Athena Stonecare Ltd – Specialists in Natural Stone Restoration That Gives Your Property That Flawless Look

Athena Stonecare Ltd are specialists in treatments for all types of natural stone so that they retain their beauty and enjoy that stunning, long lasting appeal. Their services include cleaning, sealing, polishing, and maintaining all kinds of natural and man-made stone in residential and commercial properties. The family business is run by husband and wife team of Dave and Becca Cranfield. Herts Review spoke to Director and Co-Owner Becca about their business journey and their goals for the next few years.
 
“We are stone care restoration professionals. As certified specialists we restore and maintain marble, granite, travertine, limestone, slate, sandstone, terracotta and others. We work on floors, kitchen worktops, walls, patios, and paved terraces. We can remove watermarks, take away scratches, resurface a top layer of stone, polish and shine stones that are looking dull. Most of our work has been in high-end properties, luxury homes and estates. We have done some commercial projects working in offices and high-end retail units amongst others”
 
“We have seen lots of people with damaged natural stone in their properties because they did not take good care of it or they got the wrong advice. Natural stone is an investment that transforms your house and makes it look beautiful. Therefore, it needs to be cared for correctly. I give examples with cars. I have a Kia which I service at any garage and take to any car wash. I wouldn’t do the same if I had a Ferrari. If I had a fault with my Ferrari, I would go to a Ferrari main dealer to get the right care otherwise I could ruin an expensive car. To care for your natural stone, speak to qualified experts”.
 
“Our goal is to continue educating people about caring for their natural stone. We know some natural stone owners try some home remedies or are advised to use the wrong products. These are costly errors. We understand there is a lack of information and we are putting this right by providing free natural stone aftercare advice and guidance through our YouTube channel and other social media platforms. I think our message is resonating as we are seeing more clients with a vested interest to have their natural stone looking maintained and looking beautiful”.
 
Athena Stonecare has been going strong for the last 8 years. The Buckinghamshire based company was established in January 2012 by Dave Cranfield as sole employee and director. “Dave had been running the business on his own until I joined 2 years ago. We have been working alongside each other. I joined to help grow and expand the business while Dave spends most of his time on the frontline delivering our services to our clients. We have added a Stone Care Assistant to support the team as we expand.  I handle the other operational aspects of the business including Marketing, People Management, Finance and General Administration”.
 
Stones go with trends. Recently there has been a resurgence in the use of natural stone which is working well for the business. “It is really great for us to be honest. Natural stone is seen as sustainable and environmentally friendly too. It has lower environmental impact compared to other floor coverings. We are really passionate about natural stone restoration and are deeply committed to working with our clients to enjoy their investment”
 
Customer satisfaction is very important to Becca and the team. There are many wonderful reviews online that confirm the team are pretty good at what they do. “I think the differentiating factor is that other companies offer multiple services including natural stone restoration. For us this is our focus and we use the best natural stone restoration techniques, tools, and processes. We have expensive machinery that does high extensive restoration. We offer personalised services and everything we do is professional – our team are trained in our way of doing things, everyone has branded outfits etc. We are happy with the excellent customer feedback”.
 
As most businesses experienced, enquiries for stone care services slowed during the first covid-19 lockdown. “We did feel the impact of the first lockdown. We had to furlough our employee. However, business has picked up since July and we have been busy.  We have tried to keep in touch with clients knowing how sensitive the situation has been. We work safely abiding by government social distancing guidelines. We use PPE, sanitizers and disinfect on each project. The safety of our team and clients is very important”.
 
Athena Stonecare has ambitious plans. “Obviously, the short-term target is to get through the uncertainty we have now. While we see the challenges, we are really excited about the opportunities. It is as if a fire has been lighted in our bellies.  We would like to add more people to the team in the next 12 months and train them in our ways of working to maintain our service standards. Dave has so much to give the business from a strategic point of view, so I have to find a way to get him more involved in the office as we firm up our expansion plans.
 
Have a look at some of the before and after images here to get a test of what they do. If you have natural stone and are unsure of what to do or there are scratches or watermarks on your natural stone or it is looking dull and you need restoration or maintenance services, then contact the team here.