Expectations

One of the fist things I do when I meet with someone in their home to discuss their natural stone needs, is look at their lifestyle, and see how I can help them reconcile their needs versus their expectations.
 
For instance, when I meet a mom with three small children in her highly polished and currently highly etched and stained white marble kitchen, I might suggest the family shift to a honed surface.  While a polished surface can be elegant in the right setting, it might not be appropriate for the family of five that spills a lot of orange juice and has the occasional run in with banging forks and matchbox car races.  While this sort of damage shows up like a neon sign on a polished surface, a properly honed surface, such as a hand-honed Carrera Marble, tends to camouflage etching and scratches better. Additionally, when damage does occur (and it will), a polished surface will require more involved and costly restoration, every time. On the other hand, the repair on a properly hand-honed surface is much easier to repair, and vastly less costly in the long term. 
 
I explain that once their stone is properly restored with a solid hand-hone, they can actually very easily, quickly, (and most economically) remove etching themselves if they are so inclined, and I will teach them how.
 
These simple conversations are real game changers for homeowners frustrated with their expectations for what they envision their natural stone should be, versus what their real lives demand of it. 
 
There are plenty of things in this life to worry about.  Comfortably living with your natural stone, should not be one of those things.
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Vickie Vance (I'm a Rock Star:)