02.04.2026

Natural Stone Countertops – Waterproofing

Building design

Natural stone worktops impregnation in the workshop: Effective stain protection and optimum preparation for long-lasting natural stone kitchen worktops. Photo: Lithofin

Natural Stone Countertops – Sealing is a crucial factor in ensuring the longevity, hygiene, and visual durability of high-quality kitchen surfaces. Proper impregnation, performed right in the workshop, lays the foundation for permanently protecting natural stone from stains, moisture, and signs of wear. Without professional surface protection, even robust materials can lose their quality and aesthetic appeal over time.

Today, the impregnation of natural stone is standard practice in modern stoneworking. It ensures that porous or capillary-active materials become significantly more resistant to liquids. Reliable stain protection for natural stone is especially essential in the kitchen, where water, oils, fats, and acids come into contact with the surface on a daily basis.

Professional surface protection offers:

Reduced susceptibility to stains
Improved cleanability
Preservation of the natural appearance
Extended service life

For workshops, efficiency and performance are the top priorities. Products must be quick to apply while delivering maximum protection.

LITHOFIN AG offers specialized solutions for this purpose:

These enable cost-effective yet highly effective impregnation of natural stone countertops as part of the workshop process.

Why Impregnation Is Essential

Impregnated countertop. Photo: Lithofin

Proper impregnation involves several steps:

Preparation

Ensure the surface is dry
Clean the surface
Remove stains

Application

Apply evenly
Observe the processing time
Remove any excess

Detailed Treatment

Completely impregnate the edges
Include the back areas
Treat treated surfaces with particular care

Practical Application Recommendations

Apply the impregnation without leaving streaks. To prevent stain-causing substances from seeping in from the sides (don’t forget the cutouts), the edges of the countertop must also be impregnated. To be on the safe side, a 10-cm-wide strip on the back, extending from the edge, should also be treated. Keyword: steam escaping from the dishwasher. Photo: Lithofin.

Even after optimal impregnation of natural stone countertops, improper care can lead to problems.

Common mistake

Using dirty dishwater:

Reintroduction of grease onto the surface
Formation of layers of dirt
Development of stain patterns

Avoiding care mistakes: Ensuring the durability of the impregnation

An “over-maintained” Carbon Grey countertop with water rings from bottles and glasses. Photo: Lithofin

Proper care is crucial for the long-term effectiveness of surface protection.

Recommended:

Lithofin MN Easy-Clean

Application

Spray on
Let it sit briefly
Wipe off
Reapply if necessary

This care routine helps maintain the long-lasting effectiveness of the natural stone countertop impregnation.

Proper Cleaning After Natural Stone Countertop Impregnation

Professional surface protection is a key component of modern stone processing. Only through proper impregnation can you achieve:

Stain protection
Ease of maintenance
Material durability
Aesthetic quality

can be permanently ensured.

Workshops that rely on systems from LITHOFIN AG and view the impregnation of natural stone countertops as an integral part of their processes create sustainable added value—for themselves and their customers.

This transforms a natural product into a kitchen countertop that is consistently high-quality, functional, and visually appealing.

More information here

Natural Stone Countertops—Impregnation as a Quality Factor

Non-impregnated STEIN: 10-minute exposure. Photo: Lithofin

The non-impregnated section allows oil to soak into the edge. Photo: Lithofin

Unsealed STEIN: Exposure for 2 hours. Photo: Lithofin

Effective impregnation always begins with proper surface preparation. Mistakes made during this phase directly affect the protective effect.

Important Prerequisites

Surface must be completely dry
Free of dust, sludge, and residues
No greasy or oily contaminants

The following products are used to prepare natural stone countertops for impregnation:

Lithofin LEV removes grease films
Lithofin MN Cement Residue and Rust Remover eliminates mineral residues

Only a perfectly prepared surface ensures that the protective system can penetrate deep into the pores.

Surface preparation is the key to success

The diversity and uniqueness of quartzite. Photo: Lithofin

Natural stone countertops—impregnation plays a particularly important role with quartzite. This natural stone combines an exceptional appearance with high durability.

Material Properties of Quartzite

High quartz content → extreme hardness
Low water absorption
High chemical resistance
Acid resistance

Despite these advantages, quartzite also requires additional impregnation because:

Machined surfaces are open-pored
Edges and cutouts remain absorbent
Stains from oils are possible

Quartzite in the Kitchen: Properties and Protection

The term “soft quartzite” is commonly used in the market but is not clearly defined. It often refers to softer types of stone with different properties.

For surface protection, this means:

Different levels of absorbency
Varying susceptibility to stains
Requires adjustment of the impregnation process

A thorough material analysis is therefore essential to select the appropriate protection system.

“Soft Quartzite” and the Importance of Proper Impregnation for Natural Stone Countertops

The impregnation must be tailored to the entire production process.

Typical processing steps

Sawing
Grinding
Polishing
Resin treatment

Although industrial resin coating improves the appearance, it does not replace the need for additional stain protection. Mechanical processing, in particular, creates new open pores that must be protected again.

Workshop processes and their effects on impregnation

Discoloration around the edges of the cooktop—insufficiently impregnated edges. Photo: Lithofin

A uniform application of protective coating is effective only if all relevant areas are covered:

Edge profiles
Sink cutouts
Hob cutouts
Drip edges
Rear edge areas

These areas are particularly susceptible to liquid penetration and must be specifically treated during the impregnation of natural stone countertops.

Critical Areas on Natural Stone Countertops

Without adequate surface protection, fats can penetrate deep into the STEIN. Unsaturated fatty acids react with oxygen to form:

Cross-linked molecular structures
Resin-like substances
Hard-to-remove residues

These are extremely difficult to remove, even with strong cleaners. Early treatment prevents exactly this effect.

Chemical Processes: Why Stains Become Permanent Without Impregnation

Solvent-based systems are particularly well-suited for effective impregnation of natural stone countertops. They ensure:

Deep penetration
Even distribution
Long-lasting protection

The products:

Lithofin NanoTOP
Lithofin FVE

have proven themselves in the professional impregnation of natural stone countertops.

Optimal impregnation solutions for natural stone

03.12.2024

Trade

Residential and commercial building in Tübingen’s Pfleghofstrasse

Building design

Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner converted a late classicist residential and commercial building in Tübingen and simultaneously extended it with a single-storey extension. The aim was to create an integrating architecture and a bridge between the present and the past. An insight into the offices showshow the architecture firm now worksin the new building.

The historic residential and commercial building at Pfleghofstrasse 4/1, which was converted by Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner, is located just a few meters from the Neckar and Tübingen’s old town on Schulberg. As an addition and densification measure, a new building with a modern design was also erected on the previously unused garden area at the rear of the building, which clearly stands out architecturally from the existing building.

The architectural firm Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner, which incidentally uses the building ensemble itself as office space, decided on a careful redesign of the old building. It is accessed from Pfleghofstrasse. Here, the base of the building opens up with a window front framed by oiled oak profiles, which also houses the entrance door to the offices behind it. The rooms are designed as open office landscapes, underlining the non-hierarchical approach to workspace organization.

Modern new building creates a link to the historic surroundings

To compensate for the difference in level to the new extension, the floor slab of the old building was partially lowered on the garden side facing Mühlstraße. The single-storey, sculptural new building describes an approximate 90-degree angle and its modern design language clearly differs from the historic building. Despite its simplicity, however, there are also details with which the new building picks up on the historical context in which it stands. The oak-framed windows, for example, can be found here.

Or its rough exterior plaster, whose texture and color refer to the medieval city wall below the garden and the walls of the Pfleghof nearby. In addition, the inner courtyard created by the new building is connected to the footpath on the Schulberg terraces. With this combination of public and private use, the architecture by Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner picks up on a traditionally important element of Tübingen’s urban development.

Economical accents in the interior

Inside the buildings, simplicity and functionality continue to run through the spatial concept. While rough plaster is used in the interior of the old building, the raw load-bearing masonry is still visible in the new building. The architects opted for sand-lime brick because, on the one hand, its good fire protection properties were important, as the requirements in this respect are particularly high in the vicinity of the Pfleghof and the rest of the historic buildings. On the other hand, Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner wanted the building to enter into a dialog with the adjacent natural stone walls with the help of a very coarse, stripped plaster painted in the grain tips. “We certainly had discussions, and a timber construction was also up for debate. But if a building is oriented towards a wall from the outside, then it has to be a corresponding building,” Matthias Roller is convinced.
The fact that the office was serious about the much-vaunted “honesty of the material” becomes even clearer inside: the KS masonry was not plastered, but left largely in its original state – including traces of factory-applied wall section or type designations. “In winter, the shell was scarfed down for moisture reasons, resulting in a very rough surface with colors that are almost reminiscent of marble,” says Maren Dannien. However, it was also clear to her: “If we are going to be this rough, we also need a level of detail that makes it clear that there is a plan behind it!” And so, together with a structural engineer and the bricklayers, not only were wall development plans with a visually appealing bond developed, but also one-centimetre-thick, slightly scraped bed joints in combination with glued butt joints were implemented. This interplay of pronounced straight lines and rough surfaces created a “workshop character”, which is also reflected in the unpolished, merely wing-smoothed through-colored screed.

The architects combined this with sparse accents and splashes of color, such as the bright yellow kitchen counter on the mezzanine floor or the chandelier in the meeting room. Despite the restraint, they lend the interiors a lively overall impression.

Architects: Dannien Roller Architects + Partners

Sand-lime brick: KS-Original, www.ks-original.de

You might also be interested in this: The architectural firm TANK designed a multifunctional building on Rue Castagnary in Paris.

23.02.2026

Industry news, Trick

Fragile luxury

Building design

The new issue is here! Photo: Porcelain Collection, Dresden State Art Collections, Photo: Esther Hoyer, Alexander Schmidt/punctum — The new issue is here!
Photo: Porcelain Collection, Dresden State Art Collections, Photo: Esther Hoyer, Alexander Schmidt/punctum

A new year, an old promise: Take a closer look. This time on a material that once turned Europe’s heads – and made the kilns run hot. Porcelain, the “white gold”, is alchemy with evidence: kaolin, feldspar and quartz are transformed into sound, light and an idea of perfection. Between Böttger’s arcanum and series production spans a cultural history that has shaped Meissen, Sèvres, Nymphenburg, Vienna, Herend and Copenhagen – from baroque table dramas and Kaendler’s figures to cool bisque and modernist service forms.

Anyone who restores porcelain is working on a paradox: great hardness and high brittleness in one. Cracks run true and glaze flaking speaks a clear language – the question is how we respond. Bonding must be sustainable and remain reversible; puttying fills volumes without betraying the light refraction of the glaze; retouching respects the age tone and does not compete with it. Leave visible or match? This is not just technique, but ethics. Every intervention is a decision about originality, legibility and time.

At the same time, shards tell their stories: from the Far East’s desire in the 17th century to European manufactory politics and icons that write the history of design and mentality – aquatic fauna from Nymphenburg, bleu de roi from Sèvres and the slender white forms of the classical period. In today’s workshops, microscope and manual memory meet: adhesion tests alongside cold retouching, UV control alongside manual polishing. Restoration here is often precision work in the millimeter range – and a balancing act between material truth and appearance.
This issue takes you through the history of European production, opens up restoration workshops and touches on one or two porcelain icons that have set standards. Our aim is both sober and ambitious: to show how much knowledge, judgment and craftsmanship goes into a perfect cup, a still figure, a smooth flag.
Porcelain is not a luxury of the surface, but a school of precision. There could hardly be a better way to start a happy new year.