Workshop : Consumables
Lithofin care for wet rooms
Wet rooms and bathrooms are still a growth area for the use of natural stone but using the correct maintenance products in these areas is key, say market leaders Lithofin. Stone can be damaged by the use of incorrect maintenance products and the wrong cleaning products.
An ideal way to protect stone in wet rooms is with Lithofin MN Stain-Stop (solvent-based) or Lithofin MN Stain-Stop ECO (water-based). The protection they offer can be expected to last between three and five years – or longer if they are correctly looked after with Lithofin Easy-Care.
In a wet room where water is in contact with the stone (the shower area) or with a natural stone shower tray, Lithofin recommend a deep clean and re-sealing after 12 to 18 months to ensure the maximum protection level is maintained. Soap and shampoo deposits can inhibit the effect of impregnating sealants.
For regular maintenance of wet room stone surfaces, use Lithofin Easy-Care. This contains agents that take up the dirt and make them easier to remove by wiping. The remaining, extremely thin care film is free of wax and does not build in layers. With continued use, the surface of the stone will improve in colour and structure. Always vacuum (or brush) the area to be cleaned to remove any dust.
Lithofin Easy-Care is added to lukewarm water, one squirt (approx 20ml) in 10 litres of water. After washing, allow the residue to dry naturally on the surface of the stone – do not rinse it with water.
For deeper cleaning of these stone areas, wash down with the diluted Lithofin MN Power Clean. This will remove grease, dirt and any efflorescence build up. The use of a white emulsifying pad will help with slightly more ingrained contamination. When the stone is completely dry (possibly 2-3 days, or even longer) the areas can be re-sealed.
When re-sealing, work in small sections – apply the Lithofin MN Stain Stop or Lithofin MN Stain Stop ECO generously and let it penetrate into the stone for 5-15 minutes, depending on porosity, and work over the area with the applicator every two minutes. Do not let the product dry on the surface during this period and if all of the impregnator is absorbed into the stone, add some more. Once the stone is saturated, remove all excess from the surface using a lint free cloth – then leave it for 48 hours before re-using the wet areas.
For natural stone vanity tops and bowls, Lithofin MN Easy Clean (spray) is ideal for day to day cleaning and maintenance. It is ready to use and the highly active components dissolve dirt, oil and grease and allow for easy and streak free cleaning. Special additives ensure that the protective effect of the impregnators is not diminished with regular use.
For more information call the Technical Line on
Tel: 01962 732 126 or visit the website at the address below.
CRL Stone make the Akemi connection
Akemi has become such a stable of masonry workshops that many in the industry use the name as a generic term for resin and glue.
CRL Stone (under their previous name of Ebor) have been associated with Akemi for many years and are one of the leading companies in the supply of chemical care, treatment and protection products for natural and composite stone.
A strength of the Akemi brand is that the products have continually developed and evolved to reflect changes in the use of stone and the expectations of the performance of stone products. For example, one of the latest innovations is Crystal Clean (code 4810954).
Crystal Clean comes in a 500ml trigger spray bottle. Akemi say it is suitable for cleaning all stones and is ideal for everyday use on polished surfaces such as worktops, counters and vanity units. The product is alcohol-based, so cures quickly, leaving a streak free surface.
Other products from Akemi include Algae and Mildew Power Remover (code 4810825). This handy 500ml trigger spray bottle promptly removes mildew and other forms of natural layers and discolouration from almost any stone – memorial masons find it particularly useful.
Stain Repellant Nano (code 4811932) is proving to be one of CRL Stone’s most popular products. Generally used on work surfaces and table tops, it uses nano technology to repel water, grease and oil without altering the look of the surface. It is food safe, so it often gets used in food preparation areas, and it is quick to use – it takes effect almost immediately and is fully cured in less than two hours.
CRL Stone are part of a giant American company that has given them access to new products from the parent. One of them is a countertop spray polish (code 3371149E) that has sold in huge volumes in the USA. It has a fresh lemon scent and comes in a 500ml spray can that CRL Stone will own-brand for customers, so fabricators or kitchen showrooms can use it as a kind of business card, leaving it with an installed worktop to keep their name in front of customers, who might also return for regular supplies of it.
All these products and more are featured in CRL Stone’s new brochure and on their website at the address below.
They have also just introduced a new catalogue especially for kitchen showrooms and worktop fabricators. Called the Standoff Catalogue (EUSC12), it offers an extensive range of standoffs and clamps used in commercial and domestic kitchens.
LTP introduce a greener way to a natural finish
Want a natural matt finish on unpolished floors and walls but still want them protected with an impregnating sealer? Then LTP Mattstone impregnating tile sealer is for you. And now, after 18 months research and development, it is available in a low-odour, more environmentally friendly water-based version called Mattstone H20 that was launched at the London Natural Stone Show last month (March).
LTP say it’s a great way to protect tiles from everyday spills such as coffee, wine and other household liquids. And it is not only for use with stone – it also works well on quarry tiles, terracotta, porcelain, terrazzo and cement floors. It can even be used in wet areas, making it ideal for bathroom tiles. And LTP say Mattstone is easy to apply as well as being easy to maintain using their Waxwash on floors and Stonewash on walls.
Coverage will depend on the porosity of the stone, but LTP say that, as a guide, you will need 1-2 litres for 10m2 of lower porosity floors and walls and 3-4 litres to seal more porous stone.
ELIMINATOR
This is the oil-eating bug product used to clear up an oil spill on the new granite paving seafront promenade at Weston-super-Mare (reported in the October issue of NSS). The liquid ‘Degreaser’ was used and it cleaned the stone without leaving a trace. The ‘Absorbent’ is a powder version sprinkled on to fresh spills to dry the spill.
Ross, who sell Eliminator, say it normally takes the bugs in the product the same length of time as the oil or grease has been down to digest it, so early treatment is advisable. Once the bugs have done their work, the residue is totally inert and can be washed away or disposed of without any issues of pollution.
Safe for the user and the environment
When Liverpool got school children involved in cleaning its stone statues for their City of Culture year in 2008 it was Delphis Masonry & Stone Cleaner they gave to the children to use because it is completely safe and environmentally friendly.
Delphis Masonry & Stone Cleaner is just one of the company’s EU Ecolabel-marked range. It is a mildly acidic, all-purpose cleaner that will not only clean masonry, but also clean up the environment in the process.
Delphis say this is a super-strength stone cleaner and lime scale remover created using fruit-based ingredients and micelle technology that lifts dirt and grime off surfaces so it can be wiped or washed away in water.
Oscar’s looking better thanks to jade and Parex
Irish writer, poet and wit Oscar Wilde is looking much better thanks to a makeover replacing his porcelain head with harder wearing white jade, associated by some with immortality, fixed with high strength Tecroc repair materials from Parex, who took over Easipoint, the hard landscaping and lime mortar producers, last year.
An SOS to help restore Danny Osborne’s statue of Wilde in Dublin was received after Oscar started losing his head when the porcelain proved to be susceptible to the Irish weather. His hands have also been replaced using the jade.
Parex distributors in the Republic, Construction Chemicals Ltd, had no hesitation in recommending TecGrip CAS Cartridge and Thixotropic Joint Filler for the job.
TecGrip CAS Cartridge is a high strength, self-mixing cartridge-based polyester anchor system applied by gun injection, while Thixotropic Joint Filler is a pump-and-stay-in-place cement-based grout used to fill joints without the need for formwork or other types of support while curing.
The Oscar Wilde statue was erected in Merrion Square close to the Dail (the Irish Parliament) in 1997. It was commissioned by the Guinness drinks company. The body is made from stones – such as the green nephrite jade from the Yukon for the jacket with its pink Norwegian thulite trimming on the collar and cuffs, and the Labradorite trousers.
Danny Osborne consulted geologists before choosing the white jadeite for the new head and hands.
Danny returned to replace the damaged pieces of the statue that were bonded back using the high strength materials from Parex that had also been used on the original work in 1997 and had proved they would stand the test of time.
Something special
Stonehealth, established more than 25 years ago, are well known for their Jos / TORC and DOFF mechanical cleaning systems, but not everyone is aware that they also supply a comprehensive range of chemical-based products for conservation and restoration.
They have a range of effective products such as paint softeners for the removal of many different coatings / paints (including bitumen), graffiti (including felt tip pen marking), poultices for the removal of carbon, copper, bronze, iron and other stains. All have excellent health & safety as well as environmental credentials.
Also available is Cleanfilm, a natural latex-based material for internal cleaning and for the removal of fire / soot damage. Another useful product is Oilrid, which uses a bacterial process to digest oil and grease deposits.
Nanotechnology protection for stone
EcoGuard are a small company based in Lancashire and working across the UK, including a branch in Scotland, who now offer EcoGuard Stone, which uses nanotechnology to protect stone by making it water repellant.
It does not change the characteristics or appearance of the stone, but it is absorbed deep into the pores where it bonds at an atomic level to the material it is protecting.
Crucially, although the treatment will not allow molecules of water to penetrate, air can still circulate through the micropores of the stone.
The treatment is not affected by UV light and cannot peel or flake off.
It can be used to protect stone in:
- Listed Buildings and buildings of historic importance
- New build where the look has to be of premium quality
- Sites in exposed areas that are vulnerable to damp or salt spray
- Leisure facilities on the coast.
EcoGuard’s directors have many years of experience in the construction industry and are specialists in applying the coating. They are happy to work with clients to provide a specification tailored to individual needs.
Other EcoGuard products based on the same technology are available for glass, ceramics, metal, timber and textiles.
Stone Success for PCI
Tile adhesive and grout manufacturers PCI, part of BASF Plc’s Construction Chemicals division, were at the Natural Stone Show in London last month on a stand themed on the ITV serial Downton Abbey. PCI staff dressed to impress in dinner jackets and cocktail dresses and offered visitors to the stand a tongue-in-cheek treat of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Pictured left are Shane Arbuckle, PCI’s area sales manager in the South East, and Jane Seymour, Project Design Co-ordinator, on the stand at the Stone Show.
Marketing Manager Ian Wilson says: “We had a great show, and the stand theme proved to be a brilliant ice breaker. As a direct result, we’re now talking to a number of new prospective clients who are involved in prestigious natural stone projects about the PCI Carra range.”
To help specifiers and contractors tackle natural stone projects with the best results, PCI have formulated the PCI Carra range for fixing natural stone coverings. The product line includes a conventional mortar bed, a medium-bed mortar, a thin-bed adhesive and a multi-use thin and medium-bed flowable adhesive especially for light-coloured and critical natural stone flooring. Colour matching grouts and a silicone joint sealant that avoids staining and discolouration complete the range.
The Carra range is designed for indoor and outdoor use and tackles areas such as water absorption, frost resistance, strength and abrasion resistance while avoiding problems of discolouration.
Information on NBS specifications can be obtained from PCI Technical Services on Tel: 0161 485 6222 and PCI’s Natural Stone brochure outlining the range can be viewed and downloaded from their website.
Mapei offer stone solutions
Mapei, who have reinforced their commitment to sustainability by becoming a member of the UK’s Green Building Council, had the ideal launchpad for their new Marble & Stone rapid setting adhesive in the Natural Stone Show in London last month (March).
Marble & Stone can be used for the installation of marble, limestone, travertine, quartzite and sandstone in both interior and exterior areas, on walls and floors and be ready for grouting after only three hours.
It is fully water-resistant for use in bathrooms, showers, wet rooms and any other wet duty environments while its flexibility means it can be used over underfloor heating systems and on plywood overlay with thicknesses of 15mm or more in bed thickness of 3-12mm, making it ideal for fixing irregular stone to even the most uneven of substrates.
Mapei have also launched Mapelastic AquaDefense, a one-component, ultra quick drying, ready-to-use liquid for waterproofing surfaces under stone tiles and mosaics, as well as ceramic and porcelain tiles. It bonds to concrete, screeds, timber or existing tiles, is ready-to-use straight from the tub and can be applied by roller or brush on flat or curved surfaces. It is handy for using in confined spaces and the tub is also re-sealable so none of the product is wasted.
Also for the stone market, Mapei have produced their multi-purpose grout, Ultracolor Plus, in a colour they call limestone.
For those who don’t like EDTI
EDTI (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is not everyone’s favourite cleaning agent so Restorative Techniques are offering EDTI cleaning products in five grades, the lowest concentration being grade ‘A’ for cleaning sensitive sculptures. And if even that is too proscriptive for some conservators, they are also supplying EDTA separately so that it can added by customers to create concentrations of their own making.
This is just one example of Restorative Techniques’ focus on using their technical expertise in understanding the effects chemical products and individual formulations can have on the chemistry and physical properties of a material’s surface.
They say they use their expertise to offer genuine advice, particularly on projects involving sensitive historic surfaces, across a wide variety of substrates. They know ‘how’ and ‘why’ their products will work on a given surface and are happy to discuss that with specifiers and contractors.
By fully supporting both the contractors who are their customers and specifiers through the decision making process and by helping them select the right products, they say the benefits can be great. The successful outcome of a project will be more reliable, effective and practical when integrated with technical knowledge – and there is always the cost advantage of selecting the most appropriate product from the outset. It also means the company is capable of offering options tailored to specific projects or tasks.
A complete range of affordable chemical products are being marketed under the ‘Restorative’ banner, and to make it easier to get the right product, they have been named to reflect what they do – such as ‘Restorative Copper Stain Poultice’. And where there are different types of chemical for coping with different materials (paint softeners, for example) these are in named to identify the materials they will be effective on – ‘Restorative Paint Softener Acrylic Types’ and ‘Restorative Paint Softener Polyurethane / Oil Types’.
Restorative Techniques are confident this logical approach will help customers to find the products they need in this sensitive sector of the market.
They are also holding in stock a variety of clays and pulp components for contractors and conservators who wish to make their own poultices. Restorative Techniques even offer recipes for traditional mixes.
www.restorativetechniques.co.uk