Becca Cranfield, Director of Athena Stonecare, has given her insights into the industry.
Athena Stonecare is a family run business headed up by myself and my husband Dave Cranfield. The Company was Founded by Dave in 2012 and is now firmly established as one of the leading stone restoration providers in the UK partnering with Mandrin Stone, Fired Earth and Artisans of Devizes to provide ongoing stone maintenance services. I joined the business in 2018 and originally took on a hybrid role as a second pair of hands on site while growing the business. I’m now more likely to be found networking, giving talks and managing client relationships. Dave leads a team of 4 on site and still carries out every site visit and sample.
The focus of our services is all about returning it to its original condition. It could be that a client is having a kitchen refit and wants to keep their existing stone floor. Or a new section of stone is being added to the property in an extension and the older stone needs to be refinished to match. It might even be as simple as the stone needing a refresh after a renovation project is complete. Occasionally we are even called in to rectify damage caused during a build, or an installation issue. Our goal is simply to help you to make sure that natural stone is a feature of your projects.
Outside of the services that we provide, we are passionate about providing guidance on how to care for stone. Our Athena Aftercare guide was developed in 2022 in response to requests for advice on how to keep the stone surfaces we restored looking as good as when we left. This is now distributed by stone suppliers and fabricators and is available for anyone who specifies or installs stone. Knowing how to care for stone is essential as soon as it is installed – and it’s not difficult if you know how. Stone is durable and so the only way to ensure its timelessness is by looking after it from day one.
As well as providing restoration services for projects with existing stone surfaces, we are also always on hand to offer advice. Being the people that see the stone in situ – and so often with avoidable issues – we are well placed to give an independent review. Our expertise are often called upon when selecting stone to comment on the suitability and note any specific care that the stone might need. We are always happy to review photos of stains, cracks and marks too and advise on the restorability. We want to make sure that anyone who chooses to use natural stone can enjoy it forever, whether they embrace the patina that develops over time or invest in professional maintenance to see it elegantly endure.
Achieving our SBID accreditation! This is a significant step in our journey as it shows that the industry is keen to learn more about natural stone. We are hopeful that the guidance we provide can help Interior Designers to make more informed choices when using natural stone. It is the most bespoke material that you could work with and so misunderstood. We are hoping that we can change that narrative and help more Designers to specify stone in their projects.
We have seen an increase in clients wanting to change the finish of their stone – from polished to honed or vice versa. This could be due to the tile only being available in a certain finish, or simply because the customer has changed their mind. This is one of the cool things about stone that lots of people don’t realise. You can change the finish at any point. This is common with worktops as a honed finish can be seen as a little more practical. Although it’s not actually more hard wearing, a matte/velvet finish will show scratches and marks a lot less obviously and make it a popular choice.
There is a huge focus on sustainability and quite rightly so. This is moving away from just looking at the carbon footprint or embodied carbon but also considering how to make a design timeless. Stone fits in well to this ethos. Not only does is outperform its counterparts in many measures of sustainability but it is also durable and restorable. Most importantly, it never goes out of fashion. A limestone floor will look as good with today’s pantone of the year as it does with next years.
We’ve always got lots of projects on the go as our average job size is 2-3 days. This high turnaround always keeps us on our toes. Intermingled with this, is a few large projects and some historic and prestigious properties that we’ve submitted quotes for more recently. You’ll have to keep an eye on our socials to see how we get on!
It’s a real honour and an opportunity for us to share out passion. We are looking forward to getting involved and meeting lots of members over the coming months.
About Athena Stonecare
Natural stone is an investment and we are committed to ensuring that its beauty endures. We specialise in working with marble, limestone, travertine, granite, and all types of natural stone, ensuring that stone will continue to be a beautifully sustainable feature within any property. As natural stone restoration experts we work with floors, worktops, shower walls, sinks and vanity units. The ongoing care of stone is important to us too and so we have developed a suite of advice and guidance on how to maintain the finish of any stone surface. This is distributed through stone suppliers across the UK and is also available to anyone who works with natural stone.
If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more.
If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.
One of the questions we are most frequently asked after we restore someone’s natural stone is: how do I keep it looking like this? It is this that led us to develop Athena Aftercare.
It's a concise guide explaining how to care for natural stone without needing a professional. Looking after natural stone shouldn’t be hard, expensive or time consuming. It is all about having the right advice from the moment it is installed.
Natural stone has been used in building for centuries so there is no denying that it is durable. With the right care and attention, it can also look beautiful for year to come. Being able to restore, repair and recycle stone also means that it is a great choice for anyone looking to build with sustainability and longevity in mind. After all, natural stone will never go out of fashion, so your limestone floor will always be on trend no matter how many times you change your furniture style, redecorate or renovate.
With each client that we see, we will spend around half an hour discussing the exact cleaning regime that we would recommend for their specific natural stone floor. The advice that we would give to someone with 150sqm of tumbled limestone who lives in the countryside with 3 dogs and a smallholding is slightly different to someone with a polished marble hallway in Central London. However, the basic principles are the same and we have simplified this into wet and dry-cleaning recommendations.
Dry Cleaning Stone flooring does not need to be wet-cleaned everyday in fact we would advise against it. It is important though to regularly sweep the floor to remove dirt, dust and debris that could easily scratch the stone surface. We advise against using a vacuum and recommend instead sweeping the floor. This is much quicker and efficient compared to vacuuming and doesn’t run the risk of scratching the floor.
Wet Cleaning One of the tricks with wet cleaning is not to over-wet the floor. Frequent use of a steam cleaner for example can damage the stone. When mopping the floor, it is also key to ensure that you do not let the dirty water dry into the floor. Especially with an open textured or pitted floor that is protected with an impregnating sealant.
The most important thing to remember when cleaning a natural stone floor is to use the right cleaning detergent. Many household cleaners are not stone safe as they contain acidic ingredients. Others will contain highly alkaline ingredients which can damage the sealant. PH neutral cleaning products will emulsify the dirt without risking damage to the sealant or the stone surface. For our clients, we recommend the range by Fila which are also eco-friendly and VOC free.
The good news is that when it comes to bathrooms, the rules are the same. Ensuring that only pH neutral cleaning products are used is of the utmost importance. It is worth considering other cleaning fluids used in the bathroom and how they could impact the stone. For example, bleach used to clean a toilet could damage a marble floor and many glass and mirror cleaners are acidic too. A little caution when cleaning can go a long way.
Probably the most important thing to be aware of with natural stone in a bathroom is the impact that even water itself can have. In a hard water area and the pH of the water is not 7. This means that water that is left to pool on a sink or drip down the walls of the shower, will leave hard water deposits on the surface that can eventually etch the surface of the stone. We always advise clients to cleaning the shower and bath area daily. The easiest and most effective way is to spray the walls and floor of the stall with a stone-safe cleaner, then squeegee down after everybody in the home has taken a shower for the day. It is vital not to be tempted by limescale removers that are commonly available in the supermarkets as these will damage the stone surface and require professional restoration.
As with bathrooms and floors it is essential to regularly clean your marble worktop but to do so only using a stone-specific pH neutral cleaner. As marble is acid sensitive, the key is to try and keep the exposure to acid as minimal as possible. Vinegars, wine, lemon and anything that you might cook with that is acidic needs to be kept on a tray or plate or just away from the worktop altogether. If an acidic spill does occur, then we would advise to blot this rather than wiping it as this will just spread the damage. The chemical etching caused by acid on marble is almost instant and so the damage is done at this point. There will be little that you can do yourself to rectify this, but it can usually be restored to look like new.
Choosing natural stone over a man-made surface is an investment. If you bought a designer pair of shoes you would take the time to put them back in the box after each wear and if you bought a sports car, you probably wouldn’t take it through the car wash. For those who want their stone to continue to age elegantly, then just a few steps can keep it looking stunning. For a PDF copy of Athena Aftercare to share with your clients please email [email protected] or visit www.athenastonecare.co.uk for more guidance and advice.
At this event you will learn about neurodiversity and neurodivergent conditions, the design issues, designing for commercial environments, the role of LVT, the best practice guidelines, and some examples of LVT in commercial spaces.
- 8-9am - 12:30-1:30pm
SBID Members earn 4 x CPD points for attending!
Please note this event has limited spaces, RSVP with your preferred time slot.
This CPD focuses on the topic of acoustic flooring for shared spaces including student accommodation, office buildings, education, hotels, retirement villages, hospitality and leisure, healthcare, retail and housing. You will learn the importance of acoustic design in architecture for health and wellbeing, why acoustic LVT flooring is the optimum choice in multi-occupancy properties and product options, the acoustic standards and what they measure, the installation key points, and specification considerations
At this event you will learn the properties and benefits of a multi-performance system, why LVT is suitable for commercial specification, the technical benefits of LVT vs other types of flooring, how to install LVT, and LVT maintenance.
At this event you will learn about continuous flooring surfaces, differentiating between flooring and critical surfaces, acoustics and reducing impact sound, avoiding sensory overload, and Health & Safety credentials.
- 8 - 9am - 12:30 - 1:30pm
The event covers how LRV has a direct impact on user experience and the risks of getting it wrong. Gain an understanding about LRV and Lux Values – why they matter, how LRV can affect mood and emotional wellbeing, the importance of contrast in design, LRV in commercial design and regulatory contexts, and the link between LRV and luxury vinyl tile flooring.
Learn about the impact of zoning and how to incorporate use of LVT into commercial schemes. Referencing product specification, appearance, and specific considerations such as sustainability and performance, the event also covers how LVT can be a practical, problem-solving solution. Gain an understanding of the features & benefits of LVT, how to use laying patterns, how to create bespoke designs, how to use zoning, and the design considerations.
Join SBID
Find out more about our flexible membership structure.
By subscribing, you agree to be added to SBID’s mailing list. As an industry’s standard bearer organisation, we strive to bring you the most up to date news and access to exclusive industry content through our various newsletters.
First Name
Last Name
Email Address
I accept the SBID Terms of Use