Is That Really Stone?

What’s this? Has Tom become drunk on his Maple Syrup and Kraft Dinner? While on their own (KD is better-known in the United States as Mac ‘n’ Cheese), the two are fine, but together … please. I am civilized.

But in reality, many a customer bought a fake, or a building with a faux stone installed; it can take the appearance of a countertop, floor, sink or even a wall. So how is the overzealous neophyte to know the difference? And even so, what would it matter with today’s technical advancements in the name of stone restoration?

Let’s put that last baby to bed first. Yes, we’ve had much technological advancement in tooling, compounds and equipment for the stone-restoration professional, but the key word here is professional (as in someone who excels in their field). And premier to being at the top of your game would be to know your strengths and your weaknesses.

When it comes to imitators, there’s a reason they haven’t stood the test of time and millennia to become real natural stone: They’re not made of the same stuff, so to speak. They were not baked in the kitchen of Mother Nature, and cannot be what they aspire to portray.

Is a Xeroxed document as good as the original when it comes to crunch – i.e., legal contract – time? Is a karaoke star as good as the singer who croons the initial version? (OK, that one can depend on how many rounds beforehand.) Is concrete, even though it’s rock and lime, as durable as limestone?

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For starters, there are ceramics (and/or porcelains) today that look almost as good as the stone that they resemble. And, we have compounds that “claim” to restore ceramic (and/or porcelain) back to “new.” (For the record, the compound manufacturer’s version of new and the homeowners are a few double digits off on the typical gloss meter. ) While some gloss can be brought back, however, a compound will never restore porcelain or ceramic that has the initial baked glaze worn off.