Mar
12

An Education On Crystallization

on March 12th, 2010

There are many opinions when it comes to the best way to maintain polished marble and terrazzo floors. With regards to what is best, no one should claim – or can claim – such.

One of the most popular methods is crystallization. Before we delve into this topic, let us first review some points:

• The first crystallization product for maintaining polished marble and terrazzo was developed in the 1960s by Jorge Riera More’, who owns a company in Barcelona, Spain, named Coor & Kleever. Hardly a new process.

• The Coor & Kleever crystallizer contains no wax, and has been used for decades to maintain polished stone surfaces in many of the finest casinos, resorts, homes and public buildings around the world.

• The process is designed as a safe maintenance procedure to remove the light wear patterns, created by foot traffic, in the polished surface.

• This is achieved by chemically transforming microns of the surface from calcium carbonate to calcium fluorosilicate.

• Laboratory tests have proved that this chemical transformation creates a more-durable finish, thus enabling the polish on marble to last longer under foot traffic.

A large part of the success that crystallization has seen over the decades is due to its ease of use and production as compared to alternative methods of maintaining stone surfaces. However, just because something is easy, does not provide enough merit for use.

With that being said, I’ll attempt to provide you with the benefits and drawbacks of this widely accepted process.

WHEN AND WHERE TO USE

To begin with, there is no one product or process that is the be-all and end-all to maintaining polished marble & terrazzo. Crystallization is simply one method of many that may or may not be the application of choice depending on the floor.

Obviously, you would not want to use crystallization on a honed, non-reflective surface. This process is meant only for polished surfaces. If you are confronted with maintaining a large polished marble or terrazzo floor with high foot traffic, an excellent way for maintaining this polish, more times than not, will be crystallization.

Keep in mind that, today, some crystallizers contain wax. This can create a build-up on the stone surface over time. When this happens, you will need to use an alkaline detergent, recommended by a professional in the industry, to remove this build-up. If the alkaline detergent does not remove the build up, then you will need to use diamond abrasives to remove the build-up before continuing the maintenance program.

There are proven crystallization products in the market place that contain zero wax. To find one of these no-wax crystallizers you can simply research the marketplace, find a company who claims their crystallizer contains no wax and have it analyzed. Then, you can be confident you’re on the right track to using the correct product.

Crystallization product with no wax will take much longer to create a build-up. If a build-up does eventually occur it will be from the chemical reaction, which we discussed earlier.

A proper maintenance program should not allow the crystallization to build up on the stone surface. If you begin to see a build-up when using a no-wax crystallization product, you’re attempting to use the product in a way that it was not intended to be used.

This is a maintenance process, not a restoration process. By overusing a no-wax crystallizer and allowing it to build up on the surface, you’re pushing the product to remove deeper scratches in the surface that it cannot remove. This type of damage should be removed by restoring the floor with diamond abrasives.

Another popular method of maintaining polished marble is the use of powder/paste compounds, which contain oxalic acid or potassium oxalate, among other ingredients. Here, you’re attempting to recreate what happens in the stone processing factories around the world.

The factories polish most marble in a polishing line, running the material through a series of abrasive stones. The final polish is achieved by using something such as a 5X brick; this brick’s main ingredient is oxalic acid or potassium oxalate.

The factory polish is created by chemically transforming the marble surface with the acidic slurry from the 5X brick. This transformation changes microns of the surface from calcium carbonate to calcium oxalate.

Maintaining polished stone surfaces with oxalic acid compounds usually provides great results and is a widely accepted method. However, these types of products may have adverse effects on green and maroon stones. These compounds will also begin to build up on the surface if overused.

In many cases, the build up occurs quicker than crystallization. Also, when compared to crystallization, the process can be slow and messy.

FULFILLING THE NEED OF THE CUSTOMER

It’s impossible for the factory polish on marble to last forever under foot traffic. Therefore, these methods were created to fill a need for those who wanted a solution to their problem.

Both crystallization and oxalic acid compounds achieve very similar results. Both create a chemical transformation, and both achieve a high degree of reflectivity on the stone surface. Depending on the situation, one may be better suited than the other.

But no one process is best for everything. These two methods are only portions of a maintenance program for polished stone surfaces.

In the end, when looking for a complete maintenance program for natural stone, I would suggest that you ask for name brands proven to be successful with decades of documented historical evidence, and backed by trained, qualified people or firms familiar with stone and the stone industry.

paul Lundberg

Paul Lundberg – VMC Technical Assistance Corp.

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Jan
6

Solar cell

on January 6th, 2010

As the world’s oil resources dwindle by the minute, countries are scrambling to develop technologies that would power up in the future without oil. One of the most promising in this field is the utilization of solar cell energy. At present, some countries have already taken big steps to develop and make use of this technology. It had already been powering up buildings and some homes.

Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

To capture the massive solar energy that is all around us, there is for developing better solar cells that would better utilize the exploitation of this natural resource. But how do these solar cells is made?

Most of the solar cells that are being sold are made of polysilicon. These are the cells use in small solar panels being installed on homes or in solar-powered calculators. These cells are usually placed as a group because even though a single cell can produce some power but for much higher energy needs, a group of cells would be much more efficient.

The manufacturing of solar cell energy begins in the preparation of silicon. The most commonly used is silicon oxide. It would first be subjected to high heat in a furnace which purifies it by 99 percent. It would still be purified until it reaches a purity of 99.5% which would make it ready to be made into cells.

Next would involve the crystallization of the purified silicon. The silicon would be melted and boron would be added to it. The boron would help generate the electrical basis of the silicon. These solar cells are now called the p-type or positively charged cells. The cells are still in what they call as ingots. They would still need to be cut very precisely (around 200-300 microns) by a computer guided cutter before the cells can be ready for the next step.

Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

The next step would involve the immersion of the cells in a negatively charged chemical with water. Then, an anti-reflective layer would be added to make the cells absorb not reflect the sun’s energy. This is what makes the solar cells look dark in the panels which are usually black or dark blue. Then, aluminum and silver conductors would be added so that the electricity produced by the cells can be transferred and stored to a battery.

Finally, the cells would be placed on a panel. The usual appearance would be in rows or columns although there are quite few that takes in different shapes. To protect it from damage because they are very fragile, a transparent glass or plastic would be placed over the cells. Frames would be added to keep the cells intact and for added protection as well. Now, the solar panel is now ready to be installed.

Before, the main problem of scientists is that solar cells are not efficient enough to produce electricity that could power even a single household. That is why it had been neglected for use as power source in the past. But now, solar cells have improved efficiency and its cost is staring to get cheaper than before. As science advances its study on solar cells, we are well on our way in fully solar cell energy to power our homes as well as the future of our planet.

Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

Best Residential Solar Energy Systems and other Related Resources:

Magniwork Magnetic Energy Generator – How would you like to create a generator which creates free electric energy? Using our easy-to-follow guide, you will be able create a Magnetic Power Generator which creates absolutely free energy, and doesn’t require any resource like wind or solar energy to function, the magniwork generator creates energy by itself and powers your home for free. The generator works fully off the grid.

GreenDIYEnergy is a guide on how to start generating your own green energy at home. Developed by Ultimate Results, LLC, GreenDIYEnergy’s page promises to give users a step-by-step video and manual on building and installing their own personal solar panels. GreenDIYEnergy’s site also gives users a snek peek at the video that shows them how to buld and install their own solar panels.

Homemade Energy is fast becoming the buzz word in environmental circles. Consumers are becoming fed up with the problems associated with using conventional energy resources. Tired of rising costs, changing our lifestyle and in some cases being subjected to rationing, many home owners are turning to the newest trend in energy conservation DIY Solar Power Kits. A number of companies are now producing homemade energy guides, available for instant download on the internet, which give you step by step instructions on how to assemble the materials for your own DIY solar power kits.

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May
15

Two Marble Floor Polishing Methods

on May 15th, 2009

Prior to the past 15 years, Marble was largely reserved for commercial and public buildings, monuments and a very small number of supremely expensive, private mansions. In these applications, the marble was scrubbed with soap and water while it slowly lost its luster. Recently, marble has become affordable to a new class of corporate executives and entrepreneurs with aspirations to live well and display their success. These newly wealthy believe that the appearance of their homes reflects on their success, so dirty, stained, and dull marble just will not do.

 

Maintaining marble floors to a new standard of beauty requires new knowledge and new materials. Two distinct methods have evolved to maintain the acres of marble flooring installed in homes and commercial buildings in recent years. One method is based on the traditional method of grinding a new surface while the other method relies on a chemical reaction to increase the reflectivity of the marble surface. Both methods require a through cleaning of the marble surface and meticulous precautions to protect the surroundings. Although the traditional method appears messier because of the copious quantities of wastewater produced, the chemical method requires that the surroundings be carefully protected from the acids and reactive chemicals used to produce the reflective surface.

 

Several manufactured imitations can reproduce the colors and patterns of marble floors, but the beauty of natural marble is a result of its physical composition: calcite, which is a crystalline form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from metamorphosed limestone. Calcium carbonate crystals have a low level of light dispersal that allows light to penetrate the surface of the stone before being reflected back to the viewer. This gives the surface an appearance of depth and the reason that the ancient Greeks called the stone marmaros (shining stone). An accumulation of tiny, even microscopic, scratches on the surface of these crystals will disperse light at the surface instead of allowing it to reflect from the back of the crystals.

 

The traditional restoration method grinds and polishes the surface of the calcite smooth with successively finer and finer abrasives until the light entering the crystal is reflected off of the back of the crystal.

 

The chemical method, commonly called crystallization, relies on applying a very thin coating of a magnesium compound that is then heated by friction with steel wool pads to create small crystals of a magnesium compound in the surface scratches. A weak acid, such as Oxalic Acid, reacts with the calcium carbonate to make the carbonate available for reaction with the magnesium. The chemical solutions frequently include silica and fluoride in the magnesium compounds that create new fused compounds that handle light unlike the original, natural marble.

 

There is valid reasoning behind using magnesium compounds; many naturally occurring marbles contain a percentage of magnesium carbonate, although the stone is termed dolomite if the percentage of magnesium carbonate exceeds the percentage of calcium carbonate. The finest, white marbles are 98% and 99% calcite.

 

Crystallization produces a glossy surface of tiny, fused magnesium compounds on the surface of the marble. Although this is a smooth surface, it lies on the surface of the calcite and tends to reflect light instead of allowing it to penetrate to the back of the calcite. A few applications of the crystallization method will produce a high gloss without seeming to diminish the depth produced by the reflection of the calcite, but as successive applications of acids and magnesium compounds react with a greater percentage of the calcite crystals the surface appears to take on a plastic like surface gloss without the depth of light reflection characteristic of natural marble. Companies using the crystallization method tend to measure their results with a glossmeter, to measure the amount of reflected light, ignoring the difference between surface reflectivity and deep crystal reflection. To regain the original deep reflectivity of the natural marble, eliminate the plastic appearance, and repair the acid etched surface of the underlying calcite, the magnesium compound coating must be removed with traditional grinding and polishing methods.

 

 

yuxiang granite tile,quartz stone and marble tile

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Apr
15

Natural Stone Tiles Reviewed

on April 15th, 2009

Interest in all the Natural Stone Tiles continues to escalate, for example limestone, marble, and granite. This family of natural materials requires thorough understanding, laying by a professional tiler and an adequate care and maintenance program. Having said that, it is no exaggeration to say that ceramic tile manufacturers worldwide have become passionate about replicating the look of Natural Stone Tiles. There are ceramic tiles that look like timber, slate, marble, granite and in some cases the effect is so realistic you have to bend down and actually feel the material. That is interesting, because no matter which way you look at it, nobody really spends a lot of time feeling carpet or vinyl, but tile, in whatever form, invites consumers to touch it. It is as if that will impart a better understanding of its aesthetic possibilities or true potential.

Natural Stone cannot be truly imitated. No two pieces are really the same and it is important to recognise that it is necessary to exhibit as much care in material selection at the installation stage as it is at the point of purchase.

It is important to note that maintenance is a key issue, but in spite of potential difficulties, the Natural Stone Tile family offers magnificent potential for the creation of a floor or wall finish that will remain durable and aesthetically pleasing for a lifetime.

Limestone

Rock that is mainly made of calcite, a mineral form of calcium carbonate, is known as limestone. It forms when the carbonate crystallises out of solution. This can evolve in many different ways, leaving behind a different kind of limestone every time.

Most limestone is typically grey; however, almost every other colour has been found over time.

Limestone can form almost completely without the presence of acid from organisms. It is simply forced out of solution, by evaporation. More often, though, limestone is formed by the work of organisms, such as aquatic ones.

Limestone makes an excellent building material because it can be easily worked. It can even be used for the purification of waste water and gases! Most limestone tends to be of fairly uniform tonality but, as always, the exception confirms the rule – some limestones have strong markings, such as blotches or strong veins.

Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock, formed when limestone is subjected to enormous forces inside the earth’s crust. This process, called re-crystallization, causes changes in texture and composition. Fossilized materials, along with carbonates, form large, coarse grains of calcite. Any impurities present affect the mineral composition and the colour of the marble that forms.

Marble is found in many countries and in all corners of the globe.Today, the quarrying and production of marble is a very involved and highly automated process using a variety of purpose -built machines. Nevertheless, the human eye remains the crucial factor when evaluating and classifying the product.

Marble has long been valued for its beauty and strength; it was and still is widely used in buildings, monuments and sculptures. Even the ancient Greeks used marble for just this purpose; and who has not heard of Michelangelo, the undisputed master from Carrara who used marble for his statues?

Granite

Granite is classified as an igneous rock. It is formed when hot magma from the earth’s core cools very slowly and crystallizes. The mineral grains that are formed are large enough to be clearly distinguishable; interlocked like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. This is what makes Granite very strong and durable – ideal for building and construction.

Granitic rock makes up a large part of every continent on this earth. Its main mineral ingredients – quartz, alkali and plagioclase feldspar, hornblende and biotite mica will – determine (by and large) its colour.

On rare occasions, such as volcanic eruptions, the granitic magma cools too quickly to form large crystals. The resulting rock, called rhyolite, has the same mineral composition as granite but is fine grained.

Granite is a popular material for surfaces subject to many and varied impacts, such as kitchen benches and vanities, steps and floors in ‘high traffic’ areas. Some granites have a quite spectacular appearance and are used for their visual impact, such as on facades.

To help you choose the perfect stone tiles for your project, order a free sample from the comprehensive selection at Stone Tiles.

You can also get some great tips by following the UK Tiles Blog.

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