Advantages of Not Using Limestone Sealer

A limestone sealer is usually advertised as a product that will prevent the entry of water and/or oil on the pores of a limestone tile or limestone slab. While it is ideal to seal limestone installed in certain areas, most limestone applications do not require a limestone sealer. Walkways or foot paths lined with limestone usually become dirty when unsealed. This is because dirt and other debris get into the pores of the stone material and turn into a nasty looking surface. However, limestone installed in walls and other areas that are not usually stained or dirtied can be left as is without using a limestone sealer. Here are some advantages of not using limestone sealer.

1. Preserves Natural Beauty and Color of Limestone

Limestone provides natural beauty that adds decorative quality to where it is installed. When a limestone sealer is used to coat the material, it will loose its natural color and look more artificial. Furthermore, sealers have a tendency to cause discoloration. Poor limestone sealer products cause the limestone to turn into a nasty yellowish color.

2. Preserves the Breathable Quality of Limestone

Unsealed limestone is breathable, meaning that it allows vapor to enter and escape its pores. When a sealer is applied, water may be repelled, but moisture may find its way into the pores of the limestone and escaping will not be easy. When moisture is trapped inside the stone, it increases the risk of damage. It can soften the stone and cause cracks especially when the temperature rises. However, an unsealed limestone will allow moisture to enter its pores, but will also allow it to easily escape, therefore decreasing the chances of damage.

3. Lessens Maintenance Costs

Limestone on walls does not really need to be sealed because it does not get in frequent contact with acids and other harmful contaminants. Therefore the cost is lessened because it does not require constant sealing. Remember that topical sealers need to be replaced every once in a while. If the limestone does get stained, it only requires a few natural cleaning agents to get the stain out.

In addition, some limestone sealers can be easily scratched because they are softer than the limestone itself. When scratch marks are produced in sealed limestone, this requires additional maintenance cost because the entire coating needs to be rebuffed or replaced.

4. It Makes the Limestone More Durable

Limestone in itself is durable. However, when treated with sealers, especially those that are permanent, it will require constant chemical treatment especially when the sealer needs to be replaced or removed. Constant chemical cleaning and sealer removal will definitely make the limestone more susceptible to damage.

5. Helps the Environment

Some chemicals used in limestone sealer products may have negative effects on the environment. Impregnators, for example, cause toxic vapors to be released in the environment after use.

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Eco-Friendly Types of Limestone Sealer

It is necessary to seal your limestone before use to preserve and protect its beauty, and there are eco-friendly limestone sealers available. You must seal your limestone, as it is a very porous and soft stone. The sealant will fill the porous holes in the stone and prevent corrosion and decay of the stone.

Limestone Sealants

Limestone sealants enter the interior of the stone surfaces where they resist and prevent damage while allowing the porous stone to breathe and release moisture. Therefore, these sealants protect the stone from stains, the formation of mold or mildew and prevent discoloration. Sealing limestone is a vital process in maintenance and installation to preserve the integrity and protection of your stone.

Environmentally Friendly Sealants

There are numerous types and varieties of limestone sealants available for purchase. There are several varieties of eco-friendly sealants that offer the same level of stone protection as other sealants, while remaining safe and environmentally friendly as well. Some sealants are notably more environmentally friendly than other sealants. The more environmentally friendly sealants are water-based solutions and are free from solvents while remaining non-toxic as well. All eco-friendly sealants will, by nature, be non-hazardous and non-flammable due to the lack of added chemical that other sealants may contain. In addition, all environmentally friendly solvents will not release and VOC or noxious fumes.

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Ways to Prevent Tile Grout Stain

Tile grout stain can give your bathroom, tub, shower enclosure, and even kitchen sink backsplash an unsightly appearance. Stains can happen in a variety of different ways. Cleaning the tile grout that has been stained can be done, but it is time consuming and labor intensive. In some instances, the stain is set in so deep that you will need to chisel out the grout and replace it with new grout. This, of course, would be the last resort.

Prevention Is Better than Replacement

One of the best ways to make sure that you do not have to go to the extreme and replace the grout on your tile is to prevent the stain in the first place. There are plenty of ways that you can be proactive with your tile and eliminate most of the stains that can occur. While you can not completely eliminate all of the stain causes, you can do a lot to give your tile a much better appearance for a long time.

Keep Clean

The first way to prevent tile grout stain is to keep it clean. Each time you use the tub, or the shower, give the tile a good rub down so the dirt and soap does not set into the grout. A dry sponge, or rag, will do the job quickly. You do not have to do a complete cleaning of the grout, just a good rub down after use.

Seal Tile

Another way to give some protection to the tile grout is to seal the tile with a quality sealer. There are plenty of sealers that you can choose from to protect not only the finish of the tile, but also the grout itself. The sealer is spread out over the entire tile surface with a squeegee. When using a sealer you want to keep it even so that there is not too much in one area and not enough in another.

Keep Heated Objects Away from Tile

When you have a tile countertop, it can be easily stained if something that is hot is placed on top of the tile without any buffer or insulation. The heat will actually burn the grout and leave a dark brown stain. This is impossible to remove as it is burned into the grout itself.

Use Placemat for Drinks and Food

One of the problems with having tile on a coutertop is that it can be easily stained through regular everyday use. By placing a glass on the tile and letting the condensation settle into the grout you will see a dark ring develop. Juice from food is also a notorious cause of stain on the grout. Always use a placement, or a cutting board to prepare foods.

Dye the Grout

While this is not actually a way of preventing stains it is a way to hide the presence of a lot of stains. You can dye the grout before you even put into on to the tiles with special dye packs. You can also dye the grout while it is already on the tile. However, there is a lot of risk in ruining the tile itself. Regrouting the tile is an option if you want to add dye to the grout.

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How to Finish Ceramic Tiles with Gloss Paint

The passage of time can take its toll on the gloss paint on your ceramic tile counters, leaving you with dull, discolored surfaces. Since it is costly to replace the tiles on your countertop, you should consider repainting your tiles instead of replacing them. To finish your ceramic tiles with gloss paint, here is what you should do.

What you’ll need

• Tile Cleaner
• Rubber Gloves
• Protective Mask and Garments
• Painters Tape
• Sponge
• Scrubber
• Sander
• Rags
• Quick Dry Adhesive
• Caulk
• Quick-Dying Epoxy
• Paint Brush
• Artist Brush
• Paint Primer
• High-Gloss Paint
• Water-based Clear Urethane Paint

Step 1 – Clean the Tiles and Prepare the Area

Safety first: The materials you will be using are normally hazardous with prolonged exposure. Be sure to maintain good ventilation in the area where you work. Wear a face mask and rubber gloves.

Wet the area with a small amount of water and a heavy duty tile cleaner, then clean it briskly to remove grease, dirt, mold, etc. Ensure all areas are cleaned thoroughly to get rid of bacteria or fungus that would eat up the paint from below. Wash the area thoroughly and let it dry.

Use electric sander to remove the original “shiny” coating of the tile surface. Clean the area thoroughly again, to prevent dust and other small particles from causing ugly bubbles on your paint.

Step 2 – Rework Tile Imperfections

Rework imperfections on the tiles before starting to do the paint work. Use quick-drying epoxy on tile cracks and caulk on chipped portions of the tiles. Be sure to let the reworked area dry up completely. Re-apply grout to cracked places. Let these applications dry for 2 days. Secure painter’s tape as edging over areas not intended for painting.

Step 3 – Apply the Acrylic Paint Primer

Apply the acrylic paint primer using the paint brush. Cover all areas evenly with thin single strokes. Be sure to cover even the recessed portions occupied by grout. Let the paint primer dry overnight. Repeat this process one more time before you apply your gloss paint.

Step 4 – Apply the High Gloss Paint

Apply the high gloss paint the same way as you applied the primer. Use the artist brush to apply contrasting paint into the grout. Use the artist brush to make fine lines or shapes, if you desire, on the tile surface. Make this the fun part as you decide how your tile surface should appear. After applying the high gloss paint, let it dry completely.

Step 5 – Apply the Water-based Clear Urethane Paint

Apply the water-based urethane paint using paint brush. The urethane paint produces a hard coating on the surface that will make it last for years. Make thin layers, applying several applications to ensure a finer finish. Applying layers of paint on the surface of your tile can also help protect your tile.

Step 6 – Finishing up

After applying the gloss paint, keep whatever leftover paint you have in a safe place. If you have kids at home, make sure that you store your left-over paints in a place where your kids cannot reach them.

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How to Paint Ceramic Kitchen Wall Tiles

Painting your ceramic kitchen wall tiles is easy. All you have to remember is that you have to remove as much gloss from the surface of the ceramic tiles that you are painting on so that the paint adheres to the ceramic tiles well. Below are the materials that you need along with the instructions on how to paint ceramic kitchen wall tiles.

What you’ll need

• Fine grit sandpaper
• Bleach
• Sponge
• Orbital sander
• Mild commercial tile cleaner
• Primer
• Oil-based paint
• Urethane finish
• Dust sheets or old newspapers
• Cleaning cloth
• Nail brush
• Bristle brush

Step 1 – Use Dust Sheets

Place various dust sheets at the bottom of the kitchen walls that you are repainting. This is to make sure that all the dusts from the sanding that you will do later on will be collected and easily disposed off. You can purchase dust sheets at your local hardware but if you do not want to use dust sheets you can also use old newspapers.

Step 2 – Clean the Kitchen Wall Tiles

Using a sponge and a mild abrasive commercial tile cleaner, clean the kitchen wall tiles thoroughly. Rinse with water to remove the soap grime. The abrasive cleaner will remove the gloss of your kitchen ceramic tiles so that it can be painted over. With a nail grout and bleach, clean the kitchen floor tiles some more and rinse the bleach and nail grout away with warm water. Allow your kitchen wall tiles to dry before painting.

Step 3 – Use the Sandpaper

Using a fine grit sandpaper remove the remaining gloss in your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. An orbital sander is perfect for this job. Sanding your ceramic kitchen wall tiles is the most essential aspect of painting your kitchen wall tiles as the quality of the surface that you are painting on will determine the longevity and quality of your paint job. Painting over glossy ceramic kitchen wall tiles will result to pain peelings in as early as one week so make sure to sand your ceramic kitchen wall tiles thoroughly before applying any paint.

Step 4 – Apply the Primer

Check for any remaining dusts on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles and wipe away the remaining dusts using a cloth. Apply a single coat of oil-based primer using a clean paint brush on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. Allow the first coat to dry and then add another coating. Read the recommended drying time between each coating in the manufacturer’s label of the oil-based primer that you are using.

Step 5 – Re-sand

Using the same fine grit sandpaper, slowly sand the coat of oil-based primer to remove the primer bumps and even the surface of your ceramic kitchen wall. Wipe the dust away using a slightly wet cloth.

Step 6 – Apply the Paint

With a clean paint brush, apply the first coating of the oil-based paint on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. You can control the hue intensity of your paint job by the number of paint coats that you will apply on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. The more coats of oil-based paint you apply the darker the hue of your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. Make sure to follow the recommended drying time between each coat of your oil-based primer. Allow at least 2 days for the last coating of your oil-based paint to adhere into the ceramic tiles before proceeding to the next step.

Step 7 – Finish

Apply a clear urethane finish at the grout of the ceramic kitchen wall tiles with a bristle brush and allow the urethane finish to dry in accordance to its ideal drying period. Allow the finish to dry overnight.

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The Scoop on Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood has been a popular flooring choice for hundreds of years and it is still one of the most desired flooring types today. There’s no secret to why hardwood is so popular. It’s beautiful and lasts for years (the flooring can even last longer than the house where it’s installed). After a number of years as the floor gets worn, the hardwood can be refinished and given a new lease on life. Hardwood is also easy to keep clean, and since it’s wood it won’t hold dust or dust mites as a carpet might, making it a great choice for a home where people have allergies.

Environmental Concerns

One concern people often have about hardwood is by using it in their home they’re contributing to the depletion of the world’s forests. However, primarily because reforestation practices are mandatory in the United States, our forest have actually grown in size over the past hundred years and almost 1/3 of the land in the US is covered with trees. In fact, experts say there are actually more trees today than in the 1950’s.

Solid Hardwood or Engineered Hardwood?

Just as the name says, solid hardwood is milled from solid lumber. It can be installed in most rooms in a home but not below grade (where ground moisture could get into the natural wood and cause swelling or warping).

Engineered hardwood is a man made product consisting of a hardwood surface layer bonded to an underlay of laminated plywood or fiberboard. Since it looks like solid hardwood, it can be installed everywhere solid hardwood can be used, but the laminated structure means it can also be used below grade.

Perhaps the major difference between solid and engineered hardwood is solid hardwood can be refinished many times while the engineered wood (which only has a surface layer of hardwood) can only be refinished once or twice.

Choosing the Right Wood

Oak – Oak is among the most popular hardwood flooring choices. There are actually two types of oak used for flooring–red and white. Both are primarily golden brown in color but the red oak has a slight pinkish tone while the white oak is more brown.

Maple and Birch – Maple and birch are lighter in color than oak and have light grain lines. Since they’re not as dark as oak they provide a bright, modern feel and can actually lighten up a dark room.

Ash – Ash is often darker brown in color than oak and has a more pronounced grain pattern. It’s extremely hard (it’s used to make baseball bats) so it’s long wearing and a good choice for a room with lots of traffic.

Walnut – Walnut is a dark brown color but since it’s not as hard as some of the other hardwoods it’s best used in rooms with little traffic, such as a bedroom.

Cherry – Cherry not surprisingly has a reddish tone that tends to darken over time. It also has a distinctive grain pattern that not everyone appreciates. Cherry is quite hard, so it stands up well to traffic.

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Wine Stain Removal Tips

Having friends over or entertaining during the holidays can be a very pleasurable event. But in all the excitement people tend to get a little careless, and, before you know it, you have beverage stains on your carpeting or that new sofa you just had to have for the holidays. Getting these stains out can be a daunting task, but can be made a lot simpler if you use the proper materials and a little elbow grease.

Move Fast
Getting the stain cleaned up before it has a chance to set is probably the best thing you can do for things like beer, coffee, and wine. Carefully blot the stain, and use the proper cleaner to remove it. Don’t rub the stain – you will only spread it around and drive it in deeper.

Chances are that during an evening of entertainment, a stain will get overlooked and you end up the next day with a nice stain dried on valuable clothing, carpeting, or furniture. Here is what to do.

Forget the Club Soda
Wine stains, especially red wine, can be removed if you follow the correct procedure. For clothing that can be laundered, mix a good liquid detergent such as Dawn half and half with hydrogen peroxide. These cleansers must be used together, and the mixture should be fresh. Gently pour over the stain and allow it to sit as a presoak. Use a clean towel between the stain and the back of the garment to avoid the stain leeching through. Launder following care label instructions.

Research shows that white wine will remove red wine stains. Hold the game or tablecloth over the sink, and pour white wine on the red wine stain. It will disappear. If wine stains get on carpeting, pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Allow to stand for a few minutes. With a spray bottle mixture of half water and half of a good carpet cleaning shampoo, such as Bissell Fiber Cleansing Formula, mist the stain, and blot dry with a clean white cloth. This will work well even on white carpeting.

1. Mix one teaspoon of a mild pH balanced detergent (a mild non alkaline non bleaching detergent) with a cup of lukewarm water
2. Blot
3. Mix one third cup of white household vinegar with two thirds cup of water
4. Blot
5. Mix one teaspoon of a mild pH balanced detergent (a mild non alkaline non bleaching detergent) with a cup of lukewarm water
6. Sponge with clean water
7. Blot

Note: Always test an inconspicuous area for colorfastness, etc. before treating the exposed area. Also note that certain stains are permanent



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