Charred Marks From Broiler on Marble Backsplash
by Mary
QUESTION:We have a new marble countertop in a newly renovated kitchen. The same marble is on the wall in back of the new range. We used the Wolf range broiler feature for the first time this weekend and at the backsplash, where the oven has some vents, a whole line of little charred marks matching the vent openings appeared across the marble.Can you advise on why this might occur and how we can prevent this from recurring, and/or clean it? Thank you. ANSWER:Well, marble can take a lot of heat, but yes it can be charred and/or damaged by excessive heat or flames.This happens most commonly with marble fireplace surrounds. The first thing you need to do is to clean off anything on the surface. Now, I imagine you may have done this. If not, I'd recommend using INTENSIVE Concentrated Tile & Grout cleaner, which is the most powerful cleaner still safe for marble. I don't know if you are new to marble maintenance, but you should use only products safe for cleaning marble. Most common brand-name cleaners will etch (dull and discolor) marble. And while on this little tangent about cleaning marble, be prepared to regularly get etch marks from acidic foods and drinks. Etch marks are dull, discolored spots that look like ghost stains. People often call them "glass-rings" or "water spots". I hate to tell you now (your fabricator and/or designer should have told you) that marble is not the recommended stone for a kitchen countertop precisely because it easily etches. And there is nothing you can do to prevent it except avoid contact with acids, which is impossible in a kitchen. Sealing has nothing to do with etching... it only prevents staining. Luckily, you can rather easily remove etch marks and restore the shine on polished marble using SCP: Marble Polishing Paste made just for this purpose and for removing light scratches. So, etching is manageable... it's just a constant battle. Back to the charring... So, if after cleaning marble you still see discoloration, the marble has been damaged and you'll likely need to hire a marble maintenance professional to re-surface the area if the marble has a polished (shiny) finish. That shine is not the result of some chemical. It it created on big machines using intense friction and abrasion. So, you'll need a pro to grind away the damaged marble and then re-polish the area. Now, if the marble is honed or tumbled you have some DIY options as explained step-by-step in the Removing Marble Stains Manual. This marble maintenance manual also covers DIY solutions for burned polished marble, but it won't yield as good of results as a pro. If you are new to marble maintenance then you may consider (and I'd recommend) that you get the Cleaning Marble Secrets Guide, which includes the "removing stains" guide plus everything you should and will need to know about cleaning marble, marble maintenance plus low-cost DIY solutions to any problem you may encounter. To prevent burning in the future I'd say you'll have to install some type of barrier between the vents and the marble. Good Luck, Ryan P.S. Get all the facts, answers, explanations and simple solutions with step-by-step instructions for any issue, problem or question with our Granite & Marble Maintenance Manuals. |
