Slippery Rock Gazette

Bob Murrell 

Special Contributor

Photos provided by Bob Murrell

Starting a stone, terrazzo, or concrete restoration project begins with preparation. The first thing is managing customer expectations. What do they want? What do they expect? More importantly, what can you deliver?          

Preparation

Most customers want to be treated with respect, courtesy, and professionalism. Always ask what they want and expect, then give the customer their options with respect to costs and results. Most of the time, customers expect your input as a restoration professional. After all (if you know what you’re doing), you should know the true potential of their project and what it should ultimately look like. 

I have found through the years that most customers enjoy being educated about their installations and do want what is best. However, some don’t care and just want what they think they want. It is the same in most any business. Some are harder to please than others. Just always be aware of this fact and you should be fine. Remember, some jobs may best be left to your competition. 

Whether in an upscale residential or commercial application, most projects begin with a contract or agreement. You should always state accurately what you will do, what the results should be, and what the costs are. You should, in my opinion, also have basic requirements and disclaimers attached. 

Who will move furniture, area rugs, and other items that may be in the way? What about accidental paint removal from baseboards, adjacent surfaces, and cabinets? Where is the easiest access to water? Where can you dump your effluent or waste water, if this is even possible on site? Where is the breaker box in the event that you trip a circuit breaker that must be reset? 

On larger projects with big equipment, power supply becomes a concern. Some big equipment runs on 208v-230v and even larger equipment can require 208v-230v 3 phase or even 460v 3 phase. Some of the larger terrazzo and concrete polishing companies are using the latter.  

In any case, all of these issues and more will need to be addressed with the client and possibly in writing. Simple precautionary procedures, like the use of brown contractor’s paper to cover and protect access pathways so that your equipment and personnel do not mar or soil the surfaces leading to the project area, show professionalism and that you care about your client’s property.  

Masking baseboards, walls, cabinets, adjacent sensitive floors, and unmovable furniture with tape and drop cloth-type products is a must. Make sure you have plenty of good quality painter’s tape too. Use of a splash guard around your machine also helps tremendously. Some contractors develop temporary protection panels out of thin wood or plastic (plexiglass) to help shield or protect adjacent surfaces. The bottom line is to not leave a project in worse condition than you found it.

Of course you will need plenty of clean rags, appropriate cleaning products, and a good tool box along with your normal restoration equipment. What if you need to make repairs to your electrical cord? What if you need adhesives to repair the hook and loop on your drive plate? Razor blades, grout brushes… the list goes on and on. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. 

It is always a good practice to leave proper maintenance products and instructions with the client. This helps ensure your project is not compromised by the use of inferior or incorrect products after you’re gone. It also gives you more control over future potential issues while being more professional.

What about before and after pictures? This is a great way to document the project’s success and also your marketing portfolio. Of course before and after gloss meter readings can also come in handy for those clients who like empirical data. 

General Restoration Data

I am asked almost daily, how long will the diamonds last? I respond that there are many variables like how hard or soft the stone is, what type of diamond is it, the lippage situation, is there sanded grout, what type of machine, and of course the operator has an influence as well.  These are some of the many variables that come into play when asking questions like this.

On soft materials like limestones, diamonds tend to wear at a faster rate because softer stones are more abrasive. This is especially true of sandstone and similar material too. Of course as we have discussed previously, the softer the stone or material, the harder the bond of the diamond abrasive is required.

Production on softer stones is usually much higher because it cuts easier. So consumable costs go up but labor costs go down. The opposite is true of harder materials like granites. Diamonds can last quite a long time when cutting and honing granite. However, granite production rates are much lower than marble. 

Production rates vary greatly based on the type of stone, available equipment, layout of the project (is it open or cut up), and size of the project. It is more efficient to do 100,000 sq. ft. than to do 100 sq. ft. A large lobby is generally easier than bathrooms. And horizontal surfaces are most always easier than vertical surfaces. This typically means that the larger the project, the lower the cost per square foot as compared to a smaller project of the same material and difficulty.

Larger planetary equipment generally has much higher production rates for grinding and honing than single disc machines. Polishing compounds, powders, and crystallizers tend to perform better using slow, speed single disc machines. Both types may be necessary depending on the type and size of the project. Hand tools or stand up edgers are also necessary to do edge work, borders, vanities and countertops, as well as vertical surfaces. 

Submitting a test or demo area can most always be beneficial and may even be required on some project bids. You can determine the best procedures, tooling, and results through test area submission. This may not always be cost effective if the project is not logistically reasonable. 

By no means have I covered everything. There are many things that need to be addressed and I can’t cover them all. However, as a personal request, please make sure that you and your employees have all of the appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) required for the project.  

As always, the best way to help ensure success is by partnering with a good distributor that knows the business. They can help with product purchase decisions, logistics, and other pertinent project information.

Bob Murrell has worked as a supplier of products and technical support to the natural stone industry for over 35 years. He has written numerous articles for various trade publications and has also trained thousands of contractors over the last 25 years.