DIY Marble Restoration: Why You Need a Marble Refinishing Kit

Marble is a soft natural stone that is sensitive to scratching, etching, staining and discoloration. Over the life of marble, the surface is bound to encounter these damages.

Homeowners that have marble flooring, counter tops, showers or vanities can significantly benefit from in owning a marble refinishing kit. Although there are professional services for marble refinishing and restoration, these services can cost several hundreds of dollars, depending on the project.

When you really look the process, refinishing marble is a straightforward task of buffing, polishing, and sealing the marble using the proper compounds. With the right tools, virtually any homeowner can get the job done, and save a lot money in the process. The key is to invest in the right set of refinishing tools and marble care products.

The first decision in buying or putting together a marble refinishing kit is whether or not you need an orbital buffing machine. If you do need one, look for a buffer with at least a 0.5 amp motor (or one that generates 4,000+ orbits per minute).

Next you'll need to ensure you have a few sanding discs that are of varying levels of grit. As you refinish the marble with the buffer, you can increase the grit-level to sand the marble more deeply. The most essential to acquire are 220, 400, and 600-grit sanding discs. For more extensive marble restoration projects, you may want to have a 800-grit sanding disc on hand.

You'll also want to invest in the proper compounds to clean, polish, and seal the marble during the refinishing process. As mentioned from the start, marble is soft and sensitive. Using the wrong products can actually harm the marble, causing etching on the surface. For that reason you'll want to be sure to buy a marble cleaner compound that's specifically formulated to be safe on marble.

In addition to the buffing tools, the other essential care products that you'll need to efficiently refinish your marble include a:

• deep-penetrating cleaning compound
• marble polishing compound
• water or solvent-based marble sealant
• mesh/microfiber polishing pad

Once you have these marble care products, along with a buffer and sanding discs, your marble refinishing kit is complete.

Stay tuned for our next blog post when we actually discuss the process on how to refinish marble.

Choosing the Right Cleaner for Marble Stain Removal

If you are seeking stain removal solutions for your marble, finding the right marble cleaner or poultice is very, very important. Selecting the proper marble cleaning agent is critical to not only remove stains from marble, but also to ensure the marble stone surface is not harmed during the process (for some household cleaning agents can seriously damange marble.)

In most situations, you can take-on marble stain removal yourself and save a lot of money in the process. Although there are professional services for marble cleaning and restoration, the cost of these services can be hundreds of dollars, depending on the amount of work that needs to be done in removing the stains.

The first step in do-it-yourself marble stain removal is determining the type of marble you have. There are number of different marble species that have verying levels of porosity. For instance, Breccia Nouvella (a dark brown color) and Verde Antique (a dark green color) are two types of marble that require a more deep penetrating marble cleaner or poultice. These forms of polished marble may require a specially formulated marble cleaner or restorer product to produce the original high gloss finish.

Once you've pinpointed the type of marble you have, as well as the general level of the marble's porosity, you'll then be able to determine the type of marble cleaner to use in removing those ugly stains. Because some of forms discoloration may be more severe than others, the chemical make-up of the marble cleaner or poultice you elect to use is an important consideration.

Standard marble cleaners will generally be well-suited for minor stains. These types of stains are typically from dirt that accumlates over time. Such standard marble cleaning products are often less dense with chemicals, but are still highly effective in removing minor discoloration.

For instances of sever discoloration, such as stains deriving from oil, wine, or coffee spills, a more robust marble cleaner may be needed. Situations like these often call for a marble poultice. A poultice typically has a more hefty blend of chemicals designed to deeply penetrate the marbles surface and lift the stains deep within the marbles pores. Although these types of marble cleaners are more expensive, they are still far less costly than investing in marble restoration services.

It's important to keep in mind that not all cleaners and stain removers are compatible with marble. Marble is sensitive stone that can only handle select cleaning products low in acidity or alkaline make-up. Additionally, educating yourself on proper marble care and maintenance can help you prevent stains and discoloration from occuring in the first place.