From Ruined to Shiny: How a Polishing Service Renewed a Stone Floor in Houston

February 22, 2018

It's remarkable how the little things in life can really make a difference, and for a family that lived through the horrors of hurricane Harvey, that difference would come from a stone polishing service in Houston.


You see, there are places and things that can immediately trigger memories of an unpleasant event or situation. This is what most people living in the city of Houston, TX and its surrounding areas have to endure, where the damage produced by hurricane Harvey has left a scar in their streets and homes, and a constant reminder of what took place.

The Family
This family was not an exception. They had to live through this traumatic event and were left to deal with the aftermath. As soon as the winds and heavy rainfall had calmed, they were faced with the heavy task of assessing the damage and had to slowly begin to repair them.

The sight was shocking. They soon discovered the hurricane's heavy rainfall had managed to flood the bottom floor of their two-story home. The water almost reached up to their knees. Luckily, the damage was only material and could hopefully be repaired. Some neighbors unfortunately suffered much worse fates.

After the water resided, the family started drying, cleaning and sweeping everything they could. In no time, everything was almost back to normal. Some things were fixed, and others replaced, but as stated earlier, there were a couple of things that no matter how hard they tried, seemed destined to carry those scars and served as a constant reminder of those dreadful days. The most notable was their kitchen floor—it looked dull, stained and with notable scratches.

So, when they got their hands on a little extra cash, the choice was obvious. They would invest in professional help to fix their kitchen floor and never have to relive the unpleasant event at the sight of the ruined surface.

That's when they googled, "how to remove stains on natural stone" and stumbled upon our site. After browsing through before and after images, they discovered we had dealt with similar situations in the past and were more than capable of getting the job done. So, they all agreed to contact us to schedule a free, in-home evaluation.

The Evaluation
On the agreed-upon date, our specialist arrived to diagnose the problem. Indeed, the stone looked dull due to a water stain that covered its entire surface.

This is because water can contain minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, as well as compounds like bicarbonates, that can form water stains on stone surfaces. In other words, these stains are nothing more than dried mineral deposits left on the stone's surface when the water evaporates. Furthermore, the kitchen floor was also dirty, covered with scratches and with some visible etch marks.

These problems were likely caused by debris, dirt and other harmful contaminants that can be found in flood water. Therefore, our crew recommended a cleaning process, followed by honing and polishing to give the stone a high glossy finish.

The family was more than happy with the assessment and eager to finally get rid of the stains on their floor that reminded them of that awful event.

The Procedure
Our experts arrived and quickly began to protect all adjacent surfaces to avoid damaging anything once the work started. When everything was ready, our crew proceeded to clean the surface with a stone-safe solution in order remove all traces of dirt.

Then, they dried the surface to start the honing process. Using different grit pads, in gradual increments, our technicians carefully removed the stone's outer layer to get rid of the water stains and etch marks.
Finally, with the use of special polishing powders, they polished the surface until a high gloss was achieved.

The Results
Once the entire process came to an end, there was no trace that the kitchen had ever been flooded. The surface looked brand new, it was spotless and really shiny.

The whole family was pleased with the results, as they not only renovated their kitchen floor, but it wouldn't remind them of that tragic episode ever again.

Before leaving, our crew recommended applying Stone Armor, which penetrates the stone's surface, protecting it from any future stains and etch marks caused by excessive moisture. They also gave a couple of handy tips to properly care for their kitchen floor:

• Do not use acid or alkaline based cleaners unless it's strictly necessary, as they can cause stains and etch marks. Clean your stone surfaces using stone-safe, pH-neutral cleaners.
• Immediately wash and dry your floors any time they come in contact with food or drinks, as some might be too acidic and damage the stone surface.

A Stone Polishing Service near You!
If by any chance, you or your loved ones are in a similar situation and would like to renovate a stone surface, just give us a call at (713) 856-9586 or feel free to fill out the "Request a Quote" form found on this page to schedule a free evaluation. We will be more than happy to help. Stay on top of our latest work and promotions by subscribing to our newsletter.

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