Case Study: Heusden-Zolder Residence

A homeowner in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium wanted to protect their brick home from water damage and moisture absorption in order to prevent deterioration to the brick structure and foundation as a result of freeze-thaw spalling.

View full case study on our website. Download the PDF

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Common Problems With Natural Stone: Picture Framing

Picture framing can occur when grouting a paver that has not been pre-sealed. The water inside grout contains cement and other minerals. When this water penetrates into the edge of the paver, the minerals set inside the granite. This leaves a permanent stain, identified by the distinctive dark frame seen around the edge of a material.

Picture framing can also appear over time. Grout is extremely porous which means it will absorb more water than the granite itself. This impure water will permeate around the edge of the paver numerous times. When the surface dries, the water evaporates leaving behind minerals which are permanently set inside the granite, making it impossible to remove.

Once picture framing has occurred there is no way to remove it, so prevention is vital. Sealing your granite surface with a Dry-Treat impregnating such as STAIN-PROOF Original™ provides a deep, water-repelling barrier. This will significantly reduce water being absorbed into the grout and material, lowering the risk of picture framing.

Watch our video on picture framing and the Dry-Treat solution.

Granite: Nemesis of Bacteriae?

It’s no secret that kitchens can be the dirtiest area in the house due to the contamination by meat and vegetables which can pass on bacteria to the surfaces they touch, as well as a number of other factors.  A study by researchers at the University of Arizona in 2005 even found that kitchens tend to be one of the areas most covered in bacteria, even more than the toilet!

So what can you do? Thankfully there are numerous ways you can go about reversing this, the most obvious being a change in cleaning and food preparation practices. A less obvious solution is incorporating more natural stone into your kitchen.  The Marble Institute of America (MIA) found in a study performed by Dr. O. Peter Snyder that natural stone, most notably granite, is particularly resistant to bacterial contamination.  The MIA states, “In a recent study, granite countertops provided the greatest reduction in bacteria counts of all material tested”.

Read the full article here

Read the study here