Gray Limestone that continuously stains from wine, juice, etc.

A. Unfortunately you are dealing with limestone which is a calcium based stone. Calcium, when exposed to acidic spills will etch. Impregnating sealers are not designed to prevent the surface of the stone from etching, they are design to fill up the pores in the stone to inhibit staining agents from being absorbed into the stone.

However, with that said, there are some possible solutions. For the countertop there is a product that is basically a thin plastic sheet that is placed on the top. It will last a few months and will need to be replaced periodically. Check out http://www.tuffskinprotection.com/about-us.htm.

The floor is another story. You may want to try a different impregnator. I would like to refer you to www.stonecarecentralpro.com to help you select an appropriate sealer, but more importantly, if you are not a trained stone maintenance contractor, I would strongly urge you to retain the services of a qualified natural stone maintenance contractor. To locate one in your area, go to www.stoneandtilepros.com and click on the Find a PRO tab.

Dr. Fred

Chief Technical Director

DESIGN
To bring into being a mental concept

ETCHING
Occurs when stone is eaten (or neutralized) by an acid. It often looks like and is mistaken for a watermark.

FINISH
Final surface applied to the face of dimensional stone during fabrication

IMPREGNATOR
Impregnating sealer; a chemical product made of two parts: a resin (solid) and a carrier (water or mineral solvent) to penetrate the surface of a stone to reduce the natural absorbency rate of the stones it is applied to, providing that the stone’s surface tension allows the product to be absorbed by it

LIMESTONE
Sedimentary rock originated mostly by the decomposition of marine organism composed primarily of calcite or dolomite. The varieties of limestone used as dimension stone are usually well consolidated and exhibit a minimum of graining or bedding direction

NATURAL STONE
Although technically a redundancy, as stone is naturally occuring by definition, the term is used to distinguish true stone from imitation materials.

POLISHED
The finest and smoothest finish available in stone, generally only possible on hard, dense materials. Or, a glossy finish which brings out the full color and character of the stone

RETURN
The right angle turns of a wall, molding, or other horizontal projecting member