Many readers will already be familiar with Athena Stonecare - such is their reputation across the industry as one of the country's leading stone restoration companies. 

A considerable number of you will also know of Director Becca Cranfield. Perhaps you’ve heard her give a talk, had a chat with her at a Women in Natural Stone event for which, until recently, she was Co-Chair, or maybe even sought her out when in need of some stone care advice. Her insightful, generous nature is a welcome mainstay within the industry, and here she shares some advice that, in her own words, could put the company out of business!

We never set out to be a company that advises on stone care. It just happened naturally (pun intended). 

When I first met Dave, he was Athena Stonecare. It was a one-person business that had grown organically over four years. He had built partnerships with several property management companies, and this was the bulk of the work. It was a savvy business model; one client might have several properties, and those properties would have a turnover of occupants. Every time a tenant moved out, the marble floors and bathrooms would need a refresh. Every time.  

For many, this would look like a gold mine. A continued stream of people who knew nothing about natural stone and would only be living in the property for a short period of time, so had no interest in the long-term degradation. However, the property owners were the ones suffering. And more importantly, so was the stone. Not just the stone in the individual apartment, but the reputation of natural stone. The lack of guidance on how to care for the stone meant that everyone involved in the chain assumed that stone was ‘a nightmare’. The property manager begrudged having to call in the ‘stone guy’ at the end of each tenancy and face the blame battle to figure out who was covering the bill. Stone restoration isn’t as cheap as replacing a few light bulbs that have blown.

So, after each job had finished, Dave would write an email to the property manager explaining how the stone should be cleaned in future. It was a simple set of bullet points that would ensure the right products were used and some of the silly mistakes could be avoided. It didn’t take long before this became asked-for information, and the bullet points turned into a Word document and then developed into a suite of PDFs for each stone surface. This was the first iteration of our Athena Aftercare guide.

It was also the point of difference that first got me interested in joining Dave in the business. Athena Stonecare wasn’t just another cleaning or restoration company. It was built with an ethos of care. Ultimately, we don’t want to walk away from a job and see the stone ruined again in two weeks. However, the question I had was why no one had already told our clients how to look after their stone. Unlike in a managed property, many of our private clients had chosen their stone. They’d been living with it for two, five, or even ten years, and now, when we were asked to restore it, they were asking the question, “What should I do to keep it looking this way?”

After doing some research, we discovered that very few were giving aftercare advice at the point of sale. A leaflet with a few products was handed over, but nothing comprehensive. No one wanted to talk about maintaining stone, in case it put someone off from buying it. A sentiment that just didn’t match how we’re used to making a big purchase. A new car comes with a manual, a pack of cleaning products, and a service package. If a cashmere sweater was sold without a dry-clean-only label, you’d be annoyed when it shrank in the wash. So why sell stone without explaining how to get the best from it? As an industry, we had given our own product a bad reputation. Frequently, I faced interior designers who told me that they would never use stone as they’d only ever had negative feedback from clients. If we wanted to have a business maintaining stone, we needed to make sure it was still being specified.

The black hole between installation and restoration is what Athena Aftercare set out to address. A glossy guide that can be handed out to clients as part of a handover pack. It outlines the simple steps needed to maintain a stone floor, worktop or bathroom. We suggest cleaning products and regimes, as well as dispelling a few myths and translating some basic terminology. It is now handed out by stone suppliers across the country and is part of the handover pack for many luxury property projects. We have even collaborated to create bespoke versions for several companies. 

In response to the demand for our expert insights, in 2025, we transformed the Athena Aftercare guide into a CPD. Whilst having a pack to hand over is great, we also wanted to upskill people who wanted to use stone on their projects. No one can be an expert in everything, but a little bit of knowledge can go a long way. To be able to hold a conversation with a client who is considering using stone about what to expect from it, or to answer the basic questions on cleaning when asked, is empowering. 

Nothing that we have to say on stone care is actually a secret, so we are always happy to share it!

If you’ve enjoyed these insights, why not attend the Specifying Stone for Interiors That Will Last Forever panel talk that Becca will be hosting at the Stone & Surfaces Show? 

She’ll be joined by leaders in the industry from Ca’Pietra, Project London and Barr Build at the Main Stage between 11.00-11.45am on Wednesday 13th May.

Register for the show and this talk (and many more) for free here.