The International Training Centers for the Stone Industry (ITCS)

 

All classes are taught by internationally renowned Maurizio Bertoli  both in the USA and abroad. MB Stone Care is the training division of our company and it’s kept independent from our commercial activities in order to keep its high educational values as unbiased as possible. So much so that MB Stone Care courses have been recognized as official courses of the International Training Centers for the Stone industry (ITCS) that’s an operative branch of the Washington, DC headquartered International Stone Council (ISC), and they will fully qualify for the certification programs made available by the ITCS.

We’re very proud of this particular activity and we consider it the crowning achievement and testament to our unrivaled knowledge and professionalism. It represents Maurizio Bertoli’s most prestigious occupation, which enables him to provide a service of a quality and integrity level that nobody else in the industry can or wants to offer: unparalleled, honest and at time bare-knuckle professional advice. What’s more, it is – to his own saying – what makes his personal learning curve going!

Maurizio’s training programs concentrate mostly on the mechanics of natural stone restoration and refinishing. Maurizio is also available for special training outside our training facility. Among many, he’s been training (since 2004) the in-house personnel of the House of Senate in Washington, DC; he’s consulted the Bank of China in Beijing (2000). He’s also been teaching the same 3-day ITCS/MB Stone Care classes in Australia since 2004.

Maurizio only teaches tried end proven restoration methods that put the soundness of the stone first. In most cases Maurizio’s approaches to restoring and refinishing stone are so “unique” that they guarantee a final result that most of the time will be better than the original factory finish. This includes – but is not limited to – difficult stones such as green and black marbles, black granite, etc. Maurizio will show his students how to achieve a productivity rate that is at least double that of anything else available! Which goes to prove that even within true and tried standards there’s always room for creativity!

 

 
Here’s a significant part of the curriculum that’s in store for you:

Theory (Approximately 20% of the course):

  • Basic Geology: how to recognize the different stones and why it’s important being able to classify them.
  • Why does a stone polish: the mechanics of the process and why it’s important understanding it. The trip from the quarry to the end-user.
  • The major problems of the stone industry and their consequences on the everyday activity of the stone care professional.
  • How to care for stone surfaces. The bare truth about impregnating sealers. When to seal and when not to seal.
  • What a “marble cleaner” anyway?
  • How to tell a cleaning job apart from a restoration job. The most popular misconceptions in the stone business. The perceived problems vs. the actual problems.
  • How to estimate a job. Pitfalls to avoid. Difference between estimate and consultation. How to prepare a Contract.
  • Marketing your business. How to get a continuous pool of leads so that you can become selective at picking your jobs.

Hands-on (Approximately 80%)

  • How to restore marble floors in a two-step procedure. (According with the particular type of marble, 600 to more than 1,000 square feet on an eight-hour shift are possible!) NO “CRYSTALLIZATION” OR OTHER DUBIOUS PROCEDURES WILL BE INVOLVED. EVER.
  • How to restore a marble vanity top in 15 minutes flat, and without any time-consuming masking!
  • The importance of the honing phase. How to determine the right abrasives (diamond pads) for the job at hand, and what to look for when shopping for diamond pads.
  • How to refinish green marble floors to factory or better-than-factory specs!
  • How to refinish mixed stone floors.
  • How to spot restore a marble floor (etch and single scratch removal).
  • How to tell true geological marble apart from other mercantile marbles and why it is important. (The “stunned crystals” phenomenon.)
  • How to restore a granite floor in the fasted possible way. (Polishing can be accomplished right after a 400 grit honing cut!)
  • How to restore a (regular size) marble shower stall in 2 to 4 hours!
  • How to polish concrete floor! (Very HOT topic!)
  • How to repair cracks on marble tiles and fill holes in travertine tiles!
  • How to spot-refinish a granite countertop.
  • Routine maintenance programs for high-traffic polished stone floor. Definition of maintenance and what works. (This will give you a huge edge over your competition!)
  • And much more!!

     Money back guarantee if any one of the above criteria is not met!

A Certificate of Attendance will be issued at the end of the class to all attendees. The Professional Achievement Certification offered by the ITCS will be thoroughly explained, as well as the qualifications necessary to receive such highly-sought recognition of proficiency.

If you think education is expensive – Try ignorance!