If you have marble or granite countertops, floors, or fixtures in your home, you may have noticed these natural stones can crack, chip, dull, and start to unseal over time. But how can you get those surfaces looking like new and back to their previous luster? In this guide, we will cover natural stone maintenance and restoration practices that will help you restore the stone in your home to its original glory. 

Cleaning Stone Tiles, Counters, and Other Fixtures

In terms of basic maintenance of the natural stone in your home, this is something you can do to keep your stone countertops and floors looking good. What most folks do not realize is that natural stone can be damaged by everyday cleaning solutions and the tools that we commonly use to clean floors and countertops in our homes.

Avoid using harsh cleaning chemicals on your stone floors and countertops and do not use cleaning tools—mops, sponges, rags, etc. that may have color dyes that can transfer and embed into natural stone. And it goes without saying but we are going to say it anyway—no steel wool or abrasive materials that could seriously scratch and scuff things up.

What to Use Instead: pH Neutral Cleaning Products

It is recommended that you clean natural stone surfaces with pH neutral cleaning solutions. Not only is it best to avoid using bleach on these surfaces, but you should also avoid using vinegar-based products as well? Why? These cleaners are high in acidity and too harsh. Using these cleaners can damage and weaken the stone.

Repairing the Damage After its Done

If your floors are already scratched and your countertops are looking rough, DIY solutions may seem like an innovative idea. However, you can do more damage than good trying to tackle that project and doing it improperly. Professionals working at natural stone maintenance and restoration companies have years of experience in crack and chip repair, countertop resealing, shower restoration, and polishing.

A word of caution with your natural stone countertops. Because natural stone is porous, it is very important to maintain the sealing on your kitchen surfaces. Why? Because bacteria can embed itself on these surfaces and lie-in-wait. This can pose health concerns and put you and your family at-risk.

Looking for a Natural Stone Care Maintenance Company in Northern Virginia?

If you are looking for a reputable company to breathe life back into the natural stone surfaces in your home, NOVA Stone Care is owned and operated in Northern Virginia. With a reputation for excellent customer service and an expertise in the restoration of marble, granite, limestone, travertine, and other types of stones, our stone technicians have the experience to get the job done right. Interested in learning more? Visit our website for a list of our services and check out our portfolio of work, which speaks for itself. 

If you have a lot of natural stone incorporated in your home décor, you may have noticed that its luster has faded over time. Wear over time can dull your natural stone surfaces and chips and cracks can form as well.

Fortunately, there are professionals out there who specialize in restoring natural stone and getting it back to new. Start with a Localized Search

With the internet in the palm of your hand, finding the services that you need has never been easier. The aggregate websites like Yelp have done all the heavy lifting. However, it is important to be specific when it comes to your keyword choices when searching for services in your area.

If you are looking for granite restoration professionals in the Greater DC area, include your location in your search. This will help narrow down your search to local businesses that serve your area.

Get Specific About the Services You are Searching

Maybe you are looking for someone to reseal your granite countertops or need the chips and cracks worked out of some marble. Whatever service you are searching for, you should make sure to include these specifics among your keywords.

Why? Because not every stone care company out there specializes in the same work. If you have multiple stone care needs, you will want to find a company that can manage everything so that you do not end up piecemealing services.

Visit Natural Stone Restoration Company Websites

Once you have identified a list of local stone care companies that provide the services that you are looking for, it is a smart idea to visit company websites. Business websites often include things like a portfolio of work, a breakdown of services, customer testimonials, and more. You will also get an idea of who they are and what they do and be able to better determine whether collaborating with them will be a good fit or not.

Read the Customer Reviews

It is also a great idea to see what other customers have to say about the quality of work a company provides. Browsing through customer reviews is a fantastic way to get a sense of the level of customer service a company provides as well as find out if people were happy with the work. Looking to have the natural stone in your home restored?  From shower restoration to floor polishing and everything in between, We at NOVA Stone Care have the expertise to get the job done right. Locally owned and operated in the Greater DC area, our stone care experts are ready to tackle your project. Interested in learning more? Visit our website and contact us for a quote.

Travertine Floor Polishing Service: DIY vs Professional Services. If the flooring in your home has been looking like it has lost its luster, you might be thinking about ways you can breathe a little more life into them and get them looking like new again. Maybe you consider yourself savvy when it comes to DIY hacks and think you’ve found the perfect YouTube DIY floor polishing video that recommends a particular brand of lemon-based cleaner (spoiler alert – this is how you get ants!).

So, do you tackle that DIY home floor polishing project armed with Home Depot equipment rentals and pull up your bootstraps. On one hand, scoring those type of points with your significant other can be priceless but on the other, a botched DIY floor polishing project will end up costing you more than hiring a professional to do the job.

1. DIY Hacks: Expectation vs. Reality

Insert every classic expectation vs. reality meme here. The best way to illustrate this point is with a good analogy. If you’re an adult over thirty and have no idea who Bob Ross is, then you need to go watch some PBS reruns because this reference will go right over your head (and honestly, your life is a little emptier without ever having experienced ‘The Joy of Painting’).

The show featured artist Bob Ross narrating painting techniques as he would create beautiful landscape art in an instructional fashion. The idea was for the audience to gain skills and (while most of us didn’t) join in painting along. A simple Google search of Bob Ross painting attempts will yield a slew of results. While admittedly, there are folks that shine in the world of amateur painters…most folks do not walk away with a masterpiece or a painting that looks like it was done by a skilled professional.

2. You Could End Up Damaging the Stone

There are many mistakes that can be made by amateurs who rent diamond cut (this is a big no-no!) polishing equipment and think that they have the skills and knowledge to get the job done and save the cost of hiring an expert. However, there are a number of ways that you can jack up your floors.

From over-polishing that results in overly slippery hazardous surfaces to a job that actually weakens the seals (granite and other stone surfaces are porous). It is easy to misstep when you aren’t a professional. Unfortunately, these types of missteps can cost you more money than you would have spent for a simple polishing job—especially if you need to do any resealing.

3. Looking for Floor Polishing Services in Northern Virginia?

If you’re searching for a good floor polishing service in the Greater Fairfax or DC area? Consider hiring NOVA Stone Care for travertine polishing and sealing. Hiring a professional to polish your floors for you will ensure that the job is done right the first time.

The experts at NOVA Stone Care can handle your travertine floor polishing service. Locally owned and operated, we’ll get your floors looking new with little fuss. Interested in learning more about who we are and what we do. Visit our website.

Benefits of using chip and crack repair services. Do you have marble or granite countertops in your bathroom or kitchen that over time, have seen their share of use? It is natural for stone to lose the luster it had when you first moved in and before the countertops had years of use.

Fortunately, restoring your stone countertops to their original glory isn’t an improbable feat. Natural stone is easily workable due to its porous nature. But what are the benefits of hiring professional stone chip and crack repair services and is it worth it?

Is Contracting Chip and Crack Repair Services Worth It? 

The short answer is yes, hiring professionals to repair the chips and cracks in your stone countertops and any other stone surfaces you want buffed out within your home is worth it. From countertop refinishing to shower restoration, a good stone care expert can get marble or granite surfaces looking like new.

From a cost perspective, hiring a chip and crack repair specialist is totally worth it because the alternative is full installation of new stone or gutting it out completely for a complete remodel with new materials. Unless you’re a maverick or specialize in home renovation or construction in general, major home renovation projects usually involve hiring out for a contractor and cause some amount of disruption at home.

But are the Savings Significant?

Sourcing natural stone is not cheap (marble and granite work is usually quite pricey unless you have an inside deal), it doesn’t take a bunch of complicated math to add up the fact that hiring professionals to repair rather than replace your home’s stone surfaces is more cost effective and will save you a pretty penny in the long run.

Why Should You Care About Chips and Cracks in Countertop Surfaces?

A good stone worker will be able to easily color match and spot buff stone surfaces in over to fix any cracks, fractures or chips that have compromised the stone surfaces in your home. While there are some aesthetic reasons for repairing your granite or marble countertops (and other stone surfaces in your home), there is also some concern around health considerations in your kitchen.

As mentioned above, natural stone materials are quite porous. When scratches and later bigger cracks and chips begin to form on stone kitchen countertops, they can become hotbeds for bacteria. You can probably guess why this is problematic for an area where the food your family consumes is prepped and cooked. In fact, granite and marble countertops need to be sealed properly to prevent foods and liquids from compromising more weathered countertops. 

Looking for Chip Repair Services Near You?

If you’re in search of expert stone care professionals in Northern Virginia and the Greater DC area, NOVA Stone Care is based out of Northern Virginia. Our stone care professionals can help you breathe new life into the stone surfaces in your home. Our chip and crack repair services are next level—interested in learning more? Give us a call, and we’ll answer any questions you may have.

Stone maintenance isn’t something that the average American considers regularly. But if you’re a homeowner and have natural stone features inside or in your backyard, there is a certain level of upkeep required for natural stone to keep its luster. From your countertops inside—kitchen or bathroom—the tiling around your tub, natural stone ascents, and anything tiled around an outdoor pool, the type of maintenance varies. For example, one of the major considerations for your kitchen counters is the fact that stone materials like marble are naturally porous, so it is important to make sure to maintain your natural stone countertops and make sure to have things resealed every X years.

Benefits of Natural Stone

Okay, so there is a bit of upkeep involved with natural stone countertops, floors, etc., but there are some benefits. For starters, marble can accent a home beautifully. Also, it might be the best fit for the base aesthetics of your home décor.

But beyond that, we’ve established that natural stone is porous—and there is a massive benefit to that quality. Because of its nature, stone is easy to restore or repair. It is malleable because it can soften. This means that scratches and chips can be smoothed over and polished down. 

Searching for Natural Stone Restoration and Maintenance Services in Your Area

If you’ve decided that it is time for some home renovations or got a few things to touch up, looking for a natural stone restoration and maintenance company is a bit of a niche search. A great place to start is to find the short list of companies in your area. 

Google can help you easily narrow down your search. From there, you can do a deeper dive into the services provided as well as learn more about the companies you are looking at. Often, visiting a company website and doing a little reading can provide you with enough information to sway your decision.

NOVA Stone Care is locally owned and operated in Northern Virginia. We specializes in marble, granite and all types of natural stone care. Learn more about who we are and what we do.

Where can I find shower restoration services in Northern, VA?. Homeowners know the joys and burdens of home renovation. Redesigning and modernizing major spaces in your home can give you a chance to change the whole aesthetic. 

If you’re looking to renovate your bathroom, one of the things you might find yourself looking into are shower restoration services near you. But where do you start? The key is being specific about the services you’re searching for.

What is Shower Restoration?

Older showers tend to lose their luster over time. Soap builds up and mineral deposits can build up over time. Over time, shower surfaces can also become dull and small scratches can become more noticeable over time. Because of the nature of bathrooms, the moisture can invite mold and mildew even with ventilation. 

If you aren’t looking to completely gut and renovate your shower space, shower restoration is a wonderful choice and will help give your bathroom a refreshed look without the price tag of a complete overhaul. If you’re trying to keep your home renovation costs to a minimum.

Search for Shower Restoration Services in Northern, VA

If you’re living in the greater DC area or in Northern Virginia, you’ll want to start by localizing your search so that your results reflect companies owned and operated in your area.

Locally owned companies employ members of your community and often source their supplies from other local businesses—putting money back into the local economy. These companies often have a personal stake in community improvement.

See What the Folks on the Listing and Reference Websites Have to Say

The internet has made customer reviews more accessible than ever before. While it’s true that everyone can be a critic, listing and reference websites can be a valuable resource when you’re researching local businesses that specialize in home renovation and shower restoration. 

Listing and reference sites like Yelp and Angi.com aggregate customer reviews for businesses in one place, making it easy for consumers to see what people have to say about the quality of bathroom restoration work that companies have to offer. They also provide insight into the type of customer service you can expect to receive.

Browse Company Websites to See if They’re a Good Fit

After you’ve narrowed the search down to a few reputable local companies, you’ll want to take the time to visit each of their company websites. Most companies will include a list of their services and specialties and often highlight a portfolio of their work.

Looking for shower restoration services in Northern Virginia? NOVA Stone Care has you covered. Visit the company website to learn more.

Why reseal your granite countertops?

Granite countertops are a popular choice for kitchen and bathroom surfaces because of their durability and natural beauty. However, they do require some maintenance to keep them looking their best. One important task is to reseal your granite countertops on a regular basis.

Deep cleaned and polished granite countertop

Granite is a porous stone, which means that it can absorb liquids and stains if it is not properly sealed. Sealing your granite countertops will protect them from damage caused by spills and stains. Additionally, it will help prevent bacteria and other contaminants from penetrating the surface of the granite. NOVA Stone Care offers many natural stone restoration and maintenance services including resealing of granite countertops.

Deep cleaned and polished granite countertop

When to reseal granite countertops

It is recommended to reseal granite countertops every 1-2 years, depending on the amount of use and the color of the granite countertops. You can also check if your granite countertop needs resealing by performing a simple water test. Pour a small amount of water on the surface of the granite and observe how it is absorbed. If the water beads up and does not penetrate the surface, then your granite is still protected by the sealer. If the water is absorbed into the granite, then it is time to reseal.

Conclusion

Resealing your granite countertops is an important part of maintaining their beauty and durability. Regular resealing will protect your granite from damage caused by spills and stains. It will also prevent bacteria and other contaminants from penetrating the surface of the granite. Make sure to contact NOVA Stone Care. Our experts in natural stone countertop refinishing services have the knowledge, tools, and experience to properly care for your stone surfaces. Check out our blog section for more helpful tips.

Water or solvent based sealers or natural stone countertops. When it comes to sealing natural stone countertops, there are two main types of sealers to choose from. These are water-based and solvent-based. Both types of sealers have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. It’s very important to understand the differences between them. This will help you to make an informed decision about which one is best for your specific needs.

Sealed and protected marble island

Water based sealer

Water-based sealers are made with a water-based emulsion of acrylic or polyurethane. They are easy to apply, dry quickly, and are generally safe for use around food. They also don’t emit strong odors, making them a good choice for indoor use. However, water-based sealers are not as durable as solvent-based sealers and may need to be reapplied more frequently.

Solvent based sealer

Solvent-based sealers, on the other hand, are made with a solvent or resin that is dissolved in a solvent such as xylene or mineral spirits. They are more durable and provide better protection against stains, but they can emit strong odors and should only be used in well-ventilated areas. They also take longer to dry, and should not be used around food.

When choosing a sealer for your natural stone countertops, consider the level of protection you need, the location of the countertops, and any specific needs you may have. If you’re looking for a sealer that is easy to apply and dries quickly, a water-based sealer may be the best option. If you need a sealer that provides better protection against stains, a solvent-based sealer may be a better choice.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the choice between water-based and solvent-based sealers for natural stone countertops will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Be sure to read the label carefully and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best results. If you are unsure which sealer to use and want to get the sealing done professionally, please contact NOVA Stone Care. NOVA Stone Care offers professional countertop sealing services. Our reputable and competent stone technicians will inspect your countertops free of charge and give you an estimate in a timely fashion. We pride ourselves in excellent customer service. Visit our website. 

Marble countertops can age over time and if the surfaces are in workable condition, you might decide that you want to check into marble kitchen countertop refinishing services. Restoring your kitchen counters saves on the cost of new materials and a complete overhaul of your current set up. Before you choose a company to refinish your countertops, you will want to do some research.

Check Customer Reviews and Listing Websites

You can start your search by checking the listing sites for countertop restoration businesses local to the greater DC area. This will give you a jumping point and access to tons of customer reviews. Listing sites do the heavy lifting and provide a good place for consumers to start doing research on local kitchen countertop refinishing services.

Having these reviews aggregated in one place makes it easy for you to make an informed decision about which business offers stellar customer service and quality work. Once you’ve narrowed your search down to a few reputable businesses operating in your area, you can start doing a deep dive into company websites and learn more about the businesses that you are considering.

Narrow Your Search by Choosing Businesses Experienced in Countertop Restoration

Home renovation companies who focus on one aspect of remodeling tend to be experts in their fields of practice. You wouldn’t hire a plumber to build a patio for your backyard and similarly you do not want to hire a general contractor assuming that they will be skilled in refurbishing your marble countertops. Make sure that the companies you are considering have experts on-hand that have the skills to get the job done.

Marble is a natural stone and because of that, there are different considerations when it comes to honing and refinishing (as opposed to wood surfaces). Hiring a company that has experience in marble kitchen countertop refinishing and repair will help ensure that things will be done right.

Visit Company Websites and Learn More About Their Work

Once you have a short list of companies in the DC area, you’ll want to determine which business is best suited to tackle your kitchen countertop restoration project. Most businesses include a wealth of information about who they are and showcase their work on their homepages.

You can read more about the services that they provide and can better judge whether things will be a good fit. Doing this legwork will help you make an informed decision in choosing the right professionals for the job. NOVA Stone Care offers specialized care and restoration services in the greater DC area. Interested in learning more? If you’re searching for marble kitchen countertop refinishing services, marble kitchen countertop restoration services, kitchen countertop refinishing services, and more, Visit our website. 

Natural Stone vs Man-Made. What’s the Difference? Natural stone and man-made materials have different properties and uses. Natural stone is a product of nature, formed by the earth over millions of years. It is quarried from the ground, cut and polished to be used in construction and for decorative purposes.

Granite

Natural stones

You can find natural stone in many forms. For example,  granite, marble, limestone, and sandstone are all natural stones. Each natural stone has unique characteristics such as color, pattern, and durability. For more info visit Natural Stone Institute website. 

Marble

Marble

Man-made stones

Man-made stones, on the other hand, are created in a factory using various types of raw materials. These materials are molded and shaped to resemble natural stone. They are commonly used in construction and decorative purposes as well, but they are less durable than natural stone. Examples of man-made materials include concrete, cultured marble, and engineered stone.

Quartz

Quartz

One of the main differences between natural stone and man-made materials is their durability. Natural stone is more durable and long-lasting than man-made stone, making it a better choice for high-traffic areas and outdoor use. However, natural stone can be more expensive than man-made materials.

Another difference is the appearance. Natural stone has a unique and natural beauty that can’t be replicated by man-made materials. Man-made materials can mimic the look of natural stone, but they lack the individuality and character of real natural stone. 

Conclusion

Natural stone and man-made materials have their own unique characteristics and uses. It depends on the specific project and the desired outcome. You should consider factors like durability, cost and appearance when deciding between natural stone and man-made materials. Both natural and man made stones would need maintenance over time. NOVA stones care specialists are pros at cleaning, buffing and polishing natural stone surfaces. Call NOVA Stone Care to get a free estimate for your natural stone restoration or maintenance. Check out our blog section for more helpful tips. We breathe life into your stone.