Good Neighbor Podcast: Sarasota
Connecting Sarasota Businesses and Neighbors!
The Good Neighbor Podcast, hosted by Virginia McConnell, bridges the gap between Sarasota residents and the incredible local business throughout Sarasota.
Discover the stories behind your favorite local businesses—because they're not just owners; they're your neighbors! Proud to be the #1 Sarasota Podcast.
Are you a business serving the Sarasota area? Let’s showcase your story! Visit gnpSarasota.com to schedule your free interview today.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Sarasota
Natural Stone Always Needs Maintenance No Matter What
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Stone is supposed to feel timeless, so it’s frustrating when marble loses its shine, travertine starts to etch, or a “sealed” surface still stains. We sit down with Katherine Valderrama from Sarasota Marble Restoration LLC to get practical clarity on what natural stone restoration actually means and what homeowners can realistically expect from cleaning, sealing, polishing, honing, stain treatment, and crack or hole repair. If you’re searching for marble restoration in Sarasota or trying to care for granite, limestone, quartzite, terrazzo, or even concrete, this conversation cuts through the noise.
Catherine shares how she and her husband, Jose, built their family-owned business around one non-negotiable idea: quality work without cutting corners. That story shapes how they show up for clients, from clear communication to advising people even when it doesn’t maximize a sale. We also talk through the range of projects they handle, from showers and countertops to floors, pool decks, waterfalls, and stone pillars, plus why different environments like Florida sun, sand, and outdoor exposure change the maintenance plan.
The most valuable part might be the myth-busting: there’s no such thing as maintenance-free stone, and sealers don’t make surfaces impenetrable forever. You’ll learn why preventative maintenance beats expensive “damage recovery,” what can go wrong when stone isn’t sealed at installation, and how to think about long-term care like a pro.
If this helps you protect a surface you love, subscribe, share the episode with a neighbor, and leave a quick review so more homeowners can find trustworthy guidance.
Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast
SPEAKER_00This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Virginia McConnell.
SPEAKER_02Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you in need of a stone restoration company? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Catherine Valderama with Sarasota Marble Restoration LLC. How are you?
SPEAKER_01I'm doing great, Virginia. How are you?
SPEAKER_02I'm doing well. Thank you. Thank you. We're excited to learn all about you and your and your business.
Services For Stone And Terrazzo
SPEAKER_02Can you tell us about your company?
SPEAKER_01Yes, well, I'm very excited to be here with you. We're a family-owned and operated business based in Sarasota, of course. It's both my husband and I that run the business. We perform all types of natural stone restoration, including but not limited to cleaning, sealing, crack and hole repairs. We do stain treatment, polishing, and honing. We work with all types of natural stone that include marble, granite, travertine, limestone, shellstone, quartzite. We also work with terrazzo and concrete, which most people don't know. So from pool decks to waterfalls, countertops to showers, stone column pillars, you know, to floors, we do it all.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that sounds beautiful. I love stone and natural elements in the house.
Starting A Quality First Business
SPEAKER_02How did you get into that business?
SPEAKER_01Well, we started the business back on July 10th in 2010. My husband, Jose, uh had been working with a company for a few years, and he decided it was the lack of quality service that with the company that he was working with, uh, he just didn't um it didn't jive well with him. And he, you know, was being forced to sometimes cut corners or compromise, you know, honesty. And that was something very important to him. So back in 2010, about 16 years ago, we decided to start our own business, our own company. And uh we decided to create our own company so we can ensure clients receive quality service, and this is what we pride ourselves on ever since to today, treating clients with honesty integrity while still providing good quality service.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
Stone Maintenance Myths Explained
SPEAKER_02And what are some myths or misconceptions about your industry?
SPEAKER_01Well, there's a lot of myths about um, you know, that I get calls from clients not understanding the nature of stone, or they just were never informed, you know, when they picked out stone or installers, you know, sold it to them or companies. So two of the main misconceptions I come across a lot, one is that you know, stone doesn't have to be maintained, um, you know, because it's thick and hard, you know. Um there is no such thing as a maintenance-free stone or a maintenance-free floor for that matter. Um, all types of natural stone require maintenance. Their frequencies uh of maintenance is based on many factors, mostly tied in with your lifestyle. So exposure rate, if it's an exterior application versus an interior installation. Obviously, the sun down here is brutal, so it really takes a beating on the stone. Um, factors like do you have pets, do you have children, do you live near the beach, or is there sand in your yard? Um, these are all factors that uh determine the frequency of maintenance and um you know, which is required over time. Even concrete floors need to be maintained. I like to point that out because a lot of people have that misconception. The second misconception, though, is that sealers can make stone impenetrable. Like, you know, can't you just put something on it and then I don't ever have to maintenance it again, you know, and it's impenetrable, you know, it doesn't get affected by anything. And that's that's not true. You know, there's not we can't change the nature of stone. That's what we come across sometimes is people like want to change the color or they just want it to not ever be affected by anything. And we just can't change the nature of stone. Um, they're all the time coming out with new materials, plastic-like, you know, coatings, things like that. Some of them crack and peel over time or yellow, so that's not good, you know, service, we believe. Um, but you know, I think that's one of the misconceptions is that people think like, can't it just something be done so we never have to do anything again? And that's that is a great misconception people have.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and it's good to know, I think, getting ahead, you know, before you start getting into that, that you know, you know, ahead of time that there will be maintenance, you know, a lot of people have things sprung up at them, you know, at the last minute, and that's something a lot of people wouldn't expect. So yes.
SPEAKER_01And in fact, a lot of and I and I feel bad for people because you know, I wish that the companies that sell them the stone or even the installers that come out to perform the installation would just at least mention to them something about hey, a lot of times it doesn't come from the factory sealed or the installers don't seal it either. And um just to mention it will need to be sealed over time or resealed, you know. And a lot of people call me once there's an issue already, either a stain or crack, or a lot of times we get calls for rain marks, you know, just etching. It's like, hey, it's not as shiny, it's all shiny over here, but it's still here, and I don't know why. And then they learn, oh, it needs to be sealed. I don't even think it was sealed in the beginning. And and then so they're already behind the eight wall, they've already got damage now, and now they're learning of what they need to do to maintain the stone. And and I, you know, I wish people would at least share the information with them up front so that they could be informed and make good decisions for you know themselves and be like, hey, do preventative maintenance instead of damage recovery now, you know.
SPEAKER_02Right, right. Oh,
Target Customers And Past Projects
SPEAKER_02okay. So we know marketing is the heart of every business. Who are your target customers and how do you attract them?
SPEAKER_01Well, we work with all types of customers, so we don't just work with high-end clients on Lombo Key. Yes, we do work with Lombo Key and um at Lakewood Ranch and Anna Maria and the islands and things because they do have a lot of stone out there, but we work with all types of clients. Um, even Tarrazzo is becoming very popular. A lot of homes are being purchased, and you know, they're lifting off the floors and finding the Tarrazzo on there, um, and they love it, so they want to restore that. So uh we really work with all types of clients, uh, mostly residential, I would say. 80 to 90 percent of our clients are residential. But we do work with high-end, you know, hotels, we work with the Ringley Museum. We worked with them in the past, they have their own restoration crews internally, but sometimes they get, you know, I don't want to assume either bogged down or it's a project maybe their restoration crew is um, you know, not able to handle, and we come in and even help them out. So uh we really don't have we don't limit our clients to just, you know, residential or commercial, or you know, we really help out anyone that has these types of stone or concrete.
SPEAKER_02Okay, awesome.
What Sets Them Apart
SPEAKER_02And um, have you ever thought about having your own podcast?
SPEAKER_01No, no, I have not. Although this is a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_02Um okay, Catherine, uh please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Sarasota Marble Restoration.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I would say the one thing that I get all the time that really is important to us and kind of hits at our core is that we really care. You know, we get a lot of clients. Once clients begin working with us, they quickly realize that we're not like other companies, um, that we call and we show up and we say we're going to. We don't mess around with that kind of stuff. Um, that we make great efforts to communicate clearly and honestly with our clients so that that way they fully understand things and they make informed decisions for themselves, even when it's not necessarily in line with what's best for us. Um, and I they truly value that. Um, they trust us because you know we will advise them even when it isn't benefiting us. Um, there's always room for improvement, of course, and we're always interested in growing and improving as a company. But I think that's probably the biggest message that I think people, our clients, appreciate once they start working with us.
Contact Info And Free Estimates
SPEAKER_02Okay, and how can our listeners learn more about Sarasota Marble Restoration?
SPEAKER_01Well, we they definitely can give us a call at 941-870-2303. Um they can sell it, you know, set up a free estimate. Also, we encourage people to go onto our website. We have a beautiful website with a lot of before and after photos broken into categories. So depending on what kind of stone they have, um, or even if it is terrazzo or concrete, they can look in those sections, see the type of services we offer, and uh see, you know, what is possible.
SPEAKER_02Okay, well, Catherine, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much, and thank you for having me here today. It was a wonderful pleasure getting to speak with you.
Nominate A Local Business
SPEAKER_00Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpsarasota.com. That's gmpsarasota.com or call nine four one one four one one eight six five.