Never Let Inexperienced People Handle and Spoil Your Costly Stone Surfaces

Marble, granite and other stones are natural, elegant and have a timelessness that is hard to surpass with other flooring options. Choosing to use natural stone in your home is an easy decision, but adopting the proper stone maintenance practice can be a little bit trickier.

Described below, read what happened to a person who had first appointed an inexperienced stone cleaning contractor and later had to call The Marble Man to restore the damaged marble floor:

"The Marble Man rescued my marble floor and restored its beautiful, natural, glossy finish…..," Ms Rita Fletcher wrote in a testimonial expressing her happiness.

“The Marble Man returned the glossy, beautiful, clean reflection I was hoping for. These guys knew what they were doing, arrived on time and even cleaned up after themselves.  I am so happy with my marble floor now that I’m going ahead restoring my marble bathrooms. Please read my experience as I used a cleaning contractor first and then The Marble Man to fix their mess,” said Rita.

Read further the full story behind Rita’s experience:

Rita recently appointed The Marble Man to polish a marble floor that had been polished earlier by a cleaning contractor.  The contractor was unskilled in stone restoration and used inappropriate pads under a machine and abraded the high points in the lippy floor and did not touched the low points.  This left the floor patchy and dull and in worse condition than before they started.

After 4 attempts to correct the damage, 4 weeks later, Rita finally gave up on the contractor and called The Marble Man. She had to endure arguments with the inexperienced cleaner over payment of the rectification and the original bill, which she insisted on being paid for.  Rita ended up paying more for the rectification of the poor work, than they originally would have paid us to complete the job professionally.

We are finding more and more such issues every day.  Please don’t let this happen to you.  Your stone surface is precious. The Marble Man’s 8 Point Satisfaction Guarantee makes the right choice for your restoration the first time.  When you choose The Marble Man you are choosing a contractor that has a solid reputation for over 24 years now in the stone restoration field.

Before you start decorating your home for any occasion, it is good to have a close look at the stone surfaces in the house – the floors, walls, benchtops, countertops, vanity, bathrooms etc. If you think they need a facelift, don’t worry about the time or cost. The Marble Man can do it pretty fast and quite affordably in a professional way. Give them a call today on 1300 627 626 for a free stone care evaluation and to discuss polishing your natural stone floors, benchtops, showers or walls.

Headquartered on the Gold Coast, The Marble Man stone care professionals service several places in the QLD and NSW region, including Sydney.

Kitchen Benchtop Selection- Important Guidelines

Selecting kitchen bench tops is one of the most crucial decisions that homeowners have to make as the choice has to pass the durability test for at least 10-15 years before the homeowner can think of its replacement. Natural stone has been flawless in passing the test of durability and reliability. 

Architects have been choosing stone as a superior kitchen bench top option for years now. Even today, the grace of stone is still continuing and with an increased momentum of adoption.

What are the Stone Options that You Can Use for Your Kitchen?

Today, there are wide varieties of natural stones that people are choosing for giving their kitchen tops an awe-striking look. Some of them are:

• Granite
• Marble
• Limestone
• Slate
• Onyx
• Sandstone
• Travertine

Most of these stones, especially Granite and Marble are available in a number of colours and patterns which give homeowners a good number of choices for making this long-timed decision.

Size is Important

Get the Perfect Fit Size: Generally, the kitchen tops run from 600 to 900 meters in size. However, if your kitchen top requires greater length or width, it doesn't look good if you have some joints in the middle. It is thus better to ask the stone surface provider to measure your kitchen top size and provide you with a single stone piece custom-made for your needs.

Material, Pattern and Colour

For making this decision, keep aside your biasing a little and think about the perfect colour and material that can go well with the look of rest of your house. First decide what stone would be perfect depending upon the type of usage. Don’t think about maintenance at this time since every stone requires the same amount of maintenance to preserve its lustre. 

Next, look for the colour. Try to imagine the fit with the rest of your home including floor, wall paint and furniture and then make a choice. In the end, make the choice of pattern. Striped pattern with varying shades of the chosen colour is quite in trend.

Why Stone Surfaces Last Longer?

Here are 3 reasons as to why stone surfaces last longer and better in comparison to other options: 

• Robustness

As compared to the other surfaces like timber, concrete and stainless steel, stone surfaces are quite robust. This property makes them last longer with grace when compared to other options.

• Trendiness

Stone has been in trend since ages, and now with new patterns and colours, it is becoming an elegant choice found in most of the households.

• Easy Maintenance & Longevity

Maintenance of stone surfaces is quite easy. Regular cleaning of deposited grime along with time-to-time polishing is sure to give your kitchen top a new look. With any other material, cleaning can only make the surface last but not with the same grace as new. Stone surfaces do require some pampering time with regular cleanup and polishing but they sure look wonderfully new when maintained properly. 

For natural stone polishing, sealing, cleaning and repair, you can contact the most experienced professionals in the town: The Marble Man. Headquartered on the Gold Coast, they service: SYDNEY | CANBERRA | NEWCASTLE | CENTRAL COAST | BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | SUNSHINE COAST. Contact their technicians today on 1300 627 626 to have your stone inspected and get a FREE Quote.

How to Select Natural Stone Tiles for Your Kitchen?

Natural stone tiles are an integral part of any home’s decoration. In fact, you will find natural stone the favourite of many interior designers. Stone tiles are mostly used in the kitchen and bathroom. Marble tiles are very popular to use in the kitchen as they are pleasing to the eyes.

Marble Tiles for Your Kitchen

You will find many different types and sizes of marble tiles. They range from small to large sized tiles. There are several styles and patterns for you to choose from. Mosaic and Teakwood designs of marble are the most used tiles in the kitchen. These tiles are often used for floors but you can also find them on the walls of the kitchen, oven vanities and kitchen sinks.

Influential Factors

The choice of tiles for use in the kitchen depends on many factors like the size of the room, your preferences for its interior design and how frequently you would like to use the kitchen. There are many options available for you. You can hire professional interior designers to help you with the marble tile layout and style. If you have a good aesthetic sense, you can also do it yourself.

Popular Kitchen Tiles

Popular marble tile types for the kitchen are teakwood marble tile that gives the walls and floors of your kitchen a natural look. This type of marble is ideal for busy kitchens. It can be fixed on floors or walls.  The ideal colours for a kitchen are grey or beige or a mix of both.

The teakwood polished marble tile is another type of marble stone that gives your kitchen a slick natural appeal. It is very strong and durable. If your kitchen has heavy traffic, you can opt for these tiles. They can be used for both walls and floors.

If you wish to give your kitchen a modern and luxurious look, you should opt for the mosaic marble tile. This type of tile can be used with porcelain or on its own. The sunset marble tile also gives your kitchen a luxurious and polished look. When you fix these tiles on the walls or the floors of your kitchen, you get a warm and modern look.

Maintain the Looks and Durability of Your Kitchen Marble Tiles with The Marble Man

Marble is a natural stone that has its own unique charm and appeal. However, it is very soft and can be damaged if not cared for properly. You should maintain it well with the aid of trusted stone maintenance professionals like The Marble Man- a leading marble and natural stone restoration company in the QLD and NSW regions. The skilled professionals there will come over and give you priceless tips and service to ensure your tiles gleam and look their best. 

The Marble Man can also be called for affordable granite and marble repair and restoration services and stone sealing whenever needed. Contact them today on 1300 627 626 for your needs and give your kitchen marble tiles the care and long life they deserve!

Stain Removal and Other Cleaning Procedures for Marble and Stone Surfaces

Marble, granite or other natural stones in your home, office, or commercial building help to improve the look and feel of the place. Natural stone floors, stone worktops and other stone tiles don’t need sophisticated maintenance procedures if they are properly looked after on a regular basis.  

Stains that occur on your precious stone surfaces can be broadly classified as oil-based stains (from grease, tar, cooking oil, cosmetics etc.), organic stains (caused by coffee, tea, fruit, tobacco, paper, food, urine, leaves, bark, bird droppings etc.), inorganic metal stains (from iron, rust, copper, bronze equipment or appliances), biological stains (by algae, mildew, lichens, moss, fungi) and ink stains (from magic marker, pen, ink etc.). 

If you want to remove stains from the stone tiles by your own means but are not able to identify the stains, call The Marble Man on 1300 627 626 or send them some snap shots of the stained surface. An expert technician will guide you whether you will be able to remove the stain by DIY method or it needs professional help to do the same.

As said in some previous blog articles, here are some common points to keep in mind to safeguard your stone bechtops or countertops. Ensure that you put coasters under glasses, which carry alcohol or citrus juices. Trivets or mats are to be placed under hot dishes, and placemats underneath ceramics, silver, or other objects which will scratch the surface. Use non-slip mats or area rugs at door entrances and frequently used stone floor areas so that dust and dirt may not come directly in contact with the stone. Never use vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners that contain acids on calcareous stones like marble, travertine, limestone, and onyx.

Visit The Marble Man website regularly to get updated about cleaning procedures and recommendations for your marble or granite countertop, marble floors, stone floors, bathroom tiles and stone surfaces in the exterior of the house.

There are different cleaning materials for siliceous stones (such as granite, slate, sandstone, quartzite, brownstone, and bluestone) and calcareous stones (such as marble, travertine, limestone, and onyx) because their crystal structures and chemical combinations are quite dissimilar.

The Marble Man is not only the No.1 stone restoration specialist in Australia, but they are also the authoritative source of information on standards of workmanship and natural stone maintenance practices. They also market a wide range of stone care products and have certain guidelines for their application.