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STONE
INSTALLATION
Q. What
factors to be considered to choose floor tiles?
A. " Abrasion
Resistance: The PEI rating or the degree to which a tile's glaze
will withstand the wear of foot traffic
" Breaking Strength: The degree to which a tile will withstand
breaking stress
" Mohs scale scratch test: To determine how easily the tile
scratches
" Shape and dimension
" Visual inspection
" Water absorption
" Bond strength
" Chemical resistance
" Crazing (resistance to cracking)
" Freeze or thaw resistance
" Impact resistance
" Acid resistance
" Water penetration through glaze
" Cleanability
" Marking resistance to metals
Q. I want
to buy tiles myself. How do I figure out the quantity that I will
need?
A. Generally, tile and stone for "field"
area is figured by the square foot. To figure square footage, measure
the area that you will be putting the tile with a tape measure.
Examples:
1. Floor
You measure your room and it comes out to be 10-1/2 feet wide by
15-3/4 feet long. You would calculate it by multiplying 10.5x15.75
= 165.38. Round this number off to the closest higher number (166).
I suggest adding on a 10-15% overage to plan for cuts, breakage
and a little extra to store in case a piece needs to be replaced
later in time.
2. Wall
You measure your wall area to be covered and you get 18" tall
and 33" long. Multiply 18x33 = 594". Now divide that number
by 144, resulting in 4.13FT2. (There are 144 sq. inches per square
foot). Again, round it off and add on for overage.
Q. I have
bought my floor tiles. What is a weight should I consider while
transporting packs of tiles by my car?
A. The approximate weight of stone
can be estimated using this "rule of thumb": a piece 12"
x 12" x 1/16" (30cm x 30cm x 1 mm) typically weights one
pound (0.45kg)
Q. What
the countertop to choose: granite or marble?
A. Both
marble and granite can be used for kitchen counters, but each has
its advantages and disadvantages. Marble is available in an unlimited
number of colors, but scratches very easily. If you are going to
be cutting meats and vegetables on these counters, marble is a poor
choice.
Granite is very
scratch resistant and will take cutting, but it can be porous. If
you are doing a lot of cooking with hot oil, granite can easily
stain. It can, however, be protected against staining if sealed
with a good quality stone sealer. Most kitchen stone kitchen countertops
are made of granite, which is overall a better choice than marble.
Q. After
installation my floor looks uneven. Tile lay is up and down, I feel
sharp tile edges by my bare feet. Are there any rules to regulate
the proper installation procedure?
A. Lippage
is a condition where one edege of a stone tile is higher than adjacent
tiles, giving the finished surface a ragged and uneven appearance.
In some conditions, amount of lippage is unavoidable. As a general
rule for smooth surface stones, Marble Institute of America recommends
maximum variation of the finished surface should be no more than
1/8" (4 mm.) cumulative over a 10' (3 m.) lineal measurement
which no more than 1/32" (1 mm.) variation between individual
tiles.
Q. Some
stone names sound strange. Where such names come from?
A. There are nearly 9,000 types of
stone and probably three times as many names. Do not let names confuse
you. Many importers will give a stone a different name. So, it's
not unusual for one stone to have several names.
Over 50 percent of the marble and granite in the Canada come from
Italy. The Italian names are usually descriptive of the color and
region where the stone was quarried. For example, Bianco Carrara
is a white (bianco) stone from the Carrara region of Italy.
Here are some common
Italian colors with the English translation
(Italian / English; Example)
Rossa / Red; Rossa Verona
Verde / Green; Verde Alpi
Negro / Black; Negro Marquina
Bianco / White; Bianco Carrara
Perlato / Pearl; Perlato Royal
Azzurro / Blue; Azul Bahia
Dorato or D'oro / Gold; Dorato Valmaneno
Giallo / Yellow; Giallo Siena
Fiore / Flower; Trani Fiorito
Breccia / Broken Pieces; Breccia Oniciata
Arabescato / Flower Design; Arabescato Vagli
STONE
RESTORATION
Q. What is the difference between marble
and granite?
A. Although both are stone and they're
quarried from the earth, granite and marble (marble's relatives
- limestone, onyx and travertine) are very different from each other.
Granite is formed deep in the earth's mantle at extremely high temperatures,
and is a very hard, resistant stone made of crystallized minerals.
The marble family: limestone, travertine, marble, onyx. It begins
as sediment; animal skeletons, shells, plant matter, and silt at
the bottom of bodies of water. After millions of years this solidifies
into stone.
Q. Can
any scratches be removed?
A. Conventional
scratches (represent 95% of all stone deterioration), scuff marks
and acidic stains (wine, vinegar, pop, household cleaners etc.)
can be eliminated by diamond refinishing systems.
However, the
structural marble damage, compaction marks, stun marks, grooves,
rust/oil stains, and stone mechanical trauma might not be removed
even through deep resurfacing procedure. Replacement of tiles /
slabs is required.
Q. I have just purchased a house that
has a marble hall. The flooring is about 10 years old. I understand
that it should be sealed to reduce staining and dirt from penetrating
into the pores of the stone. What do I seal it with? It is also dull
and needs to be polished. How do I polish it and with what?
A. After 10 years of foot traffic a marble floor needs to be re-polished.
If the original installation is good, you can get away with a two
step restoration procedure; Honing and Polishing. If the original
installation is bad (excessive lippage), then the floor must go through
a three step restoration procedure; Grinding, Honing and Polishing.
You need special equipment that you won't be able to rent anywhere.
You need proper grinding and honing attachments. As well you need
a good quality polishing powder. Then most importantly, you need to
know what you're doing!
Hire a good, reputable stone restoration company to refinish your
marble floors (Do NOT, shop on price! Ultimately you will get what
you have paid for). Then learn how to properly take care of them.
How
to hire? (pdf. file)
Q. What is the best way to clean marble
and other stones?
A. The old rule of thumb is never to
use anything you wouldn't use on your hands. Never use powdered
cleansers or abrasive pads to clean your stone. Even "soft
scrub" type cleaners contain pumice (powdered volcanic stone),
which could damage your stone countertops or floors. Never use any
products which are acidic or alkali; this includes substances like
ammonia or many common liquid cleaners such as Fantastic, Windex™.
Q. I have travertine coffee and dining
tables. They have become scratched and have some stains in them. Can
I use vinegar to clean them?
A. Travertine is a calcareous stone
and sensitive to acidic cleaning. Be cautious. Vinegar and other
acids will etch the finish of the stone and take the polish off.
Q. We have a commercial property which
was recently renovated. We are not happy about how our floor is leveled.
Is there any "tolerance for lippage" as a standard?
A. Lippage is a condition where edges
of the tile are not at the same plane with each other. What are
acceptable industry standards? This has resulted in many conflicts,
because what may have been acceptable to the installer was not acceptable
to the owner, resulting in litigation or withholding payment to
the subcontractor.
Lippage should not exceed 1 mm when setting square edge tile with
narrow joints (3 mm or less). More lippage can be tolerated when
wider grout joints are used or when the tile doesn't have a square
edge. Lippage should not exceed 1 mm per 3 mm joint width. (TTMAC
2000 Specification Guide 09300 Tile Installation Manual Notes on
Page 10)
Q. We inherited a marble coffee table.
The marble had at one time been given a coat of clear varnish that
had yellowed over time. So we sanded off the varnish and now the marble
is white and beautiful, but dull. Since we want to use this as a coffee
table that people would be setting their glasses on; how do we: 1)
Make the marble top shiny? 2) Protect the marble from glass rings?
We already tried a spray marble polisher, and it didn't do anything...
A. There are no ways around it; you
need to hire a professional. There is nothing you can apply onto/into
it to protect it from "glass rings". Use a coaster all
the time. We once suggested a customer to have a piece of glass
custom-cut to put on top of the marble. To minimize detrimental
effect of staining seal you stone with
impregnator (pdf.
file)
Q. I would like to know how to hone an
existing marble floor that is 75 yrs old but in good condition. It
never had a polished finish. There are many light scratches and worn
areas that we would like to remove. If I hire a craftsman, what should
I be aware of about their work and how do I judge an acceptable job?
A. We would recommend hiring a professional
marble restoration company. If it does the job properly, you will
know!
STONE
PROTECTION
Q. Many marble installers talk about
sealers. What actually is the "sealing"?
A. Sealers in the stone industry are
called
impregnators (pdf. file)
because they impregnate the interior of the stone with silicones
and resins that go through the pores of the surface. Stone sealers
do to stone what exterior wood sealers do to wood. They protect
the interior of the material.
Q. We had a new green marble vanity installed
in a washroom. Why should we seal it?
A. To save your money. The main objective
of the impregnator is to protect the interior of the stone from
staining. They help prevent fluids from penetrating through the
pores. Sealing is a preventive measure that provides extra protection
to the stone. The vanity should be sealed with quality impregnator
ASAP.
Q. Do stone impregnators really protect
the surface?
A. Technically, to a limited extent.
Impregnators will not prevent traffic patterns or scratches, nor
will they prevent etching from acid spills on marble. An impregnator
will keep the acid out of the stone but not off the top surface.
Q. Our
property management looks after a downtown Ottawa building which
has a White Carrara marble lobby. Can we be sure that applying marble
sealers to our stone is protecting it against wear?
A. Unfortunately, no. Penetrating sealer
has nothing to do with mechanical damage of the surface.
Q. Impregnators will not prevent wear,
scratches and etching. Should my stone still to be sealed? Would my
installers have done it already?
A. All stones need to be sealed with
a penetrating sealer. Most contaminants that damage your stone are
water or oil soluble. Premium silicon impregnators that reject both
water and oil should be used. By applying this type of sealer, you
will have more time to blot up spills before they penetrate your
stone's surface. Never assume your contractor or installer has sealed
your stone. Always ask if it has been sealed and with what type
of sealer.
Q. A marble
company just installed limestone tiles in our kitchen and sealed
it. Does sealed limestone need to be maintained?
A. Yes. It is just like taking care
of the paint on your car. If you wax or seal the paint, you still
have to wash it regularly. Sealers will last longer when the stone
is properly cared for.
Q. We have
heard different stories about impregnators. Some people say, they
last forever, others say for one season. How often should the sealers
be reapplied?
A. Most domestic applications should
be done annually, because they do not last forever. Over time the
sealer loses its strength and bonding to the stone. Just like the
penetrating exterior wood sealer, it eventually breaks down and
must be reapplied.
However this will be accelerated in certain conditions. For example,
in a high traffic area, the impregnator wears as the stone surface
wears down. The sealer only penetrates to a maximum of about 1.5mm.
As stone porosity varies significantly the sealer penetration will
also vary significantly.
Q. How
long polished floor will last and what is a warranty on polished
marble?
A. Hardness and wear resistance of
any substance (including marble, concrete, limestone and terrazzo)
depend on its molecular density, mineral composition and structural
integrity.
During our polishing process the diamond segments mechanically close
the "pores" of marble or concrete surface in a way, that
the light rays reflecting from the polished floor returning back
with less aberration on every progressively higher step. That is
why polished surface, actually, shines. We do not change core "ingredients"
of material being polished.
Therefore, the lifespan of polished surface (i.e. shiny look) directly
related to 1). Material matrix structure: for marble - percent of
calcite, for concrete - type of embedded aggregate and MPa, for
terrazzo / agglomerates - epoxy component 2). Amount of traffic,
type of traffic (dragging generator or stove over a polished floor
is not a great idea) and maintenance program.
Above factors are not relevant to diamond polishing process applied.
Now, - how fast the surface will get scratched again? - It is in
hands of its owner.
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