Natural Stone Cleaning
Natural stone shows up around San Diego County pools in three forms:
All three build calcium. Stone is more porous than tile, which means it absorbs minerals deeper into the surface and responds poorly to chemical methods that work on glass or porcelain.
Stone Does Not Forgive Acid
Acid washing is common advice for calcium removal, and on natural stone it causes irreversible damage. Acid etches the surface, strips the natural finish, and can permanently discolor or pit travertine, limestone, and sandstone.
Once stone is etched, the damage does not reverse. The surface has to be replaced.
Media blasting lifts calcium off stone physically without chemicals. We match the media and the pressure to the porosity of each stone, because a setting that suits dense cut stone can damage softer flagstone.
Etched stone cannot be cleaned back to its original finish.
It has to be replaced. We use media blasting instead.
How We Clean Stone
We treat coping, decking, and accent stone as distinct jobs inside the same visit. Coping sits at the waterline and takes direct calcium exposure. Decking and accent walls build up from splash and irrigation instead, which means different deposit patterns and different pressure requirements.
After blasting, we can apply a color enhancer to restore the original depth on sedimentary stones that lost their patina during cleaning. The patina returns naturally over time, so the enhancer is optional.
See real results on the Cut Stone, Flagstone, and Stacked Stone gallery pages.
Know What to Look For
Stone does not forgive a guess. It is worth a professional assessment before anyone touches it with acid or a pressure washer.
Send a few photos of your coping, decking, or accent stone. We will tell you what it needs, no obligation.
