Frederick M. Hueston, PhD  

Stone Care Consultant 

Why is it that I always seem to get calls for inspection in the North when it’s 7 degrees?             

This Florida boy is not built for the cold.  But when there is a stone situation, I guess I have to dig out the old winter coat and go for it. 

Well, you guessed it, I was headed to Chicago to look at a shower that was powdering. Here is how it all came about:

It was an early Monday morning when the phone rang, waking me. I’m not a sound sleeper so I reached over to my nightstand and picked it up. 

“Stone Detective,” I said in a sleepy tone. The voice on the other end sounded very professional. At first I thought it was one of those voiceover guys. Then, for a second, I thought it was a dream.  

He apologized for waking me and continued to go on about his limestone shower. He said, “I’m getting areas in my shower that seem to be turning to powder.” He went on for what seemed like hours about the installation and then what the installer told him. He continued on and on, and I couldn’t help thinking that it was like listening to one of those movie trailers. “Coming to a theater near you, Limestone Powder.” 

He then said, “The installer told me that I was using harsh chemicals to clean it and that my water may have some issues. I didn’t use any chemicals other than a neutral cleaner and I squeegeed the walls down after each shower.” He then asked if I could fly to Chicago and take a look at the shower.  

“I should be able to in a couple of days,” I said. I asked for his email and told him I would get back to him once I made my airline reservations. 

I hung up the phone and immediately logged on to the weather in Chicago. Just my luck, the weather for the next few weeks was going to be in the single digits. “Oh well, this is what I do and it’s a little slow right now,” I mumbled. So I booked a flight for the next week.

I had just landed at the airport when the pilot announced that it was a “brisk seven degrees.” That’s seven degrees Fahrenheit, boys and girls. Luckily, I brought my winter jacket and had on a t-shirt, a dress shirt and a hoodie. 

I stepped off the plane and it felt like someone had just opened a freezer door. Holy crap was it cold! I walked as fast as I could to get to my rental car.

I arrived at “Don Pardo’s” home as he was waiting on the front porch for me. He looked just like Ed McMahon from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I got out my car and headed toward him. He exteneded his hand and nearly broke mine when he shook it. 

“Come inside and I’ll show you the mess.” 

We walked through the house and he led me to the master bath. He opened the door and pointed toward the shower and said, “Here’s the mess.” 

For a minute there I thought he was going to say, “Here’s Johnny!” I walked into the bathroom and opened the shower door. The entire shower from floor to ceiling was a Portuguese limestone known as Lagos Blue. I looked at Don and rolled my eyes and shook my head. 

“I have seen this many times before with Lagos Blue,” I said. “It’s not an appropriate stone to use in a wet area.” I took out my knife and started poking at some spalled areas on the stone. The stone just fell apart and powdered. It was almost like sticking a knife in some beach sand, which is where I wished I was at the moment.  

I asked him all the standard questions and my final conclusion was to tell him to contact the person who sold him the limestone and take him on a boat in Lake Michigan and push him overboard. 

I cannot believe how much Lagos Blue and other limestones are being used in showers these days. Almost every single installation is falling apart! 

Many of the stone distributors even have on their website that this stone should not be used in a wet area. Don’t believe me? Google Lagos Blue and see what many distributors say about this stone in wet areas. 

Well, another case solved, I guess. 

The Stone Detective is a fictional character created by Fred Hueston, written to be entertaining and educational. He has written over 33 books on stone and tile installations, fabrication and restoration and also serves as an expert for many legal cases across the world. You can send any email comments to him at fhueston@stoneforensics.com.