Services

NATURAL STONE RESTORATION

This includes the following:

MARBLE

"the luster is the result of light penetrating the marble and then reflected by the surfaces of inner crystals".

Problems:

Scratches, stains and dullness.

Solution:

Remove lippage when needed. Grind, hone, polish and seal to protect from staining.

Procedure: After examining the floor and listening to your concerns, we develop a plan to restore the stone as best as reasonable. Our technicians protect adjacent surfaces before we begin. Having been the first company in the Western U.S. to use diamond abrasive technology, we have a long history of knowing which grits to use that will give you the finest result at the lowest cost. Each grit of diamond pads is used with water as a lubricating agent, so as to make it a DUSTLESS process. After each level of honing, we extract the slurry from the floor, and examine to make sure that the scratch pattern is consistent to give the highest shine reasonable. Our results are guaranteed to equal or exceed factory specs, so that your floor looks at least as good as it did when it was installed.

Finally, we seal it with Crystal Magic Stone Sealer, a high tech water based impregnating sealer. This protects against oil and water intrusion. However, no penetrating sealer can protect against acidic based products, so if you spill wine (tannic acid), milk (lactic acid), soda (acetic acid) and so on, those acids will react with the stone and dissolve the top layer, removing the shine. The good news? All natural stones that can be messed up, can be cleared up. You may be able to do it yourself with our Stone Magic Polishing Crème, or if it is really deep or left for a long time, you might need us to come back and professionally restore it for you.

GRANITE

"the igneous rock foundation of the continents of the earth."

Problem

Stains and discoloration

Solution:

Remove stains, buff and permanently seal against staining.

Procedure: After inspection, if there is a stain that you can identify its origin, we can recommend a poultice to remove it. It may take multiple applications, in which case we will recommend a procedure that you can do that will work effectively, but cost much less than if we were to do it. Often, granite is used on counter tops and especially around sinks and back splashes, the caulk dissipates and needs to be replaced. We remove the old caulk or grout and replace it with either a clear or colored product. If there is time and desire by the client, a custom caulk can be ordered to match the color(s) of the granite, making seams appear seamless. Polishing with Granite One Step or Absolute Black Polish brings back the original luster of the stone, and then it is sealed with penetrating sealer. Maintenance is suggested to keep it looking its best.

LIMESTONE

"formed by the consolidation of the shells of marine life during the Jurassic period."

Problem

Stains and scratches

Solution:

Remove stains, hone and polish to restore original luster. Seal with permanent stain proofing sealer.

Procedure: After inspection and discussion with the client, restoration is performed similarly to that of marble. Since marble is limestone that is characterized as a limestone that will have a consistent shine, procedures are similar. However, clients often wish to have a matte finish on the stone, and that can be accomplished with our diamond honing powders. These allow the customer to dictate the amount, or lack of amount, of sheen or shine to be shown as the finished product. It is critical that the stone be sealed with two applications of Crystal Magic Stone Sealer, as limestone is extremely porous.

TRAVERTINE

"used in interiors and exteriors since ancient Roman times"

Problem

Dullness, scratches and stains

Solution:

Fill holes, hone, polish and seal for stain protection.

Procedure: Because of the nature of how it was formed, travertine has holes in it. This is normal. Large holes can be filled with Traverfil, an epoxy harder than the stone, with a neutral color to it, to blend in with the assorted earth tones. As a result the proper way for us to restore it is to first steam and extract to get the ingrained dirt and grime out of the stone. Then we restore it using either diamond pads or diamond powders depending on the quality of the installation and the desired “look” when we are finished. Travertine cannot take a high shine, as portions of it do not reflect light as well as others. As a result, if too high a shine is created, it looks dirty, even though it is not. That is because those areas that don’t reflect light as well as other parts that do, make it appear dirty. Again, two applications of Crystal Magic Stone Sealer is critical to keeping it looking good for a long time.

TERRAZZO

"popularized during the Renaissance and is equally enjoyed today"

Problem

Dullness due to coatings, and scratches.

Solution:

Strip, diamond polish and seal with a penetrating, permanent sealer, to protect from staining.

Procedure: Terrazzo is a wonderful substrate that was popularized in the 1960’s here in Los Angeles. Areas such as Ladera Heights have it in virtually every home. Many restaurants, in Planet Hollywood™ have it on their floors, and for good reason. It is incredibly resilient to cracking and chipping and can take a great deal of abuse. However, since it is basically a mixture of either concrete with marble chips in it, or epoxy with marble chips in it, it is applied like concrete and has no shine to it. So over the years, many applications of floor finish have been heaped on it, typically without stripping old layers off. Floor finish, either liquid or paste, by definition, cannot be as hard as the stone it is going onto. Therefore, it scuffs and scratches very easily.

So, we remove the old coatings and get right down to the natural terrazzo, and then, using diamond pads, polish the terrazzo up to a high shine, or sheen, as the customer wishes, and then seal with two applications of Crystal Magic Stone Sealer to protect again staining. Customers are shocked when they find out that they are no longer slaves to the floor and can use it with full confidence that it will keep on looking great for many years, with only a dry mop or damp mop, with micro fiber mops.

SLATE

Problem

Fading of color, grout staining

Solution:

Clean grout and then apply Color enhancement sealer to bring out the natural highlights of the stone.

Procedure: By nature, slate it a fragile substrate. So cleaning it requires gentle treatment, lest it flake off and begin to fall apart. Knowing this, our technicians treat your slate with kid gloves to make sure that the least amount of damage occurs. If the flaking is too easily done, we will recommend treatment with a product called 40SK, a densifying stone glue that will permanently adhere the layers of slate together. It is a tricky process, slow and costly, but less expensive than replacement. After treating the slate, sealing with two or more applications of either Crystal Magic Stone Sealer or Crystal Magic Color Enhancing Sealer (to bring out the natural color variations in slate) is strongly recommended. Interior slate will hold the enhancement longer than exterior, as the UV light from the sun will burn out the enhanced color over time.

CONCRETE CLEANING & PERMANENT SEALING

Problem

Oil and Grease on driveways, walkways, around bbq and pool

Solution:

Clean and Seal with Crystal Magic CONCRETE Sealer to permanently prevent oil staining.

Procedure: First, the oil stains must be removed. The best way is to use Crystal Magic Stain-Sorb, an environmentally friendly product that pulls the oil stains right out of the concrete. Then, we apply two applications of Crystal Magic CONCRETE Sealer or one coat of that plus one coat of Crystal Magic TOP Sealer. These both work similarly, but using TOP Sealer also prevents water intrusion, which around a swimming pool with a salt water filtration system, will prevent damage to the stone from the salt water. Crystal Magic CONCRETE Sealer chemically reacts with concrete and limestones to create a new material, not concrete, not limestone, not sealant, but a building material with the best properties of each. It protects from the affects of acids, salts, oils and more.

This unique formula allows for permanent protection against spalling, alkali damage, water seepage, dusting, hairline checking & other types of concrete corrosion & deterioration. The animation below demonstrates the complete penetration of the stone by the sealer.

TILE AND GROUT RESTORATION

This includes the following:

DEEP GROUT CLEANING

Procedure: We first use our powerful degreaser to loosen up the deeply ingrained dirt in the grout. Then, using our Steam and Capture system, we hit it with 3,000 pounds per sq. inch of 200 degree water, and instantly extract it with a vacuum that is 92 times more powerful than a big box store water extraction unit. This assures you of getting the cleanest floor reasonable. Sealing the grout with two applications of Crystal Magic Stone Sealer will make on-going cleaning much easier.

TILE CLEANING

Procedure: Done the same way as deep grout cleaning, the only difference is that if the tile is not a glazed tile, we will apply two coats StoneCrete Sealer to the tile and grout, giving it a beautiful sheen that is simplicity itself to maintain with Floor Magic.

TILE POLISHING

Procedure: This highly specialized restoration process is a signature skill of The Ground Floor™. On very old tiles, some dating back to the 1920’s, the glaze has worn off through constant wear and tear. This often happens in office building lobbies in downtown Los Angeles. Using Tile Glo #1 to deep clean the tile, followed by Tile Glo #2 to actually re-polish and re-glaze the tiles, we can make tiles that are no longer available, look like they have just been installed. It is a slow, painstaking process, but the results are nothing short of astonishing. Sealing with Crystal Magic Stone Sealer to protect the tile and grout makes for a real restoration of tile work that is nothing short of artistic.