Marble Sealing San Diego? View "Before & After" photos!

James Toth, Marble Pro Tony's Best Way Cleaning
of San Diego, CA

The following applies to marble, soapstone and various other high maintenance stone types. If you have searched "Marble Sealing San Diego", you have definitely come to the right spot!

Hello! My name is James Toth. Before we get started, here is a quick recap on my qualification to speak on marble sealing:

We are a "father and son" San Diego Stone Cleaning and Restoration Service, an important part of our larger cleaning firm we established in 1971 - over four decades ago. I and my team clean, polish, seal and reseal, hone and restore all types of stone flooring and counters back to their beautiful natural state.

Marble is a striking and elegant stone, and a lot of our clients have picked marble as their stone of choice for their homes. Most of our clients are aware that marble is very porous and so they call us to have it professionally sealed (or resealed) if they are concerned that their original stone sealer has worn away.

WARNING: Having a professional apply a professional grade sealer on on your marble is absolutely the correct course of action to take, but before you do so, read the following. There are widespread misconceptions about stone sealers and coatings -and that includes professional marble sealers. Failure to develop the proper understanding will very likely be to your stone's detriment.

Common Misconceptions about Sealing Marble

Because you want the best for your stone and so do your Tony’s Best Way Stone Services technicians, it's important to know the following:

There are unfortunately common misconceptions about different sealers (and coatings) and the purpose they serve and do not serve when applied to stone. When we come out to seal your stone, ask for the handout that explains the following in greater detail. In the meantime, read the following for a summary of the misconceptions.

Misconception #1: "If my marble is sealed, it's protected with a layer of defense against water stains, ring marks, spills and stains."

Even properly sealed stone, especially marble, travertine, and soapstone, are very porous and susceptible to etch marks, stains due to water, improper cleaners, acid-containing drinks or sauce spills, etc.

Even the best sealer cannot guarantee stone is completely protected and it will still require you to immediately deal with all spills. The best sealer only gives your stone a small window of time in which you can much more likely be able to soak up spills, and clean and dry affected stone before the spill soaks in.

Misconception #2: "But last time I (or, my friend) had a great sealer (or, a coating) applied to the marble and it made it shiny and it did act like a 'layer of defense'! "

This is a huge misconception. The product in question is not referring to a proper marble sealing product. It is referring to a vastly different product that may tout itself as a marble stone sealer, but in reality is a "topical sealer” or, more properly named, a marble stone "coating".

The number one thing to know about this product is its positive effects are temporary and its negative effects are extremely likely and damaging. Coatings or "topical sealers” are definitely not an appropriate treatment for sealing marble, soapstone and other similar stones.

Coatings or "topical sealers” act differently than the quality solvent-based impregnating sealer we and other quality San Diego stone polishing companies apply to marble.

How can you, as a consumer, tell the difference? A simple question is to ask yourself, "Where does the sealer I use come from?" Topical sealers do not need to be professionally applied. They can be purchased at home improvement stores or grocery stores. Products for sale to the public that promise to “shine up your stone” or "seal stone" are a dead giveaway that they are the "topical sealer/coating" type.

We advise all our marble and similar stone owing clients to steer clear of all such products. In our Tony’s Best Way professional experience, the risk is 100% for at least one serious adverse effect. Stone coatings often look and act great... for a time. They are actually responsible for countless acts of damage to stone, which usually becomes apparent 6-12 months after application.

"Oh, no! I have purchased and used "shine and seal" bottled products! My stone looked great at the onset but now I do see cloudy floors, and mopping accomplishes nothing!"

We see this damage in San Diego homes all the time. We can sometimes still get great results for our clients that have used these damaging products, but unfortunately the only way to remove them is through a process called “stripping” and, lamentably, stripping itself holds a real risk to stone.

Stripping involves a powerful solvent. There is always a risk of damage from stripping solvent and our clients that wish us to proceed need to understand and accept that risk. If damage occurs due to stripping, we will likely recommend more serious (and more expensive stone procedures) such as diamond honing and polishing in order to repair the stone damage that really originated from the prior use of improper topical sealers.

I understand all of the above and would like Tony’s Best Way to come out and evaluate my stone, and give me their professional opinion.

We are happy to do so! Please give us a call at: