Marble Top Repair
by George A Paxon
QUESTION:I picked up a nice brass table with marble top. The marble appears to have a plastic like surface coating that has peeled slightly in a few spots. Is this likely real marble? could someone have put a coating on it? any ideas for restoring? Cheers, GeorgeANSWER:George, it could be either. A faux or cultured marble top could peel since it is constructed with several layers of various coatings.And it could be real marble with some type of wax or acrylic applied that is now coming off. To determine which it is look at the underside and edges if you can. Is the underside a flat gray or tan without any pattern? And/or do you notice a line near the edge underneath that looks like something was "painted" onto the top? If yes to either, it's cultured marble and I don't think there is much you could do to restore it. On the other hand... If you don't notice any line near the edge and/or the underside shows the same pattern (although it may be more dull) as the top then you have real marble. If you have real marble, I'd try using a solvent and soft-bristle brush to remove whatever is on top. Start with acetone and then move to methylene chloride if the acetone doesn't cut it. As I think about this, I'll bet someone put a varnish over the brass to keep from constantly polishing it and went over the table with it too. So, if you want to keep the varnish on the brass, don't get any solvent on it. 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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