Glossary of Terms

Calcareous Stone: is composed mainly of calcium carbonate. It is sensitive to acidic cleaning products and frequently requires different cleaning procedures than siliceous stones. What may work on siliceous stone may not be suitable for calcareous stone. Examples: Marble, Travertine, Limestone, Onyx

Cross – Cut: A process of end-cutting blocks of stone which yields a less – linear, more rounded, “wavy” pattern. IE. Cross – cut Travertine.

Crystallization: Another way to achieve a shine on a stone using three main ingredients; acid, fluorosilicate compounds, and waxes. The process consists of spraying fluid on marble floor and buffing it in with steel wool. This process actually changes the surface of the stone. Advantage: quick fix to achieve a shine on a marble. Disadvantage: appearance sometimes looks fake or like there is a coating on your stone and steel wool will most of the time stain your grout joints. Will not remove any scratches, this is a process that is rarely used by SD Stone Care.

Cultured Marble: is an artificial man-made product resembling natural marble stone.

Efflorescence: A salt deposit, usually in the form of white powder residue that forms on the surface of stone, brick, or mortar (grout joints). It is caused by alkalies leached from the masonry and carried to the surface by moisture.

Engineered Stone: A man-made product composed of a blend of natural minerals and man-made agents (such as polyester, glass, epoxy, and other such ingredients). This product can give the appearance of a “ stone like” surface, but it does not posses the characteristics of a natural stone.

Enhancing Sealer: Similar to a Penetrating Sealer in that it absorbs into the stone, tile or grout. Enhancing Sealers serve two purposes; First, it enhances color, meaning it will darken ALL different colors in material. (Some have tried to use this sealer to even out grout shading – my experience has proven this does not work.) Secondly, yet not all enhancing sealers are equal, most will also protect the stone, tile or grout, in the same manner as a penetrating sealer. Important: always test a small inconspicuous area prior to sealing entire area. Also: the effects, color enhancing, of this sealer can not be removed once applied.

Etch: This is probably the most confusing maintenance issue with stones, especially highly polished marbles. People always confuse an etch mark for a stain. (Not to add to the confusion but an area can have both). An etch is caused by an acidic solution that dulls the surface of the stone usually white in appearance. (Soda, ketchup, mustard, coffee, tea, make-up, etc.) A stain is when a liquid had penetrated inside the stone but has not damaged the polished surface.

Grinding: Is the process by which a stone’s surface is aggressively sanded to remove large stocks of material. This process is usually recommended, for example, when stone tiles are uneven. Lippage is the term given to describe stone tiles that have raised, uneven edges.

Hole and Crack Fill: This can be performed on any stone that has a crack, chip or hole, using filler (cement, polyester, or epoxy) to fill the space. This is a step that is required to a great extent when fully restoring Travertine.

Honing: Honing is a process of smoothing stone with abrasives in most cases diamond pad. Although not as aggressive as grinding, it does require the use of water, and can be quite messy. Honing is performed to remove most scratches, yet will not remove lippage.

Honed Finish: Is a smooth, satin (but not shiny) finish on the stone… common finish for Travertine and Limestone. This is a good finish for low maintenance and heavy use areas.

Igneous: Rocks derived from solidification of lava due to volcanic activity deep in the earth; they are cooled and tool shape as the mass was pushed to the surface. Their chemical composition is mainly silicates and or silica (sand). Example: Granite, Quartz

Metamorphic: (Means to change in form. For example: Marbles are limestone’s which have go through a physical and chemical change to become marbles). Rock altered in appearance, density, crystalline structure, and in some cases, mineral composition, by high temperature or intense pressure, or both. Examples: Marble, Serpentine, and Slate.

Natural Stone: Is a product of nature such as; granite, marble, limestone, slate, travertine, or sandstone that is formed by nature, and is not artificial or man-made.

Lippage: A condition where one edge of a stone is higher than adjacent edges, giving the finished surface an uneven appearance.

Penetrating Sealer: (Also referred to as an Impregnating Sealer) these types of sealers basically soak into the material; stone tile or grout, attach to the pours, and protect below the surface of material being sealed, there is no sealer actually on the surface of the stone, tile or grout and normally clear penetrating sealers do not change the color of material that is being sealed. If you wish to add color to a material you may want to use an Enhancing Sealer. (See Topical Sealer) Please contact SDSC if more detailed information is needed.Important: always test a small inconspicuous area prior to sealing entire area.

Polishing: A high–gloss finish obtained with machine buffing a stone with diamond pads, polishing powders or polishing creams, not a coating or crystallization.

Polished Finish: Is a glossy surface finish that brings out the full color and character of the stone being polished.

Porosity: Can be loosely described as the ability of stone to absorb liquid. All natural stone is porous to a lesser or greater extend. People tend to believe granite is not porous but all granites are porous with some more than others.

Quartz: A silicon dioxide mineral that occurs in colorless and transparent or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses. One of the hardest minerals that compose stones such as; granite, sandstone, and quartzite.

Scratch: Usually showing up as a “white line” this is when something harder than the stone has abraded the surface of the stone. Keep in mind not all scratches are created equal if a stone has a really deep scratch it may be better to replace than to repair. Also, scratches in granite are much more time consuming to remove than marble or travertine stones.

Scratch Resistance: Hardness is one of the measures of a stones scratch resistance. A stone’s hardness can be determined easily. If a stone can be scratched by a known mineral from the Mohns Hardness Scale list (see below) it is softer than that mineral. If it will scratch another known mineral, then it is harder than that mineral. (IE: A diamond will scratch granite; hence, a diamond is harder than granite.  Granite will scratch marble; hence, granite is harder than marble.)

  • 10 Diamond Diamond, Abrasives
  • 9 Corundum Ruby, Sapphire, Abrasives
  • 8 Topaz Topaz, Emerald
  • 7 Quartz Hardened Steel, Granite
  • 6 Orthoclase/Feldspar Granite, Iron Pyrite, Glass
  • 5 Apatite Knife Blade, Iron
  • 4 Fluorite Platinum
  • 3 Calcite Marble, Limestone, Travertine, Slate, Gold, Silver, Fingernail
  • 2 Gypsum Plaster of Paris
  • 1 Talc Talcum Powder

To avoid being overly technical here is a brief note to keep in mind. Granite has a higher resistance to scratching which is why it is commonly used on counter tops. Marble, Travertine, Limestone, and Slate will usually scratch fairly easily with a sharp knife.

Satin-Polish: This is an SD Stone Care Term. Most companies offer either a Honed or Polished Finish to Travertine Stones and similar. This Satin-Honed Finish is right in the middle, not flat like a honed, nor high sheen like a polish.

Sealing: The process of applying a solution to resist staining and assist in the ease of maintenance of material being sealed. (Normally a Penetrating Sealer is used for natural stone and grouts.) Be cautious of those who make claims of “Stain Proof”. Read fine print and get it in writing!

Sedimentary: Rocks formed of sediments laid down in successive layers. The materials from which they are formed are derived from the skeletal remains of marine life, or by chemical or biochemical precipitation onto the bottom of a basin and sea beds and becoming compacted over millions of years. Examples: Travertine, Limestone, and Sandstone.

Silica: Sand

Siliceous Stone: is composed mainly of silica or quartz-like particles. It tends to be very durable and relatively easy to clean with mild acidic cleaning solutions. (Some stones do not necessarily need acidic cleaning solutions IE: Polished Granite.) Examples: Granite, Slate, Sandstone, Quartzite, Brownstone, and Bluestone.

Terrazzo: A flooring surface of marble or granite chips in a cementitious or resinous matrix, which is ground and finished after setting.

Topical Sealer: Unlike a Penetrating Sealer, which protects by being absorbed beneath the material it is protecting, a Topical Sealer sits on top of material it is protecting, similar to a “paint coating”. These sealers usually are available in a Matte or High Gloss Finish. (Please contact SDSC if more detailed information is required) IMPORTANT: always test a small inconspicuous area prior to sealing entire area

Tumbled Stone: A natural stone tumbled in a solution of water, sand and river rock, producing tiles with an old world, weathered look.

Vein–Cut: A process opposite of cross–cutting, where the vein in the stone is shown as a linear pattern.