POLISHED MARBLE FINISHES FOR A COUNTERTOP PT 3

Oily or Colored Substances Can Stain Marble

These are perhaps the kind of "stains" that most people are thinking of when they think of a stain. It is the additive process mentioned earlier in this article. This kind of stain happens when a colored substance is absorbed into a marble stone and then the liquid dries, leaving the color behind in the pores of the marble. These stains are not necessarily etched marks, they may only be stains. These stains can be removed from marble using a specially formulated poultice powder designed to reverse the staining process.

Stained Etching Can Occur in Marble

So what happens when a colored substance contains acid? You guessed it. It will stain the marble and cause an etch. So, it eats the calcite and delivers a colored substance that remains in the pores of the marble after the liquid dries. This requires the removal of the stain first. Then after you have reduced the blemish to only an etch, you remove the etch. And that brings us to our final kind of stain.

Rust, the Stubborn Stain

If you have ever tried to wash surface rust off a piece of metal then you understand just how stubborn stain rust can be. You might even say that rust is a stain to the extreme because it is an extreme stain. Most marble rust stains are caused by a piece of metal sitting on the marble while contacting water. The metal rusts and the water helps to deliver the rust to the pores of the marble.

Your first reaction to this scenario might be to try the stain remover poultice to remove the rust from the marble. However, it more than likely will not work. The most effective way to treat a rust stain is to use a rust remover for the marble to remove it. You should know though that you will also have to use etch remover after you have gotten the rust out because the marble will be etched during the rust removal process.

The importance of having adequate equipment to cut dekton and porcelain

Dekton, among other alternative stone materials, continues to grow in popularity for applications such as countertops, flooring, and both interior and exterior wall cladding. Being a hard dense product, it is crucial to use appropriate tooling during the fabrication process. Carlos Sustaita, production director for STA Granite, provides several important tips of advice for those working with compact sintered stone.

Why do products such as Dekton need special/different tools than those that are used for cutting granite and marble?

Material hardness is the key to understanding why you need different tools to fabricate Dekton. The material has a

very high density (ultra-compact), which means that if you don’t use proper tools, you can either break the tool or the material or even worse, damage the machinery.

The cutting process requires trimming the edges to release tensions. Then you have to follow cutting recommendations, which include using plenty of water, the proper speed, feed rate, etc. Once you follow the rules, it’s a piece of cake.

When doing edging on Dekton, What is the difference in the process compared to a natural stone?

In this sense, Dekton’s edge is very easy to work with since the material is very homogeneous, and it is easy to get very good results. Any fabricator can do it well on the first attempt.

What are some common mistakes that fabricators are making when it comes to cutting this material? And, what are some common mistakes with doing edging or doing sinkholes or something?

The main mistake is trying to fabricate Dekton as if it was a granite or quartz composite. You will fail if you use the same tools, speed rates, and so on. Another common mistake is trying to cut Dekton in uneven support. It is a common source of problems too.

Sometimes people ask about what machine is best to cut Dekton. I believe the key is not the machine but the tools and proper maintenance. I have seen people with very modest equipment doing amazing things and the other way around.

7 Keys for Cutting Ultra-Compact and Sintered Dekton and Porcelain Materials

1. Water

It may seem too simple or too intuitive to matter, but less than adequate water AND hoses positioned incorrectly is the most common error causing headaches among cutting these materials.

2. Check your table level

One of the more overlooked aspects of successful cutting is, to the degree that your table is not level in the horizontal plane, vibrations will occur. This unevenness can result in chipping and likely breaking the edge of your slab.

3. Buy the right blade

As cliche, as it may sound, choosing the right blade for the material you are processing, is critical.

4. Removing tensioning strips

While each manufacturer of ultra-compact and sintered porcelain materials may, or may not have tensioning strips built into the perimeters of each slab, if they are not removed before cutting, the slab is at higher risk of cracking or breaking.

5. Feed rate and RPMs

Using the same feed rate and RPMs you may be accustomed to when cutting other materials can be a recipe for trouble. Unlike fabricating more common materials such as marble and granite, we’ve seen the most success cutting ultra-compact and sintered porcelain materials when following a systemized approach is used.

6. Avoiding Plunging

While plunge cutting tends to be of little concern for most sawyers when cutting ultra-compact and sintered porcelain materials it can pose big problems resulting in cracking or breaking your slab.

7. Cutting Sinks

Projects requiring a sink cut-out can be an obstacle many fabricators dread. Since we already know plunging is not the ideal way to go about this, what are your options? When preparing a sink cut-out, it is advised to drill each of the four corners with a 1/2” core bit before to start initiating cutting.