Frequently Asked Questions Regarding
Durango Stone
™
1. Why do people prefer a honed finish rather than a polished finish?
Lower maintenance! Polished materials require professional refinishing often to keep the polished appearance whereas a honed and filled finish, after sealing, requires extremely low maintenance.
2. Does Durango Stone™ need to be sealed?
We recommend sealing all natural stone materials. Especially porous
stones like travertine and limestone. Check with your sealer supplier
for application details. A high quality “impregnating” sealer should be
used.
3. How often do I re-seal the floor?
This really depends on the usage and
lifestyle of the owner. Typically, under normal conditions, once every 2
to 3 years is adequate. Check with your sealer supplier for their
recommendations.
4. Are subterranean holes prevalent?
Durango Stone™ is travertine and has small voids throughout the deposit. Some voids are not seen when the tiles are processed due to a thin membrane of stone covering the subterranean hole. Often, these unknown subterranean holes will be exposed after installation through normal usage, during the first 3 to 6 months of ownership. Providing buyers with a small amount of unsanded grout and a copy of the Care and Repair Information will prepare them to repair the holes themselves, and not have to wait for the installer to come out. Care and Repair Information
5. How do you maintain the floor on a daily
basis?
Most owners of Durango Stone™ floors find that dusting or
sweeping is fine most of the time, with spot cleaning. When necessary,
use a good quality pH Neutral Cleaning solution, manufactured for
travertine or limestone floors is recommended.
Care and Repair
Information
6. Is Durango Stone™ consistent in
color range from one order to the next?
Because Durango Stone™ is natural and quarried from the
earth, color variations are a feature of the stone. We always recommend
that buyers purchase a few additional tiles for long term storage to
cover a repair or replacement of a tile.
7. What do I do if the material gets
scratched?
Most minor scratches on honed travertine can be removed by the owner by
simply sanding them out with 400-grit wet/dry sand paper, using water
and light pressure in circular motions. For scratches that cannot be
removed this way, consult a professional in your area.
8.
What is the typical size of grout joints with Durango Stone™?In today’s market place, with honed and filled tiles, a 1/8” grout line is typical. Using a grout joint smaller than 1/8” makes it more difficult for the installer to get sanded grout to make contact with the sides of tiles and the substrate. Patterns typically have a 3/16” grout joint.
9. How do I prevent stains?
We know of no sealants that actually make stone stain proof. The best
sealers on the market are very good at making the stone, stain resistant
-not stain proof. Acidic materials such as wine, citrus juice, vinegar,
household cleaners, etc. cause the most staining problems because these
items stain by etching the sealer or by actually penetrating the sealer.
If the stone has severe stains, consult a professional in your area.
10. Should it be “pre-sealed” before grouting?
This is dependant on several factors. One
major consideration is whether or not a pigmented (colored) grout is
being used. If grout with color (i.e. gray, browns, reds, greens, etc.),
it is highly recommended that a pre-sealing grout application be
applied. Durango Stone™ is pourus and light in color.
Therefore, it is highly probable that a richly colored grout will stain
tiles that have not been pre-sealed.
Remember when pre-sealing occurs, a chemical coating is now on the stone and it becomes imperative that a latex modified setting material and latex modified grout be used to enhance the bonding.
Typically, light colored grouts similar to the color of the stone are used. If light colored grouts are used, no pre-sealing is required.
11. Is the “fill” popping out of my stone?
No. The fill does not come out of the stone. Although you will hear
clients swear to you that it is the fill, it is really just a
subterranean hole being exposed. If the client is made aware of the fact
that during the first few months after the installation, some number of
voids will be exposed...this should not be an issue.
12. What is “run of quarry”?
Occasionally, we get a request for a large number of tiles to be
produced within a certain period of time. Due to the nature of the
request, and the unknown issues regarding natural stone, it is
impossible to "color select" large quantities of stone. Therefore, in
order to meet the needs of the customer, we offer to produce the jobs in
"run of quarry." This is a common term used to denote that there will be
NO color selection from the quarry blocks produced for the job.
"Run of quarry" clearly defined means; whatever we cut is what you get.
13. Are other companies licensed to use our
trademarked names?
No. World Wide Stone Corporation™ has
no licensing agreements with any entities, regarding the use of our
trademarked names.