Quick antiquing of natural stones in the restoration process

When ancient buildings are restored, even though the restored section uses natural stone with the same lithological characteristics and texture as the building, there is a noticeable color difference between the restored and ancient portions of the building, signifying an old/new difference. This color difference, which is caused by the deterioration of the natural stone used in the ancient structure over many years, gives the natural stone a black or brown appearance. In this study, white marble, travertine, and sandstone were treated with antiquing techniques described in the literature. The goal was to identify the technique that produces the most authentic antique look while being suitable for all areas of the renovated structure. The colors (L, a, and b parameters) of naturally antiqued stones, fresh natural stones, and natural stones antiqued by the antiquing method used in the study were measured with a portable calorimeter and the results were compared. Large ancient buildings can be restored with natural stones by applying a mixture of yogurt, milk, and chimney soot. After the restoration of large ancient buildings using natural stone, it is possible to give the fresh natural stones in the restored section an appearance of having been there for a long time. For this purpose, a mixture of yogurt, milk, and chimney soot and different mixtures made with the addition of cow manure can be applied to fresh natural stone and the stone will quickly gain an antique appearance.