Slippery Rock Gazette

Bob Murrell 

M3 Technologies

Photos by Bob Murrell

This project was very exciting, actually more than most. It was really cool to see this restoration and upscale restaurant come together with such success. Indeed, it was quite an honor to be a part of this metamorphosis. It takes a true visionary to see something like this through, for sure. Jim and Lori Klonaris are those visionaries. Of course there were also plenty of companies that helped Jim and Lori’s vision for Vida and the Vault come to fruition. Knoxville Marble Polish was one of those companies.

Lower level marble floor showing adhesive residue and heavy wear.

Most of the original marble flooring was covered in vinyl tile (possibly asbestos, as it was fairly old) and there was adhesive residual on most all of these surfaces. Other areas, such as the solid marble stairwell, where previous construction and demolition had taken place, needed either complete piece replacement, repair, a combination of both, or just plain cosmetic trickery.

Most of the floors were ground with 120 grit through 400 grit M3 TX Triple Thick resins and polished with Majestic 5X Gold. This process series yielded excellent results. There were areas, however, that required more aggressive grinding and honing due to stubborn adhesive and some heavy wear scratching. On the mid and lower landings of the staircase, and lower level floor, 60 grit M3 ELF Flexible Metals were used to rectify these issues before using the 50 grit through 400 grit TX resins and then finally polished with the Majestic 5X Gold.

There were also areas, where the marble had been crashed into, with goodness knows what, and was broken and barely still clung together. These pieces were carefully removed and repaired using polyester transparent knife grade colored to match. They were then reinstalled (which was somewhat tedious) and refinished with either a hand tool and M3 DICP Premium Flexibles or 2 ¼’ x 3 ¾’ diamond hand pads. BTW, every stone restoration contractor should have a set of these diamond hand pads for each crew. 

There were some areas where the marble was completely missing and could not be replaced due to extenuating circumstances. One example of this is located in the lower level landing where, in a tight corner on the inside of the stairwell, there was about a square foot of missing marble. It was in the tight radius of the lower stair case. This was filled with leveling compound and painted to match. It was not really a very visible location, so that was an easy decision.

One challenge was an unfortunate, large gap that was left between the existing marble and a replacement piece (provided by Tennessee Marble Company). This was also filled with the leveling compound and then colored to match. Both of these repairs ultimately looked almost undetectable. 

Now another issue was a missing piece, which was evidently broken out from a previous construction project and was in a concaved area that would not be easy or cost effective to replace. 

Fortunately, Julie, the owner of Knoxville Marble Polish is a very creative person. She took a picture of some surrounding marble, edited the picture, printed it on a sticker page, and then applied a decoupage for shine. She then made a template to cut the sticker to the exact size and applied it. The owner was blown away by how good this ingenious, simple and economic fix looked. 

Of course the brass handrail and aluminum balustrade came together quite nicely. They were cleaned, sanded, and polished. It was decided to leave them natural and the restaurant would maintain them using conventional cleaners/polishes like Brasso. This was a whole new learning experience and will become part of the service offering for KMP going forward. 

Above, left: Julie applies the printed marble photo sticker to cover a gaping hole in the concave surface. Above, middle & right: The restored (& camouflaged) concave corner of the stairwell. The Art Deco stairs and railings shine with renewed splendor.

A semi-private nook on the lower level outside The Vault, after restoration.

The décor of the restaurant is very posh. In my opinion, this is probably one of the most upscale restaurants in the Knoxville area. Local well-known artist Bill Cook Jr’s marble sculpture, entitled Vida Princess, greets patrons as they enter the establishment. As discussed in a previous article, it was carved from a solid piece of Pink Tennessee Marble. It was possibly a bit too risqué, so it was decided that she needed a bit of covering in certain areas. LOL! There are other pieces of unique art throughout the restaurant and the appointments are quite exquisite. 

They offer an extensive wine and drink selection,  while the food is Pan Latin and consists of hors d’oeuvres, small plates, food for the table, and decadent desserts. It is always very fresh, quite different and positively enjoyable. I can say that with total confidence because I have dined there several times, as of the time of this writing.

Now The Vault, which is the cocktail lounge downstairs, is also very popular. The Vida and The Vault offer exclusive memberships that allow head-of-the-line privileges at the restaurant and entry to the Vault, private day trips to regional distilleries, wineries and such, as well as many more indulgent benefits. They usually have some easy-on-the-ear live music on the weekends. My oldest daughter Logan, who is an East Tennessee legend (in my opinion), has been playing there for the first few opening weekends. She will also be dining and celebrating there with her wedding party soon!

All in all, I am proud to say that I was able to be a part of this project. It is a very unique business with a flair for good food and drink, a beautiful atmosphere, and excellent service. I look forward to many more enjoyable experiences there.

Above, left: One of the signature desserts from the Vida kitchen.  Above, right: Vida Princess, by Knoxville artist Bill Cook Jr, sculpted in solid Pink Tennessee marble, greets visitors at the club entrance.

As always, I recommend submitting a test area to confirm both the results and the procedure prior to starting a stone or hard surface restoration or maintenance project. Also the best way to help ensure success is by partnering with a good distributor, like BBI, that knows the business. They can help with technical support, product purchase decisions, logistics, and other pertinent project information.

I pray you all stay safe and healthy.

Bob Murrell has worked in the natural stone industry for over 40 years and is well known for his expertise in natural stone, tile and decorative concrete restoration and maintenance. He helped develop some of the main products and processes which revolutionized the industry, and is currently the Director of Operations for M3 Technologies.