The following guidelines refer to “average” situations. This
means there is no way to establish beforehand what the exact sequence of the
various steps will be. It will depend on the type of stone, the contingency of
the situation: i.e. the depth of the etch patterns, etc.General
ConsiderationsA shower stall is a very demanding environment from a
maintenance point of view, and if everything was not done properly either when
selecting the stone and/or when installing it according to precise and very
narrow guidelines, there are going to be problems that will inevitably lead to
installation failures.Does it make sense to specify certain types of limestone or
slate of sandstone for a shower enclosure that will literally crumble under the
action of warm water hitting their surfaces? Could a situation like that ever
be solved with the application of a stone sealer or some other “magic potion”
in a bottle?HardlyYet, these situations do occur. And how about when the installation of stone tiles (even the
right ones) is delegated to an unqualified setter who makes mistakes that will
undoubtedly lead to failures that will eventually require the ripping out of
the whole stall? These are not rare occurrences.So, before we go into the analysis of the actual restoration
of the surface of the stones lining the stall of a shower, let’s see how the
stall should be installed to begin with. The sheeting behind the tiles should be waterproof
cement-board-not green board.The plumber prepares the pan of the shower by laying down
the proper sheeting of vinyl, and making sure that the “weep” holes are not
clogged in the process of mudding and setting. Then, the floor must be
installed and properly grouted, prior to the installation of the walls, making
sure that proper color-matching caulk is thoroughly applied around the drain.
The same color-matching caulk will be used to seal the walls where they meet
with the floor and with each other. All the tiles (floor and walls) must be
installed leaving 1/16” grout gaps (particular attention must be paid when
grouting).We’re not talking about your regular wall and floor here:
tiled shower stalls- whether ceramic or natural stone- represent a very delicate
and demanding environment because of the heavy-duty nature of their use. There
is quite a difference in use between the walls of the bathroom outside the
stall, and the same walls inside it. The sand-less grout must be kept on the
thick side and painstakingly pushed deep between the tiles using a flexible
blade plastic putty knife, rather than your regular grout floater. Tile and
caulk are vital components of the installation of a shower stall. “Butt-joint”
installation is simply put, plain disgraceful and there should be precise
standards by which to hold the installation contractor accountable for any
future installation failure die to a butt-joint installation. The grout applied
to tiles butt-jointed to one another will only fill the “V” groove created by
the bevel of the tiles coming together, but it’ll have no root and it won’t
last long under the action of the hot water and steam that a shower stall will
be submitted to, and the extra scrubbing that its proper cleaning will require.Why is this information important to the stone restoration
contractor?Because if, by any chance, water finds its way behind the
tiles and, by gravity down under the floor tiles and maybe the “weep” holes are
somehow clogged, all sorts of unsolvable problems develop, like excessive
mildew, spalling of certain marbles and granites, efflorescence with some other
stones, rusting of iron mineral-rich rocks, and so on. In a nutshell, should
this happen, it’s actually a failure of the initial installation- the only
solution would be to rip out the whole shower enclosure and start anew.The stone restoration contractor must be able to detect and
recognize these sorts of problems in order to understand whether or not his
professional interventions would be of any use. In most of these cases, unless
the stone restoration contractor is also an installer, or is connected with a
reputable tile setter, there’s not much that he or she do other than break the
bad news! A good pre-qualification of the prospective customer over the telephone,
asking the right questions should generate enough red flags to make the stone
restorer realize that his visit will not represent the opportunity for an
estimate, but will most likely be a full-fledged consultation to find out what
the real problem is. Consequently, the request for an appropriate consultation
fee will be legitimate and in order.Assuming that everything checks out and the request for
restoration services is legitimate and based on the right grounds, let’s see
what the procedure is going to be. However, before we go into that, one
“curious” and not-so-rare situation must be taken in consideration: the shower
stall could possibly just be in need of a good clean. Many customers neglect
their stone or do not use the correct products to remove certain issues such as
soap film and mineral deposits. A good cleaning will only be necessary in this
case.Let’s look now at the actual restoration; but keep in mind
that when restoring a marble shower stall; you will have to deal with
encumbrances such as faucets, stoppers, shower heads, soap-holders, etc.It is important to let the customer know at the time of the
estimate (in writing) that the areas immediately near those obstacles will not
be restored as properly as the rest, unless they are removed before the
commencement of the job. In the case of small soap-holders (typically made of
marble tiles cut in half at 45 degrees), it will be technically impossible to
restore them, because the overlapping of the steps necessary to complete the
job will not be possible. End of Part 1For more detailed information and step by step instruction, purchase our Natural Stone Maintenance Book or consider attending one of our Stone Restoration Trainings in Newark, NJ
