Cracking Finish on Marble Table
by W. Norman Stovall
QUESTION:A seven foot marble dining table the finish has long cracks and I have lifted a piece of the finish off the table. It looks like plastic of some sort. How can I repair this problem. Can I fill the exposed marble with polymer resin? Thank you.ANSWER:It sounds like you have some type of coating on the marble that is now old, degraded and coming off.This is a good example why we (and most stone pros) recommend that you do not put any type of coating or wax on marble and stone surfaces. Chemical coatings and wax used to be applied quite often in an attempt to reduce maintenance and/or change the shine or look of the stone, but most often these coatings add little benefit and create more problems (and maintenance) then they were meant to solve. As much as possible you want to leave the stone in a natural state. Applying a marble & granite sealer is often beneficial, but this does not change or affect the look or performance of the stone (except to drastically slow down absorption of staining liquids) since the sealer works below the surface. A coating covers the surface, so now you have a layer of something that is not stone. The required maintenance is then dictated by the needs of the coating and not the stone. And is some instances a coating can actually cause the stone to decompose. So, it isn't the finish that is cracking. For stone the "finish" is part of the stone itself. The finish refers to the type of surface treatment performed on and/or given to the stone... meaning a shiny "polished" finish or a more dull but smooth "honed" finish or a somewhat rough "tumbled" finish, etc. A finish can be worn away, but it's not going to "come off". You need to strip off whatever is on the marble surface, see what shape it's in and go from there. I'd suggest using this De-Greaser / Wax Remover / Stripper that is made just for this purpose and won't damage your marble. Who knows what the marble surface and finish will be like once removed, but it may need nothing more than a good marble cleaning. If it is a polished (shiny) finish, then you may want to tune of the shine using the Marble Polish / Etch Remover. This product's primary purpose is to repair dull etch marks, but it works equally well to spruce up an uneven or slightly worn polished finish (but not on a honed finish). 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. |
