this is what crystallizer does to stone

cheesedog · 07-31-2007, 03:05 AM

some yahoo has been "taking care" of this clients floor for about 6 years. im not sure how many times he did it, but he was using crystallizer and ruined one of the nicest floors ive ever seen. im bothered by this because these are the kinda dumbass people that are popping up everywhere. maintanence companies that know how to "restore" stone overnight. i was called in to evaluate and give my opinion. these pictures do not show a fraction of the damage that was done. these are 24x24 cut from slub breccia o'nicciata.

Huligar · 07-31-2007, 04:00 AM

I love this type of jobs.
This is and easy fix if you are up for it.
a ground in place, epoxy float followed by a polishing would do wonders for this floor.
This is not going to be a cheap job, but it is one that can be fix.

cheesedog · 07-31-2007, 04:29 AM

thats exactly what i quoted. its 1600 sq feet.

gmavridis · 07-31-2007, 05:22 AM

Are they scratches in the floor that can be seen around the light from the flash ( or scratches in your lens)?

Jo what did you mean by "epoxy float" ?

cheesedog · 07-31-2007, 05:56 AM

scratches are the least of their worries, the floor is blistering and chunks are coming out. and the scratches were left from the steel wool these A-holes use to apply the crystallizer. and an epoxy float refers to floating a layer of epoxy on the floor after youve ground to 400 grit to fill the voids and pits and whatnot. after it dries you use 400 grit again with an electroplated pad or you can go back down to a lower grit to removed the epoxy and bring it flush with the floor. then you finish your steps and polish, leaving a factory like finish, only better.

Topshop · 07-31-2007, 11:19 AM

I bet they got a great deal on having their floor "restored" in the past. I hope they are willing to spend the $$ to have it fixed for real this time. Let us know how it goes.

cheesedog · 07-31-2007, 01:18 PM

these people have the money, its not an issue, its just making them understand what has happened to their floor, and what will contiue to happen if its ot fixed properly. sometimes people think youre just trying to sell them stuff for no good reason.

lmurin · 08-04-2007, 05:40 PM

Here's something to look into. Breccias are moisture sensitive. Did you take a moisture reading of the installation? I've seen this type of deterioration on this type of stone that has not been crystallized. Generally it happens to the vain areas and the grainier areas of the stone...pitting and spalling which is evident from your photo's. A few questions to consider...How old is the installation ? Was a moisture barrier used ? Was this stone used in a shower ? Reason...Assuming shower floor was not crystallized...do you see any pitting or spalling? This may not be just a crystallization issue, it may also be a moisture issue as well, and be an on going situation.
If it is determined that moisture is a part the equation here you should consider treating the stone with a densifier/consolidation treatment to stabilize these areas before patching. Do this after the 220 grit pass, and do the whole floor. This is a management technique that I have used to reduce the rate of this type of deterioration.

cheesedog · 08-04-2007, 08:20 PM

the floor is 6 years old and there are other tell tale signs of crystallization other than the spalling. a moisture barrier was used. the only place this stone was installed is the main floor. the bathrooms and other areas have different stone. the spalling is worse in the kitchen, where i was told they had someone come in to service more often than the rest of the floor. the floor is all orange peeled, there are swirls from the steel wool, and etch marks from the crystallizer being sprayed.