The CFI had an intensive, hands-on stone and tile cleaning and restoration class in the Napa Valley on April 9 and 10th. Dan Humbert, a third-generation stone restorer was the instructor for the two days. Students enjoyed a day of classroom time and one day of hands-on stone repair and cleaning at Cuvaison Estate Winery.
This class was a great opportunity for intensive training and sold out at 15 students. CFI was able to offer members and students a non-product-specific class, meaning the focus was on learning not on product demonstration and selection.
Dan spent the classroom time on the different classes and types of stone. Emphasis was placed on how different stones are made, how to identify the different stones, how to determine what technique is to be used in cleaning and repairing the stone, with clarification about which stones can be cleaned with acids or alkaline cleaners.
On the second day, everyone met at Cuvaison Estate Winery, situated on a knoll in the middle of 200 acres of vineyards, where we were met with the challenge of cleaning and restoring the tasting room and exterior viewing decks natural stone.
Dan demonstrated tricks of the trade and students were given hands-on training on how to perform repairs on stone and how to professionally grout repair. Students then broke up into teams to start doing the hands-on restorative cleaning of the winery’s interior and exterior stone and to the quarry tile in the prep kitchen. Dan explained the proper way to prep the areas to be cleaned by masking all edges with paper to protect moldings, prior to the teams cleaning performing the restorative cleaning.
Everyone had a chance to do every part of the cleaning and seems to enjoy the class. After the floor dried Dan showed how to properly apply a sealer to the stone, then the students had a chance to do it. Application techniques were reviewed and all necessary detailing was performed to leave a beautifully restored finish to the interior and exterior of Cuvaison’s stone floors
CFI would like to thank the Cuvaison Estate Winery for letting us use their facility to do the class, Dan for teaching the class, and Clean Quest Products for their donation of products and equipment.
