Our clients were renovating a property to transform into their dream home. The marble floors throughout the property had seen better days and they asked Athena Stonecare if there was anything that could be done to return them to their former glory.
At the initial site survey, it was noted that there was significant lippage across the floor. This is the name given to uneven height of tiles at the grout joints due to the floor tiles not being laid flat.
To repolish a scratched or etched floor, diamond segments must be used to grind the surface. If tile edges are uneven then the solid diamond segments will bounce over the lips and will be ineffective. To use this method of polishing on a lipped floor would run the risk of ‘picture framing’ whereby the lower section of the tiles shows up as shinier than the rest. There are hybrid options available to bring back the shine, but the finish is never as crisp. This is usually visible by the wavy lines seen in the reflection of light from the floor.
In order to achieve the best possible finish when a client requests a high polish, it is usually recommended to grind the floor completely flat first. This is a lengthier process, but is the only way to ensure the perfect polish and avoid an uneven finish.
With the entrance being a focal point of the renovation with natural light flooding in and reflecting off the floor, it was decided that the investment in a full restoration was well worth it.
Due to the ongoing works, we attended the site initially to complete the grinding and resurfacing to the edges before the decorating took place and the skirting boards were installed. This is always our preference when grinding floors as it gives the best finish possible to the edges and corners.
Following the completion of the remaining decorating work, the team returned to complete the rest of the work.
Using the Hypergrinder Titan and Levighetor machines, the marble floor tiles were ground flush with the grout line. This removed all lippage as well as surface damage.
After this, 7 stages of diamond abrasives (metal bonds, copper bonds and resin bonds) were used to remove the scratch pattern created by the grinding process and smooth the marble to tighten the surface of the floor. The floor was then polished to high shine with natural polishing powder before rinsing and sealing.
When the main contractor Ben returned to the site he immediately contacted the team “ Cannot get over how good the floor looks at south hill! Amazing job”.
The work done by Dave and his team on our 30+ year old limestone flooring was outstanding. The stone was dirty and very cracked in places and I never dreamt they could make something so old look so good. The resin colour they used was an exact match and the cracks they filled are barely discernible now. The cleaned limestone looks wonderful and fresh. I can't believe what they achieved and couldn't be more thrilled.
Would you please thank Dave and his team - so much - for their outstanding work on our flooring? I can’t believe what they achieved and couldn’t be more thrilled. I never dreamt they could make something so old look so good!
Fantastic experience from start to finish. Outstanding customer service. Can't recommend highly enough.
Top quality service and good value for money. For once I am very happy to pay a bill!
Just wanted to say a huge thanks for the fantastic job that Lee and Terry did this week at our house. They were also wonderful ambassadors for your company: unfailingly polite and super helpful.
The floors look noticeably much improved so I’m thrilled with their work.
Really happy, both with the quality of the worktop finish (ring marks, be gone!) and with the Athena Stonecare experience overall. Am sure we'll be using them again.
