impregnating color enhancer

["John VanCamp" <jvcstnwrks@zzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

John, George, and other interested parties.
Personally, I don't feel a public forum of this nature is the
appropriate place to promote a particular product or brand.
However, the big boxes like homedepot and lowes carry enhancers
along with other stone sealing products and most of the major
tile distributors will also.  George asked if it was avaliable
in small quantities ---Lowes carries a national brand in a pint
container.  Smallest amount I have seen.  My suggestion to any
who would like to experiment with this sort of product would be
to visit a local counter top fabricator(granite and marble guy),
find out what they use and see if you can beg or buy a few
ounces.  They are rather pricey at the retail level.
As a general discourse on sealers for those interested, or
unfamiliar with these products:  There are two general types--
water based and solvent based.  A color enhancer is a type of
sealer. Most of the newer generation sealers are water based so
do not produce any noxous smells.  They function by carrying the
sealing agent into the stone where it basically clogs up the
porocity, and then the base evaporates.  Very porous stone may
require several applications to completely seal the stone, while
some of the more dense stone such as soapstone, some of the dark
"granites", and very compacted limestones will not accept much
if any sealer in to their structure. Also the more the surface
is closed through polishing, the less absorbtive it becomes.
These are not topical or surface coatings so you do not want to
let the product dry on the surface, but rather have it be
absorbed into the stone.  On a very absorbtive stone, it might
be appropriate to use a sealer prior to using the enhancer, but
for the most part, if you want to enhance the stone, do not seal
it first. If multiple applications are needed, it is best to
wait 24 hours between applications in spite of what the label
may claim. Sealers offer protection from staining, but will not
protect the stone from scratching, chipping, or in the case of
calcitic stones, acid etching. Color enhancing sealers do the
same, but also bring out a depth of color that the regular
sealers don't. Most important is this:   always test the
chemical on the stone prior to slathering it all over a piece of
sculpture.  My experience (though limited mostly to domestic
limestone) is that different sealers work differently on
different stones.  What works real well on say Cordova Creme
leaves a piece of Lueders looking rather wierd. The sealer I
have been currently using seems to be more universal than others
I have used in the past. (email me privately if you want brand
information).  As a final note,  some sealer manufactures also
make surface treatments to be applied after the sealer.  Satin
or gloss or matte finishes.  My experience with these is they
produce a real artificial looking stone surface, and are not
worth the effort.
Well I suppose I've bored you all enough, so I'll go to work
now.
John VanCamp / JVC Stoneworks