The "Fine Stone Restoration" Process

Thie product is water base with little or no fumes. However, all common sense precautions should be taken as with any chemicals in an inside environment.
"Fine Stone Restoration" is a process on the raw stone. Therefore, all sealers, coatings, etc. that have ever been used in the past must be removed first. See Premium Stripper for the surface Preparation.
Requires "0000" fine steel wool for finishing to the "honed" level.
Requires a "sponge sanding block" for the first stage of restoring deep depressions.
No grinding or polishing machines needed, therefore, a closely controlled and non-messy process.
To see tips on protecting walls and baseboards with masking, click here

These pictures follow the process of restoring a piece of honed limestone etched with a hydrochloric acid solution. This acid is far stronger than the acidic liquids normally found in the kitchen and bar. Your results may vary with stone type, softness, your technique, etc.

Before contact with acid. Note the reflection of the round flood light bulb here, and see as it changes in the following pictures.
On the left is a puddle of water. On the right is an "X" shaped puddle of acid. Note the fizzing as the acid eats into the surface.
After wiping up the liquids. Note the reflection changes into a dull pattern created by the upper right leg of the "X" shaped acid puddle. The surface is lightly eaten into at this point. The effect is extreme loss of glossy finish, but not yet deep pits in the stone.
Acid has been applied again to achieve a deep etch. Red arrow shows the deep pits created by the acid.
Step 1 for restoring a deep acid etch or heavy scratch. This step is not necessary unless the etch is deep. Therefore, if it is only light scratching to be restored - go to Step 2. (If the surface has been sealed in the past, the sealer needs to be removed first. Otherwise, the remains of a sealer can create uneven contact with the stone and an uneven result.) A small puddle of "Fine Stone Restoration" is rubbed in a circular pattern with a hardware or paint store "sanding sponge" and with medium pressure. Drag is noticable and lessens as the pits are smoothed out. This took less than one minute. The bottom of the pits designates a new low point in the surface. The ending goal is to not just smooth out the pits, but to have the change from high to low over a wider area so as to be undetectable. Therefore, it is advantageous for the circular rubbing pattern to be larger than the etched area. This larger pattern creates a gentle slope down to the place of the deepest depression. The sponge compresses and conforms to the surface, which makes it easy to achieve a smooth and even feel across the stone face. Add more "Fine Stone Restoration" and continue until surface is smooth.
Etch is smoothed out and the finish is smoother, but not back to the factory finish smoothness and gloss yet. It is now ready for Step 2.
Step 2. A small puddle of "Fine Stone Restoration" is rubbed in a circular motion with #0000 steel wool (available at paint and hardware stores). Process is repeated until finish is restored. With this stone it took 2 applications and approximately 3 minutes of rubbing with medium pressure.
Finish is restored and is virtually undetectable from the original factory "honed" finish. Use Aldon Insta-Clean to remove all residue - then apply sealer per the recommendations for your stone type in the Surface Types section.