Anyone with any advice in the marble department? I am a carpenter by trade and a general contractor. I recently remodeled my own kitchen. I had my wife go out and select any counter top she wanted. I knew I was going to tile the countertop one way or the other. Anyhow she picked out some marble from the clearance rack. 12 x 12 squares of which i Installed. they are black/brown with white streaks spots etc. The problem is that until i was done …i never heard Not to use marble in a kitchen because it stains easy. Well it sure does… Anything and everythin seems to leave marks. Alcohol,tomato sauce,citrus… everything What happens is the finish becomes etched, the finish destroyed. Now when i installed the tiles. I had to buff the cut edges , They came out fantastic, I used a grinder with a sanding atachment, I used six different grits to get the polished edge, up to 600grit. That technique has helped me remove a wine spill or two, however i can still see where i buffed it out. So i wonder if someone knows an easier solution to remove the etching when it occurs. Sealers do not help . I will eventually get to the point where i re do the whole thing. But till then help? I still cant believe that I never heard of the fact that marble is such high maintainance, i always tought that it was a high end material. Thanks for any / all help.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Use these assembly techniques when installing crown risers and molding to minimize visible gaps and nail holes.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
Shotsy
I alway's thought the same thing with marble granite ect. When we started looking into our countertops I read all about the staining. If you do a search here you'll find a lot of posts on this if I recall. We decided to go with soapstone counters, we know this will mark and nick up but over the years that is part of the appeal. We'll see.
Good luck
Roy
thanks roy.
A. Marble is soft and and porous.
B. The darker the marble (stone) the harder it is.
C. The proper sealer costs $80/ quart. Most people don't opt for it. The cheaper stuff lays over the stone and therefore can be damaged. That is what is being affected, not the stone. It's too late to change sealers. Also you probably put too much on. Let the excess wear off. Time is your friend.
D. EVERYONE complains about the first few stains and marks on stone countertops. After about 50 or 60 stains they start to BLEND together, have stories/ history behind them and develope character. Sounds corny but it's true. They do look better on slab material but tiles are fine.
E. ALL countertops in Kitchens have a Life. They start new and then age. Beauty comes with age. (see D above) Though counter tops look good when they are new, they have less character and depth than ones 20yrs old.
F. Stop being so critical and enjoy them. Learn to love the "flaws". They are the nature of the beast.
Frankie, Frankie, Frankie, Thanks for your help?
A- It sure doesnt seem porous as it wont soak up any sealer for its own good.
B- I guess my marble sure is hard being as how it is dark. It is the finish that seems so delicate, its like a grease smudge on a clean sheet of glass. You cant miss it.
C-I will pay $80 for a quart of miracle solution that would stay on the surface and protect my finish for just a few minutes while I run for a napkin to clean a spill. Though you say i cant apply a new seal? Do you have a name brand?
D-Yes the stains will blend together, which by the way was a thought, i thought...Hmmm why not mix some vodka/wine/lemmon juice/tomato sauce/ and sure some other stuff too , then just smear it all over and have a uniform look to the whole thing. I havent got to that point yet, still considering it though, Ha.
E-Sure every top ,everything , has a life unto itself, same goes for my top, although it may be a short life, I am a bit of a perfectionist, and now have no choice really except to let the top evolve into a big multistained unit, thing is I felt confident that there must be an easy solution to this problem, like go to your paint supplier and get a (gallon/quart , 50 gallon drum, whatever) of super seals it all, Apply with a sprayer and let stand fro 48 hours, this will form a micro layer of permanant protection, it may scratch, though a touch up is easy with an artists brush. No such luck.
F-Perhaps i am being too critical, Thing is I am being criticized (if not out loud) by my wife and others? And even if they are not, they should, Why because I am a professional who should have known better than to use that material in the kitchen, But i swear i never heard of the problem until i was done. I will enjoy my "flaws" as best as I can.....Damn them all to hell.
G-I did however hear that the whole thing could be buffed by a professional. Funny thing is I am a professional, and even though i have asked the marble guys at local shops.... they look at me like i grew the third eye and have gone madd. oh well thanks for your input. Shotsy
Shotsy, Shotsy, Shotsy -
My heart bleeds for you.
Note to self: Shotsy WORKS with stone. He's not MADE of stone. Poor guy. Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har!!!!
Now down to business.
1. What did you use to seal it the first time (I want names) and how much was it. I am guessing it was an acrylic type sealer which as I stated before, floats on the surface of the stone. Kinda like polyurethane or paint on wood. There is another type of sealer which is solvent based but still has large molecules and therefore won't penetrate a stone well, esp if that stone is polished. I won't even get into "polished to perfection" situations.
2. The trouble you are having, due to heat, is a result of the "sealer" not being able to handle the heat of the kitchen.
3. Now these type of sealers wear off just as poly does off floors. But that takes time. You could sand/ polish it off and you might get 80% of it but it's a lot of time and work. Also, risk to damaging it further. But when your done, or on to the next stone project you can use the expensive stuff which truely penetrates the stone. Miracle Sealants makes a version of this type - available on line at http://www.miraclesealants.com. Any good stone tile store should sell it too.
4. Another solution is to rub the stone with mineral oil, available at the supermarket or drug store. Pretty cheap stuff, BUT it works wonders. Problem is, it must be re-applied regularly depending on counter use.* We use this for wood countertops too. Totally non-toxic. That's usually the selling point. Anyway, as the $hit finish is wearing off you could apply the mineral oil finish. Gradually, and without anyone being wise to it. The mineral oil stands up to heat very well too.
This solution will darken the marble and may give it a more matte/ nonreflective finish. Try it out on some of the left over tiles: a) just mineral oil, and b) first the $hit sealer, rubbed off or not, and then the mineral oil.
*Dish washing soap is very good at breaking down oils so mineral oil is not its friend. But the mineal oil is so cheap, who cares if it needs to be applied once a month or after a big party when you had to really scrub the countertop down. Apply the oil, wipe up what has not soaked-in after 10 minutes, then go to sleep and let it dry overnight.
One last note to ALL: Wood cutting boards should be periodically be treated to mineral oil to keep them fresh and less absorbant. The cutting board oils at shishi boutiques which sell for $5/ 8oz are really the same mineral oil you can buy for $1.50/ qt.
Hope this helps get you out of Family Judgement Hell. Keep us posted.
Frankie, Thanks again, ... some how all that mineral oil sounds like it may be worth a try. As far as the name of the failed sealer goes ... I really dont believe it could be any manufacturing defect, so they will remain nameless. As far as i am concerned nothing can penetrate this finish,.... unless you happen to be a splash of orange juice.(of course), i will update with any new developments, because as you now can tell... this war is far from over, P.S. Just pictured myself standing on the countertop wrestling a commercial floor polisher. Ha ha. I'll be o.k. Grrrrrr Shotsy
"I had to buff the cut edges , They came out fantastic, I used a grinder with a sanding atachment, I used six different grits to get the polished edge, up to 600grit. "
Sorry not to shed light on your issue but I have a question. Did you use sandpaper or buffer with rouge?
I'm putting in a shower with green brown white marble. Really pretty stuff. But the edges are an issue that I think I may have to address. I'm only covering a corner of a room 3' on one wall 4' on the other wall each wall going up 7 or 8 foot from the shower base.
The tile comes in on Tuesday and I'll have time to polish up a few edges before I can install it on the weekend of the 8th or later.
I like the "get used to it" explaination above. As long as it is a functional surface and it doesn't come loose. I'd spend the time drinking the wine to get used to the new mantra. "It's OK... It's OK..It's OK....
Hey Booch, I used actual sandpaper, though i suppose it is specialized for this duty. the attachment i picked up, (from my tile supply warehouse), fit right onto my grinder and has the hook and loop design. There was no rouge involved though using six grits in the correct order for every cut edge was a bit time consuming. The end result was however perfection. And on my own experience regarding my marble tops, the stains do add character ...sure.. I agree and that is precisely what I would tell a client. But I still can not believe how easy the stains develop. It is instantanious. I figure there must be a way to either block a stain with a sealer or a way to buff it out . Oh well thanks for your reply. And good luck with your project, hope i'm not too late. Shotsy
Naw you are right on time. I've got many ways to cut the stuff but the finishing is going to be harder. I've used the table saw with a grit blade for cutting these marble tiles before. It is a little rougher than the wetsaw but when you don't have it available it works just fine. I did a whole fireplace front with tavertine that way and was able to hide the cut edges pretty handily.
I'll try the sander with some wet dry or carbide paper. that should do the trick. Thanks for the tip.Jack of all trades and master of none - you got a problem with that?
Shotsy, Any calcite stone like marble will etch if it comes in contact with an acid. I liked Frankie's suggestions. Especially:
D. EVERYONE complains about the first few stains and marks on stone countertops. After about 50 or 60 stains they start to BLEND together, have stories/ history behind them and develope character. Sounds corny but it's true. They do look better on slab material but tiles are fine.
I recommend wiping the whole surface down with distilled vinegar and going for a "honed"/unpolished effect. Ultimately this is what is going to happen over time. I personally am not a big fan of shiny surfaces. I like stone for its natural variations and character. The fact that it will take a nice shine is more of a novelty than a selling point for me.
I would forget about sealers, they don't protect against acids. The mineral idea sounds interesting.
Karl
I refinished some marble counters for a lady a few years ago. Went to a auto body shop supplier and got some sanding bonnets for my 5" random orbit sander...up tp 2000 grit, I think. I think I could have gone even finer, but that left a pretty smooth surface. A clean one at least, that's for sure.