Stone Codex
Stone Care Guides.
Practical articles to help you care for, protect and restore natural and engineered stone surfaces in New Zealand homes.
Stone Codex #001 · Cornerstone
Stone Benchtop Repair vs Replacement
When damage can be repaired, when replacement becomes necessary, and how to make the right decision.
Read cornerstone article →Stone Codex #002 · Cornerstone
Stone Benchtop Maintenance: The Complete Homeowner's Guide
Daily cleaning, sealing, common mistakes and material-specific care for granite, quartz, marble and porcelain benchtops.
Read cornerstone article →Stone Codex #003 · Volume 1 · Cornerstone
Can Chipped Stone Benchtops Be Repaired?
The complete New Zealand guide to stone chip repair — what causes chips, where they happen, how stone type affects repair, and when repair is better than replacement.
Read cornerstone article →Stone Codex #004 · Stone Repair Fundamentals
Stone Benchtop Cracks: Causes, Repair & When to Replace
What causes stone benchtops to crack, how to tell cosmetic damage from structural problems, and when repair beats replacement.
Read guide →Stone Codex #005 · Volume 2 · Cornerstone
Stone Sealers Explained
The complete New Zealand guide to penetrating, enhancing and topical sealers — how they work, which stones need them, and why some claims are misleading.
Read cornerstone article →Stone Codex #021 · Stone Protection & Sealing · 8–10 min read
How Do Colour-Enhancing Stone Sealers Work?
Colour enhancement is an optical effect, not a dye. Why dry stone looks flatter, why black granite responds so strongly, which stones suit enhancers, and why preparation and test areas decide the result.
Read guide →Stone Codex #022 · Stone Protection & Sealing · 9–11 min read
AGER vs Colour-Enhancing Sealers: What’s the Difference?
AGER is a specific Tenax colour-enhancing impregnator — colour-enhancing sealer is the whole category. How each behaves on honed versus polished stone, why sealers can’t stop marble etching, and the risks of over-application.
Read guide →Stone Codex #028 · Stone Installation & Maintenance · 10–12 min read
Neutral vs Acetoxy Cure Silicone: Why the Right Silicone Matters for Stone
How the two common silicone curing systems differ, where each belongs, and why stone applications require a compatible neutral-cure product rather than guesswork.
Read guide →Stone Codex #029 · Stone Repair Fundamentals · 8–10 min read
Vinyl Ester vs Epoxy Acrylate vs Polyester Resins
Understanding the key differences between the three resin systems commonly used in stone benchtop repairs, and why resin selection affects strength, appearance and durability.
Read guide →Stone Codex #030 · Stone Repair Fundamentals · 6–8 min read
Who Should I Use to Repair My Stone Benchtop?
Choosing the right person for a professional stone repair — why specialist experience matters, what a stone repair specialist should understand, and why the repair should match the stone, not just fill the damage.
Read guide →Stone Codex #031 · Stone Care & Maintenance · 12–15 min read
How Often Should Different Types of Stone Be Maintained?
Professional maintenance, sealing and restoration intervals for granite, marble, quartzite, engineered stone, limestone, travertine and slate.
Read guide →Stone Codex #006 · Volume 3 · Cornerstone
Stone Stains Explained
The complete New Zealand guide to removing, preventing and understanding stone stains — what they are, how they differ from etching, and how professionals treat them.
Read cornerstone article →Stone Codex #007 · Volume 6 · Stone Restoration Fundamentals
Stone Polishing Explained
How natural stone loses its finish, why cleaning cannot restore a worn surface, and what professional polishing and refinishing can realistically achieve.
Read guide →Stone Codex #008 · Volume 7 · Stone Damage Investigation
Stone Damage Investigation
How professionals determine what actually happened to natural stone — fissures versus cracks, likely causes, documentation and the right next step.
Read guide →Stone Codex #009 · Marble Series · Chapter 1
How Marble Forms
From ancient limestone to one of the world’s most iconic natural stones — metamorphism, veining, fissures, and why marble’s geology explains its sensitivity.
Read guide →Stone Codex #013 · Marble Series · Chapter 2
Where Marble Gets Its Colour and Veining
Minerals, geological fluids, folding and brecciation — why marble comes in white, grey, gold, green, red and black, and why the veining is part of the stone itself.
Read guide →Stone Codex #010 · Granite Series · Chapter 1
How Granite Forms
From molten rock to natural stone — magma, slow cooling, crystal growth, and why granite’s geology explains its colour, hardness and polishing behaviour.
Read guide →Stone Codex #011 · Granite Series · Chapter 2
How Granite Gets Its Colour, Pattern and Personality
Minerals, crystal size, inclusions, quarry origin and finish — why no two granite slabs look the same, and why the pattern is the stone rather than a picture on it.
Read guide →Stone Codex #012 · Granite Series · Chapter 3
The Minerals Inside Granite
Quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole and accessory minerals — how granite’s mineral make-up drives colour, hardness, sparkle, polishing behaviour and acid resistance.
Read guide →Stone Codex #014 · Natural Stone Formation · 10–12 min read
How Quartzite Forms: From Sandstone to Natural Stone
Quartzite begins as sandstone. Discover how geological heat, pressure and recrystallisation transform quartz-rich sedimentary rock into one of the world’s most durable natural stones.
Read guide →Stone Codex #015 · Natural Stone Formation · 10–12 min read
How Dolomite Forms: From Ancient Seabeds to Natural Stone
Ancient carbonate sediments, magnesium-rich fluids and dolomitisation — how dolomite forms, why it can look like marble, and why its geology changes how it should be cared for.
Read guide →Stone Codex #016 · Natural Stone Formation · 11–13 min read
How Limestone Forms: From Ancient Seas to Natural Stone
Discover how ancient marine sediments, shells and calcium carbonate become limestone — and how limestone can later transform into marble or dolomite-rich stone.
Read guide →Stone Codex #017 · Natural Stone Formation · 12–14 min read
How Sandstone Forms: From Ancient Sands to Natural Stone
Discover how ancient sand grains become sandstone through deposition, burial, compaction and mineral cementation — and how some sandstone can eventually become quartzite.
Read guide →Stone Codex #020 · Natural Stone Formation · 14–16 min read
How Travertine Forms: The Limestone Created by Mineral-Rich Water
Travertine is stone that can be built by water. How mineral-rich springs precipitate calcium carbonate, why travertine is a type of limestone, and what its pores and layers mean for care — the concluding chapter of the formation series.
Read guide →Stone Types
Stone Codex #023 · Stone Types · 14–16 min read
Larvikite: Why Blue Pearl Is Called Granite When It Isn’t
Blue Pearl is one of the world’s best-known “granites” — but technically it is larvikite, a feldspar-rich monzonitic rock from Norway. Discover the geology behind the famous blue flash.
Read guide →Stone Codex #024 · Stone Types & Identification · 16–18 min read
White Fantasy & Brown Fantasy: Why These Stone Names Are So Confusing
White Fantasy and Fantasy Brown can be sold as quartzite, marble, dolomite or other classifications. Discover why commercial stone names can be misleading and how to identify the material you actually have.
Read guide →Stone Codex #025 · Stone Types & Identification · 18–20 min read
Colonial White Granite: Origin, Geology, Colour & Performance
Discover where Colonial White comes from, what minerals create its white, grey and black appearance, how it behaves as a benchtop and what matters when restoring it.
Read guide →Stone Codex #026 · Stone Types & Identification · 20–22 min read
Taj Mahal Quartzite: Origin, Geology, Colour & Performance
Discover what Taj Mahal quartzite really is, where it comes from, why it resembles marble and how its quartz-rich structure affects fabrication, maintenance and restoration.
Read guide →Stone Codex #027 · Stone Types & Identification · 18–20 min read
Moroccan Drift: Origin, Geology, Colour & Performance
Discover what Moroccan Drift is, where it comes from, why its commercial name can be confusing and what homeowners need to know about its performance, care and restoration.
Read guide →Manufactured & Engineered Surfaces
Stone Codex #018 · Stone Materials · 14–16 min read
How Engineered Stone Is Made: From Raw Materials to Benchtop
Discover how engineered stone is manufactured from mineral materials, binders and pigments, how it differs from natural stone, and why correct material identification matters.
Read guide →Stone Codex #019 · Ultra-Compact Surfaces · 15–18 min read
Dekton Explained: What It Is, How It Is Made and How It Differs From Stone
Understand what Dekton is, how Cosentino manufactures its ultra-compact surface, how it differs from engineered quartz and natural quartzite, and what matters when fabricating and maintaining it.
Read guide →How Much Does Stone Repair Cost in New Zealand?
A practical guide to stone repair pricing in NZ, including chip repair, crack repair, polishing, sealing and full restoration costs.
Read article →Can Granite Chips Be Repaired?
Why granite chips happen, how they are repaired, and what results you can expect from a professional stone repair.
Read article →Marble vs Granite Maintenance Guide
Compare marble and granite care, sealing, cleaning and durability to choose the right stone for your lifestyle.
Read article →How Often Should Stone Be Sealed?
Sealing frequency for marble, granite, quartzite and other natural stone benchtops, plus signs your stone needs re-sealing.
Read article →Can Engineered Stone Be Repaired?
What can and cannot be repaired on engineered stone and quartz benchtops, including chips, cracks and join issues.
Read article →