Great Northern Stone: Maintenance Monday(s)

Great Northern Stone would like to take the opportunity today to discuss the basics behind Granite and Marble Restoration and Maintenance. We'll be here every Monday discussing tips and techniques that we implement into our business and ways to continually achieve the shine that reflects a positive image on your surroundings.

Let's start off by getting familiar with the rocks we are discussing. Everyone has seen these materials scattered about their daily lives whether be it on counter tops; maybe in a friends home or even their own, on the floor at any city and state building; sometimes climbing up the walls and enveloping you entirely with a marble or granite hug, or at the local museum where you took the children to visit this past weekend.

Most buildings built prior to the 1950's, after WWII, would have some type of natural stone or masonry covering the exterior and/or interior of the building. These stones were not only used as a solid (as in a rock-pun intended) building material but also used as a beautiful and natural design element that is aesthetically pleasing for all whom encounter the spaces in which they are placed.

mar·ble/ˈmärbəl/

Noun:

A hard crystalline metamorphic form of limestone, typically white with mottlings or streaks of color.

gran·ite/ˈgranit/

Noun:

A very hard, granular, crystalline, intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and often used as a building material

We here at Great Northern Stone feel very strong about the services we provide and our knowledge regarding natural stone. We; unlike many of our competitors out there; restore and maintain stone the natural way with grinding and polishing versus the crystallization process that many companies make business in doing.

Crystallization is another way to achieve a shine on stone surfaces. The term has entered the language of the marble polishing field to describe a process used to maintain a shine on marble surfaces.

Crystallization can also be called "vitrification" or "recrystallization." The procedure has been used in the United States since the 1970s, and has generated controversy among the experts. Both sides have put forward convincing arguments. If you opt for crystallization, as with any process, strict monitoring necessary.

The crystallization process consists of spraying a fluid onto the marble floor and buffing it in with a steel wool under a standard buffing machine. The steel wool generates heat through abrasion and the chemical reacts with the marble, producing a new compound on the surface of the stone.

Almost all crystallization chemicals contain three main ingredients: acid, fluorosilicate compounds, and waxes. Crystallization can only react with calcium-based stones such as marble and limestones. Although the process can work on noncalcium-based stones such as granite, the reactions are entirely different. In the chemical reaction, acid attacks the calcium carbonate of the stone, leaving an etch mark on the stone surface.

When the crystallization fluid is sprayed on a marble surface, the acid attacks the calcium carbonate. The fluorosilcate compound then attaches itself to the calcium ion, forming a new compound altogether.

Simply put, the crystallization process works by forcing one ion from one molecule to another in the cement matrix that holds the crystals together. This forms a new cement matrix that can be harder than that of the original stone. The newly hard and the preexisting softer structures form two layers, and thus, a layer of separation is between them. All stones that undergo this process have dramatic changes in their element construction. In order for this reaction to take place, frictional heat must be generated. This is the reason for using steel wool on the buffing machine.

Proponents of the crystallization process claim the new compound formed protects the surface of the stone, adds shine, and may even harden the stone, increasing its wear resistance. Opponents of the process claim that the new compound formed blocks the stone's ability to "breathe," traps the moisture, and causes the stone to rot.

We at Great Northern Stone do not use the crystallization process nor do we condone it. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used crushed salt, sand, and fibers to grind, hone, and polish stone. Today, we use diamonds and specially formulated polishing powders to accomplish the same tasks, yet the fundamentals remain the same.

The goal of restoring stone is to replicate the look and feel of the newly installed material. There are three basic steps (Grinding, Honing, and Polishing) that we will further dive into next week.

Until then, we'll keep you posted about progression here at the GNS Omaha shop on twitter and our facebook page.