Marble polishing is done to refinish marble surfaces that have enough wear to dull their shine. Marble is widely used for living areas such as floors, tables, kitchen counters, and showers. This means that the surfaces see a lot of human activity. Marble floors can be marred by foot traffic, not to mention stains from spilled liquids. Kitchen counters will see a lot of spilled juice, sauces, and oils. Of course, marble surfaces are treated to keep them stain resistant, but they will still see a fair amount of discoloration if not kept carefully clean. The basics? Try to keep things neat. Marble may be a stone, but it needs more maintenance than, for example, synthetic tiles. Actually, all surfaces used in architecture need some form of maintenance to keep them clean and attractive.
Stain prevention should be your top priority. Marble polishing will eventually come into the picture, but you’ll have an easier job if you just keep that surface as shiny and clean as when it arrived new. Marble is very porous which means stains will settle into the stone unlike glass where all you need to do is loosen surface dirt. Wipe up spilled juice, sauces, and other liquids immediately before they can seep to the surface. Keep surfaces free of debris, as debris will build up and make cleaning more tedious. Avoid damaging the relatively smooth surface, which means no dragging your sofa across that expensive marble floor. Avoid placing hot objects like pans on bare marble surfaces as they will definitely leave a mark. Water can stain your marble shower, so take a few minutes to wipe the surface dry to remove any standing drips.
There is cultured marble and there is the real thing. Although cultured or commercially manufactured marble has a hardened surface, it will still need a lot of marble care and polishing. Try to feel the temperature of its marble surface. Natural marble will feel slightly cooler than the surrounding air, while cultured marble will reflect the ambient air temperature. Just because cultured marble is sturdier than its natural version doesn’t mean you can chop vegetables on that counter. Use cutting boards and their protective pads as if you were dealing with natural marble; the same goes for cleaning up spills and avoiding hard impacts on surfaces. Absolutely do not use metal polishes on marble, natural or cultured surfaces.
Marble polishing aims to reduce surface scratches on marble surfaces by restoring the smoothness of the stone. This means that it is a good idea to start with an already clean surface. Surface dirt is easy. Use ordinary detergent and water to remove the film of dirt that covers the marble. Household cleaner will also work as long as you don’t use the abrasive type. Remember, do not use anything abrasive and nothing acidic. Acids will attack natural marble, so vinegar is out of the question. There are commercially available cleaners at hardware stores, but get only those that are reputable and hopefully from a source you can trust. There is not much you can do about damaged marble and repairs can be time consuming and expensive.
Marble polishing can already be done when you have sufficiently cleaned the marble. Chemical strippers are used to remove previously applied sealer from the surface to make it stain resistant. This will be reapplied after sanding the marble. Chemical powder polishes are used on the surface to achieve a deep gloss finish and the surface is then treated with a sealer to saturate the pores and prevent premature staining. Some old stains will be deep-seated and you may want to consider using poultices made with baking soda and water to remove these stains. The ingredients are mixed to a paste-like constitution and are usually left on the stained surface for about 24 hours. There are also commercially available poultices if you don’t feel comfortable cooking your own mixture.
