Comparison of the water jet and some traditional stone surface treatment methods in different lithotypes

Marble slabs with rough surface have captured a large share in the market of ornamental stones in recent years. There are many different methods of stone surface treatment currently used to improve the aesthetic appearance of the surface of the marble slab or tile or to increase the roughness. Traditional methods like bush hammering, polishing or flaming have various disadvantages that may reduce the market interest for particular applications. The aim of this study is to compare the water jet surface treatment method with traditional methods. For this purpose five different types of stones (granite, basalt, serpentine, limestone and marble) were treated with water jet and the results were compared with the results obtained from traditional methods. The results of the color, gloss, luminance and roughness analysis were used as the comparison parameters. Results so far achieved indicate that the application of water jets in surface treatment can reduce (or even eliminate) some disadvantages of traditional methods because it enables to obtain a surface with required roughness while preserving aesthetic appearance of the stone.