Stone Laminate & Marble Etching Surface Protection by TuffSkin

SPECIFICATIONS FOR TUFFSKIN SURFACE PROTECTION

TuffSkin is a proprietary stone laminate surface protection designed specifically to protect countertops, tables, bars and vanities fabricated from MARBLE, ONYX and TRAVERTINE.
TuffSkin is constructed of 4 mil (.004) optically clear polyester with Stone Release Adhesive System.
TuffSkin has a hard coat technology to resist wear.
TuffSkin is liquid impermeable and gas permeable.
TuffSkin allows .4625ccm of vapor transfer per 100 sq in. of TuffSkin in a 24 hr period.
TuffSkin to be installed in as clean and dust free environment as possible.
Surfaces coated with TS to be cleaned with any non-abrasive cleaner using a soft cloth, paper towel or squeegee.
TuffSkin is manufactured in two finishes: Gloss and Satin.
TuffSkin Quality Standard:
- Coating to be installed as cleanly as possible. Perfect installations are not possible when dealing with natural stone and existing environmental conditions.
- Customer/customer’s representative to approve of sample installation prior to actual installation. The quality of the installation to be as good, or better, then the sample.

Areas of Protection

Hotel Rooms & Restaurant/Bars – stains from wine, lemon/lime juice, coffee, etched rings.
Kitchen – stains from coffee, wine, oils, food & lemon/lime juice.
Bathrooms – stains from makeup, mouthwash, toothpaste, perfumes & coffee

Thickness	.004 (4 mil)	Heat Resistant	Up to 400 F
Liner Thickness	.001 (1-mil)	VOC Emission	Compliant
Scratch Resistant	Yes	ASTM F-372	Moisture Vapor
Acid Resistant	Yes	Stone Adhesive System	Yes

TUFFSKIN APPLICATION INFORMATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The following information provides specific details about TuffSkin and how the TuffSkin product is applied. TuffSkin is applied to natural stone to protect it from acid-etching and staining. It is not designed to nor will it hide imperfections in the stone.

1. TuffSkin is applied to the surface of natural stone tops. It cannot be applied to floors. It is installed on the flat surface only; it is not wrapped around corners or edges. The installer will cut the coating on a slight angle to lessen the chance the product is snagged which may cause pull up.

2. TuffSkin is applied to each individual piece of natural stone, ending just short of each end seam. This assures a natural look as seams usually are lower than the surface of the stone.

3. The stone surface is cleaned multiple times and with different techniques during the application process to minimize the chance of contaminants adhering between the TuffSkin and stone to be coated. There is still a chance that contaminants such as dust lands on the surface of the stone or TuffSkin adhesive after cleaning but before actual application (matter of seconds) which may cause a visual defect (such as but not limited to a bump). This is a visual defect only and will not affect the performance of TuffSkin in protecting the surface. Please understand we are talking about a tiny bump which usually cannot be seen unless one gets very close to the top and is looking for it.

4. The natural stone to be coated with TuffSkin may contain divots, nicks, holes, cracks, chips or other issues that change the surface of the stone appearance. The normal installation of TuffSkin does not include the repair of these conditions. If the owner desires these stone imperfections to be repaired they can have the work done by a competent stone restoration company in advance of the installation. If there are slight imperfections even after this preparation work they will be visible through the TuffSkin. Please understand that any imperfections mentioned above are already visible within your stone before TuffSkin is applied, if you look close enough. Having TuffSkin applied to your top will not create a perfect surface if the stone under it is not perfect.

5. If the seam or edge of the stone has existing chips when we apply TuffSkin we will cut around the chips. We cannot let the TuffSkin float freely over a chipped edge because it increases the possibility the TuffSkin can be snagged and start pulling up. The same is true where an edge meets a seam. We will slightly round the corner of TuffSkin to greatly increase product durability. This radius cut is a freehand cut and thus cannot always be 100% perfect. Installer will cut these back to the best possible radius.

6. Almost all surface visual damage, such as minor acid-etching, are not visible through the installed TuffSkin as the reflection has changed to the reflection of the TuffSkin. If there is a stain it may be seen through the coating. Before installation the applicator can, upon client request, place a test sample of TuffSkin on a visible imperfection to see if it can be seen through the coating. If the imperfection is visible through the TuffSkin and the client desires that repair must be done by others prior to installation.

7. Occasionally an air or water bubbles form under the TuffSkin after application. This is normal and trapped water always evaporates on its own.

8. After installation you will need to treat the now coated stone similarly to how natural stone is supposed to be treated:

No cutting on it, this will scratch the TuffSkin
No abrasive cleaners, this will scratch the TuffSkin
Hot pans may be laid on TuffSkin per the manufacturer up to 400 degrees.
Do not allow anyone to pick at the edges. The TuffSkin has a special edge adhesive but it CAN be removed if picked at.