Case Studies

For the 160 floors of Burj Khalifa, the designers selected a vast range of stone and tile from dense natural stone like Absolute Black Granite, to porous stone such as Silver Travertino and Satuario Marble, as well as conventional porcelain tile. Massive amounts of stone were installed on both walls and floors throughout bathrooms, elevators, hospitality areas, lobbies and pools. The substrates that were tiled over include a combination of concrete, cementitious plaster, gypsum board, cement backer board and even steel.

In an effort to reduce complexity, the contractor wanted a single adhesive for all tile and stone installations, regardless of type or substrate, which is a significant challenge especially in the extreme hot weather conditions of Dubai.

Custom supplied Aqua Mix sealers for exterior areas located around the building, called Burj Boulevard. Flamed and sand-blasted finished granite was used for pedestrian and vehicular traffic areas. Ultra Solv was selected due to its high resistance to oil based contaminants, its optimized penetration into relatively dense surfaces like granite, and its ability to leave the stone looking natural. In other areas where an enhanced color was required, Enrich'N'Seal™ was used.

The granite pavers were sealed using Ultra Solv® on all six sides to reduce the stones' immediate surface water absorption from the curing cement installation system. Without a proper sealer, the moisture could cause the stone to stain or effloresce. The Burj Khalifa project offered many installation challenges that Custom and Ikan were able to solve with innovative products and a technical support program of education and quality control.

"The Burj Khalifa project offered many installation challenges that Custom and Ikan were able to solve with innovative products and a technical support program of education and quality control."

Just on the edge of the Mojave Desert, Diffenbaugh Construction is developing office space in the Inland Empire — an area rapidly expanding from greater Los Angeles to accommodate the growing Southern California population. The Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino was designed to include the natural beauty of the encroaching desert by utilizing red sandstone tiles on its exterior veneer. It’s known in the building industry that smooth sandstone is easy to work with and fairly resistant to weathering.

This makes it a common building or paving material that’s suitable for residential or commercial applications. Like desert sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors found within this desert are tan, brown, yellow and red. In this case, McCandless Tile provided the red sandstone veneer in 12-inch by 12-inch gauged tile for this 30,000-square-foot development because the sandstone color coordinates with the rest of the building’s aesthetic construction materials.

Sandstone is very porous and one of the softest types of stone. Water and oil absorb into sandstone within seconds and, over a longer period, water (especially water with salt) or other staining agents can do damage to the surface. Sandstone can also look dull when it’s dry — like looking at the dry sand of the desert. To create a dark, rich look, sandstone should be sealed with a high quality, enhancing sealer. McCandless Tile chose Aqua Mix® Enrich ’N’ Seal™ as a safe, effective sealer for this sandstone. “Enrich ’N’ Seal permanently coats the sandstone to give it a dark, rich appearance — like it’s wet”, says Devin Dickey, territory manager, Custom® Building Products.

Sandstone is very porous and one of the softest types of stone. Water and oil absorb into sandstone within seconds and, over a longer period, water (especially water with salt) or other staining agents can do damage to the surface.

Enrich ’N’ Seal was applied to the sandstone tile prior to grouting for easier cleanup with the extra protection against grout staining. McCandless Tile was very impressed with how easy it was to cleanup grout residue after the sealer was applied. “The cleanup process was incredible — so quick and easy for the installers! Without the sealer, we would still be scrubbing today”, relays Sam Tran, foreman, McCandless.

Custom’s Aqua Mix® brand was also used on the project to solve a specific problem related to Dark Emperador Marble. The marble needed repolishing after installation to restore the color intensity that had been lost as a result of general wear and tear during construction. Because repolishing would be too costly and time-consuming, the contractors decided on an alternative approach by applying Enrich’N’Seal™ to rejuvenate the color and improve the stone’s appearance. Once sealed, the stone regained the color intensity of the polished original with an advantage of being less slippery underfoot.

“The Ferrari World project presented a unique opportunity for us. Our client, Depa, the world’s largest interior design and fit-out contractor in Dubai, was looking for a one-stop-shop solution,” explained Scott Worthington, Custom’s director of international business. “They wanted to obtain products for installing ceramic tile and natural stone, as well as compatible stone sealer protection systems, all from one manufacturer. They also wanted the products to be stocked and supported locally.”

Custom’s Aqua Mix® brand was also used on the project to solve a specific problem related to Dark Emperador Marble.

“Custom was able to deliver on all of these requirements, as we are one of the very few companies, globally, to manufacture installation systems for tile and stone, as well as sealer systems through our Aqua Mix brand,” said Worthington. “All of the products required for the project were supplied and serviced from our local Ikan/Custom Dubai warehouse, which helped the client complete the project on time."

Although Ragan initially began his career as a stonemason, he always had a passion for carving. “I began carving limestone as a hobby, with a sharpened screwdriver and a ball peen hammer,” he explained. “On my next birthday, Mary bought me a full set of fine Italian hand tools and a block of Carrara marble.”

Eventually Ragan realized there was a niche for small specialty carving projects, and Ragan and Condon opened Texas Carved Stone. “There just weren’t that many people doing this,” said Ragan, who serves as head designer and carver.

Both Ragan and Condon are founding members of the Stone Carvers Guild — a group of independent, working professional carvers — and as a result, they are very careful in their selection of employees. Ragan explained that his skilled team of artisans carve in the traditional, classical, European manner, and that meticulous attention to detail is paid to each piece. Additionally, a relaxed environment is maintained inside the shop to inspire creativity.

With such an emphasis placed on the quality of its work, Texas Carved Stone believes it is crucial to use a premium sealer on all of its limestone pieces. Almost from the start, the company has relied upon Aqua Mix Penetrating Sealer.

Eventually Ragan realized there was a niche for small specialty carving projects, and Ragan and Condon opened Texas Carved Stone. "There just weren't that many people doing this," said Ragan, who serves as head designer and carver.

Ultra-Solv®: Protecting a Masterpiece

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, Calif. is an exceptional architectural achievement. The exterior of the intricately carved Hindu temple is made of sandstone and the interior is white marble. It took 7,000 carvers over six years to prepare the intricate design – known as “poetry in stone” – that includes over 400 statues. Construction and carving of Mandirs as places of worship and inspiration is a tradition going back over 8,000 years.

In 2013, this distinctive stone temple was nearing completion and needed sealing treatment to protect its beauty. The light-colored sandstone contained many subtle variations and the builders wanted to retain this delicate character.
They sought the guidance of Kevin Breen, technical advisor at MS International, the largest stone importer in the U.S. Based on the needs of the project, AquaMix Ultra-Solv® was chosen to seal the stone while staying true to its original color.

Ultra-Solv is a professional quality, no sheen sealer that allows moisture vapor transmission from the stone. It provides a natural look while delivering maximum stain protection to the extensive sandstone exterior of the temple. Ultra-Solv is a polysiloxane impregnator with 50% more actives than most comparable sealers. This provides the highest level of protection and superior stain resistance with fewer coats compared to typical sealers.

A second carved Mandir temple, located in Chicago, also chose to apply Ultra-Solv for weather protection. “Knowing the success of the treatment in Chino Hills, the Chicago builders decided to use Ultra-Solv when their stone needed resealing,” said Rod Sigman, business development manager at CUSTOM.

Enrich ‘N’ Seal®: Long-lasting Enhancement

A second temple, the Jain Center of Southern California in Buena Park, has an exterior of unusual carved yellow limestone. During construction back in 2004, this temple’s builders had also asked Kevin Breen to advise them on the right care products. Since it is so susceptible to staining, the limestone needed a high quality sealer for protection against pollution and graffiti in an urban environment. Breen assessed the stone and suggested Aqua Mix Enrich ‘N’ Seal® from CUSTOM.

Enrich ‘N’ Seal was selected to deepen and bring out the rich color of the limestone as well as protect the temple from the effects of weather and vandals. Its formula penetrates the surface to enhance and highlight the beauty of natural stone. “Enrich ‘N’ Seal is simply the best enhancer on the planet,” said Breen.

The original treatment has stood the test of time since 2004 and still keeps the stone looking pristine. “The stone looks exactly the same today as the first day we applied Enrich ‘N’ Seal,” said Breen in 2014. “Most sealers do not last ten months – let alone ten years.”

Enrich ‘N’ Seal is the only 100% solids polymer-based sealer and enhancer available, so it gives unmatched performance in key areas such as fade, stain and chemical resistance. Contractors know it will provide the deepest enhancement to stone with fewer applications, providing savings and the longest lasting treatment.

Ultra-Solv is a professional quality, no sheen sealer that allows moisture vapor transmission from the stone. It provides a natural look while delivering maximum stain protection to the extensive sandstone exterior of the temple.

Other monumental projects have similarly used Enrich ’N’ Seal and Ultra-Solv to protect their installations for years to come. Builders at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, applied both of these Aqua Mix products on over half a million square feet of stone.

Both the Mandir and Jain temples have become sites of pilgrimage where the sacred architecture inspires both spiritual and scholarly pursuits. CUSTOM is proud to earn the trust of these faith communities by protecting the legacy of their unique and beautiful houses of worship.