Pitting On New Polished Marble Vanity

by Kim
(Florida)

QUESTION:

I recently installed a new polished carrara marble vanity top while remodeling my master bath. Now, a couple of weeks later, it has "pitting" on one side, like several little nicks in the marble. I thought it was damage from work tools being laid on the vanity top by workmen while the remodel job is being finished, but the supervisor said it was "pitting". What is pitting? What causes it? How can it be repaired?

ANSWER:

Well granite can sometimes develop pitting since it is composed of a variety of different coarse-grained minerals of various sizes that can come loose (usually with repeated applied force like around the sink where you constantly set pots, pans and dishes) and pop out.

Marble is composed of highly compressed crystals and very rarely would "pitting" occur.

But to have several appear suddenly in a few weeks... I'm 99.9% certain it is not pitting.

Scratches and nicks can occur rather easily by such things as setting tools on the surface since marble is much softer than granite.

So, you have to ask yourself... "did these nicks occur during installation/remodel and you just now noticed them?"

Or...

Are you certain the countertop was in perfect condition and the nick developed after the contractors had left the scene.

In this case, then I'd say that you caused them somehow.

But it doesn't really matter how they were caused when considering a repair.

You can rub some wax into the nicks and buff it smooth using 0000 steel wool.

Or you can use an acrylic filler that is made for stone chip repair.

Of course, if you think the contractors did it you can fight with them about it, but the answer they gave obviously tells you they will dismiss it as not their fault.

Although, why would they install a marble vanity that already had pits in it?

But it's easy enough and cheap enough to just fix it yourself.

The most expensive option is to have a marble maintenance professional grind down and re-finish the surface.

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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