Marble Care  

Marble is very rich-looking, it's true, but it still requires care. The fact that it is porous means that spilt liquid tends to soak into marble rapidly. This means you could be left with a permanent stain.
For day to day care, wipe up any liquid spills right away. Then wash the marble using a mild detergent.

We also recommend keeping your marble waxed regularly. Use a good quality white paste wax for this. This will serve as protection against future mishaps.

If mild detergent doesn't do the job, because your marble is badly stained, you may want to try the following remedy.

Greasy Stains:

You will need acetone and powdered chalk dust or whiting. Most paint stores should carry these ingredients. You will be making a poultice to apply to the marble.

1. Combine the whiting, or chalk dust, with the acetone. Mix it up until you have made a thick paste.

2. Apply a thick layer of the paste to the area that has the stain on it.

3. Get enough plastic wrap to cover the area you have pasted, and tape it over the surface. This is to stop the acetone from evaporating.

4. Allow the paste to set overnight.

5. The next day, clean the poultice off and then scrub the stain.

You may have to repeat this whole procedure if the stain didn't go away the first time. (We have included marble polishing instructions further down the page).

 

Organic Material Stains (fruit juice, soda, coffee, tea):

You will need hydrogen peroxide, powdered whiting and household ammonia. You can find hydrogen peroxide in most drug stores. (You are going to make another poultice).

1. Combine the hydrogen peroxide and the powdered whiting.

2. Select the area that has been stained and apply a thick layer to it.

3. Take the household ammonia and squeeze just a few drops onto the poultice.

4. Get enough plastic wrap to cover the area you have pasted, and tape it over the surface. Do this step quickly.

5. Allow it to sit overnight.

6. The next day, take a dry cloth and scrub the stain.

If the stain doesn't lift the first time you try this repeat the above procedure.

If the procedure above does not cause the stain to lighten at all, try making the mixture using all household ammonia.

Rust Stains (these are notoriously hard to get rid of):

If your dealing with a fairly fresh stain you might be able to remove it by rubbing hard with a dry cloth. If it seems pretty set, you will need to make (you guessed it!) a poultice.

You will need some liquid rust remover, which most hardware stores should carry, and some powdered whiting.

1. Combine the rust remover with the powdered whiting.

2. Apply this mixture to the stain. Allow it to sit for several hours.

3. If this gets most of the stain out, but not all of it, try another poultice, this time with bleach in it.

Marble Polishing:

These various stain treatments may leave your marble looking slightly dull. If this is the case, then follow these steps for polishing your marble and restoring the shine. You will need tin oxide powder for this. You can get tin oxide powder from marble dealers, and even some furniture stores.

1. Wet the surface to be polished.

2. Sprinkle a generous amount of the powder onto the marble.

3. With a thick cloth pad, rub the marble until it shines again. (This requires vigorous rubbing, so you may want to consider using a buffer if you have a large surface area to polish).

 

Please call Al's Finish Carpentry at: 714-664-8824

 

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