A Professional Stone Honing Service Revived the Shine and Colors of This Home's Bathroom in Darien, CT

September 11, 2018

Selling a house can be a complicated task. There are many things to consider before, during, and after putting a home up for sale, from the impersonal decor to the optimal functioning of every system and area. Everything must be impressively attractive, warm, captivating, and of course, fully operative. With that in mind, this Darien resident decided to give his home a touch-up with the intention of drawing the attention of potential buyers. That is how he came across our service of stone honing in Darien, CT.


This homeowner decided to showcase his home's features, especially the bathroom floor and countertop, which were made of beautiful stone, giving the room a sense of elegance and style. He wanted the property to be as neat as a pin for the day of the open house. The man made a list of things that could be improved. The bathroom was top priority for him! It had natural stone surfaces that looked aged and worn down. The bathroom floor was dull and scratched, and the grout lines had stains and a big amount of dirt buildup. The countertop was equally unappealing and etched. The man had tried to revive them, but no technique seemed to work. He thought it was smarter to leave the problem in professional hands and decided to restore the two stone surfaces to improve the appearance of the house and boost the price of the property.

The problem was, he did not know any restoration company that could revive his stone surfaces. He decided to turn to the World Wide Web and search for a local hard surface restoration service. As soon as he typed Darien stone honing, a whole load of options were shown. He decided to trust his browser and clicked on the first link he saw, which led him to our website. Right after accessing Sir Grout of Greater Fairfield County, the man realized our company had received excellent reviews in the most remarkable home improvement service directories such as Angie's List and Home Advisor. Our homeowner decided to schedule a free in-home consultation to get his bathroom assessed.

On the set date, our team of stone specialists arrived at the owner's house and the man walked them to the bathroom. The expert eye could immediately see what the naked eye couldn't. The owner had always thought it was just a typical case of stone aging. Our techs were able to determine that other factors had influenced and accelerated the deterioration process. They told the owner that the surfaces had been subjected to the incorrect cleaning routines, which had caused their deterioration. The experts told the owner that it would be necessary to perform a thorough cleaning on both surfaces, hone and polish, and seal both the floor and countertop.


Stone is a durable material and can take many years of wear and tear, but it needs maintenance and care. Stone's main vulnerability is porosity — whether they are sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous, they all have pores that allow the permeation of liquids and the dirt carried by such liquids. As of with many other surfaces, liquid seepage on stone means deterioration. Dirt builds up in the surface of the stone altering the color of the surface and causing an unsightly look.

The Cleaning Process

Our homeowner's bathroom floor was in pretty rough shape, for which it was necessary to use the right cleaning products and a high-speed floor machine. Our technicians scrubbed off all the grime that had accumulated in the grout lines and the crevices of the stone tiles. It was necessary to use vapor steam cleaning to eliminate the most embedded grime. A similar, yet less intensive, process was performed on the bathroom countertop, as all the stone surfaces had to be completely cleaned before honing and polishing because any remaining trace of dirt could compromise these subsequent processes. Fortunately, cleanliness wasn't an issue, as they were all cleansed with Sir Grout's recently enhanced cleaning products, that can help inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, mold and microorganisms.

Honing and Polishing the Stone Surfaces

Once all surfaces were clean and dry, our techs continued by honing the bathroom floor and countertop using low numbered grit pads to eliminate the scratches, stains, and etch marks on both surfaces. As expected, the stone bathroom floor needed some extra honing to get rid of the hideous look of its surface. Afterward, the specialists buffed both surfaces with higher number grit pads and abrasive materials until a beautiful shine blossomed through.

Replacing and ColorSealing the Grout

To achieve the expected results, our technicians had to replace the old deteriorated grout from between the bathroom floor, as it not only aesthetically overshadowed the recently polished stone, but it would cause damage in the long run because damaged grout lets moisture accumulate between and under the stone. They carefully removed and replaced it with a more durable and less porous epoxy grout. Finally, to give the grout extra protection, ColorSeal was applied. This thick water-based acrylic sealer added an extra layer of protection to the already durable epoxy grout. It also gave the grout lines a uniform color all throughout the entire bathroom floor.

The Outcome

As soon as the multistage restoration came to an end, the homeowner stepped in to take a look at the outcome. He was visibly pleased and gave thanks to our crew for the magnificent work they had performed in his house. He could now confidently put the house up for sale because he knew the sight would dazzle potential buyers into paying a good price.

Before leaving, our team of stone experts explained to the homeowner how just by frequently dusting, quickly washing food and drink spills, and using stone safe cleaners — such as Sir Grout's Natural Hard Surface Cleaner with new properties — on his stone surfaces could've prevented them from deteriorating to that level.

Sir Grout's Hard Surface Restoration Services

Are you in a similar situation and need to renovate your stone, wood, tile, or other hard surface to sell your house at the right price? Then call Sir Grout and let us do the hard work for you. We have over two decades of experience successfully restoring hard surfaces all across the nation and abroad. Simply dial (203) 763-1332 or fill out the "Request a Quote" form on this page and our experts will gladly head to your house or business and will evaluate your problem for free!

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