There are many variations of how your stone becomes a material for your home. they come quarried raw, then cut, honed, semi-polished, and highly polished. Most Marbles and Granites we see are polished. Travertine and Limestone are usually honed, and slates and quarry stones are rough and raw. All stones can be cut, honed, and polished just like a diamond! In fact, it usually takes a diamond to do all of the above cutting and honing!

Regardless of the finish on your stone, you will need insurance on it just like a precious diamond. It is an investment and is usually more valuable than you think. Therefore, protection comes in several ways. usually sealing your stones with a stone sealer is the best. Products like impregnators are usually used on polished and natural stones. Coatings, enhancers and waxes are usually for the raw stones. If you pick a stone product, make sure it gets sealed!

Dust Mop, Dust Mop, Dust Mop! Keep it as dry as you possibly can. Use water and “neutral” cleaners only when necessary. Know your stone before you try to clean it. all stones have a different chemical reaction to different cleaners. Some of our worst enemies to stone are the everyday household cleaners that you purchase at your local grocery store! So what do you do you ask? Don’t use them! They can and will cause more damage than good, especially over prolonged usage of them.

Polished stones will most likely get etched and will need to be re-honed and re-polished. Showers, floors and countertops will be a must in most cases! This process usually needs to occur every 3 years, but depending on the application, and how often the surface sees “usage”, it can even require and annual re-honing or re-polishing to ensure optimal look, feel and lifespan. Certain types of stone such as travertine is always a debate amongst professionals. Stone Masters Of Idaho has the answers for that as well though!

Restoration and Resurfacing requires expert knowledge and years of both hands-on training and experience. As with anything, you should always seek a professional opinion and see the knowledge of someone who’s been in the industry long enough to have “seen it all”. The fact is that certain materials belong in certain areas and with that, it all boils down to a science using chemistry and the art of design.