Correction and restoration jobs around the house is a common thing that we all need to do once in a while to keep our surfaces looking good and well-maintained. When it comes to cleaning, sealing or repairing hard surfaces, most of us have tried the Do-It-Yourself methods. The adventure or challenge bug bites us hard when it comes to restoring our living spaces. But honestly, how many of you have got totally satisfying results in cleaning, sealing or repairing your surfaces yourself? In this article, we will explain the importance of hiring a tub, tile, grout, stone and caulk Restoration Service provider for bringing that permanent sheen to your surfaces.
Common Problems with Hard Surfaces and How to Solve them?
Tile and Grout:
Ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tile raise the beauty of the surface if taken care of with the right products. Natural stone enables water to penetrate deep within leading to unhygienic conditions. Etching is caused on the surface due to the use of acidic cleaners. Similarly, grout is a cement based material which is very porous and allows the passage of all liquids. If it is not maintained properly, it can ruin the look of the entire surface no matter how clean the tile is.
You should go for a restoration company which has highly trained artists, who clean your surface using a high quality penetrating cleaner that soaks deep into tile and grout to remove all the stains mold and mildew at the root level. Imperia Deep Clean is one of the cleaners which can eliminate the issues without damaging the surface. Once the professional cleans your tile and grout, he should cover the grout with a quality sealer like Caponi®, which closes the pores to make the surface waterproof. Similarly, he can coat your tile with a clear topical solvent based resin like Celine, which adds a coating protection to the surface while adding a slight sheen.
Caulk:
Caulk tends to peel off in wet conditions and crack in dry settings while making the corners look bad. No matter what caulk has been applied in the corners, it will always fail within months.
You should hire a restoration company who has the permanent solution for this issue and their experts know how to use a powerful adhesive like Sentura, waterproofing the corners with its thin lines. instead of caulk.
What is the Problem with Do-It-Yourself Methods?
All these are recurring problems at home. There is no denying that you feel productive and you save yourself from the cost of hiring a professional, but at the end of the day, don’t you feel was it really worth it? Now if you feel that you can easily tackle tile, grout, stone and caulk restoration yourself with some easy-peasy Do-it-yourself methods then you should be aware of the problems before plunging into the task.
- Insufficient knowledge about the restoration process will not give desired results.
- You may end up wasting a lot of money and time.
- Lack of knowledge of the right products will lead to money wastage and harm to the surfaces. You may also not get the desired results due to the wrong products.
- Lack of knowledge of wearing the right gear may lead to bodily harm.
- You need to have knowledge about removing the pre-existing sealers before applying the fresh ones, else the new ones may look messy and hazy.
- It is also possible that you end up permanently damaging your costly floorings or countertops.
- You may lose the patience or get tired mid-way and get non-uniform finishing as a result. Trained professionals know how much time and effort the specific area will take and begin accordingly.
- You may not know later how to clean the mess or excess buildup and this may lead to imperfect results.
There are also some benefits. You reduce the cost of hiring a professional and you also get to learn something new by trying yourself. But when you compare the above-mentioned problems with the very few benefits of Do-It-Yourself, obviously the inclination is more towards the problems.
Why should you Hire a Professional for Restoration?
If you are determined to do it yourself, you should just read the benefits of hiring a pro before you begin.
- Professionals get in-depth training in restoration procedures.
- They are better equipped with safety gear and the right equipment.
- After that, they first scan the area to be restored and by the products accordingly. You might miss these flaws if you are planning to do a DIY.
- They can give you a perfect estimate of the time, labor and cost involved before they begin
- You can expect your surfaces to look new.
- They first clean the surface using heavy-duty cleaners and only then proceed to further restoration.
- These service providers will then check for repairs, if any, and only then seal the surface step-by-step.
- They also perform polishing and honing as per your requirement. Honing renders matte finish while polishing gives a brilliant sheen.
- Experts know that every natural stone is different and requires a different approach and procedure. It is their job to analyze the size of the floor, type of stone, cracks and chips, pre-existing sealers, missing or cracked grout and such other important points about the natural stone before they begin their restoration process.
The only downside of hiring a professional restoration service contractor is that your expenses might go a little high. But, that too, when you calculate the expenses incurred on the products, your time invested and the risk factors, again, the inclination is more towards hiring a pro.
What Factors should you keep in Mind Before Hiring a Professional Restoration Service Contractor?
It is not necessary that all the service providers are good and efficient. Before hiring you need to take note of a few factors before you sign the deal.
To hire an expert tile, grout, stone and caulk restoration contractor, you have to make sure of the following:
- Labor Warranty: Not everyone offers a labor warranty on their services and it is better to choose a service provider that offers a warranty to feel safe about your investment.
- Step-by-step procedures starting with cleaning, repairing chips and cracks, grout restoration and eventually stone sealing.
- Ask about the kind of sealants they use. Some of you might prefer a natural look that is rendered by a clear-solvent topical sealer while some of you might prefer a lush sheen which requires a different kind of oil-based sealer.
The Difference in Services Offered by Professionals and Do-It-Yourself:
Do not consider yourself as a superhuman being when it comes to grout cleaning and sealing. The procedure can be tiring and you might end up doing unsatisfactory work, wasting time, energy and products. Look at the images below. The tile looks dirty and the caulking is peeling. Even the grout has blackened.
Tile Cleaning – When you clean your tile yourself, you do not have the knowledge or experience in starting in the right direction. You may also get tired mid-way. Without specialized equipment, if you try to plunge into the task manually, you are bound to get tired in-between or not use the right amount of effort required. You may also not use the right products. Professionals know exactly which products to buy. Often, good and experienced professionals go for heavy-duty cleaners like Imperia Deep Clean.
Caulk – you may think that re-caulking will solve the problems in your shower corners. If your caulk has deteriorated, you find it easy to get a new caulking tool and fix it yourself. But a good professional will never use caulk. They will use permanent-results offering products that seal your shower corners forever. Most professional companies, who guarantee their results, know the problems with caulk. They use epoxy resin adhesives that give better results.
Sealing – you may use water-based sealants that eventually wear-off within a few months. A good professional company would only use epoxy-resin topical sealers to seal your tile.. They will also, never seal your tile without sealing the grout. Sealing tile without sealing the grout will give a hazy appearance on your tile. Before hiring a service provider, you should discuss these at length to decide whether the company is genuinely reliable or not.
Repairing Holes and Cracks – You might think that you can easily repair a hole or pit in your tile or grout by replacing the tile with a spare tile and re-grouting. But an experienced professional company will reduce this unnecessary cost for you by suggesting an epoxy resin that can perform seamless repairs, without the need for replacing the entire tile.
After reading all these factors, you must be convinced about hiring a professional restoration service contractor instead of a DIY. Your tile, grout, stone and caulk restoration will be handled by them in a better way. If you are still clueless about finding a good company, you can try hiring the services of D'Sapone®. It is a leading stone, tile, grout, brick and glass restoration service provider in the US. They only use products manufactured by pFOkUS® – a paramount restoration products manufacturing company.