Tips on Stone Maintenance and Slip Resistance
from a Maintenance Expert

We have known and appreciated John Palomba for many years, since his early days in at maintenance and restoration division of Port Morris. John has recently been named the Executive Director of Remco Maintenance Corporation, the largest stone maintenance company in New York. Since there are always new developments and approaches in our industry, we felt it important to interview John to learn his opinion on some of the most common questions that we come across after our stone is installed. Here are the results of our discussion.

Q. What are the biggest natural stone problems people call you with?

A. The most common problem people call to solve is the removal of stains from stone floors and counters. In some cases, it's just surface dirt. However, stains often occur because the stone has never been impregnated, or the impregnator has been applied improperly. A properly applied high quality impregnator will greatly reduce the porosity of the stone and inhibits stains. Not all stone installers are competent is applying impregnators.

Q. What can stone specifiers do to avoid this problem?

A. Selecting dense stones is always a good idea. I believe that the denser the stone, the less chance of having staining problems. Specifying a good impregnator will help. I know that Stone Source sells Lithofin PSI, which is a very good one.

Q. What is the second most common complaint?

A. The second most common problem is lippage, in which the tiles are not installed level. In this case, we often have to grind the floor down, until it becomes level.

Q. Is it difficult to remove stains from natural stone? How do you remove the stains?

A. We are almost always able to remove stains from stone. Once we determine the type of substance that is causing the stain, we can usually remove it with either the application of a chemical cleaner or sanding the surface.

Q. Do you suggest the use of impregnators on all stones and all textures?

A. We will usually suggest that impregnators be used on porous stones, which encompasses practically all natural stone, regardless if they are polished, honed, flamed or cleft finishes. The denser stones used in a polished finish, may not need to be impregnated.

Q. Do you recommend the use of impregnators on exterior stone pavers?

A. No. An impregnator can sometimes cause damage to stones used outside if water gets trapped underneath. In this instance, the impregnator may not allow the moisture to escape through the surface. Though do keep in mind that the manufactures of the high quality impregnators will often recommend their products for exterior stones.

Q. What do you suggest to people who want to use marble or limestone for their kitchen countertops?

A. I would suggest that they do not use marble or limestone on kitchen counters, unless they understand that acids that exist in common foods will etch the counters and leave marks or rings. However, I do recommend that that they apply a good quality stone soap product, which has animal fats and will protect and hide many of the etch marks. It is, however, not a perfect solution.

Q. How do you eliminate scratches and maintain polished stone surfaces?

A. We use traditional floor polish machines. On certain hard to polish marbles we will use recrystallization chemicals to achieve a better polish.

Q. How often must this be done?

A. The answer to that question is determined by the type and color of the stone, the amount and type of foot traffic and the opinions of the client. Hard stone, such as granite, requires a lower polishing frequency that softer stone, such as marble. Dark colored stones show more wear than lighter colors, and therefore need to be polished more often. Residential installations, with less people walking on the floor, require less frequent polishing. In addition, some clients are very fussy about scratch marks, while others are more accepting. On commercial floors, we may polish the floors as often as once a week, however, once a month is more common. Residential floors tend to get maintenance once or twice a year.

Q. Does the issue of slip resistance come up often? How do you typically deal with this?

A. Questions about slip resistance do not come up very often after the floor is installed. It is very rare to hear about people slipping on stone floors, unless the floor is wet. We always recommend that people put down mats on rainy and snowy days and that they make sure that water is removed from floors as soon as possible. Sometimes people are concerned about polished floors being slippery because of their assumption that a polished finish creates a slippery condition. We have not found this to be the case.

Q. If people insist that you do something to their floor to increase slip resistance, what do you do?

A. It is possible to apply a different finish, however, the additional traction could actually create a tripping condition. We do not recommend it.

Q. What is the most important suggestion you would like to make to architects and designers about making sure their customers are happy with their stone floors?

A. Always discuss the maintenance requirements of a floor with the client before finalizing the specification. Make sure that your customer understands what it will take to make the floor look good all the time. This is true for any type of floor, including stone, ceramic tile, wood, vinyl, etc. A proper maintenance program is critical to ultimate customer satisfaction.