Repairing Tile and Grout in the Shower

Most home owners will eventually see damaged tile and grout on the walls or floor surrounding their shower or bath. But what many homeowners do not realize is that something as simple as chipped, cracked or hollow grout and tile, can lead to more serious damage. 

 Have you ever walked across tile and heard a hollow sound? This means the thin set has worn away. If you do not repair these tiles they will eventually crack.  The Stone Medic has a process that places a concrete bonding under the tile without removing it. This bonding will restore the tile to its original new integrity.  If the tile is broken or cracked it should be replaced.

Shower Restoration

Proper preparation for shower restoration is essential in order to secure a solid bond to the flooring or walls.  The last thing you want is another repair job on the same problem. In a shower, the damaged area can lead to serious problems behind the tile due to water leaking through to the backer board. This can also eventually damage the sheet rock. The Stone Medic uses and recommends Wonderboard. It is extremely strong and known for its concrete backing and fiberglass mesh. It will never  rot  and leave  your  tile  looking wonderful for years.

If you are interested in repairing or replacing tiles yourself please visit our website for tips. If you do not want to bother with the hassle, the Stone Medic is affordable. We offer a free estimate and guarantee our work. We service the surrounding Tampa Bay area and are locally owned and operated. Please give us a call today at 813-818-7555 or in 727-530-3555.

Questions and Answers on Staining Concrete

Staining concrete is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing trends in restoration and repair. It is an intelligent way to make a dull drab concrete floor fashionable, while maintaining durability. It is also a very cost effective alternative to installing tile or travertine.

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers from Stone Medic regarding staining concrete floors:

So why should I use decorative concrete, rather than natural stone or pavers on my project?

The primary reason concrete is chosen over natural stone is durability, cost and maintenance. Properly installed concrete has a design life of 30-50 years. Unlike Natural stone, bricks or pavers, concrete requires very little maintenance. Also, stamped concrete can easily be formed to contoured designs, which, unlike pavers, brick and stone, costs nothing extra.

My existing surface is covered with paint, glue and has many cracks. Can it be cleaned up?
The Stone Medic can remove the glue, paint or whatever is on your floor. We can repair the cracks and apply a new Micro Topping on your floor providing a perfect canvas to stain your floor.

What is decorative concrete overlay?
A decorative concrete overlay is just that; it is a highly durable thin set layer of hybrid polymer concrete that overlays an existing patio, floor, foyer, driveway, or sidewalk. The application of an overlay to existing concrete surfaces opens up an entirely new range of possibilities. Suitable for both interior and exterior areas, overlays can be used for covering up defects in an existing floor or, through the use of stamps and staining, a simulated rock surface can be molded directly into the overlay surface, creating a visually appealing effect.

 
How durable is a decorative concrete overlay?
Generally speaking it has twice the strength of concrete. A concrete mixture designed to yield 3,000 psi (pounds per square inch) will yield over 6,000 psi if modified by an acrylic polymer additive.  

What is Stamped Concrete
Stamped Concrete is a low maintenance, cost effective alternative to brick pavers or natural stone. Stamped concrete is concrete that is patterned to resemble brick, slate, flagstone, stone, tile and even wood. Stamped Concrete can be used to beautify pool decks, driveways, entries and courtyards, and patios.

What is scoring?
Scoring is the process of cutting a small groove on the surface of the concrete to create a desired pattern such as squares or diamonds. Normally these patterns are no smaller than 24” x 24” and require a minimum of an 8” border around the room to be scored. Scoring can beautifully accentuate a room by drawing the eye from one pattern to the other and is less expensive than stamped concrete.

What about cracks?
We can fill and close cracks in the concrete; however we cannot guarantee that they won’t return. Cracks in concrete are a given. Normally cracks should be limited to hairline cracking with minimal separation as all structural concrete is reinforced internally. Cracks do not necessarily detract from the appearance of the floor, we often incorporate them in our overlay designs by running grout lines over them and they add “personality” to the floor when we do staining. 

For additional questions you may have, please contact Stone Medic. We GUARANTEE our work and provide free estimates. We are a locally owned and operated company in the Tampa Bay area. Please visit our Facebook page and website to view before and after pictures.

Revitalize Your Garage with Stained Concrete

For too many years grey, ugly and drab concrete floors have been the norm in garages across America. Many people may wonder why they should bother caring about a room that is barely used, or takes a beating from being the primary work space. The answer boils down to one word: character.

Concrete Floor Stained using Multi-Colors with Design

Concrete staining does more than simply add color. Rather than produce a solid, opaque effect like paint or colored coatings, stains permeate the concrete to infuse it with rich, deep, translucent tones.  For a fraction of the cost of placing tile or stone on concrete floor, you can attain the same affect by staining it. 

Professionally staining your floor will give your garage character and appeal while still maintaining the durability that concrete supplies. By transforming your garage floor you can expand your living environment. Your garage will now have options. It can become a room, an impressive looking work space, or that long-awaited weekend "man-cave" to hang out in, or watch the game with friends.

Also keep in mind, scoring and grout can also be applied to give your concrete floor designs or make it appear as a tiled or stone surface. A garage isn't the only place to give concrete a facelift. Driveways and patios will also look beautiful and keep their durability.

Stained Concrete Driveway With Scoring

Stone Medic specializes in this growing and unique trend. No two concrete floors, walls, or countertops will look alike due to factors such as the composition and age of the concrete, surface porosity, texture, and environmental conditions. Several stain manufacturers use adjectives such as "antiqued," "variegated," or "mottled" to describe the distinctive look.  It's this variability, rather than uniformity, that gives stained concrete its broad appeal and permits an infinite array of special effects. Please visit our website for additional pictures at www.wantcleangrout.com.

Renewing Your Old Shower

People head to the shower for one reason..to feel clean again. There is nothing more unattractive and unappealing in a home than a dirty shower and bathroom. Polls have shown it's not uncommon for  friends and visitors to pull back a shower curtain when visiting your restroom, just out of plain curiosity.

If you have cleaned your shower endlessly but it still looks run down and dirty...we can help. For a fraction of the cost to replace that dirty old shower, we can make it look new again within one day.

No mess. No hassle. 100% guaranteed.

Please see more of our before and after pictures at www.wantcleangrout.com to witness how we can transform your bathroom and floors.












Stone Medic is a leader in restoring and renewing hard surfaces such a tiles, marble, stone, terrazzo and other surfaces where grout is commonly found. We clean grout professionally, kill existing mold and mildew, re-grout and use industrial quality sealer. We also caulk where necessary. Stop heading to that indoor outhouse and let us transform your bathroom back to its tranquil roots.

We service Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater and all of the Tampa Bay area. Contact us for a free estimate.

Looking for Marble Restoration?



After Restoration


Tampa Marble Polishing, Cleaning, and Restoration

Have your Marble and other stone surfaces lost their WOW?

• Are your Marble, Travertine and Granite starting to look worn or dulling out?


• Do your floors look dirty, even after they're cleaned?








Before Restoration

If your marble, granite, travertine or other natural stone surfaces have become dull, stained or have otherwise just lost their WOW! let Stone Medic Marble Restoration Craftsmen bring them back to life.
Using state-of-the-art equipment coupled with quality products, our trained craftsmen can resolve such problems as;

• Dull, dingy surfaces


• Uneven floor tiles (lippage)


• Stains


• Etching


• Cracks and chips

The Stone Medic is one of the premier marble polishing and restoration and maintenance companies for all natural stone surfaces. We are experts in marble cleaning, marble polishing, honing, grinding, cleaning and sealing of marble, granite, travertine, limestone and all other natural stone.
We are one of the few area companies that are experts in the use of diamond abrasives in Marble Restoration and stone surfaces. The use of diamonds in the grinding and honing phase of marble polishing will give you better clarity and more reflectivity after polishing. We also provide stripping, cleaning, sealing, crack/chip repair and stain removal for marble, granite, travertine, terrazzo and all other natural stone surfaces.

No top coating, wax, crystallization, janitorial waxes, polyurethane, or harmful caustic chemical coatings of any kind areput on top of your Marble, Granite, Travertine or Terrazzo floor to achieve a glossy look. Chemical top coatings may cost less up-front but are far more expensive to maintain, scratch more easily, can turn yellow and require stripping and recoating from time to time. Moreover, a chemically top coated floor is not as healthy as a naturally polished floor.
Call or Click Today to get Your Marble and Stone Restored To New
Keep your Marble Floors, Marble Counter tops, Polished Marble, Travertine Marble, Marble Showers and other natural stone surfaces looking beautiful and elegant? If you are having problems with your Marble Floor, Counter tops and Marble Showers in Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater or Tampa Bay Florida, Tampa Marble Polishing will get them looking clean and new again. When you need Marble Cleaning, Marble Polishing or full Marble Restoration, our skilled craftsmen can get it done right. Our Maintenance Program will keep your Marble and Travertine looking new year after year. Give us a call today at 813-818-7555 / 727-530-3555 or visit http://www.tampamarblepolishing.com/ to request your free estimate.

How to Clean and Maintain Terrazzo

Terrazzo Maintenance Procedures:

Harsh cleaners and sealers can damage Terrazzo; thus, only materials that are neutral with a PH Factor between 7 and 10 should be used for cleaning Terrazzo floors. Avoid all-purpose cleaners or soaps containing water soluble, inorganic, or crystallizing salts, harmful alkali or acids for cleaning terrazzo. Sweeping compounds contain oil, which is not only a fire hazard, but will penetrate and could permanently discolor your terrazzo floor. Many of these compounds contain sand, which is hard to sweep, and can abrade your floor if not removed.

Terrazzo Cleaning Procedures:

Neutral cleaners are designed to react only in solution with clean water, mixed in accordance to the manufacturer instructions, and allowed to remain on the floor surface for several minutes. This provides the necessary time for the grime dissolving action to take place. Then rinse the dirt-laden solution from the surface by squeegee, vacuum, or mopping. Rinse with ample clean water. It is important to keep the floor wet during this entire cleaning process so the dirt does not reabsorb in the floor. The frequently asked question, “How often must we sweep or scrub this floor?” is answered by the amount of traffic that moves across the floor daily.

Helpful Tips for Terrazzo Maintenance

Your Terrazzo floor has been honed, polished and sealed with a penetrating Terrazzo Sealer. This protects your surface from immediate stains, but no spillage should be ignored and allowed to soak and dry into the floor.



DO

• DO ask your installing Terrazzo Contractor to recommend the proper neutral cleaner and sealers to be used for cleaning and sealing terrazzo.

• DO dust mop your terrazzo floors daily, this not only picks up the dust, but also the grit tracked into your home or building. The grit acts as an abrasive on your hard surface floor.

• DO wash your terrazzo floors once a week depending on the amount of foot traffic; Always rinse your floors well to prevent a build-up of cleaner residue that could become slippery.

• DO have your terrazzo floors sealed with an impregnating sealer in accordance to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• DO use maintenance products designed for cleaning and maintaining Terrazzo.

• DO allow your neutral cleaner, once applied to the Terrazzo surface, time to react as designed to loosen foreign matter. Several minutes should be adequate, but DO NOT allow solution to dry on surface.

• DO clean up spills immediately to minimize damage to your stone.

• DO use door mats inside and out along with runners and area rugs on terrazzo floors

• DO call the Stone Medic with any questions. We are here to help.

DON'TS

• DON’T use surface waxes, or all purpose sealers. Employment of such can result in slippery surfaces.

• DON’T use all purpose cleaners containing water soluble inorganic or crystallizing salts, harmful alkali or acids. Use of such products could prove harmful to your Terrazzo floor.

• DON’T try miracle cleaners or sealers on your terrazzo floor without getting an opinion on such products from The Stone Medic.

• DON'T use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners or tub cleaners.

• DON'T use vinegar, bleach, ammonia or other general-purpose cleaners.

• DON'T use abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers.

• DON'T use alkaline cleaners not specifically formulated for stone and terrazzo.

• DON'T use scouring powders and abrasives because they will scratch the surface.

If you have any questions please call the Stone Medic @ (813) 818-7555 or visit our website at http://www.tampastonemedic.com/