Care & maintenance

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Speartek Tile

PREPARATION & INSTALLATION

BEFORE YOU GROUT THE STONE, AN APPROPRIATE IMPREGNATOR MUST BE USED. This allows you to have the best possible construction site protection. Application of an impregnator does not change the natural appearance of the stone. Instead, it acts as a sealant resisting grout dye absorption which eases the removal of excess grout residue and protects against stains.

MAINTENANCE & CARE

Liquid poultice can be used to clean the surface. Generally poultice is available in markets and hardware stores and is safe for almost all natural stone floors. You can make use of a floor machine, a brush and a wet vacuum to clean up the floor. If the area that you have to clean is very small, you can achieve your purpose with a hand brush, otherwise you need an automatic scrubber for larger areas. If you find that your floor gets exposed to oils and greases, you need additional protection. You will find a chemical generally termed as “Pre Treat” that is applied to the surface after grout removal. The use of this added protection before using impregnator makes the porous surface of the limestone much more resistant to staining materials, especially oils.

Downloads:

Limestone Maintenance Disclaimer

Crackle Tile Installation Guidelines

Surface treatments

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Speartek Tile

Surface treatments use various hardening techniques to offer a way to tailor the surface properties of a material without changing the bulk properties.

Speartek provides Honed, Honed & Filled, Brushed, Tumbled, Polished and Split Face surface treatments for our tile and stone products.

HONED (H)

A satin smooth finish with little or no gloss. If a honed stone is designated “unfilled” (UF), the surface may have visible natural cavities as pictured here.

HONED & FILLED (HF)

If a honed stone is designated “honed filled” (HF), any natural cavities in the stone have been filled with mortar mixture using fine ground powder of the same stone.

BRUSHED FINISH (BR)

The stone is finished with a coarse wire brush producing a smooth, though slightly textured, matte finish.

TUMBLED FINISH (TM)

Rounded edges and corners, often some surface pitting and a powdery finish.

POLISHED FINISH (PO)

The smoothest finish available in stone. A polished stone will appear more saturated, have greater color depth and visible detail than other finishes in the same stone.finished with a coarse wire brush producing a smooth, though slightly textured, matte finish.