Yes they will send samples to you, so you can see what the finished product looks like. They are glad to do that.
But they won't sell the stuff for you to actually do the work yourself. This is why I had to quit doing it!
They did offer me to become a pro-installer for them, but I declined as I was already swamped with work at the time.
I've been told you should never use fanfold under a floating floor by many contractors who saw me doing so.
That being said, it was the only way I would install one anywhere, for anyone.
Happy Pi Day
Forum rules
Post a new topic to begin a chat.
Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
Post a new topic to begin a chat.
Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
Re: Happy Pi Day
I like the Torginol product based on what you said here and what I've read on their website. I seriously doubt that I would attempt the project on my own even if Torginol agreed to it. The last guy I talked to about it would install an epoxy floor and never mentioned Torginol. I'm pretty sure that when, or if, I decide to fix up the basement I'll give Torginol some serious consideration. That is if I can still remember the name at that time.
I'm sure each general contractor has their own preferences and recommendations. Unfortunately the buyer never knows how good the contractor is until it's too late. Sometimes reputations and going to the experts isn't the best solution. For example, we have oak wood floors throughout this entire house. The wood was prefinished so that no staining was required after installation. It has some kind of shiny coating to make it look nice too. When it came to cleaning the floor my wife wasn't sure how to go about it. We found out who manufactured the flooring and she called them for help. They were quick to recommend something commonly available saying that is all she should need. It was in fact on the shelves at Schnucks so that getting it was simple. Using it was a disaster, however. All cleaners leave a residue after they dry, but this stuff was more obnoxious than most. So wife did some research and found something acceptable, but she isn't totally happy. My solution is plain soap and water with a rinse of clear water afterwards. Then to prevent spotting it needs to be wiped dry. Well, we have about 1000 sq ft of flooring and it's just too much for my wife of many years to do it that way. Can't say that I blame her. I did my computer room floor that way and it was a PITA. That floor was not even 100 sq ft. The point to all this is that even the manufacturer can't be trusted to give good information about its own products.
I'm sure each general contractor has their own preferences and recommendations. Unfortunately the buyer never knows how good the contractor is until it's too late. Sometimes reputations and going to the experts isn't the best solution. For example, we have oak wood floors throughout this entire house. The wood was prefinished so that no staining was required after installation. It has some kind of shiny coating to make it look nice too. When it came to cleaning the floor my wife wasn't sure how to go about it. We found out who manufactured the flooring and she called them for help. They were quick to recommend something commonly available saying that is all she should need. It was in fact on the shelves at Schnucks so that getting it was simple. Using it was a disaster, however. All cleaners leave a residue after they dry, but this stuff was more obnoxious than most. So wife did some research and found something acceptable, but she isn't totally happy. My solution is plain soap and water with a rinse of clear water afterwards. Then to prevent spotting it needs to be wiped dry. Well, we have about 1000 sq ft of flooring and it's just too much for my wife of many years to do it that way. Can't say that I blame her. I did my computer room floor that way and it was a PITA. That floor was not even 100 sq ft. The point to all this is that even the manufacturer can't be trusted to give good information about its own products.
Re: Happy Pi Day
The bad thing about plank floors that are prefinished, is the seams are still open, so water can get underneath the boards, and also in the seams which can cause problems there too.
Sorta like the end seams in floating floors can spread from cold and warm cycles in the house, and dust buildup in the seams that won't come out with a vacuum cleaner. Little grits of sand from your shoes, things like that.
Even nailed down T&G Oak Floors do have some movement to them also.
I was in a house many years ago, where solid oak T&G buckled really bad in several places.
They had used a Roomba floor scrubber on it several times, and didn't notice any problems until a day when their humidity inside was over 65% and the furnace stopped working. It wasn't freezing, but cold enough to cause the wood to shrink, and when it expanded again, the floor buckled in about 15 places.
I told him to hire company to come out and sand his floor back flat again, and then either stain it first, or just have them use a pour lacquer over the floor so the seams filled up fairly well.
He did that, and afterward they could wet mop the floor without further problems.
Oh, going back to the Torginal Days here.
There was a fellow who had a flagstone foyer and hallway through to the den.
There was a living room of hardwood flooring on each side, and the flagstone ended as you entered the den between a closet and a wall.
He had a company come out and paint the entire flagstone area with a deep bright blue enamel, like in two or three coats. It was nice and shiny and looked sorta like a riverbed. But the paint would wear off the high points on the flagstone fairly quick. So he touched them up and had a Targinol top coating poured over it. Ten years later it still looked like the day they poured it, and probably for several years after that too!
Sorta like the end seams in floating floors can spread from cold and warm cycles in the house, and dust buildup in the seams that won't come out with a vacuum cleaner. Little grits of sand from your shoes, things like that.
Even nailed down T&G Oak Floors do have some movement to them also.
I was in a house many years ago, where solid oak T&G buckled really bad in several places.
They had used a Roomba floor scrubber on it several times, and didn't notice any problems until a day when their humidity inside was over 65% and the furnace stopped working. It wasn't freezing, but cold enough to cause the wood to shrink, and when it expanded again, the floor buckled in about 15 places.
I told him to hire company to come out and sand his floor back flat again, and then either stain it first, or just have them use a pour lacquer over the floor so the seams filled up fairly well.
He did that, and afterward they could wet mop the floor without further problems.
Oh, going back to the Torginal Days here.
There was a fellow who had a flagstone foyer and hallway through to the den.
There was a living room of hardwood flooring on each side, and the flagstone ended as you entered the den between a closet and a wall.
He had a company come out and paint the entire flagstone area with a deep bright blue enamel, like in two or three coats. It was nice and shiny and looked sorta like a riverbed. But the paint would wear off the high points on the flagstone fairly quick. So he touched them up and had a Targinol top coating poured over it. Ten years later it still looked like the day they poured it, and probably for several years after that too!
Re: Happy Pi Day
We don't seem to have any warping problems yet, but the high traffic hallway seems to be losing it's color. It is difficult for me to conclude who is at fault in that case. It could be an inferior product or it could be my wife isn't maintaining it properly. Given what I know about the rest of this house, I doubt anything of high quality was put into the flooring. Being oak I suppose it can be refinished, but that is one major project.
Back at the old place we did some upgrades before we sold the house. One of the upgrades was to install new oak flooring. The guys who did the install were straight from Poland and knew what they were doing. I was highly impressed watching them work. When it was all laid down they stained it and we had to vacate the house for the better part of the day. They wanted to keep the windows and doors closed while the stain dried. Any dust from the outside would have been a permanent part of the flooring otherwise. I don't know what kind of sealer they used, but it didn't stink nearly as bad as the stain. It put a very nice finish to the wood and for all I know sealed the seams as well. We could only enjoy it for a year or so before we had to move out. I'd be very disappointed to learn that it is warping.
I'm thinking a layer of Torginol on the current wood floor might help preserve it. Not sure how easy it would be to keep clean however. LOL
Back at the old place we did some upgrades before we sold the house. One of the upgrades was to install new oak flooring. The guys who did the install were straight from Poland and knew what they were doing. I was highly impressed watching them work. When it was all laid down they stained it and we had to vacate the house for the better part of the day. They wanted to keep the windows and doors closed while the stain dried. Any dust from the outside would have been a permanent part of the flooring otherwise. I don't know what kind of sealer they used, but it didn't stink nearly as bad as the stain. It put a very nice finish to the wood and for all I know sealed the seams as well. We could only enjoy it for a year or so before we had to move out. I'd be very disappointed to learn that it is warping.
I'm thinking a layer of Torginol on the current wood floor might help preserve it. Not sure how easy it would be to keep clean however. LOL
Re: Happy Pi Day
On hardwood floors, a coat of clear lacquer is really all that is needed. Provided you keep the floor waxed after that.
If you don't want to wax, then an epoxy coating of some type might be the way to go.
When I worked in peoples houses, I tried to keep a negative pressure in the rooms I was working in. This would keep smells or dust from permeating through their house. The unit was basically a blower fan is all, with the outlet tube extended to outside. The speed on the fan I had was adjustable and we had this little plastic thing like a swing which we set on the floor by the only door to see what the draft was. You didn't want to suck the heat or cold out of their house like a chimney does, hi hi. If the room only had one door it was set to #5, if it had two doors it was set to #3 at one doorway with the door closed. A few times, I cracked a window to let the air come in that way but could still maintain negative air pressure in the room. But some people have doors that literally brush the carpeting on the floor, so hard for air to come in that way.
Many of the products we used back in the day are either no longer made, or the price skyrocketed way to high to buy.
I used to buy a lot of things in 5 gallon containers. Now a gallon costs more than the 5 gallon containers did, and the quality is lower. Sad!
If you don't want to wax, then an epoxy coating of some type might be the way to go.
When I worked in peoples houses, I tried to keep a negative pressure in the rooms I was working in. This would keep smells or dust from permeating through their house. The unit was basically a blower fan is all, with the outlet tube extended to outside. The speed on the fan I had was adjustable and we had this little plastic thing like a swing which we set on the floor by the only door to see what the draft was. You didn't want to suck the heat or cold out of their house like a chimney does, hi hi. If the room only had one door it was set to #5, if it had two doors it was set to #3 at one doorway with the door closed. A few times, I cracked a window to let the air come in that way but could still maintain negative air pressure in the room. But some people have doors that literally brush the carpeting on the floor, so hard for air to come in that way.
Many of the products we used back in the day are either no longer made, or the price skyrocketed way to high to buy.
I used to buy a lot of things in 5 gallon containers. Now a gallon costs more than the 5 gallon containers did, and the quality is lower. Sad!
Re: Happy Pi Day
I don't think we are waxing the wooden floors in this house. The cleaning fluid may have a wax in it, but I am not certain about that. I don't get into that part of keeping up the house. However, if it does come down to refinishing the floors, I like the idea of an epoxy coating.
The reason for sealing up the house when they stained the floors was to keep outside air from contaminating the finish. I think that was a very slight risk and that the odor was the main reason for us not to be there. When I finally got into the house late in the afternoon I ran a 24" fan across the floor and pointing out the patio door. A few hours of that and the lethal smell was reduced to a tolerable level.
Costs never go down for a product that is good. The demand is too high for that to happen. The producer of the product has the same problem in that raw materials go up in price too. The concern there is that they cheapen the product by changing the formula or reducing the volume being sold. It's also hard to avoid any price increase so that the new formula is always "new and improved" to maintain customer confidence. But, as you aptly point out, in the long term the deterioration that occurs over the years becomes clearly obvious eventually. In many instances you can still buy the original formulation at 10 - 100 times the original price. It is sad indeed, but it is the price we must pay for progress.
The reason for sealing up the house when they stained the floors was to keep outside air from contaminating the finish. I think that was a very slight risk and that the odor was the main reason for us not to be there. When I finally got into the house late in the afternoon I ran a 24" fan across the floor and pointing out the patio door. A few hours of that and the lethal smell was reduced to a tolerable level.
Costs never go down for a product that is good. The demand is too high for that to happen. The producer of the product has the same problem in that raw materials go up in price too. The concern there is that they cheapen the product by changing the formula or reducing the volume being sold. It's also hard to avoid any price increase so that the new formula is always "new and improved" to maintain customer confidence. But, as you aptly point out, in the long term the deterioration that occurs over the years becomes clearly obvious eventually. In many instances you can still buy the original formulation at 10 - 100 times the original price. It is sad indeed, but it is the price we must pay for progress.
Re: Happy Pi Day
I shouldn't have said epoxy for flooring the other day.
What I meant to say was Acrylic for floor finishes.
Polyurethane has been the most common hardwood floor finish for decades, except in high traffic areas where they use Acrylic floor finishes. But more and more folks are turning to using the Acrylic floor finishes in their own homes.
Even so, oil based Polyurethane is considered the top choice for hardwood floors in homes.
You would not believe how the individual ingredients in my reef aquarium product has gone up over the years. A couple of ingredients double in price every 5 years. And in this last year alone, most of the smaller quantity ingredients have double twice already, but the bulk ingredients have only doubled.
Unfortunately, I cannot raise my price any higher or folks just won't buy it. It is at market saturation price now, the market will just not bear any more added to the price.
Almost all of the Tier 1 drugs I was on, have jumped up to Tier 2 and a few all the way up to Tier 3.
In essence they went from 10 bucks to 25 bucks to 60 bucks in just a matter of 8 months.
What I meant to say was Acrylic for floor finishes.
Polyurethane has been the most common hardwood floor finish for decades, except in high traffic areas where they use Acrylic floor finishes. But more and more folks are turning to using the Acrylic floor finishes in their own homes.
Even so, oil based Polyurethane is considered the top choice for hardwood floors in homes.
You would not believe how the individual ingredients in my reef aquarium product has gone up over the years. A couple of ingredients double in price every 5 years. And in this last year alone, most of the smaller quantity ingredients have double twice already, but the bulk ingredients have only doubled.
Unfortunately, I cannot raise my price any higher or folks just won't buy it. It is at market saturation price now, the market will just not bear any more added to the price.
Almost all of the Tier 1 drugs I was on, have jumped up to Tier 2 and a few all the way up to Tier 3.
In essence they went from 10 bucks to 25 bucks to 60 bucks in just a matter of 8 months.
Re: Happy Pi Day
I can't think of anything adequate to say regarding the cost of prescription drugs. Those drug companies and the insurance companies which feed them are going through the same kind of economic crises that we are. The people behind those numbers have no concept of how their decisions affect the end users. Some folks will be denied the benefit of treatments that are critical to them, and as we know all too well that has no bearing on the company's bottom line. I'm not in your situation yet, but it is inevitable. There will be a time when those government safety nets will be insolvent. As of today nobody seems to care about that.
I agree that acrylic coatings seem to be the favored method of preservation for flooring. It really doesn't matter what kind of protection is used. The maintenance afterwards just gets more difficult as I grow older. I'm thinking my next home will be a log cabin with dirt floors.
I agree that acrylic coatings seem to be the favored method of preservation for flooring. It really doesn't matter what kind of protection is used. The maintenance afterwards just gets more difficult as I grow older. I'm thinking my next home will be a log cabin with dirt floors.
Re: Happy Pi Day
Too bad ceramic tile flooring is cold, otherwise maintenance beyond sweeping and moping takes a long time to be needed, and mostly reduces to refill the joints. Reading about your experience in wood framing for home is very educational, It sounded logic that replacing a damaged piece of wood needs a replacement with specific characteristics, otherwise it will bend or break...
Re: Happy Pi Day
I lived in a house with Plank Floors for a short time. They were oiled probably with Hemp Oil by the smell of the house, which was like an old hardware store with wood floors.
Whoever lived there before me, added some type of resin between the cracks in the planks, and apparently did this in several steps in order to get them nearly full to the top. Whatever he used was amber in color. And it was obvious he had them sanded down real well also, since the floor was more like new wood than old, in most places, still some dark gray in some places, but that gave it a different character.
He left me an umarked gallon jug of the oil he used on the floors, with a tag hanging from the jug ear that says, to fix scratches on the floor. I'm glad he left it because I needed to use about 1/4th of the jug before I moved out, hi hi.
I tore out the ceramic bathroom floors in my past house and replaced it with super thick cushion linoleum, actually a vinyl floor not linoleum. Learned from that to NEVER by the cushioned vinyl flooring again. It dents very easily and then wears out fast around the ring around the dents.
Whoever lived there before me, added some type of resin between the cracks in the planks, and apparently did this in several steps in order to get them nearly full to the top. Whatever he used was amber in color. And it was obvious he had them sanded down real well also, since the floor was more like new wood than old, in most places, still some dark gray in some places, but that gave it a different character.
He left me an umarked gallon jug of the oil he used on the floors, with a tag hanging from the jug ear that says, to fix scratches on the floor. I'm glad he left it because I needed to use about 1/4th of the jug before I moved out, hi hi.
I tore out the ceramic bathroom floors in my past house and replaced it with super thick cushion linoleum, actually a vinyl floor not linoleum. Learned from that to NEVER by the cushioned vinyl flooring again. It dents very easily and then wears out fast around the ring around the dents.
Re: Happy Pi Day
Before we installed the oak flooring in the old house we lived with ceramic tiles for twenty-odd years. The tiles themselves were easy to keep clean, but the grout between the tiles was a nightmare. The grout was colored to match the tiles but that didn't last very long. There was a grout sealer that could be applied but it didn't last long either and the heavy traffic spots all had dirty grout to contrast with the clean grout. Then, with age the floors started to be springy. It was a very tiny amount of give but the grout couldn't handle it. It cracked. Thus it had to be ground down some and grout reapplied to start the cycle all over again. It was nice tile but horrible to keep maintained.
I have a cutting board for cooking. It's made of cherry wood and has ten or more years of cuts on the surface. They are not deep cuts and the board is pretty much flat to the touch. The secret to keeping the board in tact is food grade mineral oils and bees wax on top of that. There must be an equivalent preservative for kitchen floors too.
I have a cutting board for cooking. It's made of cherry wood and has ten or more years of cuts on the surface. They are not deep cuts and the board is pretty much flat to the touch. The secret to keeping the board in tact is food grade mineral oils and bees wax on top of that. There must be an equivalent preservative for kitchen floors too.
Re: Happy Pi Day
If I had to put down a tile floor, I always used vinylized grout, because it was more like butyl rubber when cured but hard. The only bad thing about vinylized grout is if you ever want to get it out to add new. You couldn't just scrape it, nor could you use a grout seam grinder, it would just stick to it like glue. On the bright side, it looked good for many years.
We used to have a real butcher block, but it mainly just took up space before I redid the kitchen and sold it.
It was easier just to grab a cutting board and use that on the counter top.
Almost all of our cutting boards were just rock maple that was pressure treated with mineral oil. We would clean them with baking soda and vinegar, then add a new coat of mineral oil and let it sit over night before buffing it off.
My grandma on my dad's side of the family used Johnson's Wax with DDT on nearly everything. Floors, counters, cutting boards, woodwork, cribs, playpens, etc. Perhaps that's why we are all a little bit nuts, hi hi. She definitely won her war against bugs of all kinds, hi hi.
We used to have a real butcher block, but it mainly just took up space before I redid the kitchen and sold it.
It was easier just to grab a cutting board and use that on the counter top.
Almost all of our cutting boards were just rock maple that was pressure treated with mineral oil. We would clean them with baking soda and vinegar, then add a new coat of mineral oil and let it sit over night before buffing it off.
My grandma on my dad's side of the family used Johnson's Wax with DDT on nearly everything. Floors, counters, cutting boards, woodwork, cribs, playpens, etc. Perhaps that's why we are all a little bit nuts, hi hi. She definitely won her war against bugs of all kinds, hi hi.
Re: Happy Pi Day
I have a liking for anything wood and thus that kind of flooring is my first choice. I also like marble on bathroom floors but it seems that rocks are not impervious to absorbing water. Marble would need to be sealed and maintained probably at least as much as wood. I've stayed in some luxury hotel rooms from time to time and that's where I saw the marble floors. It's probably not practical for most homes.
I don't do that much meat cutting on my own and don't miss a true to form end grain butcher's block. I'd have to have a large kitchen before I would even consider having such a thing. The cutting board I have is not used for meats. I have some kind of plastic board I put on top of that when I handle raw meats.
Ahh yes, those were the days when you could buy products with DDT in them. We had lead pipes in our plumbing when I was a kid. Thinking back on all those dangerous substances that were common, it makes me wonder how I made it this far. It must be that olive oil I cook with. LOL
I don't do that much meat cutting on my own and don't miss a true to form end grain butcher's block. I'd have to have a large kitchen before I would even consider having such a thing. The cutting board I have is not used for meats. I have some kind of plastic board I put on top of that when I handle raw meats.
Ahh yes, those were the days when you could buy products with DDT in them. We had lead pipes in our plumbing when I was a kid. Thinking back on all those dangerous substances that were common, it makes me wonder how I made it this far. It must be that olive oil I cook with. LOL
Re: Happy Pi Day
Any room where things in glass are used, I don't like marble, granite, or anything super hard. Not even on the countertop. My countertops in the kitchen look like granite, but are fake. I broke more glasses at my old house on the marble countertops.
Although I was chief cook and bottle washer before I met Debi. I've done nothing associated with cooking or cleaning since we met. She don't want me in her kitchen either, hi hi.
Well, in St. Louis, almost all lead pipes. The hard water coated the inside of the pipes right away so no lead leaching ever occurred. But now the DDT, that was some really good stuff that worked. Considering how many years it was used and on the market in so many different products. If it was really all that bad, I think it would have shown up!
Although I was chief cook and bottle washer before I met Debi. I've done nothing associated with cooking or cleaning since we met. She don't want me in her kitchen either, hi hi.
Well, in St. Louis, almost all lead pipes. The hard water coated the inside of the pipes right away so no lead leaching ever occurred. But now the DDT, that was some really good stuff that worked. Considering how many years it was used and on the market in so many different products. If it was really all that bad, I think it would have shown up!
Re: Happy Pi Day
We had granite counter tops in the old house, and that is also the style here in O'Fallon. My wife does not prefer rocks in the kitchen, although she was the one who ordered ceramic kitchen tiles in the old place. LOL I don't recall breaking anything because of the granite, but it's possible. We've used it for decades. The solid nature of rock is what I like and there has been more than a time or two when a hot pan on the granite was a saving grace, particularly with electric cook tops. The best part of granite is when defrosting foods. It absorbs the cold quicker than anything other than the microwave. It doesn't peel or chip because it's not laminate. It's easy to keep clean with a squeegee. The down side is that it needs to be sealed well or liquid will be absorbed into it and discolor it.
Wife had a disabled arm for several months and that's when I took over kitchen duty. I liked it so much that she allowed me to keep it up to this very day. However, a few years back we came to an agreement. I do the main meals and she does the left overs. I'm really thankful for her to suggest that. It gives me a break once in a while and she is pretty good fixing up what I mess up beforehand. LOL
Wife had a disabled arm for several months and that's when I took over kitchen duty. I liked it so much that she allowed me to keep it up to this very day. However, a few years back we came to an agreement. I do the main meals and she does the left overs. I'm really thankful for her to suggest that. It gives me a break once in a while and she is pretty good fixing up what I mess up beforehand. LOL
Re: Happy Pi Day
I have a real granite top in the bathroom, and we seal it with something called Diamond Coat. But you are not even supposed to use it until after you use the Diamond SealCoat first. So I did it this way. I only used the SealCoat until that can was empty, then began using the Diamond Coat. It is about as hard to put on and buff off as original Simonize car wax. But it will bead water for over a year, even in the front where everyone touches most often.
In fact, that is where I test a water drop, if it don't bead up, I get out the Diamond Coat.
We used to have a lot of stemmed glassware at my old house, and those hard granite countertops would chip or break them when you set them down on it. And you didn't have to set them down hard either. We also broke a few jars on that thing as well.
That is why here I have the expensive faux granite tops. They do have some resiliency to them. But DO NOT Set anything Hot on them or they will melt, hi hi.
In fact, that is where I test a water drop, if it don't bead up, I get out the Diamond Coat.
We used to have a lot of stemmed glassware at my old house, and those hard granite countertops would chip or break them when you set them down on it. And you didn't have to set them down hard either. We also broke a few jars on that thing as well.
That is why here I have the expensive faux granite tops. They do have some resiliency to them. But DO NOT Set anything Hot on them or they will melt, hi hi.
Re: Happy Pi Day
I'm pretty sure that if this house ever burnt to the ground one of the few things left would be the granite kitchen counters. Perhaps the steel I-beams would survive as well.
I've seen that Diamond Coat stuff but never used it. I read about a time test to determine if you need to seal your counter tops. The assumption is that they will always absorb water, but the time it takes to do so is what determines how good the seal is. I'm currently using something called Granite Gold. The water beads on the surface but as the seal wears off it takes less and less time for it to be absorbed. When it almost immediately gets absorbed, it's too late. LOL You need to let it dry out thoroughly before resealing is attempted. I think it was something like 20 minutes would be normal for water not to be absorbed.
We got to pick out the slab of granite we wanted in that last house. There was a granite factory not too far from home in fact and it amounted to being a giant warehouse. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of slabs of rock standing on edge in stalls. You could see the pattern fairly well from the aisle, but if you wanted to see the whole slab you needed to call one of the warehouse guys with a fork lift. They would pull it out so that the entire block can be inspected. I think that's all that guy did in fact. To my amazement there were quite a few customers looking at the rocks and the fork lift driver was being kept busy. Somewhere in that warehouse they finished off the slabs to the shape you specified. I would have loved to see how they polished that stone, especially the edges which were contoured. It must be one hella machine.
I've seen that Diamond Coat stuff but never used it. I read about a time test to determine if you need to seal your counter tops. The assumption is that they will always absorb water, but the time it takes to do so is what determines how good the seal is. I'm currently using something called Granite Gold. The water beads on the surface but as the seal wears off it takes less and less time for it to be absorbed. When it almost immediately gets absorbed, it's too late. LOL You need to let it dry out thoroughly before resealing is attempted. I think it was something like 20 minutes would be normal for water not to be absorbed.
We got to pick out the slab of granite we wanted in that last house. There was a granite factory not too far from home in fact and it amounted to being a giant warehouse. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of slabs of rock standing on edge in stalls. You could see the pattern fairly well from the aisle, but if you wanted to see the whole slab you needed to call one of the warehouse guys with a fork lift. They would pull it out so that the entire block can be inspected. I think that's all that guy did in fact. To my amazement there were quite a few customers looking at the rocks and the fork lift driver was being kept busy. Somewhere in that warehouse they finished off the slabs to the shape you specified. I would have loved to see how they polished that stone, especially the edges which were contoured. It must be one hella machine.
Re: Happy Pi Day
I did get to see them polish some granite and it was very interesting.
The place where I saw it had like a humongous table that used water, emery, and large wheels that were more like belts than wheels.
What surprised me is they coat the slab with lead first to fill in any holes that might be in the marble or granite.
I looked on-line but all I found was how it is repolished after installation.
The place where I saw it had like a humongous table that used water, emery, and large wheels that were more like belts than wheels.
What surprised me is they coat the slab with lead first to fill in any holes that might be in the marble or granite.
I looked on-line but all I found was how it is repolished after installation.
Re: Happy Pi Day
That's the thing with the slabs of granite in warehouse. They are not perfect by any means, but they are cut like slices of balogna. One stall might have six slabs in it all from the same giant rock. I didn't realize they coated it with lead before polishing. I'm not sure if we have any patches in ours, but I have seen cut outs that have small plugs of rock inserted in them. The grain isn't matched perfectly, of course, but the seams are so fine that it's hard to tell it has been patched. People who work the stone are experts at what they do.
Re: Happy Pi Day
I guess it is possible the lead that is in a few spots on our bathroom countertop could have been in the granite, but I don't think so, since I've seen lead used to fill small holes in other homes. They also use a white or colored epoxy resin before polishing also.
One of the banks back home used to have walls made of book-matched marble. Beautiful.
I had to repair a poured Terrazzo floor section once. Luckily it was only one square section where a floor receptacle got torn out when they were moving furniture. New Terrazzo is always white as can be, so I used a very faint stain on it after the final grinding polish and before the final polishing. Came out looking pretty good since I did that whole square with simple power hand tools. Truth be told, I experimented with a small 6 inch square I poured at home first to see if I could do the larger 3x3 foot square myself without renting big tools. Did most of it with a large belt sander until it was down far enough to switch over to a rotary wet grinder. Now those disks were expensive when you got down to the 600 and 800 grit sizes. I don't remember anymore what I used for the final polish, same grinder but special heads just for final polishing.
One of the banks back home used to have walls made of book-matched marble. Beautiful.
I had to repair a poured Terrazzo floor section once. Luckily it was only one square section where a floor receptacle got torn out when they were moving furniture. New Terrazzo is always white as can be, so I used a very faint stain on it after the final grinding polish and before the final polishing. Came out looking pretty good since I did that whole square with simple power hand tools. Truth be told, I experimented with a small 6 inch square I poured at home first to see if I could do the larger 3x3 foot square myself without renting big tools. Did most of it with a large belt sander until it was down far enough to switch over to a rotary wet grinder. Now those disks were expensive when you got down to the 600 and 800 grit sizes. I don't remember anymore what I used for the final polish, same grinder but special heads just for final polishing.