can anybody tell me the difference of them?

[happymrwilson]

Hi,

I am a rookie .

Can anybody tell me the difference of them when they use in stone slabs:

sealer
Wax
glue
resin

does sealer= wax to make the slabs luminous ?

does glue=resin to coat the pores of slabs ?

does seal= resin ?

does all stone slabs needs resin or seal ?

Many thanks !

[Huligar]

Hi MR. Wilson, I will try to answer your questions the best that I can.

Can anybody tell me the difference of them when they use in stone slabs?

Sealer comes in many forms, but when you are talking about stone, you should only use impregnator sealer. Impregnator sealer gets inside the stone and prevents the introduction of harmful elements to the pores of the stone while still allowing the stone to release moisture.

Wax is a temporary tool that should only be used by the homeowner that wishes to enhance the deep in color.

glue is glue, you will just need to pick the right adhesive for the application. Adhesive is use to repair cracks and chips.

resin is somewhat like the glue, but resin is used to stabilize the stone by filling pours and fissures. Resin can also be used to add strength to the stone, enhance and custom color the stone.

does sealer= wax to make the slabs luminous ?

No

does glue=resin to coat the pores of slabs ?

No, glue or resin even coat the surface of the slab.

does seal= resin ?

No, but resin can decrease the size of the pours and make the stone require less sealing.

does all stone slabs needs resin or seal ?

No, some stone will not accept the sealer or resin.

[MikeBeckmann]

Jo is basically correct in his answers, but I'd like to add a few things. (I assume you are talking mostly about countertops, so I'll address my responses to that market.)
Sealers are used primarily to impart water resistance (and also impart, somewhat, dirt and stain resistance) to stone and concrete surfaces. They may or may not add sheen--depends on the sealer.
Waxes, on the other hand, DO add sheen (or makes them "luminous", as your reader says). That is their primary use. They also give some slip properties, and water resistance--although the waxes wear away quickly, whereas the sealers last for many months. Waxes aren't used much at all on countertops, mostly on floors...
"Glue is glue"?!?! How insulting, Jo! Seriously--glue/adhesive is used to laminate the edges on countertops, repair cracks, replace broken pieces, filling chips, gluing the seams together, reinforcing (rodding and/or mesh attachment), and setting countertops. Most quality adhesives are epoxy-based.
"Resin" can mean almost anything. All polymers are basically resins--this includes acrylics, epoxies, polyesters, urethanes, etc. In the context of countertops, however, "resin" usually refers to the product applied to the slab by the quarrier, in the form of a coating that is flooded onto the slab. This coating is cured, then the slab is polished, yielding a very non-porous "resinated" slab that is very good for water-resistance and somewhat-improved stain resistance. The "resin" used is usually a polyester, but sometimes acrylics or epoxies are used. While resinating does make the slab less porous (by filling all the surface micropores), it casues some potential problems: it adds cost; it sometimes adds color; it makes it very difficult to color-match any sawed edges (since only the surface is resinated, a freshly-sawed edge does not have any resin on it); and the resin can sometimes discolor in sunlight changing the color of the slab. I, personally, would not have a resinated slab in my kitchen.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.
Mike Beckmann
Bonstone Materials Corp.
Concrete Repair and Adhesives - Bonstone

[Huligar]

I did not mean to insult you are anyone else with my comment "glue is glue", but I also said "you will just need to pick the right adhesive for the application".

Do to the fact that this area of the site is public, I must point out when the statement was made "This coating is cured, then the slab is polished" the word polished is referring to the whole process which include the grinding of the excess off the surface of the stone. Also the statement "yielding a very non-porous "resinated" slab'' can be a bit misleading. The resin can only fill the areas that were reachable at the of the application, but once the grinding and polishing began the process may uncover new voids that may be subject to staining.

Yes resin may change the color of some light color stones and the edges may not match when they shape the stone, but we have techniques and and products that will help match the surface.
here is a video of what can be done with color resin.

YouTube - Customizing natural stone

[happymrwilson]

Appreciate Jo and Mike's professional explaination !

[MikeBeckmann]

Thanks, Jo, for adding some extra clarification to the points I made.
(And I was just razzing you about the "glue is glue" thing!)

[Huligar]

I did not take it to heart. I love a little razzing now and than, it help the week go faster. LOL