We had limestone installed in our shower several months ago. It was sealed prior to use. Now, I am noticing that the bottom portions of the stone at the base of the shower appear to be getting darker. How do I fix this? Thanks, Ann

 

Dear Ann:

Ah, limestone in a shower stall… Ain't it beautiful?!... Not too smart, maybe, but beautiful nonetheless…

It sounds to me like you have water under your stall floor tiles. Check all the grout lines and see if some of it is missing or cracked. If so, considering that your stall is only a few months old, it can probably be rescued, providing that the installer did not set the tiles butt-jointed. (In such case, the image of a jack-hammer crosses my mind… L )

Do this:

 

·          Stop using that shower stall effective immediately.

·          Have someone open all the grout lines for you from approximately 4' from the floor down and all the grout in the floor. Make sure that they remove all the hard crust stuck to the edges of the tiles and around the drain, if any.

·          Stick single sheets of Bounty paper towel in the grout line, pushing them gently as deep as possible. Bounty brand is the best. The second best is Viva. All the rest is garbage. You will probably see water wicking up through the paper towel in the lower parts of the stall, especially the floor.

·          Even if and when the paper towel does not seem to absorb anything, leave it there for at least a couple of weeks. A month or so would be best. Keep the door of your stall open all the time.

·          Re-grout thoroughly.

·          Let the grout cure for a few days.

·          You can now use your shower stall again!

 

Now remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is far more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about it from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/helpful-hints.htm , you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/literature.htm .  

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Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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