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Okay, it isn't really a chainsaw, but leaving your hardwood, marble or laminate floor exposed to the vicious teeth of an unprotected chair can cause just as much damage as a whirring blade.  Appleby provides a new service, one that you should be excited about--because it saves you money!  We've recently come into possession of "Padlock" felt pads.  These pads are fantastic and replace the cheap or non-existent ones you generally find on the bottom of your manufactured chairs. 

Usually, the chair manufacturers place foot pads on the lowest possible priority.  The bottom of most chairs are not seen, yet most people don't think about how much damage they can do to a floor.  Appleby has seen lots of damage to all kinds of hard surface flooring.  It only makes sense to offer our customers a way to protect their floors with minimal cost.

If you notice that you have scratches around your kitchen table, or if you just feel it's time to have those cheap stick-on pads replaced with superior design and long-lasting quality, consider giving us a call to replace all the pads in our home.

Pad replacement is only $6 per pad (which includes labor) with a minimum of $125 order.

Give us a call today at (925) 866-1333 or (510) 351-5230.

 

We look forward to getting that chainsaw out of the house!

 

The Hard Surface Team

Appleby Cleaning and Restoration

Often we get customers calling the office and asking us what happened to their marble counter top.  It looked great when it was first installed, but now they notice frosty rings on the surface.  These are most often described as stains, but they are actually etch marks. 

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Granite is a fantastic material for the kitchen, and that’s why it’s found in so many homes.  While granite is highly acid-resistant and durable, it’s also hard.  And with the hardness comes a brittleness that will sometimes cause it to chip.  There are various ways to fix a chip in granite.  A popular method is to use an epoxy that is cured with UV light. If the actual chip in the granite is salvageable, reglue the chip into the void and fill the rest of the cracked areas with epoxy.  Once the epoxy has been exposed to the UV activator light, the excess can be scraped off with a sharp razor blade.  Once the excess is removed, the area is polished with a fine polishing cream to match the sheen of the existing granite.  Sometimes, with large chips more than one application of the epoxy may be required.  Another method for large chips is to fill with a mortar epoxy and paint to match.  The final step for this method is to coat with a lacquer to match the existing sheen.

 

 

We Americans like to keep things clean, especially in the bathroom.  With tile and grout, or marble, limestone or travertine, there can be rust stains in the grout lines at the base of the toilet.  Even with repeated scrubbing, these rust stains persist.

Don’t let it drive you crazy!

Most often these stains are caused by the iron collar at the base of the toilet.  This plumbing device, fitted with a wax ring, is the drain pipe end that takes away the water and waste when you flush the toilet.  Even if the grout has been sealed, moisture can activate rust, which comes up between the tiles to discolor the grout.  The easiest, most efficient way to fix this problem if aggressive cleaning won’t help, is to stain or paint the grout lines.  This process will cover the stained line and make your grout lines look clean again.  Another, more difficult solution, is to dig the grout out with a grout saw and replace it.  Either way, you will remove the rust and your bathroom will look clean again.

How do I fix my Marble Shower?

 

Nothing stays beautiful without help.  Just ask Kim Kardashian.  Marble makes a beautiful material for a shower enclosure, but it also requires maintenance.  Marble, unlike ceramic tile, absorbs water and needs to be cleaned and sealed every few years.  Soap and shampoo buildup can make marble appear dull, and this requires removing the soap scum and deep cleaning the surface.  Use high-alkaline or neutral-based cleaners.  Never use acidic cleaners, which will burn the stone.

When the marble is stripped of the soaps and shampoo films, sometimes it needs to be honed (wet sanded) to get rid of the imperfections of the surface caused by extended exposure to water and soap.  If a shiny surface is desired, polishing can also be performed.

Hire a trained professional to assess the shower after this cleaning/stripping process if you to advise you on further services.

Most showers used on a daily basis require cleaning and sealing every few years.  Even a well-sealed shower will build up soap and shampoo residues under normal use.  With proper maintenance, you can keep your shower looking beautiful year after year.  Just like Kim Kardashian.

 

 

Travertine is a beautiful flooring material. I’ve been in a thousand homes and seen travertine in some of the finest homes in California.  Tumbled travertine is a rustic version of the same material, but elicits an “Old World” feel, and because of its rustic look—(it doesn’t show dirt) is considered more forgiving than a smooth travertine floor.

Whatever type of travertine you have or desire, these are the Five Things You Should Know about the material to maintain this wonderful natural product.

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Put the words "stainless" and "steel" together, and you have two very powerful words that evoke a certain reaction from most people.  Kitchens that are high quality are often described as having "granite and stainless steel", two of the most cherished materials in the kitchen remodel industry.  What we in the industry find curious is that stainless steel can stain-and scratch and scuff.  I guess the same people came up with unbreakable glass.

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The Appleby Hard Surface Division is known for working on fine homes throughout the Bay Area.  Recently, a spectacular home in the Berkeley Hills was featured in Diablo Magazine’s February edition.

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Recently, we worked at a very nice home in Discovery Bay on the California Delta.  The owner had a problem.  He has a beautiful backyard with pillow-cut limestone (stones that are rounded on the edges) surrounding his infinity pool and hot tub, over-looking his boats and the shimmering waters of the Golden State.  (READ MORE AND SEE PICS!!!)

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The boys did a fun job in Atherton last week.  Appleby cleaned, honed, polished and sealed the light-colored limestone and replaced five tiles in this whimsical home decorated by JR. McDonald.  The colors, fabrics and artwork are amazing, all working together to produce a feeling of magic and surprising warmth. (READ MORE AND SEE PICS!!!)

 

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That’s right. We are not the best carpet cleaning company. We are not the best rug cleaning company either. We may not even be the best marble polishing company.

How do I know this?

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St. Dominic’s Church is San Francisco was built in the 20’s, and has been undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation since 1992.  Michael Rossi, a parishioner and the overseer of renovations for the past few years, decided Appleby Stone Restoration was his best choice for honing and polishing of the limestone and marble aisles.  What a wise man!

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When our dog Lucy was a puppy,

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Part of owning a home is trying to maintain it, and that means there will be workers. tradesmen and estimators coming through the door.

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Mark and I were talking last week about how to deal with people who have sticker shock when it comes to having marble, limestone or travertine polished---or really, any work that requires our trained techs to do work in their home.

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My name is Michelle and I play Tetris for a living! 

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