Expert Natural Stone Restoration

Our expertise and passion is to restore your natural stone to its best possible condition. From polishing floors and repairing countertops to cleaning and sealing backsplashes, island tops and bar tops, we can get your home or business showroom ready. When it comes to bathtub surrounds, walls, and showers, our expert technicians know how to deep clean and sanitize so your surfaces sparkle once again. We also clean, seal, and refinish natural stone countertops in outdoor kitchens and other exterior living spaces. From small jobs to high-end residential or commercial projects, we service all types of natural stone including marble, limestone, granite, and travertine.

How Can I Tell What Kind of Natural Stone I Have?

This is one question we receive when contacted about our natural stone services. Many people are not sure what kind of natural stone they have in their home or if they have natural stone or tile.

Determining whether you have natural stone or tile in your home involves a few key observations. Natural stone, such as marble, granite, travertine, or limestone, typically has unique, irregular patterns and color variations that are inherent to the stone’s natural formation. These variations are often more random and less uniform than those found in man-made tiles. Natural stone also tends to be cooler to the touch and may have small imperfections, such as fissures or pits, which are natural characteristics of the material. On the other hand, ceramic or porcelain tiles usually have a more consistent and uniform appearance, with repetitive patterns or designs. Lastly, checking the edges of any removed pieces or looking for grout lines can help; natural stone often has a more irregular edge, while tiles are typically more precisely cut. By closely examining these characteristics, you can identify whether your surfaces are natural stone or tile.

Distinguishing between marble, granite, limestone, and travertine natural stone surfaces can be a little trickier and involves observing several key characteristics unique to each type of stone. By examining these visual and textural cues, you can identify and differentiate between marble, granite, limestone, and travertine surfaces in your home.

Marble

Marble is known for its luxurious appearance, typically featuring veined patterns with swirls and color variations ranging from white and black to green and pink. It has a smooth, often polished surface that exudes elegance.

Limestone

Limestone typically has a more uniform, matte finish with earthy tones such as beige, tan, and gray. It often contains visible fossils or shell fragments, giving it a unique and natural look.

Granite

Granite, on the other hand, is characterized by its granular texture and speckled appearance, which comes from the presence of various minerals like quartz and feldspar. It is extremely hard and durable, making it ideal for high-traffic areas.

Travertine

Travertine, a type of limestone, stands out with its porous, pitted surface that can be filled for a smoother finish. It often has a more rustic and textured appearance, with a range of colors from ivory and cream to rich browns and golds.

Natural Stone Sealing

Is Sealing Natural Stone Always Necessary?

No, natural stone does not always require sealing and should be approached on a case-by-case basis, taking into account various factors such as customer preferences, budget constraints, future maintenance requirements, and performance goals. While sealing can offer benefits, it’s not always mandatory.

Our Natural Stone Sealing Services

For natural stone we use a penetrating sealer designed to soak into the pores of the stone and act as a repellent, giving you more time to clean up spills and resisting deep permanent staining. Penetrating sealers allow moisture to pass through the stone while providing protection against spills and stains. Penetrating sealers are ideal for maintaining the natural look while enhancing its longevity.

Does Sealing My Natural Stone Make It Shinier?

Sealing natural stone does not inherently make it shinier; instead, the primary purpose of sealing is to protect the stone from stains, moisture, and damage. Many people think sealers are used to create the shine on natural stone, however that is rarely the case. While sealing can enhance the color and bring out the natural beauty of the stone, achieving a higher shine typically comes from refinishing the stone rather than from a sealer.

Beyond Clean Tile offers Marble sealing, Limestone sealing, Granite sealing, and Travertine sealing.

Natural Stone Cleaning

Natural stone cleaning processes vary based on the surface condition and type of dirt, oil or other contaminant being removed. Natural stone is easier to keep clean with periodic professional deep cleaning services, using non-acidic, highly-effective cleaning solutions. For floor cleaning, our cleaning process is called hot water extraction. Our equipment is designed to maintain heat around 200 degrees fahrenheit. With more heat throughout the job we are able to achieve a deeper and more consistent clean throughout the job. We also detail around the edges by hand to make sure all the details are taken care of. This process will only clean the floor and will not address damaged areas such as scratches, traffic pattern wear or etch marks. To remove the damage the floor must be refinished.

Cleaning natural stone countertops or other surfaces can also be done but we often find that customers asking for this type of cleaning in order to remove stains and marks on the countertops often actually need the surfaces honed and refinished. Hard water builds up around sinks and sink faucets. This can become a hard white build up that actually sits on top of the stone or it can turn the stone hazy and dull looking when it is deep in the pores of the stone. Hard water deposits can cause a haze or cloudiness on the surface of natural stone. Sometimes, if the buildup is not too severe, it can be safely removed using pH-neutral, stone-safe cleaner. If not, we can restore the finish. We begin this process by cleaning and reconditioning the countertop so that all the hard water build up and any other soaps and grime are removed from the surface. Etch marks caused by strong acids such as orange juice or soda can not be removed by cleaning and will need to be refinished.

Beyond Clean Tile offers Granite Cleaning, Marble Cleaning, Limestone Cleaning, and Travertine Cleaning.

Natural Stone Restoration

Restoration of natural stone floors or countertops is a combination of many of the services we offer. Natural stone restoration involves a range of techniques, including cleaning, polishing, honing, and repairing, to bring back the natural luster and smoothness of the stone. If your natural stone is dirty or dull-looking, scratched, etched, cracked, chipped or otherwise damaged, we can make it look brand new again!

Read more about our Marble, Granite, Limestone, and Travertine Restoration services.

Natural Stone Polishing

An uneven finish, dull spots or etches can diminish the elegant appearance of your natural stone. We can polish your natural stone using specific equipment and supplies to restore the finish to its original beauty.

With our honing and polishing services, our expert technicians can achieve a honed or soft matte finish that is warm, inviting, and velvety smooth. We can also polish your natural stone using the appropriate diamonds or polishing powders to achieve a semi-gloss or gloss finish.

Read more about our Marble, Granite, Limestone, and Travertine Polishing services.

Natural Stone Repair

Do you have chipped, cracked, or damaged natural stone? Our expert repair services include filling in chipped areas, fixing cracks, and doing seam repairs. We also can repair broken off pieces of countertop.

Before you replace your countertops because of cracks or chips, find out more about our Granite, Marble, Limestone, and Travertine repair services.