Care guide
How to keep your basin beautiful for decades.
Cleaning, installation and renewing the sealant. The same guide is also available as a PDF that you can save or print.
Cleaning
Mild soap
and a soft cloth
Stone doesn’t need special products. The only thing that really ruins the surface of a basin is the wrong cleaner, and it can do its damage faster than daily use ever will.
- Daily cleaning
- Mild soap and a soft cloth. That is all a basin in daily use needs.
- Don’t use these
- Acidic cleaners and descalers, strongly alkaline products such as degreasers and ammonia, and abrasive sponges eat away the sealant.
- Dry it after use
- Water left on the surface dries into limescale marks in hard water. A wipe with a cloth is enough.
Durability
What the surface can take
The stone itself can take all of this. The only thing to look after is the sealant, which wears if the wrong kind of product is left standing on it.
- Hot water
- Fine. There is nothing to worry about with hot water.
- Soap and toothpaste
- Fine. These are part of normal basin use and don’t harm the surface.
- Hair dye
- Wipe it off as soon as you can. Hair dye left standing on the surface wears the sealant.
- Nail polish remover
- Wipe it off immediately. The same reason as hair dye: the sealant wears if the product is left on the surface.
Sealant
Renewing the sealant
The basin comes sealed inside and out with a professional sealant. Once fully cured it is food-safe and gives the stone a wet-look finish.
According to the manufacturer, the sealant lasts several years on hard stone. How long depends on what the basin is cleaned with and, outdoors, on how much direct sunlight it gets.
You renew the sealant yourself, a bit like oiling a wooden table. The name of the product is in the downloadable care guide, and the tin has its own instructions. Do ask if anything is unclear.
The sign that it needs renewing is that water no longer beads on the surface but darkens the stone instead.
— Nikolas
Installation
How to install the basin
Installation is simple, but the countertop has to carry the weight.
- 01
A sturdy countertop
A stone basin often weighs tens of kilos, so the countertop has to be solid and carry the weight permanently.
- 02
Drain valve
The valve is tightened through the drain hole of the basin. It fixes the basin to the countertop and seals the joint at the same time. You get the valve yourself.
- 03
Silicone
A silicone suitable for natural stone goes between the basin and the countertop. Ordinary silicone can stain the edge of the stone.
A basin kept outdoors, such as a bird bath, is best emptied for the winter. Freezing water expands, and that strains any stone.
All questions and answersAsk me about care.
If anything in the guide is unclear, ask. I’m also happy to help with renewing the sealant, even though you buy the product yourself. I answer every message myself: tmiaregran@gmail.com.