Our Process

We are better - Our process

Boylan Marble & Terrazzo Restoration Ltd. has taken steps to incorporate sustainability and green building practices into our restoration process.  We have eliminated the use of chemicals from our restoration process.  Whether it’s marble, granite, limestone, slate, or terrazzo, our restoration process will leave you a beautifully polished surface without the use of finishes, hardeners, sealers or waxes.  Our restoration process allows you to eliminate the dangerous natural stone or terrazzo floor care chemicals you may be using now.

Our stone restoration process consists of a multiple step mechanical process using diamond abrasive pads and water.  Generally this is a three step process that starts with grinding the surface of the stone with a course grit abrasive pad.  After grinding the stone the second step is to hone the surface of the stone with a finer grit abrasive pad.  Honing makes the surface of the stone very smooth but results in very little shine.  After honing, the final step is to polish the surface of the stone with super fine diamond abrasive to achieve the luster you desire.  When we are finished you are left with a beautifully polished stone and nothing more.  Because our process is wet, there is no dust created to get into the air and the water we use during the process is collected and recycled for future use. 

The chemical process of stone maintenance - what others do:

Most companies involved in the restoration, repair and maintenance of stone and terrazzo surfaces use various chemicals to achieve results.  Chemical hardeners, sealers, finishes and waxes are commonly used on stone surfaces as a coating.  The most time consuming and costly floor maintenance item in large buildings is spray buffing and stripping & waxing.  Some buildings may need to perform this task multiple times in a year.  These chemicals and the strippers used to remove them pose significant health risks to janitors and building inhabitants that are around them.  These chemicals are also known to release volatile organic compounds to the indoor environment which adversely affects indoor air quality.  In fact, one of the most dangerous chemical products that janitors use is floor finish stripper.  If not properly disposed of these chemicals can accumulate and adversely affect the environment.  Janitorial Fact Sheet Article.