Cleaning Marble After Installation and Before Sealing
QUESTION:After marble (onyx) is installed there are streaks of water and grout on the tile. How do you clean the marble before you seal the marble and grout? It looks awful after the sealtant is applied.ANSWER:I'm confused. You want to clean the marble before sealing, but then you say that it "looks awful after sealant is applied".So, which is it? Has the marble sealer been applied or not? This changes what must be done when cleaning marble. So, if you have NOT applied the sealer and you have grout on the tiles use PRISTINE Grout/Hard Water/Soap Film Remover to take the grout off. Most grout removers are acidic and will damage your marble/onyx. The PRISTINE is made specifically for cleaning marble. On the other hand if you have applied the sealer and you have streaks, etc. then you either did not apply the sealant correctly OR the marble did not need sealing in the first place. Some stones do not need sealing. They are not absorbent and in fact cannot even absorb a sealer. Often when a sealer is applied when it shouldn't be the result is a dull streaky haze left on the marble. All you have to do is water test the marble to determine if it needs and/or can take a sealer. The dull haze can also occur if the sealer was simply left to dry on the surface. This is not the proper technique. So, if you have applied the sealer and have the hazy streaks, then you'll need to strip the sealer off using methylene chloride... a noxious solvent often found in paint strippers. If no sealer has been applied yet, then use the PRISTINE to remove the grout, then test your onyx to see if it needs sealing. If it does, I recommend using SenGuard or Stone Sentry Sealers. 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. |
