Monday 28 December 2015

When to Contact Natural Stone Repair & Restoration Professionals in Australia

Limestone- after polishing by The Marble Man
Natural stone surfaces in your home, office or commercial establishment provide beautiful floors, countertops, fireplace etc. all the way enhancing the look and feel of the interior decor. You have made a costly investment with marble, granite or other natural stones; now what’s needed is to maintain those stones properly so as to get many years of amazing cuteness and style. A maintenance schedule has to be in place for cleaning and regular inspections of the stones to check stubborn stains, hard water spots, and cracks etc.           

The attractive appearance and durability of marble and many other natural stone tiles will remain for a lifetime if you follow standard maintenance practices. Ensure to completely remove sand, dirt, and grit which cause maximum damage to your natural stone tiles.

There are plenty of do-it-yourself methods described in the internet world to clean stones, and remove stains, mould & mildew etc., but many of them may eventually spoil the beauty of natural stone. For example, we have seen many stone care articles recommending the use of bleach, but actually bleach can damage your stone and grout lines, causing fading or discoloration. Use only quality products as recommended by authorised stone care professionals.

For daily cleaning of natural stone, add a few drops of liquid stone soap (PH neutral cleaner) into warm water and apply that cleaning solution using a soft cloth to remove stubborn dirt from the stone surfaces. Never use harsh chemicals to clean grout and caulk. It’s also advisable not to try any sophisticated cleaning or repair procedures by yourself or with the help of an unskilled person. What you can do is dust mop the floors and other stone surfaces regularly. 

And always call stone restoration specialists in Australia to do weekly or fortnightly stone cleaning. These stone professionals will check for stains, mould, cracks etc. while doing the routine cleaning and inspection of stone surfaces. They will do wax removal, grout cleaning, sealing, polishing etc. in a professional way as and when required.

For cleaning stone floors, professional stone restoration providers use chemical cleaning, abrasion based cleaning and heat based cleaning- sometimes these specialised cleaning processes are also used in conjunction to get the desired result. So, when they use such specialist procedures to clean dirt and stain marks, it’s clear that your daily dust mopping or DIY tactics are not sufficient to keep the stone surfaces in good shape.

The Marble Man, started in 1992 by Shaun Roberts, current owner & MD, provides professional stone restoration services in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, Northern NSW and other areas throughout QLD, NSW and Victoria. The company has individual home owners to big brand hotels and commercial buildings as its clients.

The Marble Man stone professionals use latest technology and only branded equipment and products for stone restoration works. Call the MM team today on 1300 627 626- They will send a police checked and verified technician to inspect your stone tiles at your convenient time and give you a free stone restoration quote. Visit the website to know their comprehensive portfolio and customer feedback.  

Monday 21 December 2015

How to Fix Breakages or Cracks on Your Natural Stone Benchtop or Floor Tiles


Are you worried because of a cracked marble countertop or a granite tile? Once the stone surface has split apart, it’ll never regain the original shape even after repair. However, stone restoration professionals assure you that with the help of latest technology in stone repair they can do it the best possible way and avoid replacement of the cracked stone tile.

Guarantee on Natural Stone Repair
To give you assurance about quality work, The Marble Man in Australia offers a 7-point guarantee. They apply latest technology glues epoxies and diamond abrasives and use NANO treatments while repairing marble tiles, granite countertops, stone benchtop and vanity etc.
Whether it’s a hairline crack or breakages, stone experts can repair it with a touch of perfection. It’s true but you need to make the wise decision of selecting a stone repair company that has high reputation. If you call cheap service providers it may end up with spoiling the stone and then finally replacing it.  

The epoxy used for fixing marble or granite cracks is to be mixed with stone pigments in order to get ideal color matching and thus avoid easy detection of breakages after repair.  Sometimes the issue may be slab movement at the fireplace, countertop or other areas which requires repairing of seams expansion. This is sophisticated stone repair work and need to be handled by specialists only.

Now let’s discuss some tips to easily maintain your natural stone surfaces and extend their life period.

How to avoid the discolouration in the grout?
  • Change the shampoo: Read the ingredients mentioned in the shampoo bottle. If it contains dyes and colourings mentioned in the bottle, then choose a new shampoo which is natural with no colourings in them. Dye is not good for your body health & family health and it also stains the bathroom.
  • Prevent using harsh cleaning chemicals: Harsh chemicals would work well to remove the stains, grout may look cleaner, but they remove the water repellence property of the grout. Bleach is also bad for tile and grout.
  • Mix vinegar with water in the ratio of 1:2 and use that solution to clean the grout. A soft brush with little elbow grease would give you excellent result with this solution.
  • Use Squeegee: It is preferable to use a squeegee with the suction cup and mount it on your shower, so that it would be handier to use whenever you need it.  You can use it after each shower and this will allow minimum water to be on the grout, tile and doors and dry. Thus there will be very minimum deposit of salt from the water.

Find out if the damages to your stone surface can be repaired or not by taking a snapshot and sending it to The Marble Man stone repair team. You can also call them on 1300 627 626 and they’ll come to your place for inspection and give you an obligation-free stone restoration quote. 

Monday 14 December 2015

Preventative Stone Care Tips for Your Marble, Granite and Other Natural Stone Surfaces


People using natural stones are mainly worried about the maintenance requirements, but the fact is that natural stone countertops or floors need no more care & maintenance than natural wood products such as tables and chairs.

It’s better if you know your stone surface well and the maintenance needs it requires. A stone restoration specialist can guide you the precautions to be taken to avoid stains, wear and damage. Ask the stone care professionals about the daily and long term maintenance practices to be followed, and also the time schedule for resealing, repolishing or deep cleaning of stone surfaces.

Preventative care is what mostly needed for natural stones like marble, granite and travertine. Make sure that your stones are properly sealed with a penetrating sealer before installation. This will prevent staining to a certain extent and also will reduce the build up of moisture. Presealed stone surfaces are easier to clean too.  Topical sealers are not recommended because they do not prevent moisture to accumulate under the surface and sometimes affect the look of the stone.

Here Are Some Precautions and Preventative Care for Your Costly Stone:

Even though granite countertops are not susceptive to normal stains and scratches, they are prone to staining by oil and acid. Ensure to wipe up any spills on the countertops as soon as possible, and then clean the surface.

Don’t place acidic or chemical products such as wine, juice, vinegar, milk, tea or coffee on marble and limestone surfaces as these can etch or stain the surface. Use coasters.  Staining or etching can also be caused by high alkaline products such as aftershave, soap, shampoo and perfumes.
Grit on shoe can scratch a stone surface, so avoid using shoes on natural stone surfaces. Also use doormats which will gather dust and grit from shoes and slippers.

Use felt or any such soft pads under chairs and other furniture to avoid scratching. While moving furniture items, it’s advised to lift them rather than dragging to prevent scratching.

While cleaning natural stone, ensure to use Microfibre Mop or a cotton cloth to avoid scratching. If you want to use scourers, depend only on professionally recommended scouring products such as the Scrub-a-dub; other scourers can scratch the stone surface and spoil the glossy finish.

Natural Stone Cleaning

The best preventative measure for stone floors is regular cleaning with neutral PH cleaners such as S-P Cleaner, Stone Deep Clean, Brilliance or Renue. Wax based sprays are not to be used as they leave a build up on the surface. Dirt and grit on the marble or granite surface can affect its polished finish. Use recommended cleaning products only and do regular cleaning to preserve your beautiful stone surfaces. 

Marble and granite in the bathrooms are affected by soap scum. This is to be prevented by regular cleaning using a squeegee for shower walls. Also rinse vanities and natural stone sinks with hot water whenever possible.

For any queries on natural stone maintenance, you can contact The Marble Man who is regarded as the No.1 stone care company in Australia with over 20 years of experience in the field.  Call now for a Free Quote on 1300 627 626.

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Get that Impressive Christmas & New Year Looks for Your Home with Shining Natural Stone Surfaces


Natural stones used for benchtops and flooring are not as hard as a rock; they are elegant but delicate material and should be taken care of in a proper way. Natural stones such as marble and granite can transform an environment with their stunning beauty and design variations, provided you give them proper maintenance. For this, always depend upon a credible stone restoration specialist in Australia who knows different varieties of stones and their correct maintenance procedures.

The Marble Man is a professional natural stone repairing and restoration company that services several places across Australia, with more presence in the QLD and NSW regions. They can handle all natural stones such as marble, granite, travertine, onyx, terrazzo etc., and do polishing, sealing, stone repair, grout repairs, chip repairs, re-surfacing and sophisticated cleaning with steam or chemical washing.

Their highly skilled technicians can polish your marble or other natural stone kitchen benchtop, bar top or vanity and regain their natural finish for the great occasion of Christmas and New Year. The Marble Man Polishing and Restoration works ensure that:
  • All dull stains, scratches and etch marks on the stone surfaces are completely removed
  • The pristine polished finish to the natural stone is restored
  • Your kitchen and reception area will be lightened up because the polished and cleaned natural stone surfaces will look like new again.
Your guests will be impressed to see well cleaned and glittering bathrooms! Also as there are more members using the bathroom, there are chances that the stone surface may get spoiled. For this you’ll have to call The Marble Man to seal the stone surfaces in the bathrooms. Their sealing procedure starts with professional cleaning using quality detergents and rotary scrubbers to remove all inbuilt dirt and stains on the stone surface. Then the Sealing work starts on the second day applying two coats of special penetrating sealant.

Professional stone sealing ensures that no liquids and dirt are penetrated into the stone surface. In addition to preventing scum build-up, mould growth is also greatly reduced after sealing as water won’t enter beneath the stone tiles. The bathroom will be easier to clean after the sealing.
Even if you haven’t properly maintained your stone surfaces for a long time, The Marble Man can give extra life to your worn and damaged stones employing latest technologies and stone restoration techniques in the industry. They ensure that your natural stone products give added elegance to your home decor during this festive occasion.

The Marble Man has been relentlessly serving home owners, hotels and other business establishments for the last 20 years or so and can provide you daily stone maintenance tips. They also offer a wide range of safe home products for stone cleaning. This will help you to keep your floor tiles and worktops looking fresh and new. Natural Stones are long lasting materials and will remain amazingly beautiful for a long time if you follow the routine maintenance practices.

The Marble Man professionals are up-to-date with hands on, practical training on natural stone restoration processes and new technologies emerging in the industry. They service:  SYDNEY | CANBERRA | NEWCASTLE | CENTRAL COAST | BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | SUNSHINE COAST.  You can also call them for a free quote on 1300 627 626.