How to Choose the Right Natural Stone for Your Home

Get to know the qualities of different natural stones for using them at specific areas in your home. Stones have become an unavoidable component in modern home architecture.

Granite comes in very many different colors because of the varieties of composition and minerals within the rock. The granite at home is used mostly in kitchen and bathroom for making the countertops. They are preferred in the kitchen and bathroom due to the shiny finish and stain resistant qualities. The granite countertops are durable and need only minimum maintenance. Black or blue granite is the most commonly used material for kitchen countertops.

Another material used as kitchen countertop is Quartz. It is the second-most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar, and the third-hardest material.

Marble is generally more porous than granite and so more prone to staining. It is essential to frequently seal your stone to maintain maximum surface protection against spills, stains and etching.However, marble has such elegant beauty traits that it's widely used in Australian home designs.Marble is used on all surfaces and almost in any room in the house.

Another rock formation is Slate. Slate is a term applied to many paving stones, and it is the lowest grade of metamorphic rock, with a dull luster and strong cleavage. Slate’s natural form is thin planar slabs. Slate is also used for tile flooring in kitchen.

Similar to most other sedimentary rocks, the limestone is also made up of grains. It is found that the grains in limestone are mostly skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera. Limestone is ideal for making durable fireplace.

Get the TOP 10 TIPS for keeping your marble and other natural stone beautiful and durable. Call Australia's No.1 stone restoration specialists, The Marble Man, now on 1300 627 626 for a free quote. Their stone restorers service: BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | SUNSHINE COAST | NORTHERN NSW | TOOWOOMBA. 

In Addition to Stone Care for Homes, Marble Man Also Manages Large-scale Commercial Stone Maintenance Projects

The Marble Man remains your favourite Marble, Granite, Travertine, Stone Benchtop and Tile Restoration Specialist. The team at The Marble Man will do their very best to provide you with professional, 5-star stone care services, including stone repair, polishing, sealing, and professional cleaning.

In addition to carrying out stone care works for individual homes, we specialise in large and small commercial type restoration jobs too. These also include large scale clean and seals at 300-room hotels. The Marble Man ensures that the best long term and most economical result is achieved for the stone surfaces it services. Over the past 24 years, we have completed many large scale stone care projects across Australia.

Palazzo Versace Hotel - Gold Coast

Some of the major stone restoration works carried out by The Marble Man are:

Palazzo Versace Hotel - Gold Coast -> Restoration of 154 Hotel Rooms

Gold Coast International -> Restoration of Foyer floor and 254 bathrooms in rooms

Sheraton Mirage – Gold Coast -> Restoration of around 154 bathrooms in rooms

Mariott Resort Brisbane -> Restoration of around 255 bathrooms in rooms

Varcity Lakes Train Station -> Final Clean and seal of 3,400m2 concrete paving

China Town Mall Brisbane -> Clean and seal of 3,300m2 of flamed granite

Sofitel Brisbane -> Restoration of over 250 bathrooms in room

Mariott Resort Brisbane: bathroom

We have a team of experienced technicians who receive hands on, practical training on stone care processes and are kept up to date with the latest techniques and technology. We provide natural stone Repair and Restoration service at: Gold Coast|Brisbane|Sunshine Coast|Byron Bay|Sydney|Canberra|Newcastle|Central Coast. 

If you would like us to inspect your stone and advise on its repair or restoration, an experienced team member will visit at a time convenient to you and provide a no obligation, FREE Quote. Call our office today on 1300 627 626 or E-Mail us to book your onsite evaluation.

Natural Stone Production and Its Important Installation Tips

The beauty of natural stone tile adds timeless elegance to any home decor. Do you know where these stones come from?!

Australian Stone Advisory Association (ASAA) has listed a total of around 90 stone quarries in Australia in the Discovering Stone Buyer’s Guide. However the actual number of quarries in Australia and the total volume of tile manufactured will vary from ASAA's data. The then ASAA director Jim Mann had said that he knew of a couple of operators (not in the ASAA list) there in South Australia that quarry stone on farms, most of which got sold to local builders and property owners. He added that in Queensland, operators were producing half a dozen different types of marble which hardly see the light of day in Australia, as virtually everything they produce as raw blocks was exported to China.

From the stone tiles manufactured in quarries, slabs are cut into standard tile sizes and thicknesses (usually minimum of 10mm for floors), polished or honed and sold to a distributor who sells the tiles to the end user. The end users normally don’t purchase tiles directly from the manufacturer or wholesaler.

Tiled Floor and Bathrooms (Marble & Granite)

A good tiler will:

• Check quality of the stone tiles for polish, squareness, flatness, Arris-edges and colour variation
• Where to place the stone tiles so the grout joints are in the correct place
• Check for the levelness of the concrete substrate to determine if a sand and cement screed is required or self leveling compound required to ensure a level stone tile floor is achieved
• Use tiles from different boxes when laying the stone tiles so that the different colours a mixed into the floor
• Ensure that a good water proofing membrane is used
• What type of tile glue should be used on the stone tiles
• What type of tile grout should be used on the stone tiles
• Thickness of the grout joints between the stone tiles
•  Ensure that a GOOD fall in the stone tile shower is achieved
•  Ensure sealing of the tiles with a high quality professional sealer. This is essential to keep them clean and stop unsightly staining. Check out our recommended sealing range  

Marble, Granite, Limestone, Travertine Showers

When installing tiles in a shower there are several considerations:

• The floor has a good fall towards the drain so water does not pool around the sides and seep into and behind the tiles. This is especially important where the glass meets the floor and there is no hob (step)
• Adequate waterproofing - best results are achieved if 2 membranes are applied – one below the tile to prevent leakage and one below the sand cement bedding as a back up
• Plumbing and fittings are installed before tiles are laid
• Floor tiles are laid before wall tiles so that the wall tiles sit on top of the floor tiles – this prevents water from flowing down the wall and under the floor tile
•  Edges and corners are polished and not sharp on shower steps or shelves.

Once the stone benchtop or vanity has been prepared to specifications by the manufacturer, the installer will fix the stone in position with special glues and resins. The end user must choose the colour of the epoxy resin used to fill the joints with the installer, so it matches perfectly with the stone. The wrong colour can change the look of the stone.

The Role of Stone Restoration Specialists

The natural stone surfaces not only add elegance to your home or property but also make it stand apart from the rest by adding to its resale value.

The dull, stained or worn out marble and other natural stone surfaces can be restored to their newly purchased condition by stone care professionals. Get a FREE Stone Care Evaluation today. Call now: 1300 627 626. 

Removing All Types of Stains from Marble & Other Natural Stones, Australia

Maintaining your household marble tiles is not an easy job if you are unaware of the proper steps to follow for removing each kind of stain. Here are some quick tips for the most common type of marble stains that homeowners generally find difficult to clean. 

Oil-Based Stains

These kinds of stains are generated when some oily stuff (like tar, putty used by plumbers, cosmetics, vegetable oils used in cooking or grease) dirties your marble floor. Your first step should be to clean the region with detergent used for household purposes. If it does not seem to work, you can also consider using acetone and mineral based spirits. These materials can be used with some Eco-friendly cleaning products for maintaining the luster of marble. 

Stains Caused by Ink Spill 

Ink spill leads to one of the hardest-to-remove stains if proper steps are not followed for the process. When such a spill has occurred on light-colored marbles, you can use acetone or thinner lacquer. On dark colored stones, you can use hydrogen peroxide or bleach. 

Stains from House Paint 

When there are small sprinkles of paint on the marble floor, you can scratch off the paint gently with a razor blade. You can also use a lacquer thinner for removing the same. However, if the spill on floor is large, this technique has little chances of working effectively and can even take up much of your time. Thus, for heavy spills, you need some heavy cleaning material that can be obtained from hardwood shops. Cleaning can be cumbersome but make sure not to use acids on the floor as they will wash away the luster and introduce roughness in the stone. 

Stains from Water Sprinkle 

Surfaces that frequently get sprinkled with hard water should be wiped and then polished with dry steel wool in order to avoid permanent stains of hard water. 

Stains Caused by Fire & Smoke 

Smoke and effects of fire sometimes degrades the quality of stones thereby making them appear darker and dull. Heavy use smoke removers can help in easy removal of such stains from surfaces and can thus save considerable amount of effort and time. 

Stains Arising from Biological Growths 

Fungi, algae, lichens, moss and mildew can lead to different types of stains in stones. For cleaning such growths, small amount of bleach, hydrogen peroxide or ammonia can be used with around a gallon of water. Take note to use only one of these substances with water. Do not mix ammonia with bleach. 

Though there are fixes for each type of stain that affects the surface of stones, yet for preserving the original look and shine of marble, there is nothing comparable with professional expertise. Stone restoration professionals are aware of the perfect fixes that can not only breathe new life into the stained or dull marble surfaces but can also prevent the degradation that the harsh cleaning products can cause. Plus, you get the benefit of saving time and effort. 

Call Australia's No.1 natural stone restoration specialists today on 1300 627 626 for a free quote.