Water Ring Marks On Kitchen Marble Tile

by Janelle Bedard
(Wichita, Kansas USA)

QUESTION:

We moved into our new home December 31st, 2007. I chose marble tile for our kitchen counter top and raised bar in the kitchen. We love the looks of the marble and the beauty of it.

However, we now have some water ring marks from glass left on the counter from the glasses "sweating."

I do not know the name of the tile but it is a light cream color. As was recommended by the company we purchased the tile from, I did put a sealer on it. But that didn't prevent the marks.

How do I go about removing the stains?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

ANSWER:

First, I can appreciate your love of the look of marble, but the company you bought from should be fired if they did not warn you that you would FOR CERTAIN have this problem with marble in the kitchen.

What you have are technically not "stains." A stain is left when a substance is absorbed by the marble and is darker than the marble.

"Water rings" are very common, but they are not an absorbed stain, but rather the result of a chemical reaction called "etching."

Marble is a calcite based stone (travertine and limestone too), which reacts with acids to etch the stone.

Etching is basically corrosion of the stone that occurs when in contact with acidic substances like juice, alcohol, coffee, salad dressing, etc.

It is most pronounced on polished marble where the acidic substance immediately destroys the polish leaving a dull spot most commonly in the shape of a glass ring.

Don't ask me how it happens when an acidic drink is IN the glass or bottle that is simply "sweating" and that leaves a ring, but it does.

It happens in mere seconds and cannot be prevented, except by not allowing contact.

The problem with etching is why marble is NOT recommended for the kitchen.

Sealing does NOT prevent etching.

Granite does not react with acids. That is why granite is the stone of choice for the kitchen.

Removing Etch Marks

I'm assuming you have a polished (shiny) vs. honed (matte) finish on your marble tile.

If the etch mark is faint, then you may get lucky and remove it... or rather restore the shiny polish with a marble polishing cream. You can try this first yourself without complicating the problem.

If that doesn't work, you'll need to hire a professional to re-polish the marble.

If your marble is honed, then I would call a professional.

You may be able to remove the corroded surface of the stone yourself by sanding with a grade 2 (course), grade 1 (med. course) or grade 0 (fine) steel wool pad.

Get all three and experiment with how much stone it removes from the marble.

Using the steel wool pad could remove the etch mark, but the area may still be noticeable since it will probably look different than the rest of the honed surface.... hence a professional is probably best.

And use coasters and large cutting boards for all food prep from now on.

Comment back and let us know how it turns out.

Good Luck,
Ryan