About us

The chemistry, which is the whole reason this is a separate trade

Travertine, marble and limestone are calcium carbonate. Acid dissolves calcium carbonate. Everything else follows from that one fact.

It means an acidic product does not clean these stones badly, it removes part of the surface, leaving a dull patch where the finish used to be. It happens on contact rather than over time, and there is no route back that does not involve a refinisher and diamond pads.

It also means most of what sits under a kitchen sink is dangerous here. Anything sold for hard water, soap scum or general bathroom use is very likely acidic, and vinegar, which gets recommended constantly, is among the worst.

Everything we put on stone is pH-neutral. There is no circumstance in which that changes.

Worth asking any other company the same question, and treating a vague answer as an answer.

What actually goes wrong on stone

Almost none of the damage we find was caused by accidents. It was caused by cleaning.

Most etching in these houses came from a product, applied by a homeowner who was never told, or by a service that treated a stone floor like a tile floor. Anything sold for hard water or soap scum is very likely acidic, and vinegar gets recommended constantly while being among the worst things you can put on marble.

Which means the highest-value thing anybody with stone can do costs nothing: find out what is being used on your floor, and take everything acidic out of the cupboard. That advice does not sell a job and it prevents more damage than any service we offer.

What we do not do

No refinishing. Honing and polishing with diamond pads is a real skill and a separate trade. When a floor needs a refinisher we say so and lose the work.

No claiming etching comes out. It does not, and every etch gets pointed out during the walkthrough with a clear statement that it is staying.

No sealing over soil. Cleaning comes first every time, because a sealer over dirt traps it underneath where nothing reaches it.

No pushing the top tier. We test a section and let you compare cleaned against cleaned-and-enhanced, and a fair number of people choose the cheaper option after looking. That costs us money and it is the only fair way to sell a change that is hard to reverse.

Why the rates are the same as everywhere else

Because the work is. A square foot of travertine takes the same products and the same time in this town as in any other, so charging more here would be pricing the address rather than the job.

What makes a total larger in Paradise Valley is that there is more stone, not that it costs more per foot.

All of it is published, which means you can measure your own floor, calculate the figure, and compare us against anybody else on identical terms before anyone comes out.

What you get

• Stone type and existing sealer identified before anything touches the floor
• pH-neutral, stone-safe products throughout
• A walkthrough including every etch and worn area that will not improve
• Cleaning before any sealing, always
• A test area wherever you are choosing between sealers
• Light furniture moved on request
• Cure time explained before we leave
• A final walkthrough together

Where we work

Paradise Valley. 85253.

Camelback Country Estates · Clearwater Hills · Cheney Estates · Casa Blanca Estates · Judson · Finisterre · Palo Cristi · Sundown Estates · Tatum Canyon · Mummy Mountain Park · Paradise Reserve · Camelback Foothills · Desert Fairways · Merrill Heights · Cheney Place · Arcadia Heights · Stonegate · Casa Ynez

Camelback Country Estates · Clearwater Hills · Palo Cristi and Sundown Estates · Casa Blanca Estates and Judson · Mummy Mountain and Cheney Estates · Tatum Canyon and Finisterre

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