Replies

1. 
   Rich_ | Dec 23, 2001 11:42pm | #1

   *
   I bet you let the stain dry out before you attempted removal. What sealer did you use after installation? You did seal the stone, right?

   Depending on what juice (citric?) was spilled you may have to get more drastic. Have you tried a white vinegar and corn startch poultice?

   Also, try saturating the area with clean water. Puddle the water--use sand filled tube socks for perimeter containment--and let the stone absorb the water. When the stone is saturated reverse the process of water entering the stone into one of water leaving the stone. Requires lots of dry towels to absorb the water back out of the stone.

1. 
   piffin_ | Dec 24, 2001 01:57am | #2

   *Limestone is very soft and porous, especially when first milled. Exposure to oxygen gradually hardens it up but before that it is very easy to work on. The ancients used it lots because of this for carvings and buildings.Marble is actually a limestone that has been reformed under heat and/or pressure so it is still brittle too.

1. 
   mark_holbrook | Dec 24, 2001 05:33am | #3

   *Try oxyclean as seen on TV. Also sold here at Sams Club. It's supposed to remove organic stains such as juice. I believe it is basically hydrogen peroxide on steroids.

1. 
   iron_helix | Dec 25, 2001 03:09pm | #4

   *Andy,Do you have any scrap limestone left from the job?How about any more juice? If yes to both questions start your experiment.Stay away from mineral acids such as muriatic, phosphoric, or acetic----they will etch the limestone via a chemical reaction with the calcium carbonate that constitutes the bulk of the makeup of the limestone. The same goes doubly for sulfuric acid drain cleaner.Take a look at some of the laundry stain removers and follow Rick's advice on flooding of water and sopping up with towels as an application and removmal method for propspective chemical fixes that work on the samples.Good luck................if all else fails paint the whole floor with juice!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?...........................Iron Helix

1. 
   SHGLaw | Dec 25, 2001 03:51pm | #5

   *Let this be a lesson to you, Andy. From now on, either drink only beer on the job or if you have to drink grape juice, use one of those sippy cups that can't spill.SHG

2. 
   C_Johnson | Dec 30, 2001 11:24am | #6

   *One of my old customers swears by Ajax. We installed quite a bit of travertine and tumbled marble in her house in '95 and it looked like new as of two months ago.

2. 
   ANDY_C._CLIFFORD | Dec 30, 2001 11:24am | #7

   *
   Limestone sucks...literally. I installed a fairly nice sized entry with white limestone and black granite dots and border. It got stained with juice so I tried getting the stains out with very intense cleaner. Didn't work. Tried poultice (two different brands) didn't work. Not only didn't it get out the juice but it barely got out the scuff marks. Limestone may be good on walls....has a real nice soft look to it but for floors.....I don't get it. I've installed miles of marble, granite and ceramic.......had no idea what I was in for with the limestone. Just lettin' all ya ll know cause I'd hate anyone to go through what I have with it. Maybe colored limestone is better but I doubt its worth the aggrivation. Grrrrrrr.......