About Sungloss Marble Co.

Specializing in the polishing, wet grinding - which creates no dust-cleaning, honing and sealing of natural stone surfaces in the Chicagoland area.

A member of the Marble Institute of America, National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and the Better Business Bureau, among others, Sungloss is committed to the professional servicing of stone surfaces such as walls, countertops, floors and facades for commercial, residential and post-construction customers.

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Sungloss Marble Co. News & Advice

Granite in Commercial Real Estate, Government Buildings, and Residential Installations, May 11th, 2010

Many of the commercial projects we work on (including government buildings, condominiums, office buildings, and banks) involve granite.  It is a very popular building material, known for its durability and beauty.  Granite’s advantage shows in its ability to resist scratches and maintain a gloss finish.  However, granite has “Do’s and Don’ts” similar to other stone:

DO keep clean of dust, debris, and dirt.  Dust mop, use rinseless neutral stone soap, and carpet runners.

DO periodically seal with a penetrating sealer for granite.

DON’T clean with glass cleaners, vinegar, citrus cleaners, or Soft Scrub.

(For residential clients) DON’T cut food on your countertop without a cutting board, or set down hot pots and pans without trivets.

Granite can dull or scratch so it needs to be properly taken care of.  Unfortunately for our clients, especially the owners of buildings with public lobbies or high traffic, this fact is known painfully well.  That is where Sungloss Marble Restoration Company comes in—we use our granite-specific restoration procedures to shine and maintain commercial granite that’s worn down, scratched, chipped, or dull.   Here’s a link to a ‘do’s and don’ts’ for granite on the web: (link)

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Stone Polishing and Restoration Issues: Luster, May 10th, 2010

When it comes to the polish level (‘finish’) of stone, our commercial and residential stone restoration and polishing services involve some subjective interpretation.  The question of ‘how shiny’ to make the floor can be a large one.  It can bring up questions of aesthetics, cost, and even safety.  If the finish makes the floor more slippery—which happens sometimes when a gloss finish is chosen—our commercial clients, developers, and property managers have to worry about liability.  Usually everyone is on the same page, but occasionally a demonstration sample is required for specific jobs, to illustrate to the client what the final product will be.  For example, a client says “I want the floor honed,” which in most cases means very dull, flat luster.  But when they see the results they realize what they really want is a notch shinier than honed—either a buffed eggshell patina, or maybe a low satin shine.  Due to our years of experience, along with the communication skills of our Sales and Estimating Team, this type of miscommunication is rare.

Our luster expectations can generally be described this way:

High Gloss – the shiniest mirror-like finish.  If you look ninety degrees straight down at the floor you should see your reflection.  Some stone, based on its properties, will never be able to reach High Gloss.

Low Gloss – the lowest level of mirror-like shine that will still allow a person to see their reflection (just barely!) when looking straight down.

High Satin, Medium Satin, and Low Satin – these describe levels of polish that are shiny and radiant, but not shiny enough to see one’s reflection at any angle.  They offer sophistication and beauty, but are less labor-intensive to achieve and less work to maintain.

Eggshell Patina – this is how we describe a surface that has a very slight amount of luster, similar to an eggshell.  In other words, a surface that appears to have been worn over decades having a slightly buffed appearance, but is not ‘shiny’ per se.

Honed – honed surfaces are wet ground and finished luster-free.  Truly honed surfaces are ‘dead’ (no luster).

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Stone Self-Maintenance for Commercial Spaces, May 5th, 2010

Commercial spaces (Corporate Environments, Developers, Condominiums, Banks, etc) are a large part of our focus, at Sungloss Marble Restoration Company.  Self-maintenance (or lack therof)  is a running theme we encounter when consulting with our clients.  Building Managers wonder what to do to maintain their Marble, Terrazzo, Slate, or Granite floors.  We try to educate our clients to make sure their property looks as good as it can between professional touch-ups.

Here are some basic maintenance Do’s and Don’t tips for our Commercial stone maintenance customers:

Do:

-keep floors dust and debris free; carpet runners help a lot

-use clean, unbleached soft mops or nylon pads, with neutral rinseless stone soap often

Don’t:

-wax floors

-use bleach, ammonia, or abrasive cleaners

More in-depth tips can be found at the Marble Institute of America’s care and cleaning of natural stone tips.

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