Experimental Investigation of the Surface Properties of Accidental Stained Carbonate Natural Stones

Abstract

Marmara White (MW), Bursa Beige (BB), Emprador (EM), and Kütahya Black (KB) natural stones are widely used as kitchen countertops and wet floor covering materials in our country. This study investigated the changes in these natural stones' gloss, roughness, and total color change properties due to the spillage of eight different food, beverage, and cleaning materials. Staining-cleaning cycles were applied to natural stones for 1, 3, and 7 days. In addition, with the help of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis, the damage caused by these stain effects on the internal structures of these natural stones was investigated. According to the results obtained from the study, after three staining-cleaning cycles, the highest gloss loss was observed in the KB sample at the rate of 97.15 % after the descaler effect, while the minor gloss loss was obtained in the MW sample at the rate of 82.16 %. Furthermore, the highest roughness increase was observed in the KB sample at the rate of 555.1 % after the effect of descaler, while the slightest increase in roughness was obtained in the MW sample at the rate of 395 %. In addition, cooking oil has the most negative effect on natural stones' total color change (ΔE) properties. After three staining-cleaning cycles of the cooking oil effect, ΔE = 20.86 was obtained in the MW sample, while this value was 3.25 in the KB sample. © 2022 The Authors