Frederick M. Hueston, PhD

puddles of water on the bar I love the stone business. Every once in a while I get a case that is really puzzling. It really keeps an old man like me on my toes! Lately, it seems to be about once per week.  Today would be no different.

I was sitting at my usual spot at my favorite greasy spoon listening to retired Captain Bill telling me his Vietnam stories, when thank goodness, my phone rang. “Stone Detective. 

How can I help ya?”

The voice on the other end sounded like someone I knew, but could not place. He told me his name, but that did not click, either. He told me he was the manager of a bar in Las Vegas in one of the casinos on the strip and had an issue with his bar top. I asked him what the issue was. 

He told me it was hard to explain and would it be possible for me to come out and do an inspection, because the problem was getting worse.  Well, who am I to miss a trip to Vegas? I love Las Vegas, and yes, this old man does a little gambling.  I told him I could get him a proposal and head out there next week, sometime. I finished my cup of joe and headed across the street to my office to send him my proposal, and to check on flights.

Next week arrived and I was excited to see Vegas again. I seem to get a lot of work out there. It’s the town where I also conduct my stone inspection and troubleshooting seminar every January. It’s a perfect town for this type of seminar, since there are so many stone failures out there! Just walk through the casinos and you will see one failure after another. From worn floors, cracked tiles, pitting and spalling, to what have you – the perfect teaching tool. Anyway, I haven’t really inspected many bar tops out there, so this was going to be interesting.

I arrived in the Las Vegas airport and got off the plane. It was tempting to stop at the slot machines at the airport but I kept my focus on the job at hand. There would be plenty of time for fun later that night.  I took a cab to my hotel, which happened to be the same casino where the problem bar top was installed. I couldn’t wait to see the top, so I had to stop by for a quick look before I checked into my room. I was scheduled to meet the manager later that day. The bar was closed, but I was able to take a peek through the window. It looked like a stone bar of some type, and from the window I couldn’t see anything really wrong. Maybe I had the wrong bar. Oh, well. I decided to go ahead and check in to my room, get some lunch and call the manager to tell him I was there.

I arranged to meet the manager early that afternoon. I relaxed in my room until it was time to head downstairs to meet him. He told me to meet him at the bar.  

I walked into the bar, and yes, it was the same bar I peeked at through the window. The door was open but the bar was still closed. 

Now for the odd part.  The manager was standing at the front of the bar with a garden hose in his hand. I walked up to this young man and introduced myself. I told him I already took a shower so we wouldn’t be needed that, as I pointed to the hose he was holding. He laughed and said this is the problem we have. He pointed at the bar top and began to spray a light mist of water on the bar.

After about five minutes I noticed that there were puddles of water on the bar (see photo above – yes, this really happened!). 

What was interesting is that there was a pattern to the puddles. Now, this bar is located on an outside pool deck, so when it rains, the bar top gets wet. I scratched my chin and began to ask the usual questions. 

“When did you first notice this problem? Was it always like this?” I gave him my usual list of questions.

All his answers really didn’t give me a clue as to why. Apparently it wasn’t always a problem, so something had to happen to cause the depressions. So, I asked if I could have some time to investigate. He excused himself, gave me his number and told me to call him when I was done.

I sat down at the bar and got into my dream state. This is where I just stare into space and imagine what the bar looks like at night. People all over the place, drinks being served, etc. This was really puzzling. I was just about to give up with the bartender arrived to set up for the evening. 

I introduced myself as he prepared the bar. He asked if would like anything to drink. It was a little early for a beer, so I asked for a glass of soda water. He poured the water, placed it on the bar and slid it over to me.  The moment he slid the glass to me, I had the answer to this mystery.  I could only imagine that hundreds if not thousands of times that glasses had been slid across the bar. The glasses were gradually wearing a divot in the top!  The ponding was located in front of where people usually sit, and not on the ends. Now it made sense.  I took out my handheld microscope to take a closer look and to see if I could see scratch patterns. Sure enough, there were wear patterns. That was it!

Another case solved, but unfortunately, it would be nearly impossible to fix. I called the manager and gave him the sad news. Now, to hit the poker room!

The Stone Detective is a fictional character created by Dr. Frederick M.  Hueston, PhD, written to be entertaining and educational. Dr. Fred 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 your email comments to him at fhueston@stoneforensics.com.