- Etch
- A dull mark where acid has dissolved the surface of calcium-based stone such as marble, limestone or travertine. Same colour as the stone, lost its shine. Cut back and re-polished; no cleaner removes it.
- Stain
- Something that has soaked into the pores of the stone: oil, coffee, rust, wine. Usually darker than the stone around it. Drawn out with a poultice.
- Poultice
- A paste of absorbent powder and a solvent chosen for the stain, spread over the mark, covered and left for a day or two. As it dries it pulls the stain up out of the stone.
- Honed
- A flat, matte or satin finish with no reflection, produced by stopping the grit sequence before the polishing stages. Hides wear and etching better than a full polish.
- Polished
- A reflective finish produced by taking the stone through the finest grits. The reflection is the stone's own surface, not a coating.
- Grit
- The coarseness of a diamond abrasive, numbered like sandpaper. Low numbers cut; high numbers polish. Floors are worked from coarse to fine in order, typically 50 through to 3000 or beyond.
- Lippage
- Where one tile sits higher than its neighbour, so the edge catches light, dirt and toes. Removed by grinding the floor flat before polishing.
- Slurry
- The wet paste of stone dust and water produced while grinding and honing. Kept wet to control dust and vacuumed off as the work goes.
- Impregnating sealer
- A sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone rather than sitting on top. Slows staining and stops the stone darkening when wet. Does not stop etching.
- Topical coating
- A layer applied on top of the stone: a wax, acrylic or urethane. Gives a shine but scratches, wears in traffic lanes and yellows. Usually what has to be stripped before a proper restoration.
- Anti-etch film
- A clear protective film bonded to a restored benchtop. Takes the acid, heat and knife marks so the stone underneath does not. The one product that stops etching.
- Efflorescence
- A white, powdery salt bloom on the surface of stone or grout, left behind when water carrying dissolved salts evaporates. Common outdoors and on new work. Treated with a specific cleaner, not scrubbed.
- Fill
- The resin or cement used to plug the natural voids in travertine and some limestone. It fails before the stone does and is replaced during restoration.
- Crystallisation
- A spray-and-buff method that reacts an acidic fluoride compound with the marble surface to form a hard, shiny skin. It gives a quick shine but changes the surface chemistry and can make later restoration harder. Ask what method a shine was produced with.
