Marble is a much-sought stone for interior design. The most common uses of marble are in counter tops as well as flooring. While marble might look very radiant in these uses, the beauty of the stone will vanish if the owner does not take proper care of the surface. Daily cleaning,and yearly marble polishing and prevention of accidents are the best ways to preserve the quality of marble.

Marble polishing is a relatively easy process on this soft stone.  As a result, it removes etches and scratches quickly. Any liquid that is acidic, will surely etch the marble. This is where Colonial Floor and Stone Care can bring in  polishing equipment that experienced technicians used to hone down the surface to take all etching away and the use our proprietary method of marble polishing to bring back the brilliant shine.  In addition, bathroom marble can also become dull, etch the stone, and also discolor it, leaving the need for marble polishing to bring the bathroom marble back to new. Despite being a stone, these surfaces can still become etched and dull needing marble polishing to renew your counter top or flooring. Ultimately, the best way to prevent long-term damage to your marble flooring or counter top is by preventing the buildup of any kind of damaging substances. Always clean up all spills and keep everything on plastic mats to avoid the spills in the first place. In this way, your marble floors and counter tops will maintain their shine for many years to come.

Colonial Floor and Stone Care is the professional marble polisher to polish your marble counter top or flooring.  We are the experts that can help you with all your natural stone care needs.  From marble to granite polishing, flooring or counter tops, let us come and give you a free estimate to your home in Miami/Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Call us  at Miami Dade County (305) 731-2242

Ft. Lauderdale (954) 566-4555 Palm Beach County (561) 337-1408 Tampa / Clearwater / Sarasota /

St. Petersburg (813) 527-9797

]]> http://www.marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/2010/06/25/marble-polishing-bring-back-the-shine/feed/ 1 http://www.marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/2010/04/15/ancient-history-of-marble/ http://www.marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/2010/04/15/ancient-history-of-marble/#comments Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:43:08 +0000 admin http://www.marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/?p=246

The old historical monuments that we see today are created using natural stones that are the result of several layers of deposition of stones under the earth’s pressure. These natural stones were used as material for a three dimensional art creations that gives a magnificent look to any architecture.

Familiarizing  yourself with Marble:

Marble being a natural stone has marked its use in ancient civilization because of its long lasting and ravish look. Pure white marble is the result of limestone deposition under changed climatic conditions.

Earlier sculptures used only white marbles, since it was believed to be pure but after some time, the beauty of colored marbles were recognized and their use made sculptures livelier. Marble, when subjected to extreme polishing processes, produces a smooth surface used in flooring. Impure marble i.e. colored marble is a result of quarry method subjected to marble along with other elements such as iron. Colored marbles mostly come with stripes, which the impurity is making the marble look trendier. You can find white marble lavishly in several countries such as Italy, India and Greece.

Greeks are known for their advanced civilization. Many Greek sculptures and buildings have used marblesinnovatively. Ancient sculpture made using marbles still stand erect. Elegant statues with great carving works have used marbles.

Parthenon which is the temple built around 438 b.c. in Athens used marble and is considered as the finest world sculpture. 2500-year-old sculpture that faced earthquakes, rains and fire got ruined by other kings who tried to capture Greece. One twenty seven marble blocks and each with a height of five-floor building were used to construct a temple that was named Artemis. It was the first huge structure made of marble.Greece started using marble for construction of bathing rooms, spa, and pools. Romans used marble as decorative piece of work along with granite. They considered marble is a beautiful stone and had to be used wisely, as they serve the purpose beauty. Romans used granite and bricks for constructing buildings and marbles for lining them with decorative designs.

The beginning of 14^th century marked golden period in the field of artwork. Artists started using marble in their artistic sculptures. There were new ideas for using marble in different ways with new and better quarry methods. Carvings on newly quarried marbles that became more durable with time came in practice. Walls of buildings decorated with flowery designs and innovative style was adapted.

Ancient America remarked the use of marble in fireplace. Fireplace was a place used for heating and cooking. Fire mantel designs with decorative ornate marble came into use during 1800.

Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of calcium carbonate. Solidification of metamorphic rock with changing pressure results in formation of pure marble. The word Marble is derived Greek word ‘marmaros’ that means shining stone

Pentelicus is the type of historic marble that comes from Greece. Italy is famous for its Carrara marbles and Turkey for its Proconnesus Marble.  Ancient History of Marble reveals that marble also has place in mythology. It is a symbol of Zodiac sign Gemini and indicates eternity and success in knowledge.

At Colonial Floor and Stone Care we clean, polishing and keep your marble to withstand as these fine Historical pieces that have been shown.  Visit Marblecleaningmiami.com or Marblepolishing.net for more information.

]]> http://www.marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/2010/04/15/ancient-history-of-marble/feed/ 0 http://www.marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/2010/01/22/how-does-marble-look-that-way/ http://www.marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/2010/01/22/how-does-marble-look-that-way/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:42:30 +0000 admin http://marblecleaningmiami.com/blog/?p=218

Ever wondered why your marble is different for each piece that you look at?  It may be because it has been quarried from a different location in the world. Like  counter tops that are cleaned and polished for the  by Colonial Floor and Stone Care . As the location and customers range in the type of marble and where is located in South Florida, Marble is found all over the world, some of the best quarries are in Italy and Europe. Marble is also an exciting product in the US.

As you looked down on your reflection from the  newly polished counter top and wonder where it came from, why it looks the way it does? or  did you  just chose it because you loved the look of it,  you could have easily chosen Granite, or a synthetic material or even concrete. Was it just the look of this marble. It is being used more for counter tops and vanities, as back splashes and tile surrounds for new or remodeled kitchens and baths. Cleaning marble tile along with Granite tile also are being used more.  This material is a great surface all the aforementioned applications.  It needs a good polishing and sealing at least yearly and this surface is one of the easiest surface to keep clean.  As a Natural stone, it lends to the design that brings nature into the home.

At Colonial Floor Care, we have been polishing and marble cleaning for over 20 years.  Our highly train and qualified techniciams will treat your marble with the care it needs.  Bringing it back to the original shine by .  Call for your free estimate at 305-731-2242, for Miami/Dade county, 954-566-4555 for Ft. Lauderdale/Broward county or 561-337-1408 for West Palm Beach/Palm Beach county.  We would like to earn your business.

Marble, by nature is a pourus but hard and durable stone.  Marble and granite are used now for counter tops, vanities and flooring.  If installed and sealed properly the surface will usually last about a year before needing to be professionally cleaned and polished.  That is if daily use and cleaning are done properly. But, if you have hosted holiday parties like I recently, you can find that a few spills will really harm and dull that marble.

Spilling things like orange juice or other citris juices, as well as red wine, anything with high acidity  will do something called  “etching”.  As a customer found out over the New Years holiday, if a drink with orange juice is spilled and not found for a day or so after, the etching may not be able to be “buffed” out by the homeowner with a commercial cleaner or using a DIY or home made remedy to try and bring back the shine.  If you find that, like our customer, you need to have your marble or granite counter top cleaned and polished, Colonial Floor and Stone Care is there to help.  We take pride in helping our customers in Miami/Dade, Broward and Palm Beach county customers to  bring back the shine to their  natural stone.  Give us a call.  We have been here for 20 years to help maintain your Stone Care needs and continue to be here today to help.

I love this time of year! Brings back so many memories, family gatherings at my Grandmothers house. Having Family and Friends around from Thanksgiving to New Years, this tradition thankfully goes on.

One of the fondest memories I have is my Grandmother sitting myself and my cousins (all 12 of us) down at the large dinning room table before Thanksgiving and giving each of us old enough to do the task, our own piece of her precious silver she would proudly display on the marble topped buffet during the Holidays and special occasions. These cherished heirlooms, like the ornate carved and marble topped buffet with the beveled mirror that line the back of it; along with this silver service set and silverware were cared for lovingly by my Gram. She had her own silver cleaning poltice that she used. It was a chore that we loved to do to see who could get their piece shine the best!

Then came the month leading to Christmas!  Much to do for the children during that time. Popping the popcorn and stringing it for the tree. Creating our own oriments made from tin foil or macaroni and glue.  Keeping little hands busy.
It was also a good way for my Grandmother to get her girls (6 of them including my mother) there to do the Holiday cleaning. The polishing of the whole house it seemed. The Mahogany wood moldings around the doorways and entry ways, the hard wood staircase  and railing, also Mahogany. The marble, that made up the foyer floor, on the foyer table, around the fireplace in the living room. I remember the women in our family on their hands and knees polishing that marble floor. Once the cleaning and the polishing was done. Our piece of  polished silver placed on the newly cleaned and shined marble topped buffet to be displayed and  await the next journey in the holiday, The decorating! Decking the halls, getting just the right tree, decorating. Each week a different task until December 25th. Then on to the Feast we would have on Christmas day and again on New years day. Everyone has their fond memories of the Holiday season, I continue to have mine and make new ones for my own family, children and grandchildren.

Today, I do have one of the heirlooms that I remember so fondly. The marble topped Foyer Table. And have hand always polished it the way I was taught growing up. However today, the polishing of the past is no longer the labor intensive job it was 40 years ago I have found. We have the highest quality company in stone care here in Fort Lauderdale. Colonial Floor Care has been in service since 1986 helping people shine up the marble, terrazzo, granite, all natural stone and even concrete! Holiday time is the right time to put your better foot forward, shine up the halls before you deck them. Let Colonial Floor Care help you with the cleaning and polishing, allowing you to Deck the Halls with your Holiday Trim. Call today at 954-566-4555 for Ft. Lauderdale and Broward county and Miami Dade County at 305-731-2242, Palm Beach County at 561-337-140. Start a new Holiday tradition of polishing your marble or other stone surfaces with Colonial Floor Care.

First inspecting the surface for chips or cracks, also making sure if the Marble or Granite are in tile form, that the tile be  inspect for lippage (where the tiles are not in line with each other making one higher than the other, which then will be honed using a special rotary machine to grind the two edges smooth and level). These imperfections have to be repaired with an epoxy/resin type filler that is color matched perfectly to the color of the stone and when dry ground down to a smooth finish.  After that is done, it is cleaned with a proprietary poultice to take all the dirt and grime that had been ground into the porous material that natural stone is.  After the cleaning is done, the surface is then polished using a large rotary type buffing machine, and in certain instances, these surface have to be ground down to remove scratches and using different grades of  grinding pads; polished to a smooth shine.  After the work is inspected and approved, then it will be sealed and your floor will maintain this shine for up to 14 years if regularly cleaned properly and maintained correctly. She was impressed I may say at what goes into restoring a natural stone surface.  The Marble Institute of America has much information about all types of stone products and helps set the standards for all Natural Stone products

She then reminded me about all the Cobblestone homes and streets we have in rural New York. We, who lived near the “Erie Canal” know all about Cobblestone.(This link will tell anyone who doesn’t know about it’s construction and what it did for the prosperity of all New York will find this very interesting.) Most of the houses surrounding the canal were made from those stones when it was being dug by hand by immigrants. These stones also paved the streets in some of the townships in the area from Rochester to Buffalo.  Also another natural building material, Cobblestones were cemented together with mortar of the time.  The streets were laid the same way we do with “stone pavers” of today. These homes and to some extent the streets, are still standing as a testament to the beauty and durability of all stone.  Not to mention in today’s world, natural stones are now considered an Eco Friendly building material.

I then did some internet searches for places I went to when I was in school near by, such as the Eastman House in Rochester, owned by George Eastman and built in the early 1900’s. Per the historical page on the website ” …  Mr. Eastman (1854–1932) built his home at 900 East Avenue between 1902 and 1905. He created a unique urban estate complete with 10.5 acres of working farm land, formal gardens, greenhouses, stables, barns, pastures, and a 35,000-square-foot, 50-room Colonial Revival mansion with a fireproof structure made of reinforced concrete..”  The inside was state of the art for it’s day, with all the new modern conveniences. The Eastman House Grand entry way had marble floors, Granite pillars, and ornate sculptures filled the home.  I remember going there as a child and teenager for the beauty of the Gardens and patios and side walks of Terracotta and just to be in awe of the Grandeur of the building. Also many government buildings of the early 1900’s and Churches in the area were constructed with concrete, marble, granite and other natural stones.

So I did one more search to find where all this stone would come from, only to find that New York and Pennsylvania had many stone quarries where granite and marble were quarried.  Now looking back, as a child and teenager I went swimming in old quarries that had filled naturally with spring water, never even thinking about what wonderful surfaces and building materials came from that filled up hole in the ground.

So I thought, did we have any other buildings using Marble in New York? And the answer is YES, many!  The New York State Capitol Building, the New York State Education Building in Albany, NY and the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY to name a few.  New York City is full of them!  To numerous to name.  I was very impressed, living in a state that not only quarried the stone, but had historical buildings from that stone all over the state. Once again thanks to the Erie Canal when finished to transport these stone materials from quarry to cities all over the state.

I then explained to her what my friend and owner of Colonial Floor Care has educated me about natural stones, such as Marble, Granite, Terrazzo. Not only is this wonderful material used all over the United states, it is Environmentally safe, and lasts for centuries. Now it is currently being used to upgrade and remodel older homes.  Colonial Floor Care is South Florida’s Premiere natural stone restoration company.  They have been doing Historical restorations in the older homes of South Florida’s from the “great cover up” in the 70’s when it was fashionable to cover up these surfaces with new products such as Shag carpet, tile and  linoleum which were not only fashionable at the time, but affordable.

New home owners of today, while taking up these older carpets or tiles are finding hidden Gems under them.  Some not knowing what they are looking at, may see dull, scratched, stained or even chipping and cracking in these floors and just want to “cover them up” again.  But for the price of installation of good carpeting, tile or hardwood flooring; Restoration of your Marble tile (or slab), Granite, or Terrazzo, will add value to the home along with bringing back the original beauty and durability once considered THE flooring to have! Thus increasing the value of these Mid Modern designed homes.

If you have found what you may think is unable to be restored, please contact us for a free estimate by calling 305-731-2242, and one of our skilled craftsmen will come and talk to you about your individual flooring or surface restoration, polishing and cleaning needs.  We are Colonial Floor Care!  We care about YOUR personal project.

Landscape Marble

Welcome to Colonial Floor Care’s Marble Cleaning blog! We are South Florida’s floor care experts!

We were looking through our files to show you great examples of different kinds of marble and granite surfaces to demonstrate the work of our floor care experts, and in addition to those, we came across this magnificent example of what is called Breccia or “landscape” marble. This image, which clearly resembles a city skyline or even trees, are actually natural patterns created when this marble is formed. This marble was once commonly used as inlays for furniture and other decorative pieces.

At Colonial Floor Care, we know marble. We specialize in marble polishing, granite polishing, flooring of all types (travertine, terrazzo, concrete, marble, granite). We also provide expert care for marble countertops, granite countertops, and concrete polishing.

According to wikipedia, In most home construction, the term marble refers to any crystalline calcitic rock useful as building stone. Tennesee marble, for example, is actually a granular fossilferous gray to pink maroon Ordovician limestone that geologists call the Holston Formation. Unlike some materials such as slate, marble and granite are easily cut and manipulated, while providing a durable, beautiful final product.

Knowing what kind oof marble you have tells us alot about its unique properties, and therefore the best way to carefully restore, polish and clean it.

Call Colonial Floor Care to set up a free estimate, and take advantage of our highly trained restoration technicians. We stand apart from the rest because we go the extra distance to cultivate a broad ranging expertise that enables us to masterfully meet all of your natural stone floor care needs.

Take a look at some of our work!

This is a marble countertop before our expert technicians ground, leveled and polished it.

This is that same countertop after Colonial Floor  care polished the marble. If you would like your marble polished to look like this, call Colonial Floor Care!

Here one of our technicians carefully grinds a countertop with our state of the art grinding tool. We take great care to maintain the integrity of your existing cabinetry, flooring, appliances etc. We serve Dade, Palm Beach and Broward Counties, Miami, Ft Lauderale and Palm Beach.

Some common types of marble that you might find in your home are as follows:

Macael marble – this is a white marble from Macael, Spain.

Carrara marble – this is a white or blue gray marble from Carrara, Italy

Peteli marble- this is a fine-grained, semitransluscent marble from Penteliko Mountain, Athens, Greece

Parian marble – this is a fine-grained, pure white marble from the Isand of Paros, Greece

Rouge de Rance- ( also known as Rouge de France)this is a red marble from Rance, Belgium, and also northern regions of France

Macedonian Bianco Sivec- this is a white marble from Prilep in the Republic of Macedonia

Tennesee marble- this is a pink to cedar-red marble from Knox, Blount and Hawkins Counties, tennesee, USA

Yule marble- this is a uniform, pure white marble from Marble, Colorado, USA

Murphy marble – this is a white marble from Pikens and Gilmer Counties, Georgia, USA

Because of its prominence in antiquity art and architecture, marble has become synonymous with elegance, class and substance even until today.

In the early part of the twentieth century, marble was used widely by the greatest American architects to communicate lavishness, stability and power.

Louis Sullivan used marble in elaborate mosaic murals for many of his buildings. In the Guarantee  Building in Buffalo, New York, this technique was at its finest.Below are photographs of Sullivan’s mosaics, some even appearing on walls in addition to floors.

Some examples of this by Mies Van Der Rohe are as follows.

As South Florida’s premiere terrazzo, marble, granite and concrete experts, we have the expertise and experience to restore, polish and repair everything from marble tile mosaic to simple modern marble designs. We specialize in floor care and all marble marble polishing. We also specialize in granite polishing. We serve the entire South Florida area.

Southern Florida is one of the area’s that use Marble tile for show case floors that shine to a mirror like finish.!  Marble and other stone materials like Granit, Terrazzo and even polished and stained concrete; are being used in new construction to bring higher value and beauty to a new home.  However these materials have also been used for centuries!

Southern Florida’s older homes may have these gems hidden under years of linoleum tile, ceramic tile, or carpet  just waiting for someone to discover them and have them restored!  After uncovering that floor it may look dull, scratched, stained. Not the beauty you would expect from Marble.  So you, as the home owner may say “lets just cover it back up with carpet”.  However for the cost of new high quality carpet and installation costs, you will be surprised at how affordable it would be to clean, polish (repair if necessary) then seal the Marble that looks impossible to fix.  Restoration of this material will not only make you the envy of the neighborhood, but increase the value of your home!

Marble comes in marble tile or slabs.  Along with Granite and other stone, it is a porous material. Although durable and can take a beating; when properly installed and sealed.  Sometimes the installation is not always the best, and you may find that there is lippage (having a tile higher in one spot and not meeting perfectly at the point of connection to the next tile).  We have the right equipment and the experienced personal to be able to “Hone” (Honing is a process that takes an abrasive stone attached to a rotor type machine that will take the extra Marble down until smooth)  When the surface is level, it is ready to be cleaned, then polished to a high shine and finally sealed to keep your surface shining and durable for years. Please feel free to call 305-731-2242 for a Free  and we will send our skilled Craftsman to discuss your personal needs and give you a free Estimate.

We at Colonial Floor Care , have 20 experience  of taking Marble that looks like it would never be able to look like it was new again, and bring back  a brilliant shine!  Scratches?  Cracks?  Not a problem.  Our skilled Craftsman can come and discuss with you what needs to be done to Restore and Polish then seal the floor for an extended life.  Please feel free to look at our gallery of some of the restoration work we have done on our web page.  We are proud of  our Historical Restorations we have done in South Florida making us the Premiere Restoration Company  here in the Dade, Broward and Palm Beach county.  Our Company is proud of our work and will give your project the TLC it needs!

We are Colonial Floor Care!

One of the jobs we are often asked to complete is the restoration of marble or granite kitchen countertops.

What distinguishes Colonial Floor Care as the best marble polshing company in South Florida is our technical expertise and our integrity.

Each of our marble polishing technicians is extensively trained. All must undergo a lengthy and thorough apprenticeship befor they akllowed to work in the field. We also use state of the art equipment- the very best in the area.

When a contractor comes to your home, not only do you want them to complete the marble polishing at the highest level, you also want them to be extremely conscientious- on time, professional and very careful to cover your cabinetry, foors, walls etc so that we leave these areas as we found them -- with no damage or debris. At Colonial, we respect you and your home!

Visit our main site to learn more or set up an estimate.