Marble Problems

By now, lots of households are starting to experience the problems brought by natural marble stones that was installed decades ago. Probably in the late 70's. Back then we were still Marble installers. So Marble installation is also our specially during that time. In just a few years after our work, we usually see our client especially our clients in our home town. They usually tell us about the problems of their marble flooring and kitchen. What is the problem? Marbles rapidly loose their quality when it come to its versatility. It is not as durable as the granite making it very sensitive especially for sharp pointed objects. It very easy to have a scratch on it. On top of that, it fades in a short period of time. the softer the marble, the faster it looses its shininess. Surely you will agree with me if you have a Marble called Romblon in your house. This is very common in the Philippines due to its nice design and color. This stone is very soft. That is the main reason why is fades very fast loosing its shininess.

Are "Cracks" in your Granite natural?

Well, many kinds of granite has designs that may look like cracks. But you can tell the difference between a design and an actual crack. Take extra precaution cause your installer might just be fooling you. Sometimes if a granite installer is just starting in these kinds of work, they usually tend to commit simple mistakes. You know why? Because these mistakes are very easy to avoid. For example, if you are the installer, before you buy the granite materials, you must first inspect it. Inspect for What? Well, since I design this site for the benefit of both Granite installers and to their clients, I'll give you some tips on how to choose granite wisely before buying it.

• First, look for any DAMAGE in the granite. Look for any damage as if you are criticizing the granite. It may be a crack, scratch, color difference should you'll be buying more than one granite.
  
• Second, look for a thicker one. Usually thicker granites are much tougher compare to the thinne one like the granites made in China.
  
• Third, before you buy granites stored in warehouses, inspect thoroughly using wet rags. There might be some damages in those granites hidden behind the dust.

Again, I want to clear things to you. Some crack are natural but some may also be because of inexperience of the installers. Hope I could be of some help to you.

Mactan Marbles

Mactan Marbles is also one of the wide variety of local marbles here in the Philippines. It is called Mactan Marble because it is being mined in the province of Mactan. These stones are perfect for wall designs in your homes and even in corporate buildings. Up to now, this is stil being used by Architects because it is still not out of fashioned.

How to make Mactan Marbles more beautiful?

Well, we have been in the industry for more than 30 years so we have tried lots of different stuff in order to produce the best quality for these stones. You may apply emulsion oil. By applying Emulsion oils you can preserve the beauty making it look like its wet all the time. It is also much easier to clean your walls if there were emulsion oils applied to the surface of the Mactan Marble.

Pebbles

Pebbles are small stones with different colors. These stones once became very popular in the construction industry. These Stones are being installed in flooring, walls and even on top of the terrace. Nowadays, these stones are still being used but not as common as when it was first inroduced in the Market. You can still buy these in selected construction material dealers but not on hardwares.

How to Install Pebbles?

Pebbles are very easy to install. You just mix it together with water and pure cement then apply it to the area you want to install it. Then wait for a few minutes before you use the device used to remove the cement.

Disadvantage of Pebbles

Usually pebbles are being installed in the floorings of the garage. But once it made contact with the oil of your vehicles, it is very hard to remove it. Not to mention that its also very slippery when its when. Its beauty also vary to the design used by the installer. There must be atleast 4 or more colors in the pebbles in order to produce the true beauty of these stones.

Can a damaged granite top be polished?

In our experience, it is not advisable to try and polish the granite unless you are about to polish the entire top area. Why? Because there will be a big difference between the original polish and the repolish area. You can never get the same shiness and color of as from before it was damaged. Even if you polish the entire area of a granite slab, you can never get the same result as those with the original quality. Normally, you must replace it should that would be the case. We have tried lots of techniques and different adhesives but its still of no use. Until now, we are trying to discover new ways on how repair these kinds of mistakes but it seems that avoiding is the best solution for this problem.

What if the granite that was installed to me have different colors?

Although granites have the same classification and class, they normally differ in color. For example Black Galaxy which is a dark color stone. Sometimes, there are black galaxy granites that are a bit lighter than the others. Installers should be responsible in picking the perfect color that will match the other granites especially if you are installing it next to each other such as in counter tops, walls and sidings. This kinds of problems are avoidable if you are really an experienced granite installer.

Want to be a Granite Installer?

Well, you cannot learn how to install granite just by reading instructions from books or websites such as this site. The important thing is to see an actual installer of granites. Installing granite may look simple but it has many secrets in order to show the true beauty of these stones. But it is very often you'll be seeing granite installer just showing their secrets to you. My tip for you is....be an apprentice of a granite user. First, you can be a helper. That is the hardest part because many people are too cautious when it comes in sharing their knowledge to other people especially if they are avoiding having too many competitors in their field of specialization. I know lots of granite users who are very suspicious to people applying to be just a helper.

What you should know when you become a helper of a Granite Installer?

• Know their techniques on how to make these stones as shiny and as beautiful as the top coating. The step by step procedure.
  
• Know the different Materials being used.
• Know the suppliers of granite in your area and how to deal with them. It will be very useful to know where to get quality granite stones if you want to be competitive in the future.