Cleaning Architectural Marble For Kitchen Use

by Alissa
(Sheboygan, WI)

QUESTION:

I picked up a marble slab at a garage sale and would like to convert it into a countertop work area in the kitchen. Right now, the slab is rough and stained. How can I clean and polish it? I would like to use it as a pastry board. Are there any possible hazards I should be aware of?

ANSWER:

You will need to hire a marble restoration professional and/or take your marble to a marble fabricator.

You will not be able to polish it yourself. The shiny polish on marble countertops, granite, etc. is not from some spray or coating.

The polish is achieved by ginding with diamond abrasives and requires a good bit of skill to do it well. Marble slabs from the quarry are polished by large machines at factories.

Resufacing and polishing will also remove the outer layer and most likely whatever dirt or grim is currently on the marble.

What I mean to say is that if more than a spot or two need to be "cleaned," then resurfacing is the the best way to do that too.

As far as hazards: What was the marble used for and what was it exposed to? It's possible that it could have absorbed some environmental pollutants.

But again, when you have the marble restored, they will have to remove enough of the marble to reveal a clean layer thereby removing any pollutants that may have absorbed into it.

You may want to pick up the "Cleaning Marble Secrets" guide (link below) as well to learn how to properly clean and maintain it. There is also more detailed information about cleaning and restoration to help guide you for this particular phase of your project.

Good Luck,
Ryan

P.S. Get all the facts, answers, explanations and simple solutions with step-by-step instructions in Cleaning Marble Secrets the complete marble maintenance manual.

I highly recommend MB Stone Care Products to maintain all your marble, stone and granite countertops and floors in optimal condition. I've used other good products (Stone Tech, Miracle) but found MB Stone Care is the most reliable and effective.