Any natural stone experts, I need your help!

5 years ago

i just had Harbour Gray limestone tiles installed on my back deck and pool coping. When they were mixing the mortar, they didn’t clean it up quickly and there are bucket rings and splatter marks. I tried non-acidic cleaners and nothing is working, and I need to get it sealed. I am now thinking it’s not really a stain, but more the color leeched out of it, and is there a way to either add color back or bleach the whole stone lighter? Second photo is worst, round circle and splotch to the right! ANY suggestions appreciate!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Usually one part bleach and 3 parts of water should remove that, use a stiff brush but not a metal one, some rubber gloves and some elbow grease. Having a power washer with this process is helpful, if you don't have one you can rent it for 1/2 day.

Try first on the small area or if you have a piece of stone left over to make sure its OK.

Good luck
0
jkayepierce826
Original Author
5 years ago
GN Builders, thanks so much for the suggestion—I will try this today! I have a poultice on one area at the moment, but since it’s not grease or oil, I don’t have high hopes. I will keep you posted!
Related Discussions
Tile experts I need your help!
Q
Comments (2)
The short answer is that your patio was improperly installed and needs to be ripped out and re-installed right this time with a exterior installation system that allows for water drainage, unless you do not want to do it right and go through this exact same problem every few years when the expansion forces of water and ice tear it apart again. Read this article on Essential Water Management in Exterior Tile Installations. Schulter Systems offers the following products that can help: Ditra Troba Dilex Bara Of course you can simply repair the tile but that isnt addressing the underlying concerns or issues causing the problem. To simply repair the tile without addressing the underlying cause of the problem to help prevent it from happening in the future, all you need a latex-modified thinset mortar.
...See More
I need your expert help
Q
Comments (13)
Your friend is on a neutropenic, low-fiber, low-residue diet. It is neutropenic because her immune system is compromised, so any bacteria that might otherwise be rendered harmless in a person with a normal functioning immune system is quite dangerous to her. The low-fiber, low-residue part of the diet is to minimize the activity of her large intestine. The hospital where she is being treated likely has a clinical registered dietitian at the medical oncology clinic, and making an appointment with them would be a wise first step. The dietitian can give her an idea of exactly how many grams of fiber she should be eating a day. That said, look for foods with less than 0.5g of fiber per serving, such as very processed foods. White bread, white rice, waffles, etc. Canned veggies and fruits should be ok as long as there are no skins or seeds (EXCEPT NO PINEAPPLE). Dairy is usually limited to a cup or two a day, so skip the creamed soups if that's the case with her, as well as tough cuts of meat and any beans or peas that might be in stew. Broth based soups are great, with white noodles and very well cooked veggies. Ripe melon is ok, but make sure you wash the outside of the fruit as well as the knife so that no bacteria is transferred. Plain sherbet and fruit ices are good and refreshing. Please be sure to follow food safety best practices and keep foods at proper temperatures and don't let them sit out too long. Her taste may change as a result of her treatment. If things taste metallic, using plastic utensils can help. Sometimes very cold foods are easier to tolerate as well. Also, since her favorite foods might taste different than expected, it's a good idea to avoid favorites and try some new things, so that there are no taste expectations. Pleasant company really helps, so sit with her if you can so that eating feels less like a chore. Her doctor and dietitian can also recommend if a multivitamin or any supplements are a good idea. Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure, Magic Cup etc...are all really useful for adding calories and protein. Best of luck to your friend. AM
...See More
Expert Countertop Stone Help needed
Q
Comments (5)
I can see why you fell in love with this. It's beautiful. Hopefully, someone who has taken a chance with quartzites that are more fragile will have some advice. How risk aversive are you? I am highly risk aversive, so I would never choose something, no matter how much I liked it, if I had to sign a waver like that... although maybe for something not so permanent or expensive if I really loved it. Hope someone here can help you with more information on which to base your decision.
...See More
Stone being Repaired-Need help. Any experts here today?
Q
Comments (11)
Let me answer some questions and address the excellent points.. weissman, this will certainly be our plan if I don't like what the guy today says. Green, yes, they did address the issue when this happened, well sort of. The one gentleman they had working out in the field for them doing this sort of work was awesome, total ocd about construction. He checked all the joists and could not find that any had moved and needed to be secured any more, everything over there was done right. They already are cross braced. Our foundation is Superior Walls, so those aren't going anywhere. We do have a whole house humidifier that we run in the winter, although last year it wasn't hooked up until very late in the Fall, after the counter snapped. The hvac guys forgot to run the water to it! We do run the air, it seems to run a lot, not constantly but it seems to be on whenever I check. enduring, no not really. Well, except for the fact that somehow the use of 3 2x6's screwed together passed code to be used as a support for a steel beam. We asked about it but the foreman told us "not to worry about it". (he's dead now, and let's just say that the people in the office would have killed him anyway if he wasn't because he should have caught that). But that group of boards started to bow, and the house did drop in that area (opposite corner of the kitchen). It's been replaced with a steel post, and the house was jacked back up. When the ocd guy saw that, he nearly fainted. He went into a panic, and went out and came back almost immediately with stuff to secure it until the post was replaced. He really thought if we got a good amount of snow on the roof, it could have gone.
...See More
Bruce in Northern Virginia
5 years ago
I had travertine (limestone) floors in my last house, we were surprised at how different it was to maintain than tile. It is natural stone and relatively soft and porous, so it absorbs dirt and stains easily. You can have it sealed, but the sealing will need to be repeated frequently to provide protection. Even then, if you spill something like red wine on the tile it will have to be cleaned up very quickly.

At some point you may begin to just appreciate the quality and beauty of natural stone, and not worry about lines and marks. It will never have the perfect look of manufactured tile because it is not man-made. Just enjoy.

Bruce
jkayepierce826 thanked Bruce in Northern Virginia
PRO
Mystic Pools, LLC
5 years ago
Limestone is a very soft, porous stone. I would be very careful cleaning the stone as cleaners can be harsh. A pressure washer can do damage also.

I would wait a year before sealing

I'm not familiar with Harbour gray limestone, but I can tell you our experience with Indiana limestone. We have been using it for many years on coping and patios/walkways.

A traditional mortar bed of typical sand and gray portland will "bleed" through the stone for about a year and then the natural coloring of the stone will be more consistent. If a white portland cement and yellow mason sand are used, you will not have any bleed. This procedure is actually stated on the Indiana Limestone site.

Carefully clean and apply a sealer for this stone. Some sealers may change the stone's coloring, so be aware of that.

Some efflorescence may occur along the way which is a naturally occurring event.

The bucket stains may not come out-just sloppy work unfortunately.
jkayepierce826 thanked Mystic Pools, LLC
jkayepierce826
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the comment. I tried several solutions, the one with bleach mentioned above, a poultice, non-acidic cleaner...none worked. I have noticed the efflorescence, I was a bit surprised by that, as none of my samples reflect that. This limestone comes from India, and has not been used by my pool company before. There is definitely a learning curve involved. We will be replacing those damaged tiles before we seal it. Thanks again!
0

Any natural stone experts, I need your help!

Comments (5)

GN Builders L.L.C

jkayepierce826
Original Author

Related Discussions

Bruce in Northern Virginia

Mystic Pools, LLC

jkayepierce826
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Any natural stone experts, I need your help!

Comments (5)

GN Builders L.L.C

jkayepierce826Original Author

Related Discussions

Bruce in Northern Virginia

Mystic Pools, LLC

jkayepierce826Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

jkayepierce826
Original Author

jkayepierce826
Original Author