Cleaning Black Marble Water Spots
QUESTION:my new marble counter top for my bathroom is black with a bit of white veining. i cant remember the name....but it is brand new and has developed a film that we cannot get rid of. we only use water but it looks terrible! how can it be cleaned and how can it be used in the future. if any water isnt wiped up immediately then it looks terrible.ANSWER:Well black marble or any black surface will show smudges, dried water drops, etc. much more so than any other color... just the nature of a black surface.If you've only used water, then there isn't any possible damage that could occur. Water does not harm marble in any way. It may darken the marble temporarily if it soaks in a bit or it may leave water spots where water has dried, but these are easily wiped away. "Looks terrible" doesn't tell me anything, so I don't know if you have an actual problem or are just disappointed that doesn't look clean all the time. You say you have a "film"... What does the film look like? Does it cover the whole countertop? Can the film be cleaned away? Here's two things that can happen that would best explain what you may be experiencing. 1. You applied a sealer (which the marble almost certainly does NOT need) and the sealer dried on the surface leaving a dull haze. 2. Something acidic (food, drink, personal product like mouthwash, shave cream, perfume)or alkaline(most common household cleaners) has contacted the marble resulting in an etch mark. Etching is corrosion that eats into the marble ruining the polish. It can leave spots that look like ghost stains.... whitish, cloudy and dull. If you happened to use the wrong type of cleaner over the whole surface, then the whole surface could look this way. So, if you have etch marks, then you can use SCP: Marble Polishing Paste to repair the etching and restore the shine and color. If a sealer is the issue, then you'll need to strip it off with methylene chloride. You'll find complete instructions on how to do this in the All About Sealers manual. If it isn't one of these issues, then you'll have to be more specific and descriptive about what you are actually seeing in order to provide a solution. 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.
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