Unmade by the Shade
We encountered an originally honed black granite, surrounded by carpet and limestone (both polished and honed), that had been coated with a color enhancer. The color enhancer used was so weak that auto-scrubbers used by the in-house staff removed it instantly.
Problem #1. Making the stone darker.
Color enhancers are designed to be absorbed by the stone and harden (or cure) to give the stone a darker look. Most black granites won’t absorb anything – let alone a thick-viscosity oil-based product – so enhancers will always end up as a coating.
And, as such, they’re easily removed and/or etched by chemicals and abrasion. Thus, the deep black look that the client wanted turned out to be very temporary.
The solution here was to use a polishing compound to create a darker look without harming the surrounding areas.
Problem #2. Working a high-friction granite compound that’s close to a very stainable carpet.
The first part of the problem was easily overcome, as the compounds we used easily removed any leftover residue from the previous contractor’s color enhancer. There was, however, a slight residue close to the edge of the carpet where the heavy 220V machines did not go right to the edge of the stone. This was easily removed and blended in with steel wool by hand.
Problem # 3. Not allowing the compound to stain or affect the look of the limestone.
This was a little trickier – but, when you grow up in the frozen North, you’re used to thinking on your feet.
On the polished limestone, we didn’t have much of a problem. The stone’s pores weren’t as open, due to the compact surface; therefore, the polishing effect of the compound wasn’t an issue, and the dark color of the compound didn’t stain the stone.
On the honed limestone, the grey compound would’ve lodged in the rough-surface pores and stained the stone grey. Fixing this would have entailed re-honing the surface with diamond abrasives. Therefore, we masked off the area and sealed it with duct tape to prevent both polishing and staining.
If just a polishing issue was involved, we could’ve re-honed the area with polishing compounds or better yet, the latest tool – abrasive injected nylon honing pads. However, masking off the area properly prevented the possible problem.
So how did our client get to their present predicament? Precisely pointed preparation could have prevented this predicament (OK, enough of the Dr. Seussspeak ).
For starters, the designers (or architect) could’ve researched this combination of stones and recommended a procedure for proper care down the road. Second, the initial contractor hired to achieve the desired look could’ve (and should’ve) realized that black granites don’t absorb color enhancer and suggested an alternative solution.
So why wasn’t this foreseen? I wasn’t there for the discussion or research phase of the process, but I can speculate from years of experience (and from knowing my competition): The quicker, cheaper, less-labor-intensive solution is usually chosen by the inexperienced restoration contractor. It’s an easy fix (and more-profitable, long-term) to add a chemical requiring frequent application than it is to actually know how to use compounds.
A bandage is something that anyone can use. A stitch requires a doctor (or someone who knows medical procedure). In this case, adding a chemical (a permanent solution, when used properly on the right stone) was easier than knowing how to really satisfy the customer’s need.
And, of course, asking for $1 is so much easier than asking for $5.
Our outlook is that it’s better to fill the customer’s need, making sure it’s a long-term fix and get well-paid for it, than to stay busy while working for chicken feed. Clients will recommend us for more work and refer us to friends, business associates and acquaintances. Plus, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we’re doing the job right.
It’s an old saw, but it’s true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If designers and architects took advantage of available learning opportunities from the Marble Institute of America and other groups that offer courses on care and cleaning, they could prepare the client for the potential maintenance problems well in advance.
How does this pro-active course help my business out? Yes, I could make more money from fixing the mistakes of the uneducated and make more money off of one or two clients if I allowed them to make costly mistakes over and over again. But if I milk the cow dry, I also become my own butcher.
I want to continue to milk the clients but only for what they need, not what I want. It has to be a win/win situation; if I don’t show that I have my clients’ best interests at heart, someone else could (and should).
When I look out for my customers, they’re more-apt to appreciate my honesty and continue to do business with us, regardless of all the low-ball quotes they receive regularly. They know that we know what we’re talking about and that our competition is only looking out for themselves, not them. They know that we’ll seriously fill their needs and not keep coming for handouts.
It’s a business strategy that works. It keeps my kids in clothes and, hopefully, in the best schools.
Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.
Tom McNall is founder and owner of Great Northern Stone Care, a Huron Park, Ontario-based stone-cleaning and -restoration company servicing all of southern Ontario. Tom offers corporate and private consultations, serves as a trainer for the Marble Institute of America, and is also on the organization’s board of directors. McNall can be reached at stone_rx@earthlink.net.
© 2010 Western Business Media
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