Recently I had the opportunity to interview an expert with 37 years of experience in the stone fabricating profession. Gene Bowers owns Team Marble and Granite in Idaho and Utah, and he has been working with a variety of stone surfaces over the course of his career. His clients live in luxury homes and they sometimes request exotic stone materials for kitchen or bathroom items such as countertops and sinks. These areas of the home are more prone to staining and more susceptible to damage. Most stone fabricators seal stone products such as these for maximum durability. Gene had been using standard sealers up until 2005, when he discovered the new generation of sealants for stone, by Tekon Universal Sciences. In this interview, he explains why he prefers to use Tekon’s Easy-Clean for Granite, Marble, Stone and Tile, rather than traditional sealers.

Q. What kinds of stone surfaces are you sealing at Team Marble and Granite? A. We deal with natural stones such as limestone, marble, travertine, slates, granite, calcite, onyx and some manufactured stone.

Q. What makes Tekon’s stone sealing product superior to others you’ve used in your work in the past? A. Tekon US is providing a complete system for stone: to clean, seal, protect, and maintain it. This is important. Tekon US has introduced the next generation of the stone sealant. Other products provide a seal, but need to be reapplied every one to three years. Once the other type of sealer is applied, there is no way to predict what the client is going to clean it with, and this is a problem. Before using Tekon’s products, we were sending teams out to clients’ homes where red wine had spilled on the countertop. Our team would soak the spot with a poultice and reseal the surface. These calls are time consuming. There is really not a lot of profit in this sort of maintenance call, but we feel obligated to our clients to provide follow-up for stone surfaces we installed. Now we use Tekon US stone sealer, and the red wine spill does not even penetrate the coated surface.

Q. Once Team Marble and Granite has departed, how does the client maintain the stone surface? A. If the client wants to bring the stone surface back to the original luster, and help seal and protect the surface they can use the Empowered Daily and Empowerd Plus Weekly spray. No rinsing or scouring is necessary. Empowered shines chrome, and cuts through grease and fat. Empowerd sprays kill bacteria and viruses. This spray cleans and sanitizes the surface and actually helps restore the seal. Now that’s revolutionary.

Q. Are there other unique attributes to the Tekon Universal Sciences system of sealing and maintaining stone? A. Yes. Tekon Universal Sciences provides microfiber cloths for sealant applications and for the Empowered Daily and Empowered Plus Weekly spray. Used dry, the microfiber cloth electro-statically picks up dust, surface dirt, lint, hair and so much more. No more sneezing - micro fiber holds the dust particles rather than just pushing them along - all without chemicals. Tekon US treatment produces a positive charged surface that repels dust. Micro fiber produces a negative static charge that attracts dust and dirt like a magnet. With microfiber, there is no after lint, no streaking. Q. Have you run across other stone cleaners and sealants that can do the job Tekon US products do? A. Many stone fabricators don’t bother testing new products. They’re using a standard product because they’ve always used it. In order to remain competitive in the stone fabricating business, I feel I have to try new things. In my research, I have found that other sealant companies have not looked at the separate elements of sealing the stone. For example, one company may produce a product that cleans stone and another company produces a product to seal stone. Tekon’s product cleans, protects, and maintains stone, which is why it’s so different. Also, other stone cleaning and sealing products are more focused on anti-bacterial products, which consumers are requesting right now. Tekon’s products are anti-bacterial, too, which satisfies this consumer need. But to answer your question – no – I have not seen or used a product that addresses the entire process of cleaning, sealing, and protecting stone like Tekon does.

Q. Is the Tekon US stone sealing process difficult to use on porous stone surfaces? A. As I said, we use Tekon’s products on a lot of different types of stone surfaces. Black granite and white marble are different. We apply it to a variety of surfaces: polished, antique, honed, brushed and sand blasted. There are appropriate and recommended protocols for different types of stone and stone surfaces. If the protocols are followed, the end product always looks great and is protected, too.

Q. How has your client base reacted to using Tekon’s products? A. One customer we have requested a lavastone countertop. She selected the material and she knew it was going to be problematic. We’ve sent out teams to clean and reseal it. The last time we returned to her home, we presented the Tekon Easy Clean for Granite, Marble and Stone kit. We refinished it with Tekon’s product, sealed it and gave her a microfiber cloth and the Empowered Plus spray. Two weeks later she phoned our offices with a request to coat her shower area. She is a great example of the type of client Team Marble and Granite values and wants to provide excellent service to.

Q. So, why would a consumer prefer Tekon US over another standard sealant? A. They can plainly see that Tekon’s sealant is more durable and resistant to stain or damage over the long run. It is easier to maintain and less expensive because there are no more service calls. Having one readily available product for countertops solves the user’s maintenance issues.