ClientsRégies and PPEs
How we support building managers: quotations for the general meeting, scheduling and follow-up.
Les Traitements du Sud · Geneva
Building lobby marble restoration in Geneva
For régies and PPEs: a marble lobby that shines again, with notices for residents, zone-by-zone work and suitable working hours.
Building lobbies · Geneva
A marble lobby is the building’s first impression
The entrance lobby is a building’s calling card. It is where residents, visitors and prospective buyers form a view of how well the PPE is kept or how carefully the régie manages the property. In many Geneva buildings this lobby is in marble: chequerboard flooring, borders in a darker stone, wall dados, steps up to the lift, sometimes columns or door surrounds.
These surfaces see heavy use. Dozens of comings and goings a day, pushchairs and bicycles, deliveries, removals — and above all the Geneva winter: melted snow, de-icing salt and grit carried in from the street scratch the polish and leave whitish rings. Over time the lobby loses its lustre, walkways appear and the whole space looks dull even straight after cleaning.
Building lobby marble restoration in Geneva gives the entrance back its original character. Les Traitements du Sud · Geneva works with régies, PPE committees and administrators, and owners of investment buildings, with an organisation designed so that residents can come and go as normal for the whole duration of the work.
Geneva’s heritage
From the ring boulevards to the right bank
The buildings of the ceinture fazyste, built in the nineteenth century on the site of the old fortifications, often have grand lobbies: patterned marble floors, polished stone dados, formal staircases. On the right bank, from the Pâquis to Sécheron and around the quai du Mont-Blanc, you will find Belle Époque entrances as well as more recent lobbies in large-format pale marble.
Each period has its own marbles, formats and laying techniques. Older floors sometimes show lipping and very fine joints that must be respected; more recent lobbies have large pale slabs that are sensitive to staining. Our job is to adapt the method to the structure, preserving the character of a historic lobby or the brightness of a contemporary one.
Champel, Florissant-Malagnou, Eaux-Vives and the Old Town also have many buildings whose entrances deserve this attention. We work throughout the canton.
For régies and PPEs
An organisation built around the life of the building
A lobby cannot be closed. Our method is designed for property managers who need to balance works, resident communication and uninterrupted access.
01
Notices for residents
Before work begins, we provide the régie with a notice to put up in the lobby and, if needed, to distribute to letterboxes: dates, hours, areas affected and the temporary route. The notice is updated as the work progresses.
02
Zone-by-zone work
The lobby is divided into successive zones. While one zone is being treated, a marked and protected walkway stays open to the front door, letterboxes, lift and staircase. Residents move about without interruption.
03
Suitable working hours
The noisiest operations are scheduled mid-morning and early afternoon, outside residents’ usual departure and return times, and in line with the building’s rules. Specific time slots can be agreed with the régie.
Process
The stages of a marble lobby restoration
- 1
Visit and itemised quotation
We measure the surfaces, identify the marbles and look at the joints, lipping and stains. The free quotation in Swiss francs itemises every element, making it easy to present to the PPE general meeting or to the owner.
- 2
Scheduling and communication
A timetable agreed with the régie, the lobby divided into zones, and a notice posted in the lobby a few days before work starts.
- 3
Protection and signage
Protection of doors, letterboxes, the lift car and joinery; the marked-out walkway is put in place.
- 4
- 5
Polishing or crystallisation
Polishing to the chosen finish; on a lobby that is simply dull, crystallisation may be enough.
- 6
Sealing and advice for the caretaker
A stain-resistant sealer, followed by care guidelines handed to the caretaker or cleaning company.
6stages of restoration
3commitments: notices, zones, hours
7marble services
17areas served
The Geneva winter
Salt, grit and limescale: the trio that dulls lobbies
From December to March, every resident brings in a little de-icing salt and grit on the soles of their shoes. The grit scratches the polish like sandpaper, while dissolved salt dries into whitish streaks. Add the limescale from the mopping water, and it is easy to see why Geneva lobbies often dull faster near the front door than at the back.
Restoration removes these marks, and a few simple measures make the result last much longer: an outdoor scraper mat and a good length of absorbent indoor matting, washing with a pH-neutral cleaner, careful rinsing during the salt season, and using a soft rather than abrasive pad on the scrubbing machine.
For very busy buildings we offer periodic marble maintenance, for instance after each winter, to keep the shine and check the sealer. Older stains — rust under a plant pot, oil, tyre marks — are dealt with by stain removal before polishing.
Beyond the floor
Dados, thresholds, steps and the stairwell
A marble lobby is more than its floor. Wall dados, often in polished marble, pick up marks from pushchairs and bags; thresholds and the steps up to the lift get chipped; door surrounds and columns gather handprints. We treat these elements together with the floor so the lobby reads as one coherent whole again.
When the shared staircase is also marble, it can be included in the same project, with the finish carrying on from the building’s threshold to the upper floors. Our page on marble staircase restoration explains the step-by-step method with access maintained.
The finish is chosen with the régie or committee: gloss for a formal lobby, satin for a busy entrance where micro-scratches need to stay discreet. A test on a sample area lets you judge the result before approving it.
- Information notice provided to the régie for display
- Zone-by-zone work with a permanent marked walkway
- Working hours that fit the life of the building
- Treatment of the floor, dados, thresholds and steps
- Itemised quotation in Swiss francs
- Care guidelines handed to the caretaker
Clients
SurfaceMarble staircases
The shared stairwell restored step by step, continuing on from the lobby.
ServiceMarble maintenance
A periodic visit to keep the lobby shining, especially after winter.
Frequently asked questions
Building lobby marble restoration in Geneva
Can residents come and go while the work is under way?
Yes, at all times. The lobby is treated in successive zones and a marked walkway stays open to the door, letterboxes, lift and staircase. Residents are informed by a notice in the lobby, which we provide to the régie and update as the work progresses, so nobody is caught by surprise.
Can you provide a quotation suitable for a PPE general meeting?
Yes. The free quotation is drawn up in Swiss francs and itemises each element: floor, joints, dados, thresholds, steps and sealing. It sets out the method, the duration and the arrangements for residents, making it straightforward to present and vote on at the general meeting or to have approved by the building’s owner.
What hours do you work in an occupied building?
We work during the day, scheduling the noisiest operations outside residents’ usual departure and return times and always in line with the building’s rules. Particular time slots can be agreed with the régie, for example in a mixed-use building with shops on the ground floor.
How long does a marble lobby restoration take?
It depends on the surface area, the condition of the marble, the number of elements to treat (dados, steps, thresholds) and how the lobby is divided into zones. A typical building lobby is usually completed in a few days. The precise schedule is set out in the quotation and confirmed with the régie before work begins.
Will the white marks left by de-icing salt come off?
Yes. Salt streaks and limescale haze are removed during the restoration; where the salt has slightly etched the polish, grinding and polishing restore an even surface. Afterwards, suitable matting and careful rinsing during the winter months greatly reduce the chance of them coming back.
Do you offer regular maintenance after the restoration?
Yes. For busy lobbies we offer periodic maintenance — for example each spring after the salt season — with buffing and a check of the sealer. We also give care guidelines to the caretaker or cleaning company for day-to-day upkeep, so the finish stays consistent.
Areas
Marble building lobbies across the canton of Geneva
Régies, PPE administrators and owners: tell us about your building through the contact page and we will arrange a visit.
Geneva
Geneva communes
Terre Sainte & Nyon
A free quotation for your building’s lobby
The building’s address, the approximate size of the lobby and a few photos are all we need to arrange a visit and provide an itemised quotation in Swiss francs.