Stone Services Packages
Cleaning Natural Stones, Travertine’s, Marbles & Granites, is not the same as cleaning Ceramic or Porcelain Tile… as well, cleaning the grout with natural stones can require a different approach. It is DEFINITELY not the same as cleaning carpet! It may be more convenient to have one person clean all your surfaces; however, it may not be your best investment of funds. (San Diego Stone Care works with and can recommend & coordinate the right Carpet Professional for you while we care for you Stone, Tile & Grout Surfaces)
Over time many of these Natural Stones loose their shine & develop scratches in which, usually, more than just a cleaning is necessary…especially Travertine. We Clean, Rejuvenate, & Restore more Travertine than any other Natural Stone materials.
We also understand that it may not be in everyone’s current budget to have a full restoration. So SDSC has developed four different packages that accomplish different results & customer expectations: Cleaning & Sealing, Stone Rejuvenation, Stone Renovation, & Stone Restoration.
The fact that every stone project is different pricing will not be given until after an on site Free Estimate has be completed. We do not give pricing over the phone for our experiences has proven when it comes to the care of natural stones this is an inaccurate means to meet our clients expectations. We choose not to participate in the low ball – high ball pricing game. You will receive a free on site measure and consultation followed by a written proposal that reflects your needs and expectations in caring for your stone investment.
Cleaning & Sealing
This is a Cleaning Only process that will effectively & thoroughly remove contaminants from your Natural Stone & Grout. (For Scratch & Etch Removal along with Re-Polishing please refer to our Stone Rejuvenation, Stone Renovation, or Stone Restoration Packages.) It is similar to what carpet care companies offer with one big exception… our Knowledge of the materials we work on! We specialize in Care & Maintenance of Natural Stone, Tile, & Grout which is why our results are so effective. In addition we can clean all Natural Stone & Tile areas of your home; showers, counters, interior & exterior area. “If We Can Not Get It Clean…It Can Not Be Cleaned”
(Many carpet care companies will not work on certain natural stone & some will not clean your natural stones at all… just ceramic or porcelain tile due to their unfamiliarly with natural stones. Many will not work on counters or showers no matter if it is tile or natural stone. Finally, damage to a natural stone during cleaning, although seldom, is possible, even for us. Will the company that cares for your carpet have the knowledge & experience to fix this situation if it does occur?)
Areas Available: Interior – Exterior, Floors, Counters, Showers, Patios, etc.
Cleaning & Sealing Process Includes:
- Free Estimate: Contact SDSC
- Free Installation Consultation: Because of our Knowledge with Stone, Tile & Grout we offer this inspection to inform you of the condition of any of your installations. (We even provide this whether we clean that area or not.) Pre-Inspect areas to be cleaned to determine what can be expected as well as which pre-cleaning solution will be the most effective, not all Natural Stone & Grouts are created equal.
- Provide necessary protection to surrounding areas with appropriate tapes, water-resistant paper or plastic.
- Apply appropriate cleaning solution and allow standing 10-15 minutes. This is an important step that many companies omit, however, this “dwell time” really assist in the most thorough deep cleaning possible.
- Machine and / or hand scrub (detail work) areas to be cleaned. Again, this is another step many companies omit, however, this agitation will greatly loosen surface contaminates prior to the final Turbo Rinsing. It is this step… that assures us the ability to offer our above stated guarantee!
- Next, we power wash with our Turbo Steam Pressure Washing System. This unit heats up clean water to over 240 degrees and applies a pressure wash up to 1000 psi., while instantaneously vacuuming up all dirty water, sending it to our truck. A wet vacuum or a mop can not even come close to the effectiveness of this machine as it cleans & rinses your Natural Stone & Grout.
- Our technicians will re-inspect the whole area and re-clean any necessary areas not meeting our standards for this cleaning method.
- Once area has been approved acceptable by client SDSC highly recommends applying the appropriate Sealer to assist with regular maintenance and longevity of the restoration cleaning performed. Not all sealers are created equal. SDSC uses only premium sealers manufactured for natural stones to offer the greatest effectiveness with our client’s expectations in mind.
Stone Rejuvination
Excellent for Travertine’s & Limestone’s!
The Stone Rejuvenation package would be recommended if… after our free consultation it is determined that your stones “finish” is in relatively good condition; still has a good shine, little or no scratches and very minor etching (dull spots). This is our most economical package that will assist with your home maintenance program to ensure the long lasting beauty of your natural stone investment.
Stone Rejuvenation Includes:
- Cleaning: Apply appropriate cleaning solution and allow standing 10-15 minutes. This is an important step that many companies omit, however, this “dwell time” really assist in the most thorough deep cleaning possible.
- Pre-Pad: (Travertine or Limestone’s Only) is an extra step we have added for Rejuvenating Travertine that is simultaneously performed during the cleaning process. Pre-Pad is a Process that reduces & sometimes removes Etches (Dull Spots), very minor scratches, and improves surface for the final finish.
- Honed, Satin-Polish or High- Polish: If a “Honed Finish” is requested as the final finish the “Pre-Pad step is not necessary. (This step only removes very minor scratches… It is possible for some scratches to remain yet they will be less noticeable from a standing position. (See: Stone Renovation or Stone Restoration)
- Fill / Voids: Cement fill minor holes, Polyester fill larger holes & hairline seam cracks. (Seam cracks in floors are often caused by movement. SDSC can fill cracks, however, we can not guarantee “invisible look” or that these areas may crack in the future.
- Sealer: One Application of Penetrating Sealer especially manufactured for Natural Stone.
Stone Renovation
This is the number one stone restoration package that our clients choose and which we will recommend most of the time. It is basically a Stone Restoration with a budget in mind. It accomplishes everything necessary to give your stone a renewed factory look and finish without breaking the bank. This process involves the use of several different stages of diamond pads along with polishing procedures to bring your natural stone back to its original factory condition. As you will note from the example below this is a labor intense process which is why we strongly recommend keeping up with a regular Stone Rejuvenation Program.
(As an example deep scratch removal will require at least a 4-step diamond process; 100 grit, 220 grit, 400 grit, 800 grit. Just to remove the scratch. In principle this is like finishing a fine piece of wood furniture… you start with a coarse sandpaper and step up to finer grits to achieve a smooth finish. To reach the desired results you can not skip grits.)
The difference between a Stone Rejuvenation & Stone Renovation is this: Rejuvenation is for areas where minor – normal wear has occurred. Stone Renovation is recommended where more severe conditions exist; heavy loss of shine, numerous amount of minor scratches, a few to several areas with deep scratches, Etching, and perhaps excessive pitting & open holes.
(If the above conditions are noted during our Free Stone Consultation a Stone Renovation would be recommended due to the fact that a Stone Rejuvenation would not meet SDSC or Clients expectations.)
Stone Renovation Includes:
- Cleaning: Apply appropriate cleaning solution and allow standing 10-15 minutes. This is an important step that many companies omit, however, this “dwell time” really assist in the most thorough deep cleaning possible.
- Scratches: Hand Tool Remove Deep Scratches, Diamond Pad with Floor Machine Scratch Removal. (This process will remove almost all scratches, if not all.
- Honing: is a Process that removes Etches (Dull Spots), very minor scratches, and prepares surface for the final finish whether it be; Honed, Satin-Polish or High- Polish.
- Polishing: Final process to achieve desired stone finish.
- Fill / Voids: Cement fill minor holes, Polyester fill larger holes & hairline seam cracks. (Seam cracks in floors are often caused by movement SDSC can fill cracks, however, we can not guarantee “invisible look” or that these areas may crack in the future.)
- Sealer: One Application of Penetrating Sealer especially manufactured for Natural Stone.
Stone Restoration
Now this is…“The break the bank” restoration, kidding, well sort of. This does not mean we are unappreciative of our client’s budget… we are very conscious of this. However, due to our experience we are well aware of the time investment that is necessary to accomplish a Full Stone Restoration. This is the restoration that is recommended where our client’s state to us the desire to have their floors perfect.
So, what is the difference between a Stone Restoration and a Stone Renovation? The Full Stone Restoration includes everything that the Stone Renovation has with one major added feature…Lippage removal. I say “major feature” due to the fact that depending on the unevenness of the stones this step alone can take longer than all the following finishing steps together. We must grind the stone completely flat, a very time consuming process, before we can move forward to the next step.
Now that I have probable instilled a total fear of the cost of this process… here is a couple of things to keep in mind. One: Our consultations & estimates are free we can prepare a Stone Renovation & Stone Restoration proposal for you to compare. Two: The results of the Stone Renovation are incredible all by itself. However, with the Stone Restoration an old cliché certainly applies…”It doesn’t get any better than this”…your floors will be perfect!
Stone Restoration Includes:
- Cleaning: Apply appropriate cleaning solution and allow standing 10-15 minutes. This is an important step that many companies omit, however, this “dwell time” really assist in the most thorough deep cleaning possible.
- Lippage Removal: This process removes all the high spots between tiles, basically flattening the entire floor, not level…just flat. (With some stones (such as Travertine) a normal result of this process is “holes are opened up and exposed” thus requiring an additional step to re-fill these areas, this step is included with the Full Stone Restoration)
- Scratches: hand tooling removes deep Scratches, diamond pads with Floor Machine scratch removal.
- Re-Grout: (For Travertine Only) during the grinding process to remove deep scratches it is possible, and normal, for small to medium holes to be exposed. If it necessary to fill, re-grout, these holes with the same material (cement grout) that fills the grout joints.
- Honing: is a Process that removes Etches (Dull Spots), very minor scratches, and prepares surface for the final finish whether it be; Honed, Satin-Polish or High- Polish.
- Polishing: Final process to achieve desired stone finish.
- Fill / Voids: Cement fill minor holes, Polyester fill larger holes & hairline seam cracks. (Seam cracks in floors are often caused by movement SDSC can fill cracks, however, we can not guarantee “invisible look” or that these areas may crack in the future.)
- Sealer: One Application of Penetrating Sealer especially manufactured for Natural Stone.
