Get the Shine Back on Your Natural Stone Surfaces

                            

You thought your granite countertop is almost indestructible, but some years after installation you observe that it has lost its shine and sheen. What could be the possible cause?

Granite countertops are very robust and are not easily damaged due to breakage or scratches. However, they are vulnerable to etching and dulling (chemical damage). Now, the question is how to get back the original beauty of the granite countertop when you purchased it.

How to fix your damaged granite countertop

Sometimes, build-up of soap film due to regular use of dish soap or other soap-based cleaners might have caused the dullness. Using a quality soap film remover as advised by stone restoration specialists will do the trick.

Hard water, which has high mineral content, can also be the villain causing a dulling build up on stone countertops. Try a combination of soap build up plus mineral deposit removers that can effectively address dullness due to both problems.

The necessity for resealing

Natural stone countertops are to be sealed to protect them from daily wear and tear. Just sealing the countertops during installation will not give lifelong protection. They need to be resealed every year or two depending on the amount of use.

Your dull countertop will regain its natural looks after a reseal by stone restoration specialists like The Marble Man. They will advise which type of sealer to be used for your particular stone out of the several varieties of sealers available in the market.

If you’ve tried everything else and you still have dull granite countertops, The Marble Man suggests opting for Resurfacing. Remember that the shine on your countertops comes from the finish on the stone itself. If the finish is damaged, no amount of cleaning, buffing, and polishing can get it back. It will need to be resurfaced.

Resealing and resurfacing are sophisticated stone restoration procedures which are to be done by a professional stone care specialist. For more information, visit The Marble Man website or call a stone restorer now on 1300 627 626. They Polish, Repair and Seal All Marble & Stone Surfaces and currently service: Gold Coast | Brisbane | Sunshine Coast | Northern NSW | Toowoomba | Sydney | Canberra.

Marble Sealing and More Stone Care Ideas

The Marble Man is a leading service provider for the maintenance of marble and other natural stone surfaces in your home, office, or commercial building. Your stone tiles need special care and regular maintenance to preserve its beauty for years to come.

If you have installed beautiful marble or natural stone tiles as flooring or for utility structures at home, you need to take a little extra care to maintain the natural elegance of these stones. 

Marble and other stone surfaces are porous and require sealing to prevent staining. Staining occurs when liquid or food containing acid is spilled on the stone surface. The dull mark or stain could have affected a single tile or spread in to several adjacent tiles. Knowing the type of stain (organic, oil-based, etc.) will help identify the proper stain removal technique needed.

If you happened to spill any fruit juices, carbonated beverages, wine and even tea on the marble surface, gently rub the marble with a cloth piece dipped in a solution of hydrogen peroxide mixed with ammonia. If the stone surface is already sealed by a professional sealing service provider such as The Marble Man, be rest assured that it won’t get stained!

When you use vinegar or cleaning detergents which contain acid, it can also cause etch marks and stains on marble surfaces. Marble is delicate and should only be cleaned with PH neutral, gentle cleaners. It is advisable not to use locally available cheap quality cleaner which may result permanent loss of shining. At The Marble Man, we use several different sealers to protect your marble or stone floors, benchtops and bathrooms.

Natural stone is generally classified into two categories according to its composition; they are siliceous stone and calcareous stone. Knowing the difference is critical when selecting a suitable cleaning product. Consult with a stone restoration specialist to help identify whether your stone is siliceous or calcareous.

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

At The Marble Man, our stone restoration specialists receive latest training classes on stone care processes and given on-job training on all the equipment and techniques available in the industry. We service BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | SUNSHINE COAST | NORTHERN NSW | TOOWOOMBA

Restore Your Dull Stone Surfaces with Professional Cleaning, Sealing & Polishing

Enhance the beauty and value of your house, property or other business establishments by installing stunning stone surfaces. Being the proud owner of a lovely home or office building, you must ensure that your precious stones get ideal care and maintenance by the best stone restoration specialists.

Marble, limestone, travertine, onyx and terrazzo benchtops, bar tops and vanities can become quite dull, stained, dirty and etched from acidic substances over time and need the sophisticated repair, stone polishing and sealing processes used by The Marble Man. You can always contact our expert technical team for post restoration care and maintenance.

The professional way to stop stains on stone is to treat it with a protective sealer as recommended by The Marble Man. One should understand that marble and other stone surfaces are porous and so water, oils or other liquids can easily penetrate the stone, leaving behind unwanted stains unless properly sealed. These stains look like dirty, dull ring and drip marks and can spoil the natural reflection of a marble or stone benchtop, bar top or vanity. 

By sealing the stone surfaces you will extend the life of your floor, benchtop or bathroom for many years to come. The grade of the sealer should be selected according to the type of the stone surface. The Marble Man team offers a huge range of sealing products to produce a long lasting stone surface that you will enjoy for years to come.

Before sealing, the stone surface is to be properly cleaned. Here also one should be careful in the selection of the cleaner as it should conform to the unique mineral composition of the stone. The Marble Man uses chemical, abrasion, and heat methods for cleaning the stone. If you go for cheap cleaners from the local market, it’ll break down the sealer, making the stone vulnerable to stains. Improper stone care and maintenance may impart a desired appearance initially, but it can cause steady deterioration and if continued for longer periods, may completely damage the stones.

The Marble Man offers custom plans for maintenance and stone care for both residential customers and commercial applications. Our professionally trained staff are available online and on the phone to answer your questions.

The Marble Man stone care services cover: 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 email us to book your onsite evaluation. 

The Marble Man - Where Customers Have the Last Word

Beautifully maintained natural stone surfaces in your home are the stepping stones to a stress-free life. Polishing and sealing can regain the classic beauty and luxurious look of marble counters and other stone surfaces.

Before you go for last minute Christmas face-lift to your home decor, it’s good to have a look at what our customers have to say about the stone restoration works we did for them:

Colleen Sutherland reviewed The Marble Man — 5 star

November 2, 2016 at 2:25pm · 

Prompt. Reliability. Professional. Friendly. I cannot recommend The Marble Man enough. I didn't realise how dull my stone bench tops had become. The difference was remarkable. So I got them back to clean both showers. I've had other professional tile cleaners in but they did not compare to the super clean shower recesses I have today. I'm obsessed with clean surfaces and these guys delivered in every way. Thank you so much. I am truly grateful.

The Marble Man Thanks a lot, Colleen Sutherland for taking the pain to write about the stone restoration services extended to you by The Marble Man stone restorers. We're honoured to hear such sincere words. Have a great day :) (y)

Like · Reply · 1 · Commented on by Shaun Marble · November 2 at 2:34pm

Colleen Sutherland It was refreshing to engage your people. From the admin ladies to the guys who did the job could not fault them. 

Vikki Moraitis reviewed The Marble Man — 5 star 

September 22 · 

Fantastic service and advice! The understanding and commitment to getting a positive resolution on our brand new stone kitchen benchtop was outstanding! Can't thank the staff enough! 

The Marble Man We're elated to hear this from a genuine, responsible client. Our stone restoration technicians always strive hard to exceed the expectations of customers. 

Ian Quak reviewed The Marble Man — 5 star  

August 17 Amazing natural stone care & maintenance... Will call you again.   

Alex Jess reviewed The Marble Man — 5 star 

May 21 

Good quality and services! Highly recommended services and products! 

Erica O'Grady reviewed The Marble Man — 5 star 

January 27 ·

Great job done by Craig and Craig in Sydney 

Sydney Auzzie reviewed The Marble Man — 5 star 

January 22 

Will recommend to family and friend I am VERY happy with the outcome thank you  :) 

Countertops in your kitchen pose the difference between easy cleaning and dread. Countertop material enhances the look and feel of your kitchen, and is the surface under your hands and food. 

Marble and other stone countertops are to be sealed to avoid staining. At The Marble Man, we have a huge range of sealing products to make long lasting stone surfaces. We provide repair, restoration and maintenance of marble and other natural stone surfaces at best value prices in homes, hotels and various commercial outlets across Australia. We make it a point that our team members receive hands on, practical training on stone care processes and are kept up to date with the latest techniques and technology. 

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 email us to book your onsite evaluation. 

Natural Stone Quarrying in Australia and Its Maintenance Guidelines

From the marble or stone quarries, we get a complete range of marble or other natural stone products such as raw marble/stone blocks, unpolished and polished slabs, marble tiles, monumental and furniture products etc. Marble or granite slabs and engineering stones are used for the manufacture of stone furniture like kitchen benchtops, worktops, bars, bathroom vanities and monument items and so on.

In Australia, sandstone was commonly quarried by the late 1800’s and used in large structures such as bridges and public buildings due to its strength, durability, availability and beauty. Quarrying was temporarily stopped during World War II, but around 40 years later in the late 1980’s stone not only experienced resurgence as a popular, structural building material, but a practical and attractive choice for interiors and furniture also.

Over the past 20 years, the popularity of marble and other natural stones have continued to grow in Australia, encouraging the resurgence of the quarrying industry. The trend continues today with architects combining the beauty of natural stone with imaginative designs to create magnificent effects both inside and outside.

Australia has significant deposits of natural stone and so there are many operating quarries in different parts of the country. The texture, colour and character of each type of stone vary from quarry to quarry depending on the minerals in that area and the physical environment. These differences allow for more variety when designing interiors and choosing stone.

Given Below Are Some of the Main Operating Quarries in Australia:

Western Australia: Marble is quarried in Maroonah and granite is quarried in the Fraser Ranges, Esperance, Jerramungup, Bruce Rock and Watheroo. We get  limestone in Moore River, Seabird and Postans where as sandstone is quarried in Donnybrook, Karratha and Mount Jowlaenga. Some stones are also quarried from the Ord Ranges and Mount Barker.

Queensland: Sandstone is quarried in Helidon, Murphy’s Creek, Warwick and Beaudesert.

South Australia: Granite is quarried in Wallaroo, Streaky Bay and Black Hill, slate in Mintaro and limestone in Waikeri and Ramco. In Victoria granite is quarried in Benambra and sandstone in the Grampians.

New South Wales: Granite is quarried in Tocwal, Dundee and Gosford.

Northern Territory: Granite is quarried in Tennant Creek.

Quarrying methods vary depending on the type of stone being quarried and the equipment available. Quarry operators look for natural joints in the stone, so they can split it and cut it to size. Explosives are often used with great expertise, so blocks can be obtained in required sizes.

In the case of granite, large blocks are removed from the ground deposits using explosives. When quarrying marble, operators must be very careful not to shatter the stone so they use machines that channel through the stone rather than explosives. Sandstone is removed using an excavator or crowbar, or is split using metal rods and plugs. The metal strips are placed in the holes and the plugs are hammered between the strips, which splits the rock.

Once the stone has been removed from the quarry, it is transported using heavy duty trucks and machinery to a processing area where it is cut into slabs - the size and thickness that the slab will be cut to will depend on its final use.

After cutting, the slabs are ready for use unless further enhancement is required, such as planing, profiling, texturing, polishing or honing. In this case, specialised saws, some incorporating computer technology, are used to create a variety of shapes, designs and surface finishes. Some pieces requiring more detail are crafted by a stonemason.

Natural Stone Maintenance Needs

Though marble and stone are very durable, over time all stone surfaces can become damaged in some way. But you need not to worry as The Marble Man has highly qualified technicians who can Repair and Restore your marble or stone floors, benchtops and bathrooms so that they look like new again.

Started in 1992 by Shaun Roberts, The Marble Man has eventually emerged as Australia's number one marble, granite, travertine, stone benchtop and tile restoration Company. The Marble Man undertakes polishing, sealing, cleaning and repairing of all stone surfaces using state-of-the-art and safe technology to produce amazing results. We give great importance to aesthetics and strive hard to enhance your home decor. 

We operate in Northern NSW, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and other areas throughout Qld and NSW. If you would like us to inspect your stone and give you free advice on its repair or restoration, an experienced technician will visit at a time convenient to you and provide a no obligation, free quote. Call our office today on 1300 627 626 or email us to book your onsite evaluation.

Get Your Stone Surfaces Restored to Look As Good As New with Professional Restoration

“We are absolutely delighted with the results you were able to achieve repairing the travertine crack and the final finish.” - P Tucker, Noosa

“I just wanted to write to tell you how fantastic it has been to deal with your team. I have dealt with many people in the seemingly never ending saga of building our house and your company has been by far the most friendly and professional, your "nothing is too much trouble" attitude has been greatly appreciated... Your professionalism, timely advice, constant communication and care are to be thoroughly commended. The house was always left tidy each day, I was told what was happening and you took the greatest care with all our belongings. Thanks for an incredibly fabulous result and expert customer service.”- J Masci, Gold Coast

These are some of the mails we get daily from satisfied customers after exceptional stone restoration jobs done for them. For us, natural stone repair and restoration is a way of life and we get energised to do it with state of the art technology and nature friendly products.

When there is a repair or polishing work on your costly stone, never go for cheap contractors; call a professional instead. We’re telling this from our experience where we had been contacted many times to rectify the damage caused by unskilled people who initially tried to restore the stone. Stone restoration or repair is a very skilled process which can be efficiently managed by experts only. While attempting a repair, all areas around the work spot are to be protected to prevent any further damage. Also, the work areas are to be kept clean, tidy, and stress free.

If you want to look into more such remarks before making a decision on selecting The Marble Man for your stone restoration job, please read these testimonials. If you need to directly talk to us, this our FREE Call No. 1300 627 626. Our administration and sales team are trained and available online and on the phone to answer your questions. We can also send an experienced team member to inspect your stone and advise on its repair or restoration, providing a no obligation, free quote.

We’re proficient to handle Travertine, Marble, Limestone, Onyx and Terrazzo types of stones and can carry out a wide range of stone and marble repair and restoration work. Because of the range of products that we use, we prefer to complete tests on the particular material you have and inform you about the results possible.

Always remember that a regular maintenance routine is required to keep the natural stone in your home or business place looking its best. 

If you have some doubts about what are the products to be used for bathroom cleaning, visit our website to read some professional bathroom cleaning tips. Similarly you can find information on the website about DIY techniques and professional methods to keep the sheen and shine on your marble and stone countertops, floor tiles etc. Be in touch with our blog and social media posts to get updates on marble, granite and other natural stone restoration.

Benefits & Drawbacks of Marble and Granite Countertops- a Comparative Study

Natural stones such as granite and marble are used as a favoured material for various structures for centuries. They are highly regarded for their durability, aesthetic appeal, performance and longevity. The granite and marble countertops are quite impressive and speak about sophistication and luxury.  Both the stones transform an ordinary interior decor into elegant space. They considerably increase the market value of a home; increase its potential for higher price and quicker sale.   

MARBLE: Formed from sedimentary carbonate rocks through metamorphic formation, the marble stone is truly unique and they are distinguished by veins of various mineral deposits that includes clay, quartz, iron-oxide, fine-grained chart, silt and other sediments. The materials are fused together naturally under great pressure forming different kinds of patterns of swirls in different ranges of colours such as white, cream, red, grey, blue, pink and green.

Apart from ornamental use, marble stone is also suitable for building applications such as marble flooring, marble sink, marble counter top and marble dining table. In addition it is used as columns, bathtubs, tiles, fireplace mantels, window sills etc.

Benefits of marble:

• It increases the real estate value of a house because of the professionally worked high quality marble used in structure and design.
• It is a unique material choice, No two pieces look alike.
• It enhances the decor and aesthetic appeal with matchless beauty.
• This natural stone is highly durable if properly cared for.
• It provides a good sanitary surface.
• It is easy to disinfect, improves the indoor quality of the air, and does not trap dust, pollens and other allergens.
• It is cooler in warmer and hot summer than other types of stone choices for flooring.

Marble has few negatives also such as:

• It is expensive, and easily gets scratches,
• Can get damage when in direct contact with hot items,
• Requires routine resealing,
• Stains easily and should be wiped promptly,
• Requires annual restoration for its maintenance.

GRANITE: Like marble, granite is another popular stone, visually impressive and coveted for its rich elegance. It is a composite of fused elements like mica, quartz and feldspar which influences the colour of the granite. It is formed deep in the earth with intense pressure for thousands of years to become marvellous granite.

Granite is incredibly hard, durable, tough and versatile. It is removed from earth as huge blocks and used after precision cutting and polishing into granite slabs and tiles.

Granite with different colours and mottled patterns is used as countertops and tiles for residential use in kitchen and bathroom. The major benefits of granite are:

• Competitive price than any other natural stone.
• It resists moisture and scratching, and is resilient to heat.
• Cleaning granite is very easy and it is known for its self cleaning ability and sanitation comparing to other natural stones.
• Once polished, it maintains the shiny and lustre appearance.
• It endures extreme temperature and resists wear.
• It is highly durable and popular for its longevity.
• Each piece of granite is unique.

Despite resistance and durability to water, spills on natural stone surfaces should be wiped up and cleaned immediately to prevent etching. Coasters should be used under glass vessels when carrying hot items.

Natural stone counter tops create a dramatic appearance to your kitchen and bathrooms. They are becoming the preferred choice as they complement any decor and are budget friendly.

Maintenance of granite and marble countertops is made easy with regular sealing and restoration works by stone care professionals. The Marble Man has been doing the stone restoration for over 20 years and they are the best choice for all your store counter top maintenance. The technicians at The Marble Man offer guaranteed stone restoration work and service Queensland and NSW regions.