Green Practices in Our Marble Restoration Contractor Work

Sungloss Marble Restoration Company admittedly goes through a lot of supplies in our daily work of marble, granite, limestone, terrazzo, slate, and other natural stone restoration, cleaning, and polishing. We have ‘honed’ our practices over the 20 years in this business, to recognize ways to deliver high quality stone restoration work while being smart about resources. Some of the day-to-day decisions we make are fueled by our dedication to green practices.

Although it seems common sense, rags are the single biggest item we reuse. During a typical stone cleaning and sealing project, enough rags to fill a garbage bag may be used. What to do with that bag? Wash them! These all-cotton rags can be used at least two or more times, if properly cared for. And on top of that, they are sourced from clothing that is recycled to start with. When we buy the rags sometimes you can see t-shirt slogans peeking out from within the bundle! You wouldn’t think, but the clean cotton rag can be one of the most important tools in finishing a marble, granite, terrazzo, or other stone restoration project. So many times we are called to assist contractors or stone installers who have issues with their penetrating stone impregnators and sealers. We’ve seen these problems stem from the sealer applicator in a few cases being wrong for the application—for example a roller was used and the sealer went on too thick. After stripping the floor and analyzing the situation, what applicator do we determine is best?—cotton rags. Simple and effective, and natural as well.

Not every tool we use can be sourced from natural places. Plastic sheeting and tarps are used at every jobs to protect home and property owners’ baseboards and adjacent walls. However, we are not above cleaning and re-using plastic when it is not stretched or torn. In fact, the tarps are washed, but they will not re-enter a customer’s home or business unless they are dry and free of any residue. Customer respect is a primary tenant of Sungloss Marble Company’s operating manual—we will take any and all precautions to make our customer’s experience only about the beautification and restoration of their natural stone.

Besides these tangible items, we also pay close attention to an oft-overlooked detail about our vehicles: the tire pressure! Making the investment in indicating valve stem caps was one of the best in Sungloss’ history in terms of the return on investment. These caps tell when our tire pressure is falling below the recommended pressure. However, by keeping the tire pressure at optimum, our vehicle gas mileage is as good as it can be while maintaining the health of the tire (over-inflation of tires might get you better mileage but it will make the ride very stiff while wearing out the tire, and even lower tire grip on the road). All that saved gas not only adds up to money in our pocket, but also less demand for oil. Think of what would happen if all of us kept our tires inflated!