Discovering Limestone: A Journey Through Time and Science. Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is composed primarily of calcium carbonate. It is a very versatile rock that has been used for thousands of years for a variety of purposes, including construction, agriculture, and industry. But where did this rock come from, and how did humans first discover it?

The History 

The story of limestone begins deep in the earth’s history, over hundreds of millions of years ago. Limestone is formed from the accumulation of shells, coral, and other organic material that has been compressed and cemented over time. This process takes place in shallow seas and oceans, where the calcium-rich sediment is deposited on the seafloor. Over time, the sediment becomes compacted and cemented together to form a rock.

The earliest known use of limestone dates back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, who used it as a building material for their pyramids and temples. Limestone was also used by the Greeks and Romans, who carved it into sculptures and used it for building construction. In the Middle Ages, limestone was used to build Gothic cathedrals and castles, and it remains a popular building material today.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that scientists began to understand the true nature of limestone and how it was formed. Geologists such as William Smith and James Hutton were some of the first to study the rock and understand its origins. They discovered that limestone was formed from the accumulation of sediment over millions of years and that it could provide valuable insights into the earth’s history.

Today, limestone is still widely used for construction, agriculture, and industry. It is also an important resource for geologists, who continue to study the rock to gain a better understanding of the earth’s history. Limestone has also been used as a source of lime, which is used in a variety of products, including mortar, cement, and sugar refining.

Tumbled Limestone Floors

Conclusion

Limestone is a fascinating rock that has played a significant role in human history and continues to be an important resource today. From its humble origins as sediment in ancient oceans, to its use in building some of the world’s most iconic structures, limestone has proven to be a versatile and enduring rock that continues to capture the imagination of scientists and the public alike. To find out more about natural stone industry, visit Natural Stone Institute website. Check out our project gallery section for more info and pictures. 

We breathe life into your stone. 

The Beauty and Versatility of this Natural Stone

Discovering granite. Granite is a natural stone that has been prized for its beauty and durability for thousands of years. It is formed from molten magma that has cooled and solidified deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Over time, the natural forces of heat and pressure cause the minerals within the magma to separate and form large, visible crystals. This gives granite its characteristic speckled appearance and makes each piece unique.

Granite has a hardness rating of 7 on the Mohs scale, making it one of the hardest natural stones available. This makes it ideal for use in a variety of applications, including countertops, flooring, and wall cladding. The high density of granite also gives it excellent resistance to scratches, chips, and cracks. Making it a practical choice for high-traffic areas in the home.

In addition to its practical qualities, granite is also aesthetically pleasing. It is available in a wide range of colors and patterns. Starting from classic black and white to vibrant shades of red, blue, and green. Whether you’re looking for a sleek, modern look or a classic, timeless feel, there is a granite option that will suit your needs.

Maintenance

One of the best things about granite is that it is easy to maintain. Unlike some other natural stones, it is resistant to staining and etching, so you can enjoy its beauty without worrying about the upkeep. Simply wipe it down with a damp cloth and avoid using harsh chemicals, and your granite will look beautiful for years to come.

If you’re thinking about incorporating granite into your home, there are a few things to consider. First, it is a heavy material, so it is important to make sure your surfaces are strong enough to support it. Additionally, because granite is a natural stone, each piece is unique, so it is important to select your granite in person to ensure you are getting the right color and pattern for your space.

Conclusion

In conclusion, granite is a natural stone that offers a winning combination of beauty and practicality. Its durability, resistance to scratches, and easy maintenance make it an excellent choice for a variety of applications in the home. Whether you’re looking for a sleek and modern look or a classic, timeless feel, there is a granite option that will suit your needs. To find out more about natural stone industry, visit Natural Stone Institute website. Check out our project gallery section for more info and pictures. We breathe life into your stone. 

Marble is a popular material for countertops in both the kitchen and the bathrooms in homes across America. If you are a homeowner that splurged on marble counters, you know that the stone is expensive. According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost of marble (slab) countertops is around $60 per square foot. So you might want to consider whether to replace or refinish these surfaces.

The cost of marble countertop materials can range based on the type of marble that you are sourcing for the counters and the size of the surface area. Pink marble can cost $25 per square foot while Calacatta can be upwards of $180 a square foot. This is all before the installation cost (labor costs). You are probably more familiar with the installation costs than if they were already factored into the cost of the property.

Why Consider Hiring Out for Marble Cleaning and Sealing

Caring for your marble countertops ensures their longevity. Not only will the stone keep its luster and shine, but marble restoration professionals can also repair cracks and chips as well as refinishing (they can do this for marble flooring as well!).

Beyond normal wear from use, cleaning products that are too acidic (i.e.: vinegar) can erode your marble surfaces. So, if you are seeing dulling or discoloration, it is likely that you are damaging your marble with caustic cleaning chemicals. Luckily, this is something that professional marble cleaning services can restore for you.

Why Reseal Your Marble Surfaces?

Marble is calcium-based, making it quite soft and porous. For this reason, marble can absorb liquids. This can lead to unsightly staining of these surfaces. To minimize damage to the stone, the surfaces should be properly sealed.

HomeAdvisor recommends re-sealing marble surfaces annually in your kitchen or bath (depending on traffic and use) and other surfaces like floors every other year. Some feel that you should re-seal the kitchen countertops every six months if use is high. Consult the experts before you make a decision, but generally there are two types of sealers—water based and solvent based.

Looking for Marble and Cleaning Services in the D.C. Area

If you are looking for a reputable stone restoration company for marble cleaning and other stone care related surfaces in the Greater D.C. area and Northern Virginia, NOVA Stone Care is locally owned and operated and our stone care technicians specialize in restoring all-types of natural stone—including marble.

With a reputation for quality work and customer service, we are committed to quality care. Visit our website to learn more about who we are and what we do.

Does your home have granite or marble countertops in the kitchen or bathroom? If so, you may notice that over time, these surfaces tend to lose their former luster. That is because natural stone wears over time—whether chipping or scratching when abraded.

Countertop restoration and maintenance is especially important for kitchen surfaces since the porous nature of rock can allow for bacteria and other harmful contaminants as an avenue for harm. Fortunately, there are professionals who specialize in working with marble and granite countertops and resealing them for you if needed.

Why Hire Out for Countertop Restoration?

DIY solutions are often one of those things that seem like a promising idea at the time. Any professional would advise against it—especially in the kitchen where there are health considerations surrounding food and the well-being of your family. Choosing to restore your countertops is not a simple undertaking.These things can be complicated, and granite and marble materials are expensive. Buffing out deep scratches might not be as simple of a process as one might hope. Botching a DIY job on your stone countertops could end up costing you more if professionals need to be called in to restore or completely replace your countertop surfaces.

Finding a Good Granite or Marble Countertop Restoration Specialist

If you are looking for granite and marble countertop restoration, you will want to have some confidence in the professionals that you choose to work with. You will also want to make sure that the companies you are considering have a good history of providing quality services—both in caliber of work and customer service.

It is a clever idea to put some time into researching your local options before committing. Here are some tips to help guide the process of finding the right marble or granite countertop restoration specialists to work with.

Looking for a Stone Repair Specialist in the Great DC Area?

If you are searching for natural stone countertop restoration services in the Greater DC area, the specialists at NOVA Stone Care have you covered. We specialize in natural stone, and our team of professionals are experts at what they do.

Interested in learning more? Visit our website to see who we are and check out our portfolio of work and list of services.

What is Efflorescence

Natural Stone Damage: Efflorescence: Efflorescence is a common issue that can occur with natural stone surfaces, such as marble, granite, travertine and limestone. It. appears as a white, powdery substance on the surface of the stone and can be unsightly and difficult to remove. Efflorescence is caused by the presence of water-soluble salts in the stone, which are brought to the surface through the process of evaporation. The water evaporates, leaving behind the salt crystals, which form the white, powdery substance.

What you can do

There are several ways to prevent efflorescence from occurring in natural stone surfaces. One of the most effective ways is to have a company like NOVA Stone Care seal the stone for you, as this will prevent water from penetrating the surface and causing the salts to rise to the surface. Additionally, it is important to clean up any spills or stains as soon as they occur, as these can also contribute to the formation of efflorescence.

If efflorescence does occur, it is important to call a professional company like NOVA Stone Care. NOVA Stone Care professionals will remove it as soon as possible and prevent it from becoming ingrained in the stone. There are several ways to remove efflorescence, including using specialized efflorescence remover.

Efflorescence is a common issue that occurs with natural stone surfaces. However, we at NOVA Stone Care can  prevent or remove it with proper care and maintenance that we offer. Our experts in natural floor restoration services have the knowledge, tools, and experience to properly care for your stone surfaces. Check out our blog section for more helpful tips. Natural Stone Damage: Efflorescence.

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.

How Do Professionals Restore The Marble Table? Marble tables are a beautiful addition to any home and can bring a touch of elegance and luxury to any room. However, over time, these tables can become stained, scratched, and dulled from everyday use. In such cases, professional restoration services are necessary to restore their original shine and beauty. 

Assessment

The first step in restoring a marble table is to assess its condition. This includes identifying  the type of marble, the extent of damage, and the type of stains or scratches that need to be removed.

Cleaning marble table 

The next step is to thoroughly clean the table, removing any dirt, dust, and grime that may have accumulated over time. A professional cleaner will use specialized cleaning agents to remove dirt, oils, and other impurities from the surface.

Repairing your marble table 

If the marble table has any cracks, chips, or scratches, a stone technician will repair these damages using specialized techniques and materials.

Honing and polishing your marble table

The next step is to hone and polish marble table using specialized tools and polishing compounds. This process removes any dullness and restores the original shine of the marble.

Sealing your marble table 

The final step is to seal the marble table, which protects it from future damage and staining. NOVA Stone Care professional will apply a specialized sealant that penetrates into the pores of the marble and provides long-lasting protection.

Conclusion

Restoring a marble table requires specialized knowledge and skills. When you hire a professional company like NOVA Stone Care, you can be sure that your marble table will be restored to its original beauty and shine. Looking for a marble table restoration services in Northern Virginia? NOVA Stone Care has you covered. If you want to know how do professionals restore the marble table? Visit the company website to learn more. Also, check out our blog section for more helpful articles and tips. 

Stripping, cleaning, and sealing slate floors is a process that can breathe new life into an old or tired floor. The process involves removing any existing sealer or wax, cleaning the slate to remove dirt and grime, and then applying a new sealer to protect the slate and enhance its natural beauty.

Before starting the process, it’s important to assess the condition of the slate floor. If it is heavily worn or damaged, it may need to be repaired or replaced before proceeding. If the floor is in good condition, then the stripping, cleaning, and sealing process can begin.

Stripping slate floors

To strip the floor, a chemical stripper is applied to the surface of the slate. The stripper is left on the floor for a specific period of time, usually around 20 minutes, before being scrubbed off with a stiff brush. This process removes any existing sealer or wax from the slate.

Cleaning slate floors

Next, the slate is cleaned to remove dirt and grime. A neutral pH cleaner is typically used for this step, as it is gentle on the slate but still effective at removing dirt and stains. The cleaner is applied to the floor and scrubbed in with a stiff brush before being rinsed off with water.

Sealing slate floors

After the slate is clean and dry, a new sealer is applied. This step is important as it helps to protect the slate from future stains and damage. The sealer is typically a water-based product that is easy to apply and dries quickly.

The stripped, cleaned, and sealed floor will have a brighter, more uniform color and a natural shine. The sealer also protects the slate from future stains and damage, making it easier to maintain and keep looking like new.

Overall, stripping, cleaning, and sealing slate floors is a great way to rejuvenate an old or tired floor. It not only improves the appearance of the floor but also extends its lifespan by protecting it from future damage. Our experts in natural floor polishing services have the knowledge, tools, and experience to properly care for your stone surfaces. Check out our blog section for more helpful tips.

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.