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)

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).

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.

Wax Buildup Damage On Natural Stone Flooring, April 22nd, 2010

Terrazzo damage caused by old wax around the edge

At Sungloss Marble Restoration Company our position is a natural stone floor such as marble, limestone, terrazzo, travertine, granite, or slate, should be maintained as ‘naturally’ as possible. We strongly recommend against using wax as a sealer or polish enhancer. Instead, the natural beauty of a stone surface can shine through simply through natural polishing means—employing wet grinding, burnishing, and using water-based sealers. Customer education including properly cleaning the surface will go a long way in keeping the surface clean and the luster unblemished.

This week we came across a terrazzo floor in a distinguished condominium building with classic wax damage (photos of which are posted below). Pervious posts in this blog have touched on how wax pushes out towards the perimeters of floors when re-applied over many years. Ultimately the edges of a floor are stained, etched, and sometimes even physically deteriorated due to the wax damage. We thought these pictures show the problem pretty well.

The practice of waxing stone floors is slowly shifting towards natural no-wax maintenance. However, we continue to see this type of damage in older commercial spaces like banks, government buildings, corporate clients, or condos. It is usually repairable using a variety of methods, from simply stripping the wax, to full-bore wet grinding (by machine or more importantly, by hand). Choosing sealers that may have a color-enhancing effect can help. In the worst cases for terrazzo, it is sometimes possible to have new terrazzo mixed and poured on-site into the cut-out section.

Another thing about wax that we have talked about before, is the fact that once it is removed from the maintenance cycle of a building, the waste output of the building is reduced, for the betterment of the local waterways. When wax is cycled (stripped and re-applied) the mop bucket residue has to end up somewhere, and it is our goal to reduce that waste as much as we can through our philosophy, and educating our customers.

Wax buildup damage in terrazzo around perimeter

Discoloration from wax around edges

The Beginning of Marble Restoration: What Exactly is Marble in the First Place?, April 16th, 2010

At Sungloss Marble Restoration Company, we have been repairing, cleaning, refinishing, polishing and honing marble, limestone, granite, terrazzo, slate, and many other stone surfaces for over 20 years. But we almost never stop to think about where it all starts—the origin of the beautiful, versatile, and natural material known as marble.

In basic terms, marble originates from limestone. So, what is limestone? Limestone is a sedimentary rock, formed from deposits of mineral specks, sand, and dead organic matter (mollusks, coral, etc). After many years of one layer slowly covering another layer, the stone forms sometimes in sheets, and sometimes minerals will precipitate in a more uniform manner. The primary mineral component of limestone is calcite (calcium carbonate).

When limestone continues to be subjected to heat and pressure over additional years, the stone undergoes a metamorphosis. Hence the classification of marble as a ‘metamorphic’ rock . Marble still is composed of mainly calcite, but the organic specks, sand, and general visual characteristics that define limestone are transformed into a smooth, tight grain. The metamorphosis causes a complete recrystallization of the limestone. Marble’s veins come from impurities and natural striation in the father limestone. Pure white marble comes from high calcite, pure limestone.

The main characteristic that concerns us when understanding marble’s chemical makeup is calcite’s natural reaction to acid. Due to the author’s barely passing grade in chemistry class, all we can tell you is acid will etch calciferous stone, releasing carbin dioxide bubbles (it has to do with the way carbon is chained together in the calcite…for more reading, see this chemistry lesson on calcite). The etched surface looks different than the adjacent stone, and can be an eyesore if the marble is polished. Another characteristic is the stone’s natural hardness. In the geologic world, the MOHS scale is used to compare different stone and mineral’s hardness. On the 0-10 scale, marble comes in between 2 and 5. What that indicates is, marble is truly not a hardy material compared to other minerals, stones, and metal objects. The Marble Institue of America states the first eight steps into your home track particles into the house. That means a marble floor will have bits of sand and dirt ground into it for those eight steps, and there’s a high probability the particles are higher on the MOHS scale than the marble itself. What happens when a harder material is ground into the softer marble underneath? It scratches, of course. Fine scratches over time will dull the surface, while deep scratches are noticable eyesores.

That’s where Sungloss Marble Restoration comes in to the picture. Whether they know about the actual chemistry or geology, I can guarantee our commercial clients’ looking to maintain their lobbies, construction companies with post-job cleanups, and residential customers looking to spruce up their beautiful (and expensive) investment all know about etches and scratches! Those two blights are a substantial portion of how we got into this business, and how we continously add value to our clients’ marble by naturally correcting the problems through environmentally-concious methods. Ultimately, we cannot escape the inherent properties of the natural wonder that we all know as marble—but we can maintain it as best we know how, to preserve marble’s beauty, along with our water and air for future generations.

Green Business Quarterly Highlights Sungloss Marble Restoration’s Dedication to Environmentally Conscious Stone Restoration, April 9th, 2010

We are honored to be featured in an upcoming issue of Green Business
Quarterly. The informative article by Jamie Ludwig highlights the
positives of natural stone restoration. It gives a rundown of the green
practices we adhere to, as well as the overall environmental advantages
natural stone restoration provides to our commercial and residential
clients.

In the big picture, choosing to restore marble, granite, limestone,
terrazzo, travertine, and other natural stone, saves energy by
preventing quarried stone (which takes much water and energy to produce)
from going into the market. Natural restoration also steers clients towards a
topcoat-free, natural finish, which stops the cycle of toxic floor
coating compounds from entering waterways.

Locally, our day-to-day activities work towards lowering emissions and
saving energy. Our fleet of gas-sipping small engine wagons is well
maintained, and our office is lit by CFL fixtures and/or natural light.

The article goes on to highlight our recent work at the Administration
and Public Safety Complex in Elk Grove Village, the state of Illinois’
first town hall designated to receive LEED Gold certification. Sungloss’
Vice President, Lisa Park, is quoted explaining our role in the LEED
Gold certification:

“The old building had granite flooring which had been waxed over and
over again. We spent about a month removing all of the old wax with a
biodegradable stripping agent and water. Once we come in it’s the last
time you have to do the waxing and stripping cycle. [Using] water-based
products, few chemicals are needed to take care of the floor.”

Sungloss Marble’s President, Mike Pavilon, points out the longevity of
marble structures going as far back as the ancient world, to illustrate
the usefulness of maintaining these beautiful and unique building
materials. Our assertion is that in the 21^st Century, we must choose
practices that are as helpful to the environment as possible. That
position comes across well, thanks to Green Business Quarterly.

Marble Institute of America and StoneWorld Magazine: Business and Educational Seminar Coming to Chicago April 15!, March 29th, 2010

This month on April 15, Sungloss Marble Restoration Company will be attending a great event led by the Marble Institute of America (MIA) and sponsored by StoneWorld Magazine. As a host committee member for this event, and long time member of the MIA, we at Sungloss are keen to promote this business educational event and sign up attendees!

The YouTube video here: (link) excellently explains the event. With a focus on business analysis and marketing, it is a fantastic education and networking event for fabricators and everyone in the Stone Industry who is engaged in the needs of their business for 2010 and beyond.

Sungloss Marble’s Vice President, Lisa Park will be attending and we are looking forward to the rich and valuable opportunity presented by this great pairing of hosts.

Please visit StoneWorld Magazine here (link) for the details. We’ll look forward to seeing you there in Elk Grove Village, Thursday, April 15!

Business Success for Fabricators – Marketing Your Company in Today's Business Environment

Attendees Are Certain To Learn Business and Marketing Insights

Marble and Limestone Sealers—Old Concerns and New Breakthroughs, March 17th, 2010

At Sungloss Marble Restoration Company, for 20 years we have been looking for the Holy Grail of the Stone Care Industry: a ‘miracle’ sealer. The harsh reality is, there are some amazing sealers on the market, but there really is no such thing as a breathable ‘true’ stone prophylactic, especially for calciferous stone (i.e., marble, limestone, and travertine). To go into sealers in depth would require a little more than a few paragraphs in this blog. However to simplify the discussion a little, there are breathable penetrating sealers (which Sungloss largely uses), and there are non-breathable top-coat type sealers. The performance of a top-coat sealer (wax or urethane) is a moot point, due their distinct ability to cover up the natural beauty of marble and make the natural stone look cheap. And they have other inherent ‘cons’ that (we feel) outweigh the pros, especially their environmental impact. We do not recommend top-coats for natural stone except for very rare circumstances.

On the flip side, breathable penetrating sealers offer the natural beauty of the stone to shine fully through, as well as being less likely to impact the environment when water-based products are used. The only caveat with penetrating sealers, is to understand that their performance is based on their ability to slow the penetration of stains and liquids. It rarely has anything to do with the acidity or caustic nature of the liquid. No sealer we know of can prevent stone from reacting with lemon juice or spilled Coke, no matter what sealer is used. A penetrating sealer will give you the advantage of time—the ability to blot (not wipe!) the liquid while it is still resting on the surface of the stone, before it saturates the pores. But if that liquid is made up of a substance that would normally etch (react with) the stone in question, there’s still a possibility of a permanent mark being left behind. With the better sealers and immediate care, an etch might not even form, or if it does, might be extremely faint. But the point is, the sealer cannot prevent all forms of attack over time.

At Sungloss, we have been experimenting with techniques, and with new products, to come ever closer to a ‘miracle’ sealing system that will prevent reactive etches even better than the sealers we have used in the past. We’ve found that multiple passes of different sealers with seemingly different chemical foundations, combined with other processes, offers our customers finished stone surfaces that to date surpass our highest standards for protective sealing. I say ‘to date’ because we continue to try new techniques and products to find solutions that better serve our customers. In fact, Sungloss will soon attend the Coverings show in Orlando Florida. This show will cover (pun!) many issues in our industry, including showcasing the most current sealers. It is continuing education opportunities, including attending industry expos, where we learn about cutting edge products. Maybe soon we will discover and pass on to our customers the Holy Grail – a true prophylactic sealer that prevents much of the chemical damage household and commercial marble, limestone, terrazzo, and travertine is subjected to on a daily basis. Until then, we offer our experience and know-how to our commercial and residential customers to deliver value in all our stone services: restoration, cleaning, polishing, and especially sealing.

Professional Stone Care (and Feeding) of Black Marble and Limestone, March 10th, 2010

Here at Sungloss Marble Restoration, for some reason we cannot explain why we’ve recently seen a ‘run’ on black marble and black limestone restoration. There are two issues in play: the specific qualities of the stones we have encountered recently, and the general expectations we have when consulting with our clients about black-colored stone.

Starting with the first issue: it can be pretty darn difficult to truly know what kind stone is underfoot sometimes when we assess commercial and residential stone restoration projects. There are hundreds of trade names for various stones, coming from clever marketers, and quarries all around the world. We have seen a lot—common low quality tiles given poofy, classy names, and stone deliberately called the wrong thing (i.e. ‘granite’ that is not real granite). Our Estimating Team and Account Reps rely on their experience as well as client-supplied information to ID stone and plan its’ restoration. However once in a while, our technicians discover interesting problems or unusual properties that affect our typical grinding or polishing procedures and force a little improvisation.

The most recent stuff we’ve been working with is black limestone sometimes called Inca Gray and/or Lava Stone. Whether is comes from Mexico or China, or if it is actually basalt is still undermined. All we know is we’ve worked with this stone on a few recent commercial and residential stone restoration projects. Right off the bat we noticed this stone was very sensitive to different kinds of installation and construction materials, and appears to be quite porous. Without professional treatment (correct materials, installation, cleaners, and sealers) from the very start, we fear we may see more issues with black limestone in the future.

The second issue involves black stone in general, especially high gloss polished surfaces. Although black polished stone (marble and limestone especially) can be utterly brilliant and beautiful, their inherent properties of light and color reflection make them the best candidates to highlight blemishes and poor sealing jobs. Any imperfection, etch, scratch, excess sealer, even a few drops of spilled Coke left unattended, might show up as a white ‘blip’ on the surface. This is precisely why highly polished black marble can be more expensive to maintain—it has to be kept up meticulously more often than almost any other stone. Black granite has a host of other issues and properties, a lot of which we have written about in other blog entries, and really needs its’ own article. The rule of thumb for any black polished stone is to expect the maintenance to be at a higher level than other types of stone colors and finishes.

At Sungloss Marble Restoration, our experience with commercial and residential marble, limestone, granite, terrazzo, and other stone cleaning, restoration and polishing, makes us approach the black marbles and limestones cautiously, but confidently. We have seen enough in our 20-plus years of working in banks, lobbies, condominiums, office buildings, and other commercial spaces, to know how to maintain these (sometimes) tricky black stone surfaces.

Stone Restoration in Commercial and Community Spaces, March 3rd, 2010

When we’ve written in the past about marble, granite, terrazzo, and other natural stone cleaning, sealing, and restoration in commercial buildings, we’re not just talking banks and high rises. This week, a bit of news from the U.S. Green Building Council about a program they are in involved in with the Girl Scouts of the USA, reminds us at Sungloss Marble Restoration about the commercial work we’ve done in community centers such as schools and hospitals.

The USGBC and the Girls Scouts are partnering to promote education about the Environment – “protecting it, preserving it, and understanding it.” One goal eventually is to build or certify more ‘green’ schools. Sungloss Marble has worked in schools on large restoration projects in the past. Our own green practices would have surely contributed to a LEED certification for restoration and reclamation, had certification been at stake. The most major school project we’ve done in recent years was refinishing multiple floors of terrazzo for the Joliet Public School system. It makes us feel especially good to deliver wax-stripped, restored flooring at a competitive value, with little impact on children’s indoor and outdoor environment.

Another high-visibility project we are involved in which affects a large group of the community, is our terrazzo restoration work for the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. Thousands of people (veterans!) visit this hospital (hospital!) monthly, so we take this project very seriously and very much to heart. Not only do we strive extra to provide value and quality to the VA through satisfying our contract within allotted time and to high standards, but we especially are concerned about the indoor environmental impact as a result of our work. We make sure our processes meet our Green Mission Statement, by choosing techniques and chemicals that are water-based, or have as little impact on the environment as possible. In fact, we schedule Sungloss’ own U.S. Veteran, Eugene on the job to make sure the work is up to par.

It is our hope that our environmentally-conscious work restoring marble, terrazzo, and other stone benefits not only our business partners, but the community at large as well.