Water Marks on Honed White Marble Countertop

by Patricia
(Caldwell, NJ)

QUESTION:

I have a white marble counter top in my kitchen. When the light hits the surface at a certain angle, I can see the outline of circles from glasses, the outline of my cutting board, and other round and odd shapes which appear to be from spills. There is no discoloration. We have a water softener. Any thoughts about removal of the marks? Thank you.

ANSWER:

Patricia, what you have are "etch marks."

Marble is sensitive to acidic foods and substances and will corrode when in contact. A little of the marble gets eaten away causing a mark. It is not a stain. It is physical damage.

Etching is much more noticeable on polished (shiny) marble and since you can see them only at certain angles and probably can't feel them, they are relatively mild.

You note the marble is honed, which is a matte or non-reflective surface although it may have a bit of a sheen.

It's important to be sure which type of finish you have because the remedy for each is different.

Also, you note that you have many spots. Typically in this situation I'd recommend you have it resurfaced by a professional.

You can remove a couple small, mild etch marks yourself, but with multiple etch marks you may not get the best overall results without professional help.

But, if you want to give it a try the procedure for removing etch marks on either honed or polished marble is thoroughly explained with step-by-step instructions in our Cleaning Marble Secrets Guide.

This manual also covers all other marble maintenance issues with proven solutions. Given your marble is in the kitchen, the comprehensive information and guidance will be very helpful to you to prevent problems and fix them when they occur.

Good Luck,
Ryan

P.S. Get all the facts, answers, explanations and simple solutions with step-by-step instructions with Cleaning Marble Secrets the complete marble maintenance manual.

I highly recommend MB Stone Care Products to maintain all your marble, stone and granite countertops and floors in optimal condition. I've used other good products (Stone Tech, Miracle) but found MB Stone Care is the most reliable and effective.