The technical characteristics of agglomerate stone (AG) issue and information regarding sealing recommendations.
- Stone Agglomerates: The first thing you need to do is ascertain if the AG is porous and acid sensitive. If the stone is porous then it will certainly need sealing. The best sealers are our water based Stone Sealer or Sealers Choice. However if the stone is polished (which most are) and has an acid sensitive surface then it will most likely require surface protection. This will seal the stone from contaminant staining and provide an easily repaired sacrificial surface finish. These types do not have any porosity. However once the resin surface is scratched and the polished compromised they cannot be re-polished.
- Maintenance for the penetrating sealed stone is regular cleaning with a neutral cleaner (Stone Cleaner) and periodic heavy duty cleaning with Stone Deep Clean or 1&2 Deep Clean.
- Note: Pro Solv 10 can be used on some AG. However you need to do a test as solvent sealers can have an adverse effect on some resin binders. The higher the stone content the less chance of a problem.
- Quartz Agglomerates: You will remember that this is the “bullet proof” category according to manufacturers. Our tests show otherwise. They are certainly very good – however there are some colours that do stain and hence require sealing. The best sealer for these types of AG is either Stone Sealers Choice or Pro Solv 10. Our Pro Solv does not create any problem with the binders used primarily because there is so little of it (most manufacturers claim more than 98% stone content) and they are usually epoxies or polyesters. Using Pro Solv 10 allows the installer to apply sealer in a conventional manner. If Sealers Choice is used then application must include a longer dwell time for the sealer to penetrate before clean up. Maintenance is as above – neutral for routine and alkaline for heavy duty.