countertops, floors, and stairs become worn and scratched. If stubborn stains also appear, it is a clear sign that professional help is needed. By combining deep stone cleaning with grinding and polishing, worn stone surfaces can be restored to the point where they look completely renewed.

When grinding stone surfaces with specialized equipment, professionals level them by removing a very thin top layer. Together with this microscopic layer, stains that cannot be removed with chemical cleaners also disappear from floors and countertops.

When polishing stone floors and stairs, craftsmen restore their original shine. The surfaces are also “hardened.” This means they become denser, more resistant to wear and scratches, and better at repelling dirt and liquids.

Polishing is a simpler and less expensive way to restore stone than crystallization; however, the surfaces do not gain the same level of protection as they do with crystallization. In some cases, stone polishing can be combined with crystallization.

Polished marble gradually loses its shine over time, and small scratches and stains begin to appear on countertops and floors. This stone is not only easy to scratch but is also sensitive to acids found in food and cleaning products. The good news is that the appearance of old marble can be refreshed and its properties improved through crystallization.

During crystallization, marble is treated with specific chemical agents and strong friction. As a result of these factors and the heat produced, the marble changes its chemical composition and properties. Its surface becomes denser and stronger, making it more resistant to external chemical and mechanical impact. A crystallized marble surface is not an additional protective coating that can be removed with strong cleaners. Instead, the melted upper layer of marble forms a stronger and denser surface of the stone itself.

Crystallization gives marble surfaces strength and shine while also reducing slipperiness. The hardened top layer protects countertops and floors from scratches and makes cleaning and maintenance easier. Crystallized surfaces no longer need to be protected from friction and they repel liquids. Because liquids have greater difficulty penetrating crystallized surfaces, fewer stains appear on countertops. Crystallized floors are also easier to maintain, as dirt washes off easily and does not penetrate deeper layers.

How does marble crystallization work? During the process, the thoroughly cleaned stone surface is treated with a special rotary machine using liquid or powder chemical agents. Special pads, activated by the weight of the machine and friction, generate heat. Due to this heat and the contact between the stone surface and the chemical agents, the crystallization reaction occurs. The upper layer of marble melts, becomes denser, harder, and shinier. Because of differences in chemical composition, not all types of marble can be crystallized. To achieve the best crystallization results, different crystallization agents and methods must be carefully matched to different types of marble.

This stone restoration method is suitable not only for marble—granite and other stone surfaces that have lost their shine can also be crystallized. Dense, heavy, and resistant to chemicals and frost, granite is ideal for floors, walls, fireplaces, windowsills, countertops, stairs, and columns. Although granite does not necessarily require additional protection from mechanical damage or acids, this does not mean it does not need maintenance. Modern technologies also allow granite crystallization, but due to its greater hardness the process is more complex. Since stone crystallization requires special knowledge, materials, equipment, and skills, it is performed only by professionals.

Marble, granite, travertine, and other natural stone countertops, floors, and stairs need to be periodically impregnated. This means saturating them with a special liquid that penetrates the stone, fills its pores, and remains inside them. Once the pores are sealed, the stone becomes resistant to other liquids and dirt because the impregnating agent already occupies the pores. Only clean and dry stone surfaces can be impregnated.

Impregnating agents with different effects protect stone countertops, floors, and stairs from liquid marks as well as chemical and grease stains. Stone surfaces can be impregnated with colorless products that do not change the appearance of the stone, or with products that create a “wet look” effect. Wet-look impregnators enhance the stone’s pattern and deepen its color. Impregnated surfaces are easier to maintain, as they repel liquids and dirt.

Stone Cleaning Professionals have been restoring stone surfaces for many years. The company works with the world’s most advanced Klindex stone grinding and polishing equipment and uses the latest stone restoration technologies and materials. The work is carried out dust-free, and the restored surfaces can be used immediately. The premises do not need to be closed for more than a few hours. More information about stone restoration services can be found on the company’s website.

Stone Cleaning Professionals

Phone  +370 657 94363 

[email protected]

Lithuania

For information on the daily care required for natural stone surfaces, read How to care for natural stone worktops and furniture.